Affiliation:
1. Department of Clinical Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
2. Department of Population Health and Pathobiology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
3. Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
Abstract
AbstractA 5‐year‐old, 5.8‐kg, neutered, male, mix‐breed dog was presented to the emergency service of a university hospital for assessment of respiratory distress. Thoracic radiographs identified a moderate pneumomediastinum, mild cervical subcutaneous emphysema and moderate bilateral diffuse bronchial and unstructured interstitial pulmonary patterns. The dog had a 6‐week long history of progressive respiratory signs before presentation, culminating in acute respiratory embarrassment in the absence of a precipitating event. Three sets of radiographs were performed before presentation, which demonstrated a persistent pneumomediastinum and progressively severe pulmonary infiltrates. The dog was humanely euthanased after 24 hours of hospitalised care, with a diagnosis of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis made at postmortem examination. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is usually an acute condition, which resolves within a few weeks of diagnosis and does not recur. Persistent spontaneous pneumomediastinum has been described in people previously, and is a rare potential sequela to severe chronic pulmonary disease in dogs.