Vol. 5, Issue 2, Part A (2023)

Dirofilaria immitis is a nematode that is expanding in Panama facilitated by the migration of people with their pets, due to tourism or social exodus between countries and also the increase in the ideal conditions for the development of its vectors. The treatment of this disease brings an imminent risk of pulmonary embolism caused by dead parasites in the vascular lumen. Here the canine death due to post-treatment pulmonary embolism is reported. Treatment was carried out with doxycycline, afoxolaner, Milbemycin oxime, prednisolone and melarsomine. Death occurred 19 days after the third dose of melarsomine and when performing the necropsy and histopathological study, the lumen of the small and medium caliber pulmonary blood vessels was observed completely occluded by the nematodes. Multifocal interstitial pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary edema, inflammatory lesion of the pulmonary vascular endothelium and focal pericarditis, with a calcified nematode found in the pericardium, were also observed.