Distribution of the inflammatory lesions in the central nervous system of dogs affected with disseminated and ocular form of granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis

Abstract

An aged Maltese dog (dog 1) showed gait ataxia for a month and suddenly died after convulsion. An aged Toy Poodle dog (dog 2) showed sudden blindness with unresponsive pupillary light reflexes and sudden death due to acute cardiac failure. Histological examination of the two dogs demonstrated severe granulomatous perivascular inflammation in the white matter throughout the central nervous system (CNS) including the brain and spinal cord. Based on the clinical and pathological findings, these dogs were diagnosed as granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (GME). In dog 2, the inflammatory changes predominated in the visual system such as the optic nerve, optic tract and optic radiation in the cerebrum (ocular form). Distribution pattern of the inflammatory lesions in the CNS was compared between the two dogs.