Selected disorders of muscle and the neuromuscular junction

A variety of disorders affect the muscles or the neuromuscular junction of dogs and cats, most often causing weakness, exercise intolerance, and muscu lar pain or atrophy. The myopathies are infectious, immune-mediated, inheri ted or acquired secondary to systemic disease. Acquired myasthenia gravis i s a common disorder of the neuromuscular junction, which clinically resembl es a myopathy Reaching a specific diagnosis is essential to determine optim al therapy and prognosis fur each of the commonly recognized disorders.