Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and treatment of suspected anaphylaxis in 232 dogs in Perth
By Turner, K et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2021·College of Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical characteristics of two-hundred thirty-two dogs (2006-2018) treated for suspected anaphylaxis in Perth, Western Australia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suspected of having an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) were treated at a veterinary hospital in Perth, Australia. Many of these dogs showed symptoms like skin issues, stomach problems, and heart problems, with nearly half experiencing severe shock. Insect bites were a common trigger for these reactions. The study found that not all dogs displayed typical skin symptoms, making diagnosis challenging. Treatment varied, but addressing the shock and managing symptoms were key to helping these dogs recover.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of dogs treated for suspected anaphylaxis in Perth, Western Australia. DESIGN: Single-centre observational case series with retrospective and prospective phases. METHODS: This was a two-phase study of dogs with clinical suspicion of anaphylaxis presenting to the emergency service of a university teaching hospital. Dogs required evidence of, and appropriate treatment of, a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction as well as two or more organs affected (or cardiovascular signs alone) to be included. Phase 1 includes retrospective case series of 186 dogs (March 2006-December 2018). Phase 2 includes prospective descriptive case series of 46 dogs (October 2017-July 2018) focused on clinical signs. RESULTS: In phase 1, 88 (47%) dogs had evidence of insect exposure prior to the acute event. One hundred forty (75%) dogs had dermatological signs, 141 (76%) had gastrointestinal signs and 129 (69%) had cardiovascular signs. Ninety-two (49%) dogs had vasoconstrictive shock (5 with bradycardia), 24 (13%) had vasodilatory shock, 8 (4%) had mixed vasodilatory and vasoconstrictive shock and 5 (3%) had unclassifiable shock. On focused abdominal ultrasound, 42 of 71 (59%) dogs had gallbladder wall oedema and 3 of 71 (4%) dogs had peritoneal free fluid. In phase 2, the distributions of insect exposure, organ dysfunction and sonographic abnormalities were similar to phase 1. CONCLUSION: Dogs presenting with suspected anaphylaxis showed a broad range of presentations. Dermatological signs were absent in a proportion of dogs, vasoconstrictive shock was more frequent than vasodilatory and unique features of shock were identified. This study highlights the challenges of diagnosis based on presenting features alone.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34541658/