Acute mesenteric ischemia diagnosed via computed tomography in a dog following vehicular blunt force trauma: a case report

Johnny Altwal Liz Guieu ^* Margaret Cook Jessie Warhoe Christopher Ray Kelly Hall

• Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collin, Colorado, United States

Acute mesenteric ischemia represents a group of vascular disorders that leads to interruption of intestinal blood flow with subsequent intestinal ischemia and necrosis if left untreated. In both humans and dogs, this condition appears to be rare but deadly. There has only been a single documented case of traumatic acute mesenteric ischemia in a dog in which the diagnosis was achieved via laparotomy. We present the case of a dog who was struck by a vehicle and subsequently developed a traumatic acute mesenteric ischemia diagnosed via computed tomography. The dog presented with profuse hemorrhagic diarrhea and continued to have diarrhea while hospitalized. The dog’s condition eventually deteriorated as a result of diffuse intestinal ischemia diagnosed using computed tomography (CT). Due to the expected grave prognosis, the dog was humanely euthanized. Traumatic acute mesenteric ischemia in dogs may be an underdiagnosed sequela to vehicular traumas, warranting further diagnostic investigation in dogs with persistent gastrointestinal signs that are unresponsive to medical therapies.