Septicaemia and thrombocytopenia caused by Salmonella gallinarum in a dog fed a raw meat-based diet

In recent years, it has become increasingly popular for pet owners to feed their dogs and cats raw meat, as an alternative to processed, manufactured diets. Owners appear unaware of the potential risks this may pose for their animals and for themselves, despite the published literature. A five-month-old female French Bulldog was referred for investigation of acute vomiting, diarrhoea and pyrexia. She was diagnosed with septicaemia, believed to be associated with Salmonella gallinarum (identified on blood culture), as well as a positive positive faecal culture for Campylobacter coli and severe thrombocytopaenia (presumably secondary to infection). She received supportive treatment and marbofloxacin, going on to make a full recovery. Considering the Salmonella serovar identified (which is host-specific to poultry) and the patient’s
lifestyle, it is possible the septicaemia originated from her raw meat diet. Salmonella
spp. is potentially zoonotic and can cause acute enteritis in humans. This is the first
report of septicaemia with positive blood culture for Salmonella gallinarum, with
secondary severe thrombocytopenia (presumably immune-mediated), in a dog that
was fed a raw meat diet.