What Is Your Diagnosis?

Congenital Large Intestinal Hypoganglionosis in a Domestic Shorthair Kitten

“…Chronic constipation secondary to congenital hypothyroidism has been reported because of decreased gastrointestinal motility. 11 This was considered an unlikely differential in this case due to lack of other clinical signs associated with hypothyroidism — such as disproportionate dwarfism, mental dullness, bradycardia and hypothermia. Thyroxine was probably mildly decreased in this case due to sick euthyroidism.…”

Congenital hypothyroidism and concurrent renal insufficiency in a kitten

“…No constipation was noted (Settings: 48 kV, 8 mAs; no grid). a Sjollema et al 1991;Stephan & Schutt-Mast 1995;Szabo & Wells 2007;Tanase et al 1991;Tobias & Labato 2001), the actual prevalence of feline congenital hypothyroidism may be higher than reported, as many kittens may have died undiagnosed or mistakenly been managed for chronic constipation (Bojanic et al 2011).…”

“…Affected kittens have short limbs and spine, block-like trunks and broad, short skulls (Arnold et al 1984;Crowe 2004;Scott-Moncrieff 2007;Szabo & Wells 2007). Besides the hallmark sign of failure to thrive, other clinical signs such as lethargy, impaired mental status, neuromuscular deficits, retention of juvenile hair coat, delayed dental eruption, constipation, bradycardia, hypothermia, sealed eyelids and stenotic ear canals, macroglossia, abdominal distension secondary to accumulation of myxoedematous fluid and bilateral cryptorchidism have also been observed in hypothyroid kittens (Bojanic, Acke & Jones 2011;Feldman & Nelson 2004;Johnson & Watson 2010;Mooney & Anderson 1993;Pettigrew et al 2007;Quante et al 2010, Scott-Moncrieff 2007Szabo & Wells 2007). Causes of primary congenital hypothyroidism include thyroid dysgenesis (developmental defects of the thyroid gland and thyroid aplasia as a result of thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH] receptor abnormalities -nongoitrous) and thyroid dyshormonogenesis (defects in iodine uptake and thyroid hormone synthesis -goitrous) (Greco 2006).…”

Primary goitrous hypothyroidism in a young adult domestic longhair cat: diagnosis and treatment monitoring

“…Both the cat’s small stature and delayed closure of the ossification centers of vertebra and long bones point to long-standing hypothyroidism, likely starting as a very young kitten. 4,6–20 In addition, the fact that this cat had a palpable goiter indicates the presence of intact thyroid tissue (not characteristic for adult-onset hypothyroidism 1–3 ), and the massive size of this goiter suggests a process that was ongoing for many months, most likely since birth. Acquired causes for goitrous hypothyroidism, such as iodine deficiency or environmental goitrogens, were considered highly unlikely based on the cat’s life-long history and diet of a variety of commercial canned foods.…”

“…1–3 However, congenital hypothyroidism (cretinism) is also rare but is one of the most common causes of disproportionate dwarfism in kittens and is much better characterized than the adult-onset form. 4,5 Of the 60 or so cats with congenital hypothyroidism that have been reported, 6–20 only two were older than 12 months of age at time of diagnosis, 16,17 whereas another two cats were diagnosed at 7 and 8 months of age, respectively. 12,19 All of the remaining cases were diagnosed as kittens, generally at 2–4 months of age.…”