Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a Staffordshire bull terrier with hypothyroidism

Radiographic evidence of chronic interstitial lung changes, usually believe d to be attributable to lung fibrosis, is readily recognised in canine prac tice. Furthermore, there is a body of anecdotal evidence suggesting that a specific clinical entity consistent with chronic lung fibrosis occurs in sp ecific breeds of terrier dogs. However, there is little pathological data t o confirm these radiographic and clinical findings and, therefore, chronic interstitial lung disease of dogs is poorly characterised. In this report, a case of chronic pulmonary fibrosis is described in which histopathologica l confirmation was possible, and suggested that the condition might be anal ogous to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis) i n humans.