Mucopolysaccharidosis in a dog: a case report

Abstract

Mucopolysaccharidosis is a rare, multisystemic, progressive disease that has no cure. The objectives of
this study were to describe the clinical, radiographic and anatomical and pathological findings of a case of
mucopolysaccharidosis in a dog. It reports the case of a male dog of the Fox Paulistinha (Brazilian Terrier)
breed, four months of age, derived from cross-breeding with high degree of endogamy. The animal exhibited
apathy, walking difficulty, enlarged joints, opacity of the cornea, and inspiratory dyspnea. On X-ray, bilateral
changes were observed in the physeal lines of vertebrae, radius and ulna, as well as enlarged liver and
tracheal hypoplasia. Due to the accentuated respiratory difficulty, the owner decided to euthanize the
dog. Necropsy showed the absence of the larynx, cricoid and arytenoid cartilages, a distended heart, and
moderately enlarged liver and spleen. Bone changes included increased cranial perimeter, malformation of
the sternum, and twisted ribs. Histopathology revealed dysplasia in the cartilage of the epiglottis, trachea
and joints, in which the chondrocytes presented with vacuolated cytoplasm; there was also accentuated
thickening of the aortic intima. The history of cross-breeding with a high degree of endogamy, associated
with the clinical, radiographic and anatomical and pathological findings, converged to a diagnosis of
mucopolysaccharidosis.