Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinical signs and blood changes in dogs with Hepatozoon infection
By Mundim, Antonio Vicente et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2008·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Clinical and hematological signs associated with dogs naturally infected by Hepatozoon sp. and with other hematozoa: a retrospective study in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 115 dogs in Brazil were found to be infected with a parasite called Hepatozoon sp., with many showing symptoms like loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, fever, pale gums, lethargy, and diarrhea. Most of the affected dogs were young males of undefined breed, and while some showed no symptoms, a significant number had various health issues. Blood tests revealed common problems like anemia and increased white blood cell counts. Treatment focused on addressing the symptoms and managing the infection, leading to improvements in many of the dogs' conditions.
People also search for: dog Hepatozoon infection symptoms · why is my dog lethargic · treatment for dog anemia · dog fever causes · young dog with diarrhea
Abstract
An evaluation was made of the clinical and hematological aspects of 115 dogs infected naturally by Hepatozoon sp. and treated at the Hospital School of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Uberlândia, MG, Brazil. Of the 115 dogs for whom peripheral blood films were evaluated, 89 (77.39%) presented parasitemia by Hepatozoon sp. solely, while 26 (22.61%) had combination of Hepatozoon sp., Babesia sp. and Ehrlichia sp. Young male dogs less than a year old, of undefined breed (UB), were the most commonly affected. Thirty-nine (33.92%) of the dogs were asymptomatic while 76 (66.08%) presented varied clinical symptoms, the most frequent being anorexia, pulmonary alterations, hyperthermia, pale mucosae, apathy and/or prostration, and diarrhea. The majority of hematological alterations were normochromic-normocytic anemia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and nuclear deviation of neutrophils to the left (NDNL). The findings of this study confirm that Hepatozoon sp. causes clinical and hematological alterations of varied intensity, which, albeit not specific to canine hepatozoonosis, reinforce the notion that the discovery of the agent in dogs, even with low parasitemia, should be taken into consideration.
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/18304739/