Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Correlation of cytology to histology in a case of canine granulomatous colitis in a Boxer dog.
- Journal:
- Veterinary clinical pathology
- Year:
- 2022
- Authors:
- Sims, Cory S et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old male mixed breed dog was taken to the veterinary hospital because he had been experiencing chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and blood in his stool. Tests on a sample from his rectum showed certain types of immune cells that suggested an infection, and further examination of tissue confirmed he had granulomatous colitis, which is an inflammation of the colon often linked to bacteria. The dog was treated with an antibiotic called enrofloxacin, and he showed almost complete improvement in his symptoms within six weeks. This case highlights how important it is to use different testing methods to diagnose this uncommon condition effectively. Overall, the treatment worked well for this dog.
Abstract
A 2-year-old castrated male mixed breed dog presented to the North Carolina State Veterinary Teaching Hospital for chronic diarrhea with hematochezia and weight loss. Cytology performed on a rectal scraping revealed macrophages containing magenta, light pink, and variably blue granular inclusions, and phagocytosed material concerning for infectious organisms. Histopathology was consistent with granulomatous colitis and identified intra-histiocytic bacterial organisms, confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)-tissue culture-confirmed Escherichia coli. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of granulomatous colitis was made. The patient was successfully treated with oral enrofloxacin, and near-complete remission of signs was achieved within 6 weeks. This report describes a case of granulomatous colitis in a mixed breed dog, and is the first published description of the cytologic features of this uncommon disease, offering a valuable cytologic-histologic correlation. In this case, the cytology was helpful in identifying features consistent with granulomatous colitis and prioritizing the differential diagnoses and diagnostic plan.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34664295/