Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hepatozoon canis infection causing anemia and weight loss in two dogs
By Baneth, G et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1995·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hepatozoon canis infection in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs were diagnosed with a serious infection caused by a parasite called Hepatozoon canis, which led to symptoms like extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Both dogs had severe anemia and other blood issues. They were treated with medications called imidocarb dipropionate and doxycycline, but unfortunately, one dog did not survive despite treatment. The other dog showed improvement and the parasites were cleared from its blood.
People also search for: dog lethargy and weight loss · Hepatozoon canis treatment · dog anemia symptoms · why is my dog losing weight
Abstract
Infection of 60 to 90% of neutrophils with the protozoa, Hepatozoon canis, was detected in 2 dogs. Clinical signs included lethargy, anorexia, and weight loss. Both dogs had severe anemia, leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia as well as hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinemia, and high activities of serum alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase. Both dogs were treated with imidocarb dipropionate and doxycycline. One dog recovered clinically, with disappearance of parasites from WBC. The other dog died, despite treatment. Necropsy revealed widespread dispersion of schizonts in the parenchymal tissues, but no involvement of skeletal muscle tissues. The disease syndrome that has been identified in the Texas Gulf region is characterized by gait abnormalities associated with multifocal pyogranulomatous myositis, thus, it is distinct clinicopathologically from the syndrome observed in these 2 dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7790303/