Keynote Message

Gallbladder mucocele formation in dogs is characterized by an unrelenting accumulation of thick, immobile, and rubbery mucus within the gallbladder until the contents eventually obstruct bile flow or rupture into the abdomen. The syndrome was rarely reported prior to 15 years ago and has emerged as one of the most common, deadliest and poorly understood causes of gallbladder disease in the dog. Mucocele formation afflicts older dogs and has a strong breed predisposition. Cholecystectomy is currently considered the treatment of choice for dogs with symptomatic gallbladder mucocele formation. However, after surgery a median of 27% of dogs (range 7–45%) don't survive long enough to be discharged from the hospital. There is no cost-effective way to screen dogs for mucocele formation. There are no clear strategies for medical management of the disorder. The cause of gallbladder mucocele formation in dogs is entirely unknown. In this session, we will discuss what we do know about this unusual disease of dogs and look at the evidence in support of existing theories of why mucoceles form. Finally, we will talk about the latest research findings and how they are shedding light on the probable pathogenesis of mucocele formation.

Key References

1.  Kesimer M, Cullen J, Cao R, Radicioni G, Mathews KG, Seiler G, Gookin JL. Excess secretion of gel-forming mucins and associated innate defense proteins with defective mucin un-packaging underpin gallbladder mucocele formation in dogs. PLoS One. 2015;10(9):e0138988. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138988.

2.  Gookin JL, Correa MT, Peters A, Malueg A, Mathews KG, Cullen J, Seiler G. Association of gallbladder mucocele histologic diagnosis with selected preventative drug use in dogs: A matched case-control study. J Vet Intern Med. 2015;29:1464–1472. DOI: 10.1111/jvim.13649.