Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with bacterial infection of the lung valve causing heart problems
By Clark, Grace K et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2018·From the Department of Internal Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bacterial Endocarditis of the Pulmonic Valve in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old female spayed golden retriever was brought in because she was very tired, not eating, breathing fast, and had a stiff gait with pain. During the exam, the vet found she had a fever, a fast heartbeat, and an irregular pulse. Tests showed she had low blood platelets and anemia, and she developed a cough overnight. An ultrasound of her heart revealed issues with the pulmonic valve, and blood tests identified a bacterial infection. After two weeks of intravenous antibiotics followed by oral medication, her symptoms improved, and she made a full recovery.
People also search for: dog lethargy and cough · golden retriever heart infection treatment · dog antibiotics for bacterial endocarditis
Abstract
An 11 yr old female spayed golden retriever weighing 30.3 kg presented for evaluation of progressive lethargy, anorexia, tachypnea, stiff gait, and nonlocalized pain. On physical exam, the patient was febrile and tachycardic, and an arrhythmia with pulse deficits was noted. Clinicopathological abnormalities included thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis, nonregenerative anemia, and mild hypoalbuminemia. The patient progressed overnight to develop a productive cough, and an echocardiogram performed the next morning revealed irregular proliferative lesions of the pulmonic valve with moderate pulmonic regurgitation. Subsequent blood cultures grew two organisms: alpha-hemolytic streptococci spp. and Empedobacter brevis. The dog was treated with appropriate intravenous antibiotics for 2 wk and then switched to oral therapy. The clinicopathologic abnormalities, fever, and clinical signs resolved with oral antibiotic treatment. To the authors' knowledge, this case report represents the first detailed published case of bacterial endocarditis with E brevis bacteremia involving the pulmonic valve. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up are discussed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30039999/