Dirofilaria immitis infection in a Dachshund dog: Diagnosis and Treatment

Dirofilaria immitis is a filariid worm which typically lives as adult in the right ventricle of the heart and the pulmonary arteries of the dog, causing the canine heartworm disease. Therapy of canine dirofilariosis due to Dirofilaria immitis is indicated for dogs suffering from clinical signs of the disease (such as chronic cough). The present paper describes diagnostic and treatment features of a D. immitis affected dog in Ahvaz district, Southwest of Iran. The dog had coughing, tachypnea, labored breathing, panting, hind limb edema, weakness, and exercise intolerance, at the time of referral. Auscultation revealed grade III/VI systolic murmur over the left apex of the heart. Giemsa stained blood smears containing microfilaria was morphologically identified as D. immitis. CBC revealed an inflammatory leukogram and mild anemia. Combined therapy with ivermectin (440 μg/kg as single dose), levamisol (10 mg/kg q 24 h for 10 days) and aspirin (10 mg/kg q 12 h for 10 days), during 2 stages, was effective. The number of microfilaria dropped from 1250±50/ml blood pretreatment to 150±10/ml (following the first treatment stage, after 10 days) and reached 0 a day after the second treatment. The animal remained negative regarding D. immitis microfilaremia during a follow-up period of 180 days. This record confirms the efficacy of ivermectin with levamisol and aspirin in the treatment of adult heartworm infection in a dog.