Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with esophagus-stomach folding linked to Spirocerca infection
By Vrdoljak, Kirsten J et al.·Published in Journal of the South African Veterinary Association·2014·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Oesophagogastric intussusception associated with spirocercosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Bull Terrier was brought to the vet after collapsing and showing signs of not wanting to eat and being very tired for a day. The dog also had anemia and dark, tarry stools. Despite normal chest X-rays, an ultrasound suggested there might be a problem in the stomach. Sadly, the final diagnosis revealed a serious condition called oesophagogastric intussusception (where part of the stomach folds into itself) along with a parasitic infection. Unfortunately, the dog did not survive due to the severity of these conditions.
People also search for: Bull Terrier collapsed not eating · dog lethargy dark stools · spirocercosis treatment in dogs
Abstract
An oesophagogastric intussusception was diagnosed in an intact Bull Terrier female aged 2 years and 7 months with a concurrent Spirocerca lupi infection. The dog was presented collapsed with a history of inappetance and lethargy of one day's duration. Anaemia and melaena were present on clinical examination. Thoracic radiographs did not reveal any significant findings. Abdominal ultrasound was suspicious for gastric pathology or a possible foreign body. The final diagnosis of an oesophagogastric intussusception with an S. lupi nodule at the cardia was made on post-mortem. Oesophageal intussusceptions are rare in dogs and often fatal. Gastro-oesophageal intussusceptions usually present with obvious radiographic signs in the caudal thorax, unlike an oesophagogastric intussusception, where the pathology lies within the abdomen and may not be readily diagnosed. Although spirocercosis often presents with a caudal oesophageal mass, this may not be seen radiographically. In this case, the two conditions were present together but the thoracic radiographs were normal. An oesophagogastric intussusception was diagnosed in an intact Bull Terrier female aged 2 years and 7 months with a concurrent Spirocerca lupi infection. The dog was presented collapsed with a history of inappetance and lethargy of one day's duration. Anaemia and melaena were present on clinical examination. Thoracic radiographs did not reveal any significant findings. Abdominal ultrasound was suspicious for gastric pathology or a possible foreign body. The final diagnosis of an oesophagogastric intussusception with an S. lupi nodule at the cardia was made on post-mortem. Oesophageal intussusceptions are rare in dogs and often fatal. Gastro-oesophageal intussusceptions usually present with obvious radiographic signs in the caudal thorax, unlike an oesophagogastric intussusception, where the pathology lies within the abdomen and may not be readily diagnosed. Although spirocercosis often presents with a caudal oesophageal mass, this may not be seen radiographically. In this case, the two conditions were present together but the thoracic radiographs were normal.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25686084/