Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with leg pain from blood clot linked to Leishmania infection
By Calvo-Sánchez, Natalia et al.·Published in Veterinary research communications·2024·Department of Animal Pathology, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A case report of acute claudication due to vena cava thromboembolism in a dog naturally infected with Leishmania Infantum.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought to the vet with sudden hind limb pain and difficulty walking, which turned out to be caused by a blood clot in the major veins due to a Leishmania infantum infection. The dog also had skin issues and kidney problems related to the infection. After starting treatment with anti-Leishmania medications, the dog's condition worsened with the development of the clot. Although the exact cause of the clotting issue is still being studied, the dog received supportive care and treatment for the underlying infection.
People also search for: dog hind limb pain · Leishmania treatment for dogs · dog blood clot symptoms
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis is a vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania infantum, and clinical manifestations of infection range from absent or severe to fatal and result from immune-mediated mechanisms. In dogs, the most common clinical signs of leishmaniosis include skin lesions and lymphadenomegaly. However, the presence of other nontypical signs has been described, and diagnosing these cases can be challenging. The aim of the present short communication was to describe the impact of the formation of circulating immunocomplexes due to L. infantum in a dog with leishmaniosis affected by a massive venous thrombus of the caudal vena cava and external iliac veins. On admission, the dog presented bilateral cutaneous vasculopathy of the thigh and renal disease due to L. infantum infection. Two weeks after starting anti-Leishmania treatment based on meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol administration, the animal developed acute claudication of the hind limbs with the presence of a thrombus in the caudal vena cava and the external iliac veins and a high level of circulating immunocomplexes detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Exacerbation of the humoral immune response, along with deposition of circulating immune complexes in the tissues and the concurrent presence of kidney and liver damage, might have contributed to an imbalance in haemostasis in this patient. Future studies should evaluate and analyse the pathological mechanisms contributing to thrombosis in dogs with leishmaniosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38630425/