Newly Identified Syndrome May Be Misdiagnosed As Cancer In Some English Bulldogs
When our furry friend is diagnosed with a terrible disease, such as cancer, it impacts us in ways we may have not thought possible. At times, we may even want a second opinion, and there may be benefits to doing so in some cases.
According to HealthDay, a professor at the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology at Colorado State University, Dr. Anne Avery, shared that understanding the latest information can even help a dog from being euthanized or treated for cancer after being misdiagnosed.
She said that some dogs “may look to their veterinarians like they have leukemia, based on original diagnostics, but they don’t actually have cancer.”
Dr. Avery’s team published a paper on BCLL where they identified some breeds that had an increased risk for tumors of that type. English bulldogs were included in the list, but they had something unique compared to other breeds.
When most English bulldogs presented the symptoms, they tended to be much younger. They also had certain differences in their B-cells (responsible for producing antibodies) when they were analyzed using flow cytometry. Researchers began looking into the issue to see if they had BCLL or something that was not yet identified.
84 cases were identified out of a database that included 195 English bulldogs. The 84 dogs had more B-cells in their blood. The researchers then looked into what type of antibodies were being produced. They also looked into what kind of cells were expanded in the spleen, since those dogs had an enlarged spleen. They then looked into the B-cells further to see if they were identical.
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