Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with leishmaniasis and fluid around the heart
By Sebastián-Marcos, P et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2019·Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine leishmaniasis associated with pericardial effusion in a 4-year-old dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old crossbreed dog was brought to the vet after showing signs of lethargy and a swollen belly for two days. Tests revealed fluid around the heart, which was causing pressure on the heart (cardiac tamponade). The vet drained the fluid and found parasites (Leishmania) in it, indicating the dog had leishmaniasis, a disease spread by sandflies. The dog was treated with medications but unfortunately, the fluid buildup returned, and the dog passed away during surgery to remove the affected tissue four months later.
People also search for: dog lethargy swollen belly · canine leishmaniasis treatment · dog heart fluid buildup · pericardial effusion in dogs
Abstract
A 4-year-old crossbreed dog presented with a two-day history of lethargy and abdominal effusion. Physical examination and echocardiography revealed pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade. Pericardiocentesis was performed. Intracytoplasmic Leishmania amastigotes were found on cytological examination of the pericardial fluid. The animal was treated with N-methylglucamine antimoniate and allopurinol. After an initial favorable response, cardiac tamponade reoccurred one month later. The dog died during a pericardiectomy four months after the initial diagnosis. Histology confirmed the presence of chronic pericarditis. The presence of Leishmania amastigotes on cytological examination of pericardial effusion suggests a possible association between canine leishmaniasis and chronic pericarditis. This finding also supports the importance of cytological examination of pericardial fluid in areas endemic for canine leishmaniasis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31174727/