Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Circumstances, Descriptive Characteristics, and Pathologic Findings in Dogs Suspected of Starving.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Gerdin, J A et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Biomedical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at 40 dogs that were very thin and suspected of starving. The dogs ranged in age from just a few months to older adults and included various breeds, with a notable number of pit bull-types. While some dogs died from diseases, most were confirmed to have died from starvation, often found in abandoned homes or during extreme weather. The researchers noted that the starving dogs often had food or foreign objects in their stomachs, unlike the dogs that died from disease, which typically had empty stomachs. Overall, the findings highlighted serious health issues in both groups, but the treatment for the starving dogs was not effective, as they were primarily suffering from starvation.
Abstract
The authors reviewed the case circumstances, population characteristics, gross, and histopathologic findings in 40 cases of emaciated dogs with a suspected diagnosis of starvation. The dogs' estimated age ranged from 3 months to geriatric. Nineteen breeds were represented, including small-breed (n = 11), large-breed (n = 13), and pit bull-type (n = 16) dogs. The median body condition score was 1 out of 9 (Purina scale). Various diseases were identified as the cause of death in 7 dogs, while the cause of death in the other 33 dogs was starvation due to exogenous causes (SEC). Circumstances associated exclusively with SEC included being found in a vacated residence and death during temperature extremes or severe weather. Dogs with SEC did not differ significantly from diseased dogs in body condition score, sex, neuter status, or breed category (small, large, or pit bull type). Gross findings associated exclusively with SEC included severe hair matting and traumatic injuries. Diseased dogs had an empty stomach significantly more often than SEC dogs, which frequently had food and/or foreign material in the stomach. In 5 of the 7 cases where disease was the cause of death, disease involved the gastrointestinal tract. Gross and histopathologic changes commonly found in SEC and diseased dogs included the following: gross loss of muscle mass and absence of subcuticular fat; serous atrophy of omental, perirenal, epicardial, and bone marrow fat; atrophy of the liver, skin, thyroid gland, and testicle; gastric mucosal petechiae and ecchymoses; melena; and splenic hemosiderophages.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25791037/