Transient hyperammonaemia in an adult German shepherd dog

Abstract

A 3-year-old male German shepherd dos was presented with severe generalised seizures. The dog was protein-intolerant and showed severe hyperammonaemia on ammonia stimulation. The hyperammonaemic state was present for at least 6 weeks and then spontaneously resolved. No obvious cause (liver disease, portocaval shunts, urea cycle enzyme deficiencies, drug therapy or urinary tract obstruction) could be identified. It is possible that this dog had a variation of transient hyperammonaemic syndrome, described in man and recently in a juvenile Irish wolfhound, that extended into adulthood.