Cardiogenic pulmonary edema in a female canine: Case report

Abstract

Pulmonary edema is the accumulation of fluid within the lung parenchyma. According to its physiology it can be classified as cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic. The clinical signs involve dyspnea, cough, tachypnea, and alteration of the normal sounds on pulmonary auscultation. In this report, was described a case of a female canine, SRD, 10 years old that initially went to the clinic for coughing. However, after a few days it returned to the emergency room presenting dyspnea. After stabilizing the patient, radiography, ultrasonography, and electrocardiogram were performed, which revealed cardiogenic pulmonary edema due to left heart disease. After the emergency approach, the patient remained hospitalized for a period of 24 hours, after which it was released. Chronic treatment of the heart disease was prescribed and follow-up with a cardiologist every 6 months was requested. Although this is a veterinary emergency, when treated correctly and then solving the underlying cause, the prognosis tends to be favorable.