Canine Esophagitis: Symptoms, Treatment, and Management

Characteristics and Life Cycle of the Worm

The Trichuris vulpis, commonly known as the whipworm, is a slender, bloodred nematode that coils into a spiral shape. The male worm measures between 3040 millimeters in length, characterized by its tail end with 45 pairs of distinctive small papillae. The female worm, on the other hand, is longer, ranging from 5480 millimeters, with a blunt tail and only one pair of papillae. The vulva is located at the posterior end of the esophagus. The eggs are elongated and oval, measuring approximately (3037) micrometers by (1115) micrometers. These eggs have thick shells and contain a single coiled embryo.

The eggs of the canine esophageal worm are excreted in the feces and consumed by coprophagous beetles (intermediate hosts). Inside the beetles, the embryo hatches from the egg, molts, and develops into an infective larva, forming a cyst within the beetle's trachea. These beetles are then eaten by amphibians, reptiles, birds (including chickens), and small mammals. The larvae, still infectious, survive in the intestinal mucosa of these animals. When dogs consume these infected beetles or animals, the larvae bore into the stomach or intestinal walls, migrate through the bloodstream to the aorta and esophagus, and form nodules where they mature and develop.

Clinical Symptoms and Pathological Changes

Infected dogs with mild cases may not show any clinical symptoms. However, when the esophageal lesions progress to granulomas that compress the esophagus, obstructing food passage, dogs may exhibit symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, vomiting, drooling, and coughing, leading to a decrease in appetite. If there is bacterial infection within the nodules, the dog's body temperature may rise. In some cases, acute death can occur if the nodules in the arterial wall rupture.

Differential Diagnosis

1. Canine Esophageal Worm Disease vs. Canine Glossitis

Both conditions present with symptoms like drooling and swallowing abnormalities. The distinction lies in the fact that dogs with glossitis have red, swollen tongue mucosa, and sometimes ulcers can be observed.

2. Canine Esophageal Worm Disease vs. Canine Esophagitis

Both conditions exhibit symptoms such as drooling, coughing, and difficulty swallowing. The difference is that dogs with esophagitis often appear anxious and may have regurgitation, with a mixture of mucus and blood in the regurgitated material.

3. Canine Esophageal Worm Disease vs. Canine Esophageal Obstruction

Both conditions present with symptoms like drooling and vomiting. The difference is that dogs with esophageal obstruction may have vomiting actions but cannot bring up anything, and food or water swallowed just moments ago may be regurgitated immediately. Palpation of the esophagus may reveal a blockage.

4. Canine Esophageal Worm Disease vs. Dogs Vomiting Due to Eating Chicken or Fish Bones

Both conditions present with vomiting and vomiting material containing blood. The difference is that when dogs vomit due to eating chicken or fish bones, the vomit does not contain worm eggs, and vomiting stops once the ingested bones are vomited up or pass into the intestines.

Reminders

When the worms are parasitizing the esophagus, there may be slight obstruction, and in severe cases, dogs may exhibit drooling and weight loss. When the worms are in the stomach wall, worm eggs can be found in both vomit and feces. When the worms are in the arterial wall, sudden death can occur due to vascular rupture. Xray examination may show a tumor shadow in the upper third of the esophagus, and barium meal may reveal esophageal dilation in the anterior and posterior parts. Due to the high specific gravity of the eggs, they can be observed in the feces using water washing sedimentation or saturated sodium nitrate flotation methods.

Preventive Measures

1. Prevention

① Treat the feces of infected dogs in a harmless manner.

② Eradicate intermediate hosts and vectors of the esophageal worm.

③ Avoid consuming raw intermediate hosts and vectors.

2. Treatment

① Albendazole, 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, taken orally once.

② Hexachlorodiphenyl (Blood Prevention 846), 100200 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, taken orally for one week.

③ Diethylcarbamazine citrate (Hetrazan), 10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, taken orally once.