CASE REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1652576
This article is part of the Research TopicCase Reports in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery, Volume IIView all 12 articles
Case report: Dropped head syndrome as a main clinical sign of suspected myasthenia gravis in two dogs
Provisionally accepted
- Private Veterinary Clinic San Marco Srl, Veggiano, Italy
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Drop head syndrome (DHS), characterized by pronounced cervical ventroflexion, is a clinical syndrome that can be found associated with neuromuscular disorders, particularly myasthenia gravis. In this case series, we describe two dogs, an 8-year-old Basset Hound and a 3-year-old Zwergpinscher, presenting with DHS as the main clinical sign. In both cases, a presumptive diagnosis of myasthenia gravis was made and were empirically treated with pyridostigmine. Telephone follow-ups at 6 and 4 months after diagnosis, respectively, were consistent with clinical remission. These cases highlight the diagnostic challenges of DHS, emphasizing the need for thorough evaluation to exclude numerous differential diagnoses. In cases where myasthenia gravis is strongly suspected despite negative tests, trial treatment with anti-cholinesterase drugs may be considered, with caution to avoid potential side effects.
Keywords: case report, Dropped Head Syndrome, cervical ventroflexion, Myasthenia Gravis, neuromuscular syndrome, Cervical paraspinal muscles, dog
Received: 23 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mendo Reyes, Galli, Fiorentino, Gardini, Bravaccini and Menchetti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Marika Menchetti, Private Veterinary Clinic San Marco Srl, Veggiano, Italy
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