Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye problems in dogs with monocytic ehrlichiosis in Barcelona
By Leiva, Marta et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2005·College of Veterinary Medicine, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ocular signs of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis: a retrospective study in dogs from Barcelona, Spain.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Spain showed eye problems due to a tick-borne disease called canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Out of 46 affected dogs, 17 had noticeable eye issues, such as retinal detachment and uveitis, but many did not show other symptoms. Most of these dogs had positive blood tests for the disease, and some experienced bleeding in their eyes. Treatment for the disease was initiated, but two dogs later developed chronic eye inflammation. It's important for pet owners to consider this disease if their dog has eye problems, especially if they have been exposed to ticks.
People also search for: dog eye problems · canine monocytic ehrlichiosis symptoms · tick disease in dogs · dog retinal detachment treatment
Abstract
Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is a tick-borne disease caused by the rickettsia Ehrlichia canis. Ocular lesions are a common feature of the disease and can be present in all stages. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence, type and response to treatment of ocular lesions associated with monocytic ehrlichiosis in 46 affected dogs presented to the Autonomous University of Barcelona-Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UAB-VTH) from January 2000 to December 2002. Dogs were included in the study only if they had a positive serologic test for E. canis and information about the clinical outcome was available. Eighteen breeds were represented, with the German Shepherd dog (n = 6) being the most common. There were 25 intact and three castrated males, and 16 intact and two neutered females. Twenty dogs (43.4%) were between 5 and 10 years old. Seventeen dogs (37% of all cases of monocytic ehrlichiosis diagnosed during the study period) had ocular signs, and 11 dogs (64.7% of the ocular cases) had only ocular lesions without apparent systemic signs. Exudative retinal detachment was the most common ocular manifestation; other prevalent findings included anterior exudative uveitis and optic neuritis. Five of the 17 cases with ocular lesions (29.4%) had ocular bleeding disorders (hyphema or retinal hemorrhages). All the dogs with ocular disease presented with bilateral signs. Dogs with posterior segment disease had titers against E. canis that were > or = 1 : 320, while lower titers were noted in dogs with anterior exudative uveitis. Two dogs presented with chronic autoimmune panuveitis after ehrlichiosis treatment. Canine ehrlichiosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of exudative retinal detachment and anterior uveal inflammatory lesions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16359361/