title: Aortic thrombosis in dogs: 31 cases (2000-2010).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe clinical signs, treatment, and outcome of aortic thrombosis in dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  31 dogs with aortic thrombosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records were retrospectively reviewed and data collected regarding signalment, historical signs, physical examination findings, laboratory testing, definitive diagnosis, and presence of concurrent disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The records of 31 dogs with clinical or postmortem diagnosis of aortic thrombosis were reviewed. Onset of clinical signs was acute in 14 (45%) dogs, chronic in 15 (48%), and not documented in 2 (6%). Femoral pulses were subjectively weak in 6 (19%) dogs and absent in 17 (55%). Frequent laboratory abnormalities included high BUN concentration (n = 13), creatinine concentration (6), creatine kinase activity (10), and D-dimer concentration (10) and proteinuria with a urine protein-to-creatinine concentration ratio > 0.5 (12). Concurrent conditions included neoplasia (n = 6), recent administration of corticosteroids (6), and renal (8) or cardiac (6) disease. Median survival time was significantly longer for dogs with chronic onset of disease (30 days; range, 0 to 959 days) than for those with acute onset of clinical signs (1.5 days; range, 0 to 120 days).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggested that aortic thrombosis is a rare condition in dogs and accounted for only 0.0005% of hospital admissions during the study period. The clinical signs for dogs with aortic thrombosis differed from those seen in feline patients with aortic thromboembolism. Median survival time was significantly longer for dogs with chronic disease than for dogs with acute disease. Despite treatment, outcomes were typically poor, although protracted periods of survival were achieved in some dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Geri A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lake-Bakaar
authors.forename: Eric G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Leigh G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Griffiths
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants