You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Medullary bone infarction is rare, but it has been reported to occur in dogs - notably miniature schnauzers

The problem of bone infarction in conjunction with the presence of bone cancer (osteosarcoma)  has been reported in a series of 13 dogs, in which the miniature schnauzer was over-represented (Dubielzig R.H. Chapter 53, in Textbook of Small Animal Orthopaedics Editors Newton & Nunamaker (1985) Lippincott). The condition occurred:

• In smaller dogs (average less than12 kg weight), not Giant breeds
• Mainly associated with osteosarcoma in the hind leg (9/11 of the cases with a solitary neoplasm)
• The infarcts were always found in the distal third of the limb

The infarcts were identified on plain radiographs as irregular radiodensities within the medullary cavity, and they were confirmed on histopathology. The underlying problem was thought to be fibrosis and occlusion of the nutrient arteries but the actual aetiopathogenesis is unknown. It is not known whether the cancer was primary or secondary to the bone infarction

In humans bone infarction has been reported to occur in association with fat embolisation, and bone sarcomas have been associated with pre-existing bone infarcts. Miniature schnauzers are known to be predisposed to develop hyperlipdaemia, and several of the dogs in this report were said to have a lipaemia.

Updated January 2016