Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog died from thoracic aorta rupture linked to Angiostrongylus
By Mozzer, L R & Lima, W S·Published in Parasite (Paris, France)·2012·Department of Parasitology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Rupture of the thoracic aorta associated with experimental Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A female mongrel dog experienced sudden death due to a rupture of the thoracic aorta, which was linked to an infection with a parasite called Angiostrongylus vasorum. Prior to her death, she had been showing signs of weight loss and exhaustion. Unfortunately, she passed away just two hours after being examined by a veterinarian. A necropsy revealed clotted blood in her chest cavity and a thin, damaged aorta, confirming that the parasite likely caused the rupture.
People also search for: dog sudden death · Angiostrongylus vasorum symptoms · dog weight loss and exhaustion · dog aorta rupture causes
Abstract
This note describes the sudden death of a dog by the rupture of the thoracic aorta caused by the presence of Angiostrongylus vasorum. A female mongrel canine with a history of weight loss and exhaustion died two hours after clinical examination. At necropsy, performed one hour after death, showed the presence of clotted blood in the thoracic cavity. Haemothorax was diagnosed. The thoracic aorta wall was thin, congested and an abnormal hole in the wall was detected approximately 0.5 cm from the entrance to the diaphragm. From clotted blood collected from the thoracic cavity, 224 first stage larvae (L1) and 15 adults of Angiostrongylus vasorum were recovered alive. Also, from a blood clot found in the aorta, four adult females and 47 L1 larvae were recovered alive. Possibly, this parasite was responsible for the aortic rupture and death of the animal.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22550632/