Ectopic Dioctophyme renale in the thoracic and abdominal cavities associated with renal parasitism in a dog

Dioctophymosis is the disease caused by the nematode Dioctophyme renale, normally found parasitizing the right kidney of dogs. The absence of symptoms is frequent in parasitized animals. The surgical procedures are commonly performed to treat this disease. This work describes a case involving a canine with renal and ectopic parasitosis in the abdominal and thoracic regions. A mixed-breed female dog, approximately four months old, was diagnosed by ultrasound as for the presence of D. renale in the right kidney and abdominal and thoracic cavities. The animal underwent exploratory celiotomy, nephrectomy of the parasitized kidney, and transdiaphragmatic thoracotomy to remove the thoracic parasite, with a single abdominal surgical wound and excellent postoperative recovery. Several reports of ectopic parasitosis are found, however, the thoracic finding is unusual, and curative therapeutic transdiaphragmatic thoracotomy for dioctophymosis in dogs has not been previously described.