Autochthonous Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in a Border collie in Belgium

A nine-month-old, female Border collie was referred to the clinic because of an acute persistent cough and hemoptysis after excitation. Thoracic radiographs revealed a diffuse interstitial to alveolar pattern, compatible with pulmonary hemorrhage. To stabilize the dog and because of a suspected complex coagulopathy and on-going bleeding evidenced by worsening anemia, a fresh frozen plasma transfusion (10 ml/kg over four hours) was administered. Fecal examination confirmed the clinical suspicion of Angiostrongylus vasorum as the underlying cause of all the observed clinical signs. The dog was treated with fenbendazole (50 mg/kg SID) during 21 days. One week after treatment initiation, the dog was clinically healthy and thoracic radiographs showed a marked improvement of the pulmonary lesions. This case illustrates that autochthonous canine A. vasorum infections can occur in Belgium and they should be taken into account in the diagnostic work-up of dogs with respiratory signs and bleeding disorders.