Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with fever and neck pain diagnosed with brain and spinal infection
By Rylander, Helena et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2022·University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report:Meningoencephalomyelitis in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 15-month-old male neutered Wirehaired Pointer mixed-breed dog was brought in with a fever and neck pain. After some tests, the vet found bacteria in the dog's cerebrospinal fluid, which can indicate a serious infection. The dog was treated with low-dose prednisone and doxycycline for a year. Over the next several months, he gradually improved and was able to walk again fully by seven months after starting treatment. This case highlights the importance of checking for bacterial infections in similar situations.
People also search for: dog fever neck pain treatment · Wirehaired Pointer meningitis · dog cerebrospinal fluid bacteria
Abstract
A 15-month-old male neutered Wirehaired Pointer mixed-breed dog presented with fever and cervical pain. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed neutrophilic pleocytosis with intracellular bacteria, and culture of CSF grew. The patient became non-ambulatory 3 days after CSF collection. He was treated with low-dose prednisone for 3.5 months and doxycycline for 1 year. Recheck CSF analysis 1 month after diagnosis showed reduction of inflammation and 3 months after diagnosis revealed only increased protein. The patient improved neurologically over several months and was weakly ambulatory 5 months and fully ambulatory 7 months after diagnosis. Whole genome sequencing of the bacterial isolate and a live modified intranasal vaccine similar to the one the dog had been vaccinated with 7 weeks before diagnosis was similar but not an exact match. Bacterial meningitis should be considered, and culture of CSF is recommended, in cases of neutrophilic pleocytosis of CSF.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35450135/