Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mass in the chest cavity of a pet rock dove with weight loss
By Bédard, Christian et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2007·Department of Pathology and Microbiology and the Clinical Pathology Diagnostic Service, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: What is your diagnosis? Coelomic mass in a rock dove (Columba livia).
Plain-English summary
A 15-year-old rock dove was brought in because it had been lethargic and losing weight for about a year. An ultrasound showed fluid in the abdomen and a mass with unusual nodules. Tests on the mass revealed it was a malignant tumor called a seminoma, which is similar to tumors seen in male dogs. Unfortunately, the bird did not survive, but this case highlights the importance of considering seminomas when diagnosing abdominal masses in birds.
People also search for: rock dove weight loss · bird abdominal mass symptoms · seminoma in birds treatment
Abstract
A 15-year-old domestic rock dove (Columbia livia) was presented to the Service de Médecine Zoologique of the Université de Montréal with a 10-day history of lethargy and chronic weight loss of 1-year duration. Ultrasonographic evaluation of the coelomic cavity revealed the presence of effusion and a well-defined mass containing variably sized hypoechoic nodules of unknown origin. Cytologic evaluation of fine-needle aspirates of the mass indicated a malignant epithelial tumor consisting of round cells arranged individually and in clusters, with large nuclei, prominent nucleoli, moderate anisocytosis and anisokaryosis, atypical mitoses, occasional binucleation and multinucleation, and large numbers of ruptured cells. A diagnosis of seminoma was established on histologic sections obtained at necropsy. The cytologic features of this tumor were similar to those of canine seminomas except for the presence of lymphocytes, which were not observed in significant numbers in cytologic smears or histologic sections. Seminoma should be included in the differential diagnosis for a space-occupying mass causing organ displacement within the coelomic cavity of a male bird.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17806083/