Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with breathing trouble diagnosed and treated for chest abscess
By Barrett, R J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1993·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of ultrasonography and secondary wound closure to facilitate diagnosis and treatment of a cranial mediastinal abscess in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old dog was brought to the vet because it was having severe breathing problems and making harsh sounds. The vet found that the dog's trachea was narrowed and discovered an abscess in the chest area through imaging and testing. They drained the abscess and treated the wound as an open site to monitor healing before closing it up after six days. The dog recovered well, but the exact cause of the abscess was not determined.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · dog abscess treatment · why is my dog coughing · dog respiratory distress · dog surgery recovery
Abstract
A 3-year-old dog was examined because of acute, severe respiratory distress. Harsh inspiratory sounds, oral abrasions, and pyrexia were identified. On thoracic and cervical radiographs, the trachea appeared to be ventrally displaced and narrowed for several centimeters of its length at the thoracic inlet. Cytologic examination of a transcutaneous aspirate from the caudal cervical region revealed a neutrophilic exudate with extracellular bacteria. The ultrasonographic appearance of the thoracic inlet lent support to a diagnosis of cranial mediastinal abscess. Drainage and debridement of the abscess was accomplished via a ventral midline cervical approach, and the site was managed as an open wound. After 6 days, secondary wound closure was performed. The ventral cervical approach prevented contamination of the pleural space, and treatment as an open wound allowed inspection of the affected tissues to determine optimal time for wound closure. The cause of this cranial mediastinal abscess was unknown.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8253621/