Dioctophyma renale in a dog: Clinical diagnosis and surgical treatment

Abstract

This study reports a case of parasitism by the giant kidney worm, Dioctophyma renale, diagnosed in the right kidney of a domestic dog. An adult female German Shepherd was attended with clinical history of prostration and hyporexia. The hemogram showed changes compatible with an inflammatory process, for that reason, an abdominal ultrasound was requested. Ultrasound image suggested the presence of D. renale in the right kidney. The diagnosis was confirmed after urinalysis due to the presence of dioctophymas ova in the urinary sediment. Surgical treatment was made and the animal had an excellent recovery after the nephrectomy was performed. Generally, in almost all cases, parasitism by D. renale in domestic dogs is a necropsy finding, nevertheless imaging techniques as sonography and laboratorial exams as urinalysis have been proven to be important tools to achieve diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to report a case of parasitism by D. renale where diagnosis and treatment were made in time to allow the patient's recovery.