Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Suppurative joint inflammation causing lameness in large dogs
By Rondeau, Mark P et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2005·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Suppurative, nonseptic polyarthropathy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old large-breed dog was brought in for lameness and had a fever of 103°F. The vet found signs of inflammation in multiple joints but could not identify a specific cause for the dog's condition. Some dogs in the study had other health issues, like systemic lupus erythematosus or gastrointestinal disease, but many did not have any clear underlying problems. While a significant number of dogs tested positive for Lyme disease antibodies, it wasn't confirmed as the cause for all cases. Treatment options weren't detailed, but the findings suggest that many dogs with this type of joint inflammation may not have a clear diagnosis.
People also search for: dog lameness causes · large breed dog joint pain · Lyme disease in dogs · dog fever and joint pain · systemic lupus erythematosus in dogs
Abstract
The goals of this study were to determine the historical, physical examination, and clinicopathologic findings in dogs with suppurative, nonseptic polyarthropathy and to identify concurrent disorders associated with this syndrome. Medical records of 52 dogs with cytologic evidence of suppurative inflammation in two or more joints were examined retrospectively. Age of dogs was 4.8 years (median, range: 0.5-12 years). There was no clear breed or sex predilection, but most were large-breed dogs (body weight > or = 20 kg [44.4 lbs] in 40/52). Body temperature was 103.0 degrees F (39.4 degrees C) (median, range: 100.0-105.9 degrees F), with 29 of 52 dogs having a body temperature > or = 103 degrees F (39.4 degrees C). Lameness was identified in 42 of 52 dogs. Erosive changes were found in only 1 of 37 dogs that had radiography performed. A clear underlying disease process was not identified in 34 of 52 dogs. Seven dogs had evidence of infectious or inflammatory processes at extra-articular sites; 4 dogs were diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); 2 dogs had gastrointestinal disease; 2 dogs had been vaccinated within 1 month before onset of polyarthritis; 1 dog had cancer; 1 dog had polyarthritis and meningitis; and 1 dog had erosive polyarthritis. Of the 44 dogs tested, 25 had antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, detected by an ELISA assay, which was significantly greater than the general hospital population (P = .007). Antibodies against Rickettsia rickettsiae and Ehrlichia canis were not definitively identified in the sera of any dog tested in this study (45 and 44 dogs, respectively). We conclude that an underlying disease process is not identified in most cases of suppurative polyarthropathy in dogs and that intestinal disease, neoplasia, and SLE are uncommon causes of polyarthritis. While seropositivity against the causative agent of Lyme disease was common and possibly a cause of polyarthritis in some dogs of our study, evidence of other vector-borne infection was not identified.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16231709/