Blindness associated with presumed bilateral optic neuritis and sphenoid bone osteomyelitis in a dog with leishmaniosis

Abstract

Leishmaniosis is an uncommon, non-endemic disease of dogs in the United Kingdom, associated with a range of clinical signs. An 11-month-old, neutered, female crossbreed recently imported from Macedonia was presented for evaluation of progressive weight loss, lameness and acute vision loss. Joint effusions, bilateral exophthalmos, deficits in menace response and pupillary light reflex were detected. The dog was serologically diagnosed with leishmaniosis. Computed tomography imaging was consistent with osteomyelitis of the sphenoid bones, with associated meningeal enhancement. The dog demonstrated an excellent clinical response to treatment with meglumine antimoniate, allopurinol and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, regaining vision within 30 days. This case is the first to report leishmaniosis-related osteomyelitis of the sphenoid bones resulting in blindness and describes the imaging findings and response to treatment.