Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Salmonella prostatitis treatment in a heartworm-positive male dog
By Hertzer, John N et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2021·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treatment and management of Salmonella prostatitis in a heartworm-positive intact male dog: a case report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male Labrador mix was diagnosed with Salmonella prostatitis, a rare infection affecting the prostate, while also dealing with heartworm. The dog's owners were concerned about the risk of spreading the infection, especially since one of them was pregnant. To manage the condition, the vet recommended several precautions to prevent transmission, such as frequent hand washing and isolating the dog during bathroom breaks. The dog was treated and monitored closely, and the vet used a special prostatic wash to check for the infection instead of a standard urine culture, which can sometimes miss the bacteria.
People also search for: dog Salmonella infection treatment · heartworm positive dog care · Labrador prostatitis symptoms
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Salmonella spp. represent a significant zoonotic concern to pregnant owners as infection can cause septic abortions and post-partum illness. Enteric salmonellosis is well documented in canines however urinary salmonellosis is rarely described and Salmonella prostatitis has never been described in dogs. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report describes the diagnosis and management of a five-year-old, intact male Labrador Retriever mix dog that was diagnosed with Salmonella prostatitis among other comorbidities including heartworm infestation. Additionally, mitigation of zoonotic spread is emphasized as one of the owners was six months pregnant at the time of diagnosis. DISCUSSION: The pathogenesis of Salmonella prostatitis is unknown but explanations pertaining to enteric salmonellosis, such as the lifestyle and stress of living as a stray may have contributed and contamination from an enteric infection may have also been possible. Several recommendations were made to reduce the likelihood of zoonotic transmission including frequent hand washing, avoidance of the patient's mouth, change in location of where the patient was fed, the use of an isolated area outside for urination and defecation, and the use of dilute bleach to clean areas soiled by the patient's bodily fluids. Monitoring of the prostatic infection was facilitated with prostatic wash instead of urine culture. This decision was made as prostatic infections have been shown to intermittently shed bacteria into the urine, leading to possible false negative urine cultures and potential catastrophic zoonotic infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33785042/