Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog in Slovakia with coughing and vomiting
By Miterpáková, Martina et al.·Published in Acta parasitologica·2014·Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The first clinically manifested case of angiostrongylosis in a dog in Slovakia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old male Bernese mountain dog in Slovakia was brought to the vet with serious health issues, including weight loss, a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, excessive drooling, vomiting, and bleeding in the eyes. The dog experienced two episodes of sudden collapse. Blood tests showed anemia and other abnormalities, and a special test confirmed the presence of a dangerous parasite called Angiostrongylus vasorum. This case highlights a new threat to dogs in Slovakia, and it’s crucial for pet owners and vets to be aware of this parasite for better diagnosis and treatment.
People also search for: dog coughing and vomiting · Bernese mountain dog weight loss · Angiostrongylus vasorum treatment · dog breathing problems · dog eye bleeding causes
Abstract
The first clinical case of canine angiostrongylosis from Slovakia, previously infection-free country, is described. 18-month old male Bernese mountain dog living in south-eastern part of Slovakia showed poor health condition characterized by weight loss, irritating cough, dispnoe, intense salivation, vomiting and bilateral scleral bleeding. Two times even the acute physical collapse occurred. Blood analysis was provided and revealed increase of total protein, eosinophilia, monocytosis, and mild thrombocytopenia. Anaemia characterized by reduced number of erythrocytes and reduced levels of haemoglobin, packed cell volume and iron was also diagnosed. Larvoscopic Baermann technique revealed the presence of Angiostrongylus first stage larvae. Infected dog excreted larvae in high numbers - in 10 g of the faecal material more than 800 larvae were counted. DNA analysis using PCR confirmed the presence of Angiostrongylus vasorum species. The first clinical case of angiostrongylosis has evidenced that the new life-threatening parasitic disease of dogs has spread to the territory of Slovakia. A serious effort is therefore inevitable to increase the professional awareness and knowledge on diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25236277/