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Therapeutic management of ascites in dogs

Authors:
Saravanan Mani at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University
Saravanan Mani
Kalyan Sarma at Central Agricultural University
Kalyan Sarma
Mritunjay Kumar at Bihar Veterinary College
Mritunjay Kumar
  • Bihar Veterinary College
Mahendran Karunanithy at Indian Veterinary Research Institute
Mahendran Karunanithy
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The Indian Veterinary Journal (February, 2013)
110
Indian Vet. J., February 2013, 90 (2) : 110 - 111
Therapeutic Management of Ascites in Dogs
M. Saravanan1, K. Sarma, M. Kumar, K. Mahendran and D.B. Mondal
Division of Medicine, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243 122, Bareilly, UP
(Received : 17-02-2012; Accepted : 30-04-2012)
Ascites is one of the most commonly found
clinical problems in dogs. It refers to the over
accumulation of tr a n s u d ate within th e
peritoneal cavity (Rudloff, 2005). This condition
may occur in portal hype r t e n s ion,
hypoalbuminemia and renal retention of sodium
and water (Chandler et al., 1995). Ascites has
also been attributed to conditions like chronic
hepatic fai lur e , congestive hea r t failure,
malnutrition and ancylostomiasis (Randhawa
et al ., 1988). The aim of this study was to
ascertain changes in haema to-biochemical
profile of dogs suffering from ascites and find
out suitable therapetic measures.
Materials and Methods
Present investigation was carried out on 15
dogs of different breeds and age which were
presented with the history of accumulation of
fluid in abdomen from August 2010 to Jan, 2011
in Re f e r r al Veterin ar y , Polycli n i c , I VR I ,
Izatnagar, Bareilly. History of each dog was
noted in relation to breed, age, sex, body weight
etc for epidemiological study. Blood samples
were collected on day 0, 10 and 20 of post-
treatment for haematobiochemical analysis and
evaluati on of therapeut ic respo nse. Blo od
smears were prepared from the ear margin
capillary bed for DLC. Abdominocentesis was
done with the help of sterile needle (5-7 cm, 22
gauges) to re l ive dyspnea . Abdo m i n a l
ultrasonography was performed (Nyland et al.
2002).
Treatment was instituted with dextrose
25%@ 100 ml i/v for five days followed by
furosemide (Lasix, M/s Aventis) @ 2mg/kg bid
p.o. daily for 10 days along with the supportive
treatment of B co m p l ex and vi t a m in C
(Eldervit, M/s Elder Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd)
@ 2ml i/m every alternate day for 12 days, inj.
Ceftriaxone sodium @ 25mg/kg bw and Astymin-
3 40ml i/v o.d. for 5 days. Criteria for evaluating
the efficacy of treatment were return to normal
appetite, clinical remission, and improvement
of haematobiochemical parameters on day 10
an d 20 of pos t - t r e a t m ent. The statistical
analysis was done as per the standard methods.
Results and Discussion
Dogs between the age groups 5 to 7 years were
mostly affected and the occurrence was higher
in males (60%) as compared to females (40%).
The higher occ u r r e n c e wa s observed in
Pomeranian (33.33%) followed by Lab Retriever
(20%), Boxer (16.66%), Doberman (13.33%),
Mongrels (10%) and Alsatian (6.66%), The
clinical signs revealed anorexia, lethargy and
accumulation of fluid in abdomen in all the dogs.
Adbominal palpation revealed fluid thrill while
body girth measurement revealed distended
abdomen. Abdominal Ultrasonography revealed
anechoic areas in all dogs whereas hyper-echoic
liver was noticed in five dogs.
Hae m a t o l ogy revealed signif i c a n t l y
lower (P<0.05) Hb (9.49±0.28 g/dl) and PCV
(34.39±1.36 %) whereas TLC and DLC showed
non-significant variation. Serum biochemical
analys is revealed low ser um tot al pro tein
1Corresponding author : Em ail : sara82vet@yahoo.com
The Indian Veterinary Journal (February, 2013)
111
(4.40±0. 20 g/dl) on day 0 indicatin g
hypoproteinem i a . Skardo v a ( 1 991) a l s o
observed decrease of total protein and albumin
in the blood serum of ascetic dog. Increased
level s of ALT (228.5 3 ±22. 17 IU/L) showe d
necrotic damage of liver resulting in leakage of
enzymes from hepat ic ce ll s i n t h e b l o o d
(Cornelius et al., 1975).
The dogs responded well to treatment
within 10 days. Improvement in attitude and
appetite was noted and reduction in abdominal
fluid accu m u l a t i o n co u l d be obse r ve d .
Ultrasonography on day 20 revealed improved
liver status.
Table. Haematobiochemical changes in ascetic dogs (before and after therapy)
Parameters Day 0 Day 10 Day 20
Haemoglobin (gm/dl) 9.49±0.28a10.48±0.39b11.21±0.25c
Packed cell volume (%) 34.39±1.36 a34.04±0.57ac 39.96±0.46b
Total Leukocyte count (x1000/µl) 9.49±0.30 10.48±0.15 11.21±0.17
Neutrophil (%) 82.93±0.96 81.27±1.11 81.07±1.08
Lymphocyte (%) 15.00±1.03 16.13±0.94 16.27±0.91
Monocyte (%) 2.07±0.27 2.60±0.32 2.67±0.32
BUN (mg/dl) 14.27±1.32 12.87±0.73 12.87±0.72
Serum Creatinine (mg/dl) 0.70±0.09 0.74±0.08 0.74±0.09
Alanine amino transferase (U/I) 228.53±22.17c165.87±10.57b142.12±6.09a
Total Protein (g/dl) 4.45±0.20a7.24±0.27b8.38±0.26c
Means under same superscript do not differ significantly (p<0.01, p<0.05)
References
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(1995) Canine medicine and Therapeutics. 3rd ed. Blackwell
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Cornelius, L.M., Thrall, D.E., Halliwell, W.H., Frank, G.M. Kern,
A.J. and W oods, C.B. (1975) J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 167:
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(1988) Ind. J. Anim. Hlth., 12: 165.
Rudloff, E. (2005) Text book of Veterinary Internal Medicine
– disease of the dog and cat, 6th edn. Elsevier Saunders
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M. Saravanan et al.
... Our findings are contrary to Strombeck et al. (1976) [19] , Crawford et al. (1985) [2] , Speeti et al. (1996) [17] , Ogbe et al. (2003) [7] , Pradhan et al. (2008) [10] and Routray et al. (2010) [13] who reported higher incidence of ascites in female dogs as compared to male dogs. Saravanan et al. (2013) [14] reported higher occurrence in males (60%). ...
... Our findings are contrary to Strombeck et al. (1976) [19] , Crawford et al. (1985) [2] , Speeti et al. (1996) [17] , Ogbe et al. (2003) [7] , Pradhan et al. (2008) [10] and Routray et al. (2010) [13] who reported higher incidence of ascites in female dogs as compared to male dogs. Saravanan et al. (2013) [14] reported higher occurrence in males (60%). ...
... The highest occurrence of ascites 6.89% was recorded in the dogs of 6-9 years age, followed by 4.59% in 1-3 years, 2.87% in 3-6 years age, 1.72% in more than 9 years and 1.49% in less than 1 year age of dogs. The present findings are similar with Dixit (2012) [3] ; Saravanan et al. (2012 and2013) [15,14] ; Behera et al. (2017) [1] and Ogechi et al. (2019) [8] . According to their study the age wise distribution in ascites showed that younger dogs had a lower prevalence while older dogs had a higher prevalence. ...
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... It further shows that ascites is not a treatable condition except the cause is properly diagnosed and treated accordingly. Ascites is often diagnosed in dogs between the ages of 5 and 7 years [49]. Cases between the ages of 1 and 4 years have also been recorded. ...
... The occurrence of ascites in dogs may be breed dependent with higher incidences in Pomeranian (33.35%) than in Labrador retriever (20%), Boxer (16.66%), Doberman pinscher (13.37%), mongrels (10%) and least in Alsatian (6.66%) [49]. Ascites manifests in several disease conditions such as hepatic disease, various types of neoplasm, portal hypertension, alteration in serum protein level (hypoproteinaemia), right-sided heart failure, decreased plasma oncotic pressure and increased permeability of capillary endothelium sequel to inflammatory conditions, bacterial infection (tuberculosis), kidney malfunction, pre-hepatic portal hypertension, post-hepatic portal hypertension, trauma (rupture of lymphatic vessels, blood vessels, urinary bladder), ancylostomosis peritonitis, bleeding disorders and malnutrition [28,40]. ...
Review on Ascites in Pets
Chapter
Full-text available
  • May 2019
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... Similar findings were also observed by Behera et al. [3] ; Bhatti [5] and Prathiba et al. [16] . However Saravanan et al. [18] and Singh et al. [20] reported that occurrence of ascites was more in Pomeranian and Ihedioha et al. [9] observed higher occurrence of ascites in Alsatian-Rottweiler crosses. These variations in the breed wise occurrence could be attributed to the preference of dog owners in keeping particular breeds in their locality. ...
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... online pada http://ojs.unud.ac.id/php.index/imv 225 boxer (16,66%), doberman pinscher (13,37%), anjing kacang (10%), dan alsatian (6,66%) (Savaranan et al., 2013). ...
Laporan Kasus: Ascites Disertai Distensi Vena Abdominalis Akibat Gangguan Fungsi Hati pada Anjing
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2023
Gangguan fungsi hati merupakan salah satu penyebab yang sering ditemukan pada kasus ascites. Seekor anjing ras campuran betina berumur delapan tahun, dengan bobot badan 6,25 kg mengalami distensi abdomen selama empat bulan dan kesulitan bernapas. Hasil pemeriksaan fisik menunjukkan capillary refill time (CRT) normal, suhu tubuh 39,3°C, frekuensi napas tinggi, dan terdapat distensi vena abdominalis. Hasil pemeriksaan rontgen menunjukkan adanya akumulasi cairan pada abdomen. Pemeriksaan hematologi rutin menunjukkan penurunan hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), dan platelet. Pemeriksaan biokimia darah menunjukkan peningkatan alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), dan kreatinin, serta penurunan nilai albumin serum. Pemeriksaan cairan abdomen dengan teknik abdominocentesis dan pemeriksaan X-ray diketahui bahwa cairan ascites yang diperiksa tergolong jenis ascites transudatif, yaitu tidak berwarna dan bening. Berdasarkan hasil pemeriksaan klinis dan penunjang yang dilakukan, anjing kasus disimpulkan mengalami gangguan fungsi hati dengan prognosis dubius. Terapi yang dilakukan adalah terapi simptomatik dengan memberikan obat diuretik furosemid 3,2 mg/kg BB dua kali sehari selama tujuh hari dan terapi suportif dengan multivitamin sebanyak 1 tablet sehari selama tujuh hari serta penggantian pakan dengan dog food Bolt®. Setelah satu minggu perawatan, distensi abdomen berkurang dan frekuensi napas anjing membaik. Walaupun demikian, distensi pada vena abdominalis masih terlihat.
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... The exact cause is unknown, but it might be due to presinusoidal portal hypertension during post-whelping, as James et al. (2008) reported. Similar results were observed by Mani et al. (2013) in a study of 15 dogs from Bareilly (Table 3). ...
Retrospective Study of Ascites in Canines of North Gujarat Region
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2022
The present work was conducted to evaluate the trend of ascites in canines of the North Gujarat region, India during 2017−2020. A total of 5094 dogs were presented for diverse clinical history at Veterinary Clinical Complex Deesa and Dantiwada. Amongst the dogs evaluated with clinical approach supported by ultrasonographic investigation in ascites suspected cases, total 91 were found affected. A thorough evaluation was conducted on all the dogs for various clinical signs. In most cases, the prominent clinical signs were abdominal distension, abnormal heart sound, and lethargy. History of no deworming was noticeable feedback from dog owners. Year wise prevalence of ascites was noted as 1.12% (2017), 1.12% (2018), 1.38% (2019) and 3.25% (2020) irrespective of etiologies. An increasing trend of ascites cases was observed over the years under evaluation. Female dogs were found more prone to ascites condition. Higher prevalence was observed in dogs one to the 5-year age group. Maximum numbers were reported from non-descript breed (n=19), labrador (n=13) and German shepherd (n=10). Anechoic fluid and fibrin in the abdominal cavity were consistent findings in most cases during ultrasonographic evaluation. Ascites can be prevented by regular deworming and by diet management.
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THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT OF ASCITES IN SPITZ DOG IN BANGLADESH WITH A BRIEF REVIEW ON CANINE ASCITES
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2019
Background: Ascites is one of the most important clinical syndromes, caused by multiple organ disorders, characterized by abdominal distension with accumulation of fluid of various colors and consistencies depending on the etiology that are encountered commonly in canine practice worldwide. Although it has been reported from different countries including India but it has not yet been documented from Bangladesh. Objectives: To evaluate the successful therapeutic management of a clinical case of ascites in dog supported with its brief review for its appropriate application Materials and Methods: A female Spitz dog two and half years old brought for treatment with the history of abdominal distension on 1st November 2009. Clinical examination, abdominocentesis and laboratory examination of ascitic fluid were used for the diagnosis of ascites in dog. Results: Clinical examination revealed dyspnea, discomfort, lethargy, weakness, pale mucous membrane, normal rectal temperature 103.2 0F and distended abdomen with fluid thrill on palpation. Examination of ascitic fluid revealed clear white fluid (pure transudate) which is mainly hepatic origin resulting portal hypertension and hypoproteinaemia. Treatment with restricted sodium diet, antibiotic (amoxicillin), diuretic (furosemide; Lasix, Sanofi Aventis) and vitamin B-complex and C- vitamin supplement with regular monitoring assisted in successful recovery. The recovered dog survived for next five years up to 2014 and then died due to other reasons. Conclusions: This clinical case record on canine ascites with successful treatment along with review especially on the methods of diagnosis and cause-wise treatment would certainly help the clinician for proper management of the clinical cases of canine ascites. Keywords: Ascites, Spitz dog, Diagnosis, SAAG, Therapeutic management, Brief review
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