Successful Treatment of Disseminated Nocardiosis Caused by Nocardia veterana in a Dog

Yaemsiri, S.; Sykes, J.E.

Northern California was evaluated at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) at the University California, Davis, for a 1-month history of decreased appetite, lethargy, intermittent gagging, and progressive right thoracic limb lameness. Five months previously, a T13-L1 right hemilaminectomy had been performed because of intervertebral disk disease with complete recovery. There was no travel outside of Northern California. The dog hiked weekly before the hemilaminectomy and was known to chew sticks. When examined for the lameness and gagging at the referring veterinarian's clinic, a CBC, serum biochemistry panel, SNAP 4DX Plus Assay, a thoracic and abdominal radiographs, and abdominal ultrasound examination revealed no abnormalities except for evidence of right elbow dysplasia. A respiratory PCR panel b on an oropharyngeal swab specimen for canine influenza virus (H3N8), canine adenovirus type 2, canine herpesvirus, canine parainfluenza virus, canine respiratory coronavirus, H1N1 and H5N1 influenza viruses, canine distemper virus, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma cynos, and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus was positive only for Mycoplasma cynos. Treatment with subcutaneous administration of fluids, sucralfate (30 mg/kg PO q8h for 14 days), cefovecin c (8 mg/kg SQ once), azithromycin (5.2 mg/kg PO q24h for 14 days), tramadol (2.5 mg/kg PO q8h as needed for pain), and omeprazole (1 mg/kg PO q24h) was followed by a decreased frequency of gagging but progressive lameness and pain, so the dog was referred.