Swimmer syndrome
The swimmer's syndrome , also flat Puppy Syndrome called, is a little-known disease in dog and kittens , with a deformity and occasionally malformation of the limbs associated.
Pathophysiology
Little is known about the pathophysiology of swimmer syndrome and information about it remains speculative. In the literature, achondroplasia and osteopetrosis are mentioned as possible causes (although the syndrome can also occur in puppies with a radiologically normal skeleton). Other possibilities include delayed development of muscles , tendons and ligaments, various myopathies , diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system and / or neuromuscular endplates (although the reflexes in most cases of swimmer syndrome are normal), feeding-related diseases and genetic diseases . Also, pathological examinations of puppies with float syndrome led so far to no useful results.
clinic
Signal element
Both dogs and cats are affected, although the disease is better described in dogs. Dogs are predisposed to brachycephalic breeds . The swimmer syndrome affects young puppies and is usually recognized at the time when the healthy animals in the litter start to walk on four legs. Symptoms are usually fully developed by five to six weeks of age. The largest and heaviest pups in a litter seem to be affected most often.
Symptoms
Affected animals stretch their hind limbs, more rarely their forelimbs, to the side, lie flat on the floor and cannot stand up. The muscle tone is reduced. The locomotion takes place by means of swimming rowing movements, which gave the syndrome its name. Symptoms are more pronounced on smooth surfaces.
Occasionally, in addition to the incorrect position of the limbs, deformities of the limbs and chest ( pectus excavatum ) are present, although in the latter case it is unclear whether the deformity already exists at birth or is caused by the persistent prone position and the pressure exerted on the chest . In severe cases, by the reduced lung volume , a dyspnea , as well as a tendency to pneumonia arise.
Therapy and prognosis
Therapy and prognosis are based on a possibly existing root cause. If such a cause is not found, the limbs must be made resilient in order to get the puppy to stand and walk. This is done through appropriate physiotherapeutic measures under veterinary supervision. If there is a sagging chest, this must be surgically corrected depending on the severity.
If therapy is initiated in good time, the prognosis for an otherwise idiopathic swimmer syndrome is usually good. The best prognosis arises when physiotherapeutic measures can be initiated at the age of approx. Three to four weeks, since misalignments of joints can still be corrected very easily at this age.
Genetics and Breeding Hygiene
In addition to the aforementioned predisposition to brachycephalic breeds, the English Bulldog , Basset Hound and Scottish Terrier seem to be disproportionately affected by the swimmer syndrome. In cats, in one study, a family history in a is Devon Rex - breeding line described. Nothing is known about the exact inheritance .
literature
- G. Verhoeven et al: Swimmer Syndrome in a Devon rex kitten and an English bulldog puppy. In: Journal of Small Animal Practice. 47, No. 10, 2006, pp. 615-619, doi : 10.1111 / j.1748-5827.2006.00069.x .
- Veronika M. Stein and others: Swimmer syndrome in puppies. (PDF; 43 kB) In: Kleintierpraxis. 52, No. 4, 2007, pp. 225-230.
- Christine Pepper, Martin Kramer: Selected orthopedic diseases during the growth phase in dogs and cats. In: Kleintierpraxis 58 (2013), pp. 306-320.
