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1 December 2015 FOLLICULAR CELL CARCINOMA OF THE THYROID GLAND IN THREE CAPTIVE AGED RACCOON DOGS (NYCTEREUTES PROCYONOIDES)
Nobuhide Kido, Iori Itagaki, Kaori Ono, Tomoko Omiya, Rei Matsumoto
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Abstract

The clinical and histologic features of thyroid carcinoma in raccoon dogs have not been previously reported. Three of four raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) over 8 yr of age at the Nogeyama Zoological Gardens developed thyroid follicular cell carcinomas that were detected at necropsy. The affected raccoon dogs were rescued from the wild and were housed at the Nogeyama Zoological Gardens for 8 yr 8 mo, 8 yr 10 mo, and 10 yr 3 mo, respectively. Although all of them appeared lethargic and developed partial alopecia or desquamation of their skin, they did not display any other specific clinical signs associated with a thyroid lesion. Serum thyroid hormone values were examined in two of the affected raccoon dogs and the average and standard deviation values (free-thyroxin [FT4]: 0.078 ± 0.077 pM/L and 0.062 ± 0.0039 pM/L; free-triiodothyronine [FT3]: 3.261 ± 0.765 pM/L and 3.407 ± 0.919 pM/L) were lower than the reference range (FT4: 0.141 ± 0.117 pM/L; FT3: 5.139 ± 2.412 pM/L) derived from a clinically normal raccoon dog. On necropsy, the thyroid lobes were markedly enlarged bilaterally. Histopathologically, the neoplastic cells in the thyroid gland appeared round or oval and columnar or cuboidal with minimal heteromorphism. Moreover, mostly small (but occasionally large) follicles were identified, and the neoplastic cells had infiltrated into the surrounding capsule and blood vessels. The histopathologic features of the thyroid tumors in the raccoon dogs revealed that the tumors were derived from follicular cells.

Copyright 2015 by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Nobuhide Kido, Iori Itagaki, Kaori Ono, Tomoko Omiya, and Rei Matsumoto "FOLLICULAR CELL CARCINOMA OF THE THYROID GLAND IN THREE CAPTIVE AGED RACCOON DOGS (NYCTEREUTES PROCYONOIDES)," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 46(4), 889-894, (1 December 2015). https://doi.org/10.1638/2015-0013.1
Received: 27 January 2015; Published: 1 December 2015
KEYWORDS
Follicular cell carcinoma
hypothyroid
Nyctereutes procyonoides, raccoon dog
serum thyroid hormone
thyroid glands
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