A case of muscular dystrophy in a Golden Retriever

A fourteen month old male intact golden retriever presented for havng a persistently increased ALT, AST, CK and phosphorous. Upon presentation, the dog was in excellent body condition and notably good muscle tone. He stood with his forelimbs slightly abducted and there was mild muscle atropy noted in his temporal region. No pain or discomfort was elicited on palpation/manipulation of all 4 limbs. With a presumptive diagnosis of golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD), he was scheduled for a cardio-consult and surgery for castration and muscle biopsies. The cardiology consultation showed minimal changes, but increased Q/R ratio that can be consistent with Duchenne cardiomyopathy, and the muscle biopsies came back as a mild dystrophinopathy that is much less severe than classic GRMD, but more similar to the human disease Becker muscular dystrophy