Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diabetes Mellitus Following Resection of a Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Dog Presented with Hypoglycemia.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Barroso, Yolanda Lopez & Villadieu, Erika
- Affiliation:
- From Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service Ltd · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male neutered Labradoodle came in after suddenly collapsing. Tests showed he had low blood sugar, and an ultrasound found a mass in his liver. He had surgery to remove part of his liver, and the mass was confirmed to be a type of liver cancer. While his blood sugar levels were normal right after the surgery, he developed diabetes a week later, which caused him to drink and urinate a lot, have high blood sugar, and sugar in his urine. He started insulin treatment, and even a year later, he still needed to take insulin twice a day. This case highlights that diabetes can be an unusual complication after surgery for liver cancer, and some dogs may need ongoing treatment.
Abstract
A 5 yr old male neutered Labradoodle presented for an episode of acute collapse. Point-of-care blood work showed hypoglycemia and abdominal ultrasonography revealed a liver mass arising from the caudate liver lobe. The dog underwent a partial liver lobectomy, and histopathology confirmed a fully resected hepatocellular carcinoma. Blood glucose levels normalized initially after surgery, but 1 wk later, the patient was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus based on the development of polyuria, polydipsia, hyperglycemia, and glucosuria. Appropriate treatment with insulin was initiated, and 1 yr following the diagnosis, the dog was still requiring administration of insulin twice daily. This case describes the uncommon development of diabetes mellitus in a dog following surgical resection of a hepatocellular carcinoma initially associated with hypoglycemia. Although very unusual, this should be considered as a potential complication of surgical treatment of such tumors, and affected patients may require long-term medical management.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38175974/