First report of autochthonous canine angiostrongylosis in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

This report describes a case of autochthonous canine angiostrongylosis in a mixed-breed dog in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The owner notеd the dog had lost appetite and weight, accompanied by a non-productive and intermittent cough. Physical examination revealed increased bronchovesicular pulmonary sounds and a caudally expanded lung field. Haematological parameters suggested mild dehydration in the dog. Radiological examination of the dog’s thorax showed a mild bronchointerstitial pattern with alveolar patches in the cardiac lobes. Coprological examination revealed the first stage (L1) Angiostrongylus vasorum larvae (Baillet, 1866). The dog was treated with two doses of 0.4 mg/kg of ivermectin administered subcutaneously with a time interval of 21 days between the two applications. Five weeks after the initial diagnosis, a repeated coprological examination revealed no evidence of L1 A. vasorum larvae in the dog’s faeces. This case report confirms the presence of A. vasorum in a dog from Bosnia and Herzegovina.