Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heart inflammation after Borrelia infection from ticks
By Adaszek, Łukasz et al.·Published in Annals of parasitology·2020·Clinic of Infectious Diseases·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Myocarditis secondary to Borrelia infection in a dog: a case report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in for lameness and signs of heart failure about four weeks after being bitten by ticks. Tests revealed that the dog had a Borrelia burgdorferi infection, which is linked to Lyme disease. Unfortunately, treatment with antibiotics did not help, and the owners ultimately made the difficult decision to euthanize the dog. A necropsy showed a dilated heart and confirmed the presence of the infection in the heart tissue. This case highlights the importance of considering Lyme disease in dogs that show lameness and heart issues, especially in areas where ticks are common.
People also search for: dog lameness after tick bite · Lyme disease in dogs symptoms · dog heart failure treatment
Abstract
The aim of this study was to recognise the etiological factor of a disease with symptoms of lameness and cardiac failure, which occurred in one dog 4 weeks after invasion by ticks. A serological examination as well as molecular examination (PCR) was done. In the sample of the serum, the presence of antibodies specific to Borrelia burgdorferi were detected. Antibiotic therapy with doxycycline did not cause significant improvement, so the owners of the dog decided about its euthanasia. During the necroscopy, a dilated heart was recognised. In the heart samples, the genetic material of Borrelia was detected. The results of serological and molecular examinations showed that in the discussed case, an etiological factor of the disease was spirochetes. In light of the research, veterinary practitioners should keep in mind the presence of Lyme disease in dogs in Poland and include it in differential diagnoses for lameness and cardiological problems.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32592549/