Colonic vascular ectasia in a dog

32 Colonic vascular ectasia in a dog




Initial presentation


Collapse and haematochezia


Signalment: 5-year-old neutered male Bichon Frise, body weight 8.5 kg



Case history


The dog had presented to the referring veterinary surgeon 1 month previously with a history of having collapsed. Clinical examination at that time had been unremarkable. The only abnormal finding was highly regenerative anaemia, with a packed cell volume (PCV) of 0.22 l/l (reference range 0.37–0.55 l/l) and a reticulocyte count of 335 × 109/l (reference range >60 × 109/l, indicates a regenerative anaemia). Empiric treatment had been prednisolone and ferrous sulphate (doses not known).


Since then the dog had been increasingly lethargic and his appetite had been poor. His faeces were of normal consistency, but frequently were dark in colour and also contained bright red blood (haematochezia) and some mucus. The owners reported that he had lost about 0.5 kg during this time.


He was de-wormed every 6 months and his vaccinations were current. His regular diet was a commercial dry dog food.



Physical examination


The dog was responsive but lethargic and quiet. His body condition score was 4/9 with evidence of recent weight loss. His mucous membranes were very pale and slightly dry. His capillary refill time was <3 seconds. Abdominal palpation and thoracic auscultation were unremarkable other than a II/VI left sided systolic murmur. His heart rate was 142 beats per minute (bpm) and pulse quality was bounding. His respiratory rate was 32 breaths per minute. His rectal temperature was 38.7° C and there was evidence of blood on the thermometer.



Problem list and discussion of problems


The primary problems in this dog were the pale mucous membranes and the evidence of melaena and haematochezia. The murmur was possibly due to the anaemia. As he was known to have a regenerative anaemia, this was the likely reason for his pale mucous membranes. Major categories for regenerative anaemia are blood loss and haemolysis; as he had evidence of gastrointestinal blood loss this was presumed to be the likely cause of the anaemia.



Differential diagnosis


Differential diagnoses for the melaena and haematochezia causing anaemia in this dog include:


• Swallowed blood from oral, nasal, pharyngeal or respiratory system disorders (melaena)

• Oesophageal disorders, e.g. ulcer or neoplasia

• Coagulopathies, e.g. vitamin K deficiency, thrombocytopenia, von Willebrand’s disease

• Drugs, e.g. NSAIDs, corticosteroids (no history of drug administration prior to first episode)

• Toxins, e.g. caustic agents, heavy metals, Amanita (magic) mushrooms

• Internal parasite, e.g. hook worms

• Neoplasia, e.g. adenocarcinoma, mast cell tumour, gastrointestinal lymphoma, multiple myeloma, gastrinoma

• Inflammatory bowel disease with ulceration

Related posts:

  1. Oesophageal stricture in a cat
  2. Vomiting
  3. Linear foreign body in a cat
  4. Pancreatitis in a cat

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Tags:
Sep 22, 2016 | Posted by in SMALL ANIMAL | Comments Off on Colonic vascular ectasia in a dog

Full access? Get Clinical Tree
Get Clinical Tree app for offline access