Abstract
A 6-year-old, 18.2-kg, male mixed-breed dog was presented to Chulalongkorn Veterinary Teaching Hospital with clinical signs of hyperpnea, respiratory distress, vomiting, and anorexia. Blood and urine samples were collected for routine analysis. Microfilaremic examination and adult heartworm antigen test were conducted. Thoracic radiography was also performed. The clinical hematological and biochemical results demonstrated typical features of heartworm-infected dogs, including leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, increases in alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and azotemia. Radiography showed typical findings of heartworm disease. Urinalysis revealed hematuria, pyuria, bacteriuria, hemoglobinuria, and proteinuria indicating lower urinary tract infection. Microfilaruria was detected in the urine sediment. They were identified morphologically as microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis. The presence of microfilariae in the urine has not previously been described as a specific manifestation in dogs with dirofilariasis. The main objective of this article was to report new pathological findings in an extremely rare case of canine heartworm infection. However, its occurrence is presumably related to the inflammation or hemorrhage of the lower urinary tract and/or glomerulonephritis in this individual dog.
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