Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hindlimb lameness from arterial heartworm in five dogs
By Frank, J R et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1997·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Systemic arterial dirofilariasis in five dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Five dogs were brought in with hind leg limping and other issues due to a rare form of heartworm disease called systemic arterial dirofilariasis. This happens when heartworms migrate into the arteries, causing problems like pain and tissue damage in the hind limbs. The dogs were diagnosed using imaging tests and treated with medications to kill the adult heartworms. While four of the dogs recovered after treatment, one sadly passed away due to complications. This case highlights the challenges of treating heartworm-related issues in dogs.
People also search for: dog limping heartworm disease · treatment for dog heartworm · signs of heartworm in dogs
Abstract
Systemic arterial dirofilariasis is an unusual manifestation of heartworm disease of dogs that results from aberrant migration of Dirofilaria immitis into the peripheral arterial circulation. To expand the clinical characterization of systemic arterial dirofilariasis, 5 dogs evaluated at the North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine were reviewed. Common clinical presentations included hindlimb lameness, paresthesia of hindlimbs, and interdigital ischemic necrosis resulting from thromboembolic disease. Visualization of heartworms with angiography or ultrasonography confirmed the diagnosis in all cases. All 5 dogs were treated with an adulticide; 3 dogs were treated with thiacetasamide sodium and 2 with melarsomine dihydrochloride. Four of the 5 dogs survived the initial treatment period; 1 dog died of severe thromboembolic complications after thiacatarsamide sodium therapy. The treatment of systemic arterial dirofilariasis creates a therapeutic challenge because of multiple potential complications resulting from thromboembolic disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9183772/