Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment of myasthenia gravis with thymoma in two German shepherd
By Rusbridge, C et al.Ā·Published in The Journal of small animal practiceĀ·1996Ā·Department of Small Animal Medicine and SurgeryĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Treatment of acquired myasthenia gravis associated with thymoma in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two female German Shepherds were diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a condition that affects muscle strength, due to a thymoma (a type of tumor). After surgery to remove the thymoma, both dogs developed aspiration pneumonia because of difficulty swallowing. While the myasthenia gravis symptoms didn't completely go away, they were better managed with a medication called anticholinesterase. One dog also received corticosteroids, but this led to increased thirst and more regurgitation, causing further pneumonia issues.
People also search for: dog myasthenia gravis treatment Ā· German Shepherd aspiration pneumonia Ā· thymoma surgery in dogs
Abstract
Two cases of myasthenia gravis associated with thymoma are reported. Both were female German shepherd dogs and the thymoma was surgically resected. Aspiration pneumonia secondary to persistent megaoesophagus was a complication in both cases. The myasthenia gravis did not resolve, but there was a more satisfactory control of clinical signs with anticholinesterase treatment. Corticosteroid therapy was used in one case, but the resulting polydipsia increased the incidence of regurgitation, resulting in recurrent episodes of aspiration pneumonia.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8872938/