Abstract:
An oesophagogastric intussusception was diagnosed in an intact Bull Terrier female aged
2 years and 7 months with a concurrent Spirocerca lupi infection. The dog was presented
collapsed with a history of inappetance and lethargy of one day’s duration. Anaemia and
melaena were present on clinical examination. Thoracic radiographs did not reveal any
significant findings. Abdominal ultrasound was suspicious for gastric pathology or a possible
foreign body. The final diagnosis of an oesophagogastric intussusception with an S. lupi nodule
at the cardia was made on post-mortem. Oesophageal intussusceptions are rare in dogs and
often fatal. Gastro-oesophageal intussusceptions usually present with obvious radiographic
signs in the caudal thorax, unlike an oesophagogastric intussusception, where the pathology
lies within the abdomen and may not be readily diagnosed. Although spirocercosis often
presents with a caudal oesophageal mass, this may not be seen radiographically. In this case,
the two conditions were present together but the thoracic radiographs were normal.
