Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heartworms blocking leg arteries treated with surgery
By Barnett, B G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2025·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis and hybrid interventional and surgical removal of ectopic heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A male French bulldog mix was brought to the vet with signs of serious heartworm disease, including weakness in his back legs and suspected caval syndrome, which is a life-threatening condition caused by heartworms blocking blood flow. After emergency treatment to remove the heartworms from his veins, an ultrasound showed that the worms had moved into his abdominal aorta and leg arteries. The vet used a combination of surgical and minimally invasive techniques to successfully remove the heartworms. The dog recovered after this complex procedure, highlighting the importance of prompt treatment for heartworm disease.
People also search for: dog heartworm treatment · French bulldog heartworm symptoms · caval syndrome in dogs · heartworm surgery for dogs
Abstract
An adult male castrated French bulldog mix was presented for suspected caval syndrome and bilateral pelvic limb paresis. After emergency transjugular heartworm extraction, abdominal ultrasound revealed occlusive adult heartworms in the abdominal aorta extending into the pelvic limb arteries. Hybrid interventional and surgical extraction was pursued, and heartworms were removed via bilateral femoral arteriotomy and caudal abdominal aortotomy. Ectopic dirofilariasis involving the aorta and pelvic limb arteries is rarely reported; therefore, the underlying mechanism, incidence, and treatment of aberrant heartworms are poorly understood. This case report describes a unique hybrid approach involving heartworm extraction via femoral arteriotomy interventionally and aortotomy surgically.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39591829/