Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with recurring lumps under the skin caused by Dirofilaria repens
By Giudice, Elisabetta et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2014·Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Italy·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Adult of Dirofilaria repens in a dog with recurrent multiple subcutaneous nodular lesions.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old dog developed multiple lumps under the skin that kept coming back. After surgery to remove two of these lumps, the vet found a live parasite called Dirofilaria repens, which is transmitted by mosquito bites. The dog was treated with medications called milbemycin oxime and praziquantel, but new lumps appeared after surgery. Fortunately, these new lumps resolved on their own within a few weeks. This case highlights the importance of considering this type of parasitic infection when a dog has recurrent skin nodules.
People also search for: dog skin lumps treatment · Dirofilaria repens in dogs · recurrent skin nodules in dogs · dog parasite symptoms · dog lump under skin causes
Abstract
Subcutaneous dirofilariosis is a zoonosis parasitizing the dog, transmitted by Culicidae mosquitoes. An increasing number of new cases have been reported both in dogs and in humans all over the world. The aim of this work was to describe an uncommon case of recurrent multiple subcutaneous nodules by Dirofilaria repens in a 2-year-old dog. Surgical excision of two nodules on both hind limbs revealed a single thread-like live nematode and multiple parasite fragments, respectively. The parasite was morphologically identified as an adult female of D. repens. Haematoxylin-eosin tissue sections of nodules revealed a diffuse pyogranulomatous angiocentric dermatitis with an intense eosinophilic infiltrate throughout the dermis. One month post-surgery, a new nodular lesion was detected on the right thigh and resolved spontaneously in a few weeks. During the following 3 months, two other nodules were briefly noted both on the right hip and on the left side of the chest. The dog was periodically treated with milbemycin oxime and praziquantel, starting a week before the appearance of the first nodule. Microfilariae were not detected neither in the bloodstream nor in fine-needle aspirates at any time, and the diagnosis was made only after surgery. Practitioners should consider dirofilariosis in the differential diagnosis of subcutaneous swellings, especially if they have a recurrent behaviour, previously described in humans but not in dogs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24288052/