Pulmonary thromboembolism due to glomerulonephritis in dog.: Case report

A ten and a half year old, castrated mail Belgian shepherd dog was admitted to the clinic with a two-day long history of dyspnea and 10 month long history of locomotion problems, for which he had received long acting glucocorticoid therapy in every five weeks. 3 weeks before addmisson the dog received antibiotic therapy for tonsillitis. Clinical examination revealed poor general status, severe mixed type dyspnea with labial breathing. Blood biochemical parameters demonstrated renal failure (uremia), respiratory and metabolic acidosis. In the urine there was a large amount of protein and the protein/creatinine ratio was 9.56. The blood antithrombin-Ill result was 62% (Tables 1 and 2). On ultrasound examination a large thrombus was detected in the main pulmonary artery (Figures 2 and 3) and diffuse nephropathy was visible (Figure 4). The dog was treated with furosemid, famotidine, amoxicillin and clavulanacid, methilprednisolone and nadroparin injections and received oxigen therapy. After the euthanasia necropsy revealed chronic glomerulonephritis in the kidneys, and obturative thrombus in the main pulmonary artery and hemorrhage in the lung (Figures 5, 6 and 7). This is the first reported case of pulmonary thrombosis diagnosed by ultrasonography in Hungary. T he etiopathogenesis and clinical aspects of pulmonary thromboembolism in protein loosing glomerular disease in dogs is also discussed in the paper.