Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with sudden blindness and eye damage from Angiostrongylus vasorum
By Ciuca, Lavinia et al.·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2019·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Italy·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Irreversible Ocular Lesions in a Dog With Angiostrongylus Vasorum Infection.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-month-old dog suddenly lost its vision and had trouble breathing. The vet found serious eye problems, including inflammation, lens dislocation, and retinal detachment, along with signs of a lung infection. Tests confirmed the dog had an infection caused by a parasite called Angiostrongylus vasorum, which can lead to severe eye damage. Unfortunately, the eye damage was irreversible, highlighting the importance of diagnosing this parasite quickly to prevent serious complications.
People also search for: dog sudden vision loss · puppy breathing problems · Angiostrongylus vasorum treatment · dog eye inflammation causes · dog lung infection symptoms
Abstract
This report describes a 10-month-old dog with a sudden loss of vision and severe dyspnoea. The ocular examination revealed bilateral panuveitis, lens subluxation, secondary glaucoma, and retinal detachment. In addition, the ocular ultrasound showed in the vitreous body of the right eye, a small doubled-lined foreign body compatible with an intraocular parasite. Radiographs of the thorax revealed an increased opacity with mixed lung pattern (alveolar and bronchial) and thoracic ultrasonography showed several subpleural nodules. The presence of Angiostrongylus vasorum first stage larvae was confirmed with 324 larvae per gram of feces and an antigen test for the parasite (AngioDetect, IDEXX) also yielded a positive result. The severe and irreversible ocular lesions described in this case enhanced the complexity of the clinical picture of canine angiostrongylosis. Infection with the parasite should be included in the list of differential diagnoses for ocular uveitis to avoid potentially serious complications related to a missed or delayed diagnosis.
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/31472726/