Long-term survival of a dog with Alexander disease

A 1-year- and 11-month-old spayed female toy poodle had showed progressive ataxia and paresis in the hindlimbs since 11 months old. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed high signal intensity on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images at the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord. The dog’s neurological condition slowly deteriorated and flaccid tetraparesis was exhibited. At 4 years and 11 months old, the dog died of respiratory failure. On postmortem examination, eosinophilic corkscrew bundles (Rosenthal fibers) were observed mainly in the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord. Histological features were comparable to previously reported cases with Alexander disease. This is a first case report to describe the clinical course and long-term prognosis of a dog with Alexander disease.