Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog in Korea with Hepatozoon canis infection treated with doxycycline
By Kwon, Seung-Joo et al.·Published in The Korean journal of parasitology·2017·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: First Case of Canine Infection with Hepatozoon canis (Apicomplexa: Haemogregarinidae) in the Republic of Korea.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Maltese dog was brought to the vet because he was not eating and seemed depressed. The vet found that he was mildly dehydrated and had a fever. Blood tests revealed a low blood cell count, and further testing confirmed he was infected with a parasite called Hepatozoon canis. After receiving supportive care and treatment with doxycycline, the dog's condition improved significantly.
People also search for: dog not eating · Maltese fever treatment · Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs
Abstract
This report describes a dog infected with Hepatozoon canis, the first canine infection in the Republic of Korea. A 2-year-old intact male Maltese dog presented with anorexia and depression. Physical examinations revealed mild dehydration and hyperthermia (39.8°C), and blood analysis showed pancytopenia. Diff-Quik staining of blood smear specimens showed the presence of ellipsoidal shaped structures (gamonts of H. canis) within a small number of neutrophils. Real-time PCR analysis using whole blood confirmed infection by H. canis. The clinical condition of the dog improved after symptomatic treatment and administration of doxycycline. Although a molecular epidemiologic survey in Korea showed H. canis infection of dogs, to our knowledge this is the first report of a dog infection in Korea molecularly shown to be H. canis.
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/29103272/