Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pekingese dog with spine bone infection and liver shunt
By Walker, M C et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1999·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Vertebral physitis with epiphyseal sequestration and a portosystemic shunt in a Pekingese dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old female Pekingese was brought to the vet for pain in her back and signs of liver issues. Tests revealed she had a bone infection in her spine and a portosystemic shunt, which is an abnormal blood vessel affecting liver function. The vet treated her with a special low-protein diet, antibiotics, and surgery to remove the infected bone. Four months after stopping the antibiotics, the dog was pain-free and showed improvement on X-rays.
People also search for: Pekingese back pain treatment · dog liver shunt symptoms · bone infection in dogs treatment
Abstract
Vertebral physitis with bone sequestration and a portosystemic shunt were diagnosed in an 18-month-old female Pekingese dog. The latter was determined by the presence of low blood urea nitrogen, elevated serum bile acids, microhepatica and an increased portosystemic shunt fraction. It was managed with a home-cooked low protein diet. Vertebral physitis and bone sequestration was diagnosed by the presence of thoracolumbar hyperaesthesia, radiographic and scintigraphic changes, isolation of Staphylococcus intermedius from blood and the third lumbar vertebra, and histopathological examination of a surgical biopsy. A partial sequestrectomy was performed and a six-month course of amoxycillin-clavulanate was prescribed. The dog was pain-free and showed partial resolution of the radiographic signs four months after the discontinuation of antibiotics.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10649596/