title: Pulmonary carcinoma in a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).
abstract: Pulmonary carcinoma was diagnosed in an 18+-year-old captive female great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). The owl presented with a history of progressive weakness and sudden onset of frank blood in the droppings. On physical examination, the owl had multiple white to yellow plaques in the oral cavity, decreased air sac sounds on the right side, dyspnea (during manual restraint), and reduced pectoral musculature. Whole-body radiographs revealed obliteration of the right-sided air sacs, a soft tissue plaque/density in the left caudal thoracic air sac, soft tissue opacity over the coelomic organs, and increased medullary opacity in the distal right humerus. The owl died during anesthetic recovery, and the body was submitted for necropsy. Although the clinical signs, physical examination results, radiographic signs, and gross pathology supported a diagnosis of mycotic infection, such as aspergillosis, histopathology confirmed pulmonary carcinoma with metastases to the air sacs and humerus.
authors: Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 Linden Dr., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
authors: Christy
authors: C
authors: Rettenmund
authors: Kurt K
authors: KK
authors: Sladky
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Rodriguez
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Petersen
authors: Marie E
authors: ME
authors: Pinkerton
authors: Deepa
authors: D
authors: Rao
mesh_terms: D000400:Air Sacs / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006811:Humerus / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D020305:Strigiformes; D014921:Wings, Animal