Diagnosis of rare case of hepatoblastoma in a dog

Abstract

A 9-year-old, intact female Shih-tzu dog presented with a three-week history of anorexia, lethargy, and weight loss. Abdominal radiography revealed a mass in the right cranial quadrant of the abdomen that was displacing the right kidney caudally. Ultrasonography showed a large, irregular, heterogeneous hepatic mass and a small amount of peritoneal fluid. On computed tomography (CT), a large hypoattenuating mass with heterogeneous contrast enhancement occupied the right lateral lobe, and parts of the right medial and caudate lobes of the liver. There was no evidence of regional lymph node or pulmonary metastasis. Lobectomy of the right medial, right lateral and caudate liver lobes was performed, however, the patient did not recover from surgery. Hepatoblastoma was confirmed by histological examination. Hepatoblastoma is rare in dogs, and this is the first report describing CT imaging of hepatoblastoma in a dog.