Successful treatment of severe salt intoxication in a dog

Objective: To report successful treatment of severe salt intoxication and hypernatremia in a dog. Case summary: A 5‐year‐old intact female Doberman Pinscher was admitted to the intensive care unit with a history of seizures and coma. The owner had administered approximately 100 g of cooking salt to induce vomiting following ingestion of a nontoxic dose (10 g) of chocolate. Upon admission, the dog was comatose with intermittent seizures and vomiting. Diagnostic tests confirmed salt intoxication (Na: 200 mEq/L, Cl: 180 mEq/L) and metabolic acidosis (pH: 7.18; pCO₂: 39 mmHg; HCO₃: 14.3 mmol/L). Immediate treatment included intravenous fluid therapy, an anticonvulsant, antiemetic, diuretic, low molecular weight heparin, and supplemental oxygen. A fluid therapy protocol was initiated to decrease serum sodium concentration by approximately 2 mEq/L/hr. After 24 hours of intensive care, the patient regained consciousness and volume and acid‐base abnormalities improved. The patient developed a variety of abnormal clinical signs as a result of the severe hypernatremia. After 5 days of treatment, the serum sodium concentration returned to the established reference range. The patient recovered completely in 10 days. New information provided: Severe hypernatremia due to salt ingestion is a rare condition in dogs. All dogs in previous case reports of salt intoxication have died. This case report is the first to report survival of a dog with severe salt intoxication.     

Emphysematous cystitis and bladder trigone diverticulum in a dog

A 14-month-old, male German shepherd dog was evaluated for chronic, recurrent Escherichia coli urinary tract infection. An initial diagnosis of emphysematous cystitis was made, which resolved with appropriate antibacterial therapy. The urinary tract infection, however, did not resolve and on further investigation a bladder trigone diverticulum was evident, thought to be congenital in origin. This report describes the apparent ultrasonographic and radiological changes, and surgical repair of the diverticulum, and reviews the literature with regard to both congenital bladder trigone diverticulum and emphysematous cystitis. The former has never been documented in the dog and the latter is an unusual finding in a non-diabetic dog.     

Treatment of cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis in five dogs

Sterile hemorrhagic cystitis developed in 5 dogs after treatment with cyclophosphamide. Four dogs were being treated with various antineoplastic protocols, and the fifth dog had recurrent immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. In all instances, clinical signs of hematuria and stranguria persisted after cyclophosphamide administration was discontinued. Three dogs required cystotomy to remove necrotic mucosa and calculi. The other 2 dogs were treated with intravesicularly administered dimethyl sulfoxide to decrease inflammation and to inhibit fibroplasia of the bladder wall. In 4 dogs, clinical signs resolved after treatment. The fifth dog, treated surgically, continued to have intermittent urinary incontinence attributable to residual bladder wall fibrosis.     

Emphysematous cystitis due to Clostridium perfringens in a non-diabetic dog

This paper describes a case of emphysematous cystitis in a non-diabetic dog. The organism isolated from a urine specimen was identified as the gas producing anaerobe Clostridium perfringens.     

Isolation of Nocardia asteroides from a dog with haemorrhagic cystitis

The clinical, clinicopathological, serial urinalysis, urinary bladder radiography and urine bacteriological culture results in a three-year-old male dog with haematuria of four days duration are presented. The dog had cystitis associated with suspected Nocardia asteroides infection. There was rapid resolution of clinical signs on institution of treatment with ampicillin.     

Presumed lipid retinopathy in a diabetic dog

An eight-year-old neutered male diabetic Cardigan Welsh Corgi was presented for bilateral mature cataracts. Phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation were performed routinely, and recovery was uneventful for several months except for lipemic aqueous flare which gradually resolved during the postoperative period. Five months following surgery the owner presented the dog for decreased vision. White retinal deposits were visualized ophthalmoscopically. Serum analysis revealed that the dog was concurrently markedly hyperlipemic. The patient's diet was changed from a high- to a low-fat diet, following which diabetes control improved, hyperlipemia resolved, and the retinal deposits decreased markedly in size. The retinal deposits seen ophthalmoscopically are presumed to be lipid based upon their association with marked hyperlipemia, and the concurrent resolution of hyperlipemia and the fundic lesions.     

Radiation treatment for thymoma in a dog

A 10-year-old Toy Poodle was admitted for evaluation of a chronic cough caused by a cranial mediastinal mass. The mass was diagnosed, by needle biopsy, as a thymoma. Detection of serum acetylcholine receptor antibodies suggested that the dog had subclinical myasthenia gravis. The dog underwent orthovoltage radiation treatment, which resulted in an approximate 60% reduction in tumor mass and freedom from clinical signs for 6 months. Concurrent use of prednisolone may have been associated with disappearance of the acetylcholine receptor antibodies.     

Intravenous administration of levothyroxine for treatment of suspected myxedema coma complicated by severe hypothermia in a dog

A 7-year-old male English Coonhound with suspected myxedema coma complicated by severe hypothermia and metabolic abnormalities was treated with a combination of active external and core rewarming techniques, i.v. and oral administration of levothyroxine, supplemental oxygen, and administration of fluids (0.9% NaCl solution). Myxedema coma develops as a consequence of severe hypothyroidism and is characterized by a hypometabolic, stuporous state. Myxedema coma is associated with a high mortality rate, and most reported cases have involved Doberman Pinschers. Intravenous administration of levothyroxine can be used successfully in combination with oral administration to restore normal metabolic function and assist in warming and thermoregulation, although dosages should be conservative to avoid adverse cardiovascular effects.     

Use of intralesional formalin administration for treatment of a subepiglottic cyst in a horse

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 4-year-old horse was evaluated for chronic coughing, mucopurulent nasal discharge, and failure to thrive. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Endoscopy was performed on the larynx, pharynx, and trachea and revealed an approximately 2-cm fluctuant subepiglottic cyst. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The subepiglottic cyst was treated with intralesional formalin administration. Following 2 injections, 2 weeks apart, the cyst was completely resolved with no evidence of scarring or epiglottic deformity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings suggest that intralesional formalin administration for treatment of subepiglottic cysts may be a minimally invasive, economically suitable alternative to surgical treatments.     

Idiopathic hemorrhagic pericardial effusion with organized thrombi in a dog

A dog was examined because of cardiac tamponade secondary to pericardial effusion. Masses adjacent to the right atrial and ventricular walls were revealed by echocardiography. Pericardectomy and biopsies of the masses established the diagnosis of idiopathic hemorrhagic pericardial effusion with organized thrombi. The dog was healthy 3 months after surgery. These organized thrombi mimicked cardiac neoplasia echocardiographically, and such a possibility should be included in the list of differential diagnoses of cardiac masses.     

Spontaneous resorption of a diabetic cataract in a geriatric dog

Spontaneous cataract resorption is described in a geriatric cocker spaniel with a four-month history of diabetes mellitus. Resorption progressed to such a degree that vision was restored in that eye and almost all the cataract material disappeared. This is not common in geriatric dogs despite having been described with relative frequency in young animals with hereditary cataracts.     

Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of recurring aponeurotic fibromatosis in a dog

This paper reports the clinical findings, histopathology, and clinical outcome of a rare case of aponeurotic fibromatosis in a dog. The dog was treated with 4 courses of electrochemotherapy using the drugs cisplatin and bleomycin. There was complete remission and the dog was still disease-free after 18 months.     

Zoledronic acid for the treatment of appendicular osteosarcoma in a dog

A 10-year-old male intact Corso dog was referred for lameness and for a large neoplasm affecting the right foreleg. Physical examination of the patient revealed a 5 × 5 × 3 cm mass in the distal right foreleg. Histopathology was consistent with a diagnosis of appendicular osteosarcoma. The staging process found no evidence of metastasis. Because of the large size of the patient, the owners elected to treat their dog with antiresorptive therapy. The patient was treated with an infusion of zoledronic acid every 28 days. The tumour remained stable for 16 months and the lameness of the dog greatly improved. At that time, the patient returned for evaluation of a large rapidly growing prescapular mass. Biopsy confirmed lymph node metastasis and the dog was euthanased. Zoledronic acid showed remarkable palliation in our patient and possibly anti-tumour action and warrants further investigation.     

Adenomyosis with severe inflammation in the uterine cervix in a dog

A dog with purulent vulval discharge was found to have many cysts containing purulent mucus in the uterine cervix. The uterine horns did not contain any pus. Histological examination revealed a cervical adenomyosis infiltrated by many neutrophils. After an ovariohysterectomy including the whole cervix, the dog recovered well.     

Cabot rings as a result of severe dyserythropoiesis in a dog

An 11-year-old female Dachshund was presented with depression, diarrhea, weight loss, and radiographic evidence of masses involving the liver, spleen, and cranial lobe of the right lung. Results of a CBC included severe nonregenerative anemia (HCT 14.2%, hemoglobin, 4.3 g/dL, reticulocytes 66,000/microL) with marked metarubricytosis (nucleated RBCs 6.39 x 10(3)/microL). Examination of the peripheral blood smear revealed marked erythroid dysplasia, including marked anisocytosis with a prevalence of macrocytes, Howell-Jolly bodies, diffuse basophilic stippling, and multinucleated and atypical nucleated RBCs. Neutrophil hypersegmentation and giant forms were also noted. Numerous erythrocytes, particularly polychromatophilic cells, contained inclusions consistent with Cabot rings, which appeared as delicate red-purple ellipsoid or figure 8 structures. Rarely, Cabot rings were observed extracellularly. The dog was treated symptomatically with blood transfusions, prednisone, erythropoietin, and vitamin supplementation, but the anemia progressively worsened. The dog was euthanized 2 months after presentation. Bone marrow aspirate and core biopsy specimens obtained at the time of euthanasia revealed marked dysplastic changes in all cell lines, especially dyserythropoiesis, along with infiltrating carcinoma cells. A necropsy was performed, and histologic examination revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung with multiple metastases to the marrow, spleen, and liver. The final diagnosis was marked myelodysplasia secondary to metastatic adenocarcinoma. Cabot rings are found rarely in humans with myelodysplasia, but have not been described previously in dogs. Based on the findings in this case, Cabot rings may occur rarely in dogs with severe dyserythropoiesis.     

Primary prostatic haemangiosarcoma causing severe haematuria in a dog

A 10-year-old, entire, male, mixed-breed dog was presented for severe haematuria and stranguria. Ultrasound revealed a large intraluminal urinary bladder blood clot and a prostatic space-occupying lesion. Invasion of the lesion into the prostatic urethra was detected ultrasonographically during compression of the urinary bladder. Post-mortem examination revealed primary prostatic haemangiosarcoma infiltrating the urethra. Haemangiosarcoma should be considered as a rare cause of prostatic mass lesions, haematuria or lower urinary tract signs in dogs.