Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone infection and joint inflammation from Leishmania in a young dog
By Buracco, P et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1997·Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, 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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Osteomyelitis and arthrosynovitis associated with Leishmania donovani infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-month-old male maremma shepherd dog was brought in with chronic diarrhea, increased thirst and urination, tiredness, poor appetite, and stiffness in his legs. The vet found pain in all four limbs and noticed changes in the bones on X-rays. Tests revealed that the dog was infected with Leishmania, a parasite that can cause serious health issues. After starting treatment with a specific medication, N-methyl-glucamine antimoniate, the dog's condition improved, and the bone and joint problems gradually resolved.
People also search for: dog Leishmania infection treatment · maremma shepherd diarrhea and stiffness · dog increased thirst and urination
Abstract
A 10-month-old male maremma shepherd dog was presented with chronic diarrhoea, moderate polyuria/polydipsia, lethargy, dysorexia and stiffness. Pain was elicited in the distal parts of all four limbs. Radiographs of the limbs showed increased endomedullary radiopacity and lysis, with thick periosteal proliferations at the metadiaphyseal areas of each radius-ulna and tibia and of the distal metacarpus on one side. Polyclonal hypergammaglobulinaemia was documented and a similar electrophoretic protein pattern was also found in the synovial fluid. Leishmania amastigotes were found in the macrophages in a bone marrow aspirate performed at the level of a distal radius and in a synovial fluid sample obtained from a carpal joint. An indirect immunofluorescence test confirmed the infection. Treatment with N-methyl-glucamine antimoniate was successful and the osteoarticular changes progressively disappeared.
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/9121132/