Panostitis

The Panosteitis is an inflammation of the bone tissue of unknown origin. It occurs in growing dogs of medium- and large-sized dog breeds and heals spontaneously.

Occurrence

The disease is relatively common, although precise information on its incidence is not available. German shepherds are particularly badly affected. Panostitis can be observed above all between the ages of 5 and 18 months, in individual cases as early as 2 months or not until 5 years of age. Males are more often affected than bitches.

clinic

The disease is very painful and is usually accompanied by lameness . It usually shows up first on one of the forelegs, but can also "jump" to the other legs. If the illness is severe, general disorders such as fever, fatigue, reluctance to eat and weight loss can occur.

During the clinical examination, the bone shaft (diaphysis) of the affected long bones is sensitive to pain when touched ( palpation ), most often the ulna .

X-rays show shadows in the medullary cavity. In the early phase, the trabeculae are more marked or faded, occasionally speckled shadows appear. In the middle phase of the disease, sclerotherapy is particularly evident on the foramen nutricium (the opening where the blood vessel passes through the bone mantle) and finally on the entire bone shaft. The substantia compacta becomes wider and the periosteum can also be thickened and more shaded. In the late phase, the medullary cavity can appear largely normal.

Panostitis can be associated with other diseases of the growing skeleton ( elbow dysplasia , hip dysplasia ).

pathology

Pathohistologically, there is a degeneration of the adipocytes in the bone marrow with subsequent proliferation of the stromal cells in the marrow spaces. Osteoid formation occurs and new bone is formed endosteally .

therapy

A causal therapy is not possible and - since panostitis heals on its own - it is also not necessary. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as carprofen , phenylbutazone , meloxicam or piroxicam are mainly used to reduce pain . Treatment with prednisolone is also possible after carefully weighing the harms and benefits.

Spontaneous healing usually takes place within a few weeks, in rare cases panostitis can last for months.

literature

• LP Tilley and FWK Smith: The 5-Minutes Veterinary Consult . Lippincott Williams & Williams, 3rd Edition 2004. ISBN 078174038X

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !