Dog fed raw elk meat developed pancreatic and bile duct infection

Abstract

We describe a 3-y-old Standard Poodle that was fed a raw elk-meat diet and developed anorexia, icterus, and markedly elevated liver enzyme activities. Histopathology of the pancreatic and liver biopsy specimens revealed lymphohistiocytic pancreatitis and hepatitis with intraepithelial protozoa. Histologically,spp. are indistinguishable fromTherefore, we employed PCR and amplicon sequencing to further investigate our case. Amplification and sequencing of the ITS1 marker matched 100% with. Intrapancreatic involvement and the histopathologic features of hepatic and pancreaticinfection have not been reported previously in dogs, to our knowledge.is a coccidian organism with an obligatory 2-host life cycle. The definitive hosts are dogs and coyotes; the intermediate hosts are mostly ruminants, including cervids. Ingesting tissue cysts within the skeletal muscle of the intermediate hosts leads to infection in the definitive hosts.has been considered clinically inconsequential; however, increasing reports note gastrointestinal and hepatic disease in dogs associated with this organism, andis considered an emerging pathogen in dogs. Infection in our case was associated with ingestion of raw cervid meat; cases ofinfection are invariably linked to ingestion of raw-meat diets.