Gammopathy with two M-components in a dog with IgA-type multiple myeloma

A 12-year-old neutered male mixed-breed dog was referred to hospital for evaluation of chronic diarrhea. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis of its serum revealed two monoclonal peaks in the gamma-globulin fraction. On immunoelectrophoretic analysis, the two monoclonal peaks in the gamma-globulin region were strongly precipitated with anti-dog IgA serum. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis, the fractions corresponding to these two peaks were shown to be dimer and trimer or tetramer of immunoglobulin consisting of heavy and light chains. These results indicated that the studied dog had gammopathy with two M-components with dimer and trimer or tetramer of IgA. Accumulations of large amounts of these immunoglobulins with very high molecular weight in the serum were concluded to induce the hyperviscosity syndrome in this dog in the terminal stage.