Idiopathic diffuse lipomatosis in dogs

ABSTRACT

Background: Idiopathic diffuse lipomatosis is a rare disease in veterinary medicine. It is characterized by excessive proliferation of adipocytes, which results in the formation of fatty tumours throughout the body. In humans, this disease is also known as Madelungs disease or multiple symmetric lipomatosis and is classified as type I and II. The aim of this study was to investigate two cases of dogs diagnosed with idiopathic diffuse lipomatosis and compare their characteristics with those found in humans. Cases Case 1 - A 3-year-old standard poodle female was taken for veterinary evaluation for a slow-growing tumoural lesion over the neck and trunk. The tumours measured >30 cm in diameter that caused irregular and protruding folds resulting in a significant loss of body architecture. No clinical signs of adjacent systemic disease were observed. Elliptical excisions of the skin revealed diffuse mature adipocytes and hyperplastic and dysplastic lipoblast hypertrophy of the panniculus, which was associated with epidermodermal hypotrophy and skin appendages. The combination of these findings supported a diagnosis of idiopathic diffuse lipomatosis. The animal underwent surgical therapy. However, the clinical symptoms recurred within two months. Owing to the continuous recurrence of tumours and history of three other surgeries, it was decided to euthanize the animal. [...]