common than hemangiosarcomas and occur at an average age of 10years, with no sex predilec- tion and with an incidence that ranges from 2 to 3% of skin and ...
62 Indian Vet. J., November 2013,90 (11) : 62 - 63
Cutaneous Haemangioma in German Shepherd Dog R.C.Patra, Amiya K. Rautray, K.K.Sardar, N. Barik, Manisha Das, and S.K Panda CollegeVeterinary ScienceandAnimalHusbandry, OrissaUniversity ofAgriculture andTechnology, Bhubaneswar -751 003(Odisha) (Received: 26-05-2012; Accepted: 31-12-2012)
The present paper puts a record of a case of cutaneous haemangioma in dogs. Hemangiomas are neoplasms of vascular endothelium that commonly OCCu}!in dogs and rarely, in other domestic animals. They are benign tumors usually manifested as solitary masses in the dermis or subcutis.
Case Historyand Observations A German shepherd 3 years old male dog was presented in the Department of Clinical Medicine, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar with complaint of oozing of blood from caudal aspect of the fetlock region of both the hind limbs for the last eight months. The dog was limping with apprehension of pain in both the hind limbs and upon walking, there was bleeding from different points in the region above the paw. On physical examination of the area there was pain on deep pressure on the digital region and blood was oozing out. The dog was earlier treated with betamethasone, seratiopeptidase, cefotaxime and amphotericin-B. The owner was advised to dip the leg in gentian violet once every day and to bring the dog for daily dressing with antiseptic lotion. The tentative diagnosis was made as cutaneous haemangioma and blood sample was taken for hematological examination and transcutaneous biopsy sample was examined for histopathological study for confirmation of diagnosis. The haematology report revealed TEC- 3.47 millions/J.ll, TLC- 7900/J.lI, Platelet count- 459 OOO/J.lI of blood, MCV - 64fL, MCH 31.9 pg, MCHC-49.6%. The histopathology revealed merging of cutaneous layer and the capillaries, and revealing the picture of cutaneous hemangioma. Histologically, multiple irregular capillaries
and endothelial-lined cavernous blood vessels were scattered throughout. Infiltration of these multiple capillaries into superficial and deep dermis and extension into subcutaneous adipose tissue was observed. Treatment and Discussion Cutaneous haemangioma is quite common in dogs and cat, particularly in areas like trunk and limbs. In dogs, hemangiomas are more common than hemangiosarcomas and occur at an average age of 10 years, with no sex predilection and with an incidence that ranges from 2 to 3% of skin and subcutaneous tumors (Gross et al. 1992, Scott et al.1995, Yager et al. 2001) with haematological profile within normal range in case of cutaneous hemangioma (Ward et al. 1994). The lesions in the present study are smaller (1-3 cm in diameter) and morphologically similar to cutaneous angiomatosis and bleed easily on pressure. The wound was properly dried and dressing was done by applying antiseptic lotion (wokazole) and the owner was advised not to allow the dog to put pressure on the hind limbs. The dog was treated with antineoplastic drug cytocristine vinca alkaloid (vincristine - 1 ml dose @ 0.025 mg/kg body wt) intravenously weekly along with multivitamin and supportive liver tonics on alternate days. Four doses of the drug were administered. By 4th week improvement was noticed and bleeding was reduced to a greater extent from both the hind limbs. Treatment of subcutaneous hemangioma with cyclophospamide and vincristine has been reported to be successful and improve survival rates in many cases (Ward et al. 1994). Summary A dog suffering from cutaneous haem angioma was successfully treated with antineoplastic
The Indian Veterinary Journal (November, 2013)
R.C. Patra et al.
drug cytocristine
vinca alkaloid
(vincristine
-
1ml dose @ O.025mg/kg body wt) intravenously weekly along with multivitamin and liver supportive on alternate days. The animal was recovered completely after 7 weeks. References Gross, T.L., Ihrke, P.J. and Walder, E.J. (1992) Veterinary Dermatopatbology, Mosby Year Book, St. Louis, MO, pp. 419-
. 422.
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Scott, DW., Miller, W.H. and Griffin, C.E. (1995) Muller & Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology, 5th ed., WB Saunders, Philadelphia, P A, pp. 1040-1042. Ward, H., Fox, L.E. and Calderwood-Mays, Intern. Med, 8:345-348.
M.B.(1994) J. Vet.
Yager, J.A. and Wilcock, B.P. (2001) Color atlas of surgical pathology of the dog and cat-Dermatopathology and Skin Tumors. Wolfe Publishing, London, UK, pp. 300-303.
