Diagnosis and clinical management of auricular chondritis in a dog presenting for evaluation of severe pain

Abstract

Background The aetiology and appropriate treatment for auricular chondritis in the dog are currently unclear. This report describes a unique presentation and successful treatment of a dog with auricular chondritis. Clinical summary A 12‐year‐old, female spayed, Labrador retriever dog was presented for severe pain thought to be neurological in origin. The pain was located to the right pinna and two punch biopsies were acquired and evaluated, revealing lymphoplasmacytic to pyogranulomatous inflammation involving the auricular cartilage with no infectious agents. Treatment with systemic oral prednisone resulted in resolution of clinical signs within four weeks of initiation of treatment. The dog remained free of clinical signs for six months following discontinuation of treatment before being euthanized for an unrelated reason. Conclusions Further evaluation of canine auricular chondritis is needed, yet pain may be a prominent finding; monotherapy with systemic prednisone may provide quick and complete resolution of clinical sysmptoms.

Auricular and laryngeal chondritis in nursery and finishing pigs

“…Cases of primary auricular and laryngeal chondritis in animals and humans are not associated with otohematoma. 1,3,6,16,18 In the pigs of this study, otohematomas were frequently observed in the nursery and progressed to a chronic form in the nursery but, most frequently, in the finishing phase. These otohematomas may have developed by self-trauma, due to irritation and pain originated from the inflammatory process.…”

“…The diagnosis of auricular and laryngeal chondritis in the pigs was performed through the association of clinical, macroscopic, and microscopic findings. There are few reports of lesions restricted to the auricular cartilage in other species, such as cats, 3 dogs, 18 cattle, 1 and rats. 16 The morphologic lesions observed by us in pigs are extremely similar to those described for other species and human RP, suggesting that all of these conditions are primary lesions of the cartilage.…”

“…16 The morphologic lesions observed by us in pigs are extremely similar to those described for other species and human RP, suggesting that all of these conditions are primary lesions of the cartilage. [1][2][3]6,16,18 This allows us to speculate on a common origin or pathogenesis for these conditions.…”

“…Laryngeal chondritis is reported in cattle, horses, and sheep and can be caused by trauma, followed by secondary bacterial or viral infection, which leads to inflammation that affects the cartilage. 4,5,24 Another presentation of chondritis reported in rats, 16 cats, 3 cattle, 1 and dogs 18 is called auricular chondritis, characterized by cartilage fragmentation of the ear and replacement by fibrous tissue. 17 In humans, a systemic inflammatory disease called relapsing polychondritis (RP) is recognized.…”

Bilateral pyogranulomatous otitis externa with putative cartilage destruction in a dog: A severe case of auricular chondritis?

“…The term 'auricular chondritis' refers to an immunemediated inflammatory process of the auricular cartilage described in humans and other animal species, including cats and, more rarely, dogs. [1][2][3][4][5] According to the limited literature available, the disease manifests in dogs as a painful nodular swelling of one or both pinnae and is characterised histologically by necrosis of the auricular cartilage surrounded by lymphoplasmacytic and pyogranulomatous inflammation. Cartilage destruction causing ear deformity is a well-known complication of auricular chondritis in humans, yet it has never been described in dogs.…”