Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog in Sydney with heartworm causing cough and breathing trouble
By McKeever, B et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2021·University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Suspect 'baggage canine heartworm' case: canine heartworm disease in a dog from Sydney, New South Wales.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female Fox Terrier and Jack Russell mix from Sydney was brought in for coughing and breathing difficulties. The dog had not been on heartworm prevention and had not traveled outside Sydney, but tests confirmed she had heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis. After treatment, her condition gradually improved over the next year, with the antigen test remaining positive for about seven months before finally turning negative around 15 months after starting treatment. This case highlights the importance of considering heartworm disease even in dogs that haven't traveled, as it may be contracted from infected mosquitoes.
People also search for: dog coughing treatment · heartworm disease in dogs · Fox Terrier heartworm symptoms · heartworm prevention for dogs
Abstract
Locally acquired canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in the temperate southern climate zones of Australia is currently rare. We report a case of locally acquired canine heartworm from Sydney, New South Wales in a 12-year-old Fox Terrier × Jack Russell female that presented with coughing and breathing difficulties. Absence of heartworm prevention and no travel outside Sydney was noted. Blood sample was D. immitis positive using antigen test, but negative on Modified Knott's testing. PCR confirmed the presence of D. immitis DNA in circulating blood. Echocardiographic examination revealed multiple parallel echogenic lines separated by a hypoechoic region ('tram-tracks') in the right pulmonary artery. The patient was treated and clinical condition gradually improved over the following 12 months. Antigen test remained positive for D. immitis at ~7 months and became negative at ~15 months after the start of the treatment. The most plausible scenario is importation of infected mosquito(s) in the luggage arriving from Queensland, Australia, common holiday destination for many Sydney-siders. We consider this a case of 'baggage canine heartworm'. Canine heartworm in dogs who did not travel should be considered in the differential diagnosis and D. immitis antigen test coupled with Modified Knott's test or PCR must be considered.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33904155/