Cases of canine poisoning pose a great challenge to pet owners and veterinarians due to incomplete patient history, late/delayed presentation of pets and the large array of poisonous agents. A ten-year retrospective study on canine poisoning cases presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Abeokuta, Nigeria was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize animal signalment, mode, month and year of exposure, severity, treatment and outcome. Associations between explanatory demographic characteristics of patients (age, sex and breed) with poison type and route of exposure were determined using a binary logistic regression model. Fifty-two case records with poisoning history and complete data were reviewed. The study population consisted of twenty males and thirty-two females between two months and five years of age. Poisonous agents that were identified included insecticides/acaricides (83%), cleaning products (2%), rodenticides (4%) and snake venom (6%). Poisoning occurred more in Alsatians, especially during the rainy season. No association between the dog demographics with type of poisoning and route of exposure was observed (p>0.05). There were 4 fatalities and 48 recoveries. This study highlights the heterogeneity of poisonous agents, associated clinical signs, treatment and outcome, and the challenges involved in poison control. Standardized approaches for the collection, assessment, integration of poisoning data and risk management is needed.

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A three year old nulliparous Boerboel bitch presented with complaints of fever and inappetence six weeks after an elective caesarean section was diagnosed with an extrauterine foetus. A per-cutaneous abdominal ultrasound revealed a foetal sac showing a well-developed skeletal structure and the absence of foetal movement or heartbeat. During laparotomy, a foetal sac containing a dead foetus was located between the spleen and the stomach. The foetal sac was excised following ligation of its mesenteric attachment to the spleen. The previously operated uterus was observed to have involuted but revealed a small bud observed on the middle portion of the left uterine horn. The histological findings of the foetal sac revealed fibro-adipose tissue with numerous congested vessels. It was concluded that the Boerboel bitch had a secondary abdominal ectopic pregnancy and recommended that owing to the difficulty of diagnosing the condition before or during routine elective caesarean surgery, post-operative abdominal ultrasound would have been instructive.

Dirofilariasis is a disease of clinical importance in dogs. It is to this end that a case of a seven-year-old mongrel with dirofilariasis was presented to examine the unique features and presentation in the canine patient in question. The dog had clinical signs consistent with the disease. Further diagnostic tests were performed to establish the presence and severity of the disease and make an appropriate treatment plan. The Knott’s test revealed Dirofilaria species in the circulating blood and radiography showed right ventricular hypertrophy with pulmonary arterial enlargement and increased bronchial opacification. The treatment instituted was ivermectin therapy by subcutaneous injection every two weeks for six months, cardiac glycoside and antibiotics for 14 days. The clinical signs resolved after completion of the treatment. A general overview of heartworm infection in dogs was also done to update current knowledge of the disease. Though the risk of significant propagation of Dirofilaria immitis is considered low, with the climate change and international pet travel regulations, this emerging zoonosis remains a threat.