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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Microfilaria found in mammary mass of female dog

By Burgess, Hilary J & Wagner, Brent·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2016·Department of Veterinary Pathology (Burgess), Canada·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Identification of microfilaria in a mammary mass aspirate from a female dog.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A female dog imported from Myanmar was found to have a microfilaria, a type of larva from a parasitic worm, in a sample taken from a lump in her breast. This was surprising because microfilaria usually aren't found in that area. The diagnosis indicated that the dog had heartworm disease, which is caused by these parasites. Treatment for heartworm typically involves medication to kill the worms and supportive care to help the dog recover.

People also search for: dog mammary lump · heartworm disease in dogs · symptoms of heartworm in dogs

Abstract

A filarial nematode larva (microfilaria) was found in an aspirate of a mammary mass from a dog imported to Saskatchewan from Myanmar. This was an unusual location for a microfilaria and numerous filarial nematodes infecting dogs in Asia had to be considered. This report describes the laboratory diagnosis of canine heartworm disease in this dog.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27041753/