Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound shows spleen and kidney changes in dogs with babesiosis
By Fraga, Eduardo et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2011·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Abdominal ultrasonographic findings in dogs naturally infected with babesiosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 72 dogs with babesiosis, a tick-borne disease, showed various abdominal issues during ultrasound exams. The most common finding was an enlarged spleen, which appeared abnormal, along with liver and kidney changes in more severe cases. These ultrasound results can help veterinarians diagnose and monitor the disease and its complications. Treatment for babesiosis typically involves medications to target the infection, and many dogs can recover with prompt care.
People also search for: dog babesiosis symptoms · enlarged spleen in dogs · ultrasound for dog kidney disease
Abstract
Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease with a worldwide distribution that can involve multiple organs and result in a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Our goal was to describe the sonographic changes occurring in 72 dogs naturally infected with babesiosis. Seven healthy Beagle dogs were used as a control group. The most common finding in all dogs was splenomegaly with a diffuse heterogenic parenchyma and generally reduced echogenicity. Diffuse hypoechoic hepatomegaly and bilaterally increased cortical echogenicity of the renal parenchyma were found more frequently in severe uncomplicated and complicated babesiosis groups. Mean renal resistive index and pulsatility index (PI) values were 0.66/1.35, 0.73/1.91, and 0.71/1.73 for mild uncomplicated, severe uncomplicated, and complicated babesiosis groups, respectively. A markedly increased PI for complicated and severe uncomplicated groups correlated with anemia and severity of renal damage. Ultrasonography can be an adjunct for diagnosis and monitoring canine babesiosis and its systemic complications. The detection of diffuse heterogeneous splenomegaly can support the diagnosis of Babesia infection, because of the high prevalence of this lesion in these patients.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21554482/