Hepatic Amyloidosis in a Dog with Sterile Pyogranulomatous Lymphadenitis

A 3-year-old, mixed breed dog was presented for chronic large intestine diarrhoea, hyporexia, weight loss, fever, generalised lymphadenopathy and progressive abdominal distention, caused by hepatomegaly and ascites. Cytology of peripheral lymph nodes and liver was suggestive of pyogranulomatous lymphadenitis and hepatic amyloidosis, respectively. As concurrent infectious and/or neoplastic diseases were ruled out, and the dog responded favourably to immunosuppressive therapy, a sterile idiopathic pyogranulomatous lymphadenitis triggering amyloid deposition in the liver was considered a likely diagnosis. The dog developed clinical signs and clinicopathological abnormalities suggestive of hepatic failure 11 months later and was euthanased at that stage. Unfortunately, hepatic amyloidosis is associated with a poor prognosis due to lack of an effective therapy and consequent progressive organ failure and/or organ rupture causing life-threatening haemorrhage.