Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with chronic splenic torsion despite normal spleen on ultrasound
By Mergl, Justin C et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2022·Mississauga-Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital & Referral Group, United Kingdom·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Chronic splenic torsion in a dog with an accessory spleen.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old neutered male mixed breed Old English sheepdog was brought to the vet because he wasn't eating, was vomiting, and had diarrhea. The vet initially suspected severe pancreatitis based on blood tests, but an ultrasound showed a normal spleen. During surgery, the vet discovered that the dog actually had a twisted spleen, along with an accessory spleen that looked normal on the ultrasound. After the surgery to correct the torsion, the dog was treated and began to recover well.
People also search for: dog vomiting and diarrhea · Old English sheepdog pancreatitis · dog splenic torsion treatment
Abstract
A 4-year-old, neutered male, mixed breed Old English sheepdog was presented for evaluation and treatment of anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea. Presumptive severe pancreatitis was diagnosed based on the referral bloodwork. Abdominal ultrasonography identified a suspected liver lobe torsion based on the presence of a normal spleen. However, an exploratory laparotomy identified a splenic torsion in addition to a grossly normal spleen. Key clinical message: This case demonstrates that a second, potentially large area of splenic tissue (ectopic or accessory) can be present in the dog; therefore, the presence of a normal appearing spleen on abdominal ultrasonography does not rule out splenic torsion.
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/35110771/