Incidental Finding of Dirofilaria immitis in a Dog Presenting with Urethral Calculi

Abstract

A 6-year-old male Dachshund dog presented to Veterinary clinical campus with a history of good general appearance and normal appetite but had not voided faeces or urine for the past two days. Clinical examination revealed that there were no significant abnormalities observed except for signs of urinary retention. Upon routine radiographic imaging, the presence of urethral calculi in the pelvic urethra was observed, suggesting a potential obstruction. Additionally, a blood smear examination for parasite screening and complete blood count was conducted. It revealed presence of microfilariae indicating a concurrent infection with heartworm disease with elevated white blood cell count and low mean corpuscular volume. The other blood parameters were found normal except for the drop in mean corpuscular volume. The obstruction due to calculi was relieved using catheterization on the same day and consecutive day to empty the bladder. The animal was not presented again so the treatment for dirofilariasis couldn’t be attempted.