Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain parasite causing weakness and disorientation survives
By Tieber, Lisa M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survival of a suspected case of central nervous system cuterebrosis in a dog: clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old spayed female rat terrier was brought to the vet after suddenly becoming disoriented and weak, eventually developing trouble moving her right side and circling to the left. Two weeks later, a Cuterebra larva was found in her vomit, and tests showed inflammation in her brain. The vet treated her with a gradually decreasing dose of prednisone, an anti-inflammatory medication. Over time, her symptoms improved, marking a rare case of a parasitic infection affecting the dog's central nervous system.
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Abstract
A 3-year-old, spayed female rat terrier was evaluated for acute onset of stupor, disorientation, and tetraparesis. Clinical signs progressed over 3 weeks to eventual right-sided hemiparesis and circling to the left. A Cuterebra spp. larva was discovered in the vomitus of the dog 2 weeks after the onset of clinical signs. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed chronic inflammation, and magnetic resonance imaging supported a diagnosis of a parasitic tract through the left cerebral hemisphere. Medical management included a tapering anti-inflammatory dose of prednisone. Clinical signs improved slowly over time. This is the first description of a presumptive antemortem diagnosis of canine cuterebrosis in the central nervous system.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16611938/