Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inspiratory stridor from tongue muscle twitching in a Maltese dog
By Vanhaesebrouck, A E et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2010·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inspiratory stridor secondary to palatolingual myokymia in a Maltese dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male Maltese dog had trouble breathing, making a wheezing sound and turning blue during exercise for eight months. Tests showed muscle contractions in his throat and some swelling in his brain. Despite treatment with a medication called phenytoin, his condition got worse over the next nine months. Sadly, after he passed away, a small tumor in his pituitary gland was discovered, which may have contributed to his symptoms. This case highlights a rare condition that could be considered when dogs show upper airway issues.
People also search for: Maltese dog breathing problems · dog inspiratory stridor treatment · dog cyanosis causes · pituitary tumor in dogs · myokymia in dogs
Abstract
A nine-year-old male Maltese dog was presented with an eight-month history of inspiratory stridor leading to exertional dyspnoea and cyanosis. Myokymic contractions in the palatolingual muscles were noticed and confirmed by electromyography. Brain computer tomography-scan showed ventricular dilatation. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a slightly elevated protein level. Treatment with slow-release phenytoin was unsuccessful and symptoms gradually worsened over the next nine months. At post-mortem examination a small pituitary adenoma was found. Apart from a single canine report of facial myokymia, this is the only other description of spontaneous focal myokymia in animals. Palatolingual myokymia has only been reported in one human being. Although the co-occurrence with a pituitary adenoma might be incidental, a paraneoplastic pathogenetic mechanism is proposed. Its unique clinical presentation adds a new, albeit uncommon, syndrome to the differential diagnosis of upper airway complaints in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20070491/