Presentation
Presents with respiratory distress and nasal discharge.
Patient Data
On radiographs of the thorax, there is generalized enlargement of the cardiac silhouette, causing elevation of the trachea to parallel to the spine. There is increased soft tissue opacity in the pleural space with retraction of the lung lobes away from the thoracic wall, indicating pleural effusion. There are also multiple nodular soft tissue opacities within the pulmonary parenchyma. There are multiple sites of spondylosis deformans in the spine.
Within the abdomen, there is poor peritoneal detail and abdominal distension. The stomach and colon contain gas. There is some food material visible within the cecum.
Case Discussion
The rabbit was euthanized due to severe respiratory distress. On necropsy, a mucinous adenocarcinoma was found at the ileocolic junction with metastatic disease to the lung. Pleural and pericardial effusion were confirmed. The intestinal neoplasia had not caused any mechanical obstruction.
The differential diagnoses included:
The cardiomegaly may be due to dilated cardiomyopathy valvular disease, or pericardial effusion.
The nodular pulmonary pattern is most likely due to neoplasia or granulomatous disease. Pleural effusion may be neoplastic, hemorrhagic, or inflammatory.
The peritoneal effusion may be due to right heart failure, transudate, exudate, or neoplasia.
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