Renal haemosiderosis in association with canine heartworm disease

Twenty-five cases of renal haemosiderosis associated with canine heartworm disease are reported. Severe intravascular haemolysis was a feature of six dogs with filariae in the right atrium and venae cavae (caval syndrome). An association between haemosiderin deposition and filarial burden was apparent in nineteen dogs not showing clinical signs of caval syndrome. The possible reasons for the sub-clinical haemolysis in canine heartworm disease are discussed with regard to current literature.