May-Hegglin Anomaly
A rare, benign disease of platelets, this is characterized by abnormally sparse, large platelets. Your vet may also notice blue blotches known as "inclusion bodies" in some white blood cells (neutrophils). Affected dogs do not usually display signs of platelet or neutrophil dysfunction.
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Signs and symptoms
You should not notice any clinical signs at home.
Dogs are born with this disorder, but it is often not recognized unless your veterinarian performs certain blood tests. -
Diagnosis
Your vet will likely be concerned because of the reduced number of platelets on a routine blood panel (CBC). Genetic testing and a blood smear evaluation will diagnose this disorder. However, as this is a rare disease, most veterinarians will first recommend a number of diagnostic tests and medications to rule out an underlying cause of the macrothrombocytopenia, including diseases of infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune, or toxic origins.
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Treatment
No treatment is required.
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What to do if your dog is at risk
Actions
- Genetic testing for this benign disorder saves you (and your dog) the time and money that these diagnostics would require.
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Genetic Information
This mutation was first identified in a Pug.
This disorder has a dominant inheritance pattern, meaning that dogs with one or two copies of the mutation will show signs of the platelet and neutrophil changes.
Gene names:
MYH9 ‐ chr
Inheritance type:
dominant
Citations:
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Breeds affected
This health condition affects the following breeds
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