Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fever causes and diagnosis in juvenile dogs at referral centers
By Black, V L et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2019·Bristol Vet School, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pyrexia in juvenile dogs: a review of 140 referred cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 140 young dogs, aged 1 to 18 months, were brought to a veterinary hospital because they had fevers (high temperatures). Most of these dogs were diagnosed with non-infectious inflammatory diseases, particularly a condition called steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis, which affects the brain and blood vessels. Many of the dogs had already been treated with antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications before arriving at the hospital, but this did not affect the final diagnosis. The good news is that once diagnosed, appropriate treatments were given, and many dogs were able to recover.
People also search for: puppy fever treatment · dog high temperature causes · steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To describe the presentation, influence of previous treatment and diagnosis in juvenile dogs presenting with pyrexia to a UK referral centre. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical records of dogs aged 1 to 18 months presenting with a problem list including pyrexia (≥⃒39∙2°C) that was reproducible during referral hospitalisation were retrospectively reviewed. Signalment, history - including previous treatment, clinical examination findings and diagnosis were recorded. Diagnoses were categorised as non-infectious inflammatory, infectious, congenital, neoplastic and miscellaneous. The influence of previous treatment on the ability to reach a final diagnosis was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 140 cases was identified. Diagnosis was reached in 115 cases. Non-infectious inflammatory disease was identified in 91 cases (79%), infectious disease in 19 cases (17%), a congenital disorder in four dogs (3%) and neoplasia in one dog (1%). Breeds most commonly identified were Border collies (17/140; 12%), beagles (16/140; 11%), Labrador retrievers (11/140; 8%), springer spaniels (9/140; 6%) and cocker spaniels (8/140; 6%). Before presentation, most dogs had received antibiotics (83/140; 59%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (84/140; 60%) or steroids (9/140; 6%), either alone or in combination. Neither antibiotics nor non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs influenced the ability to reach a diagnosis. Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis comprised 55 of 91 (60%) individuals of the non-infectious inflammatory cohort. All four dogs diagnosed with congenital disorders were Border collies. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Non-infectious inflammatory disease, particularly steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis, immune-mediated polyarthritis and metaphyseal osteopathy, was commonly diagnosed in this population of pyrexic juvenile dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30284718/