Emphysematous hepatic abscess and pyometra, both caused by Burkholderia cepacia, in a bitch

A thirteen‐year‐old female intact mixed dog was presented to the emergency service with a history of vomiting and apathy. The bitch was under treatment of prednisone for chronic cough. The patient was depressed and showed abdominal pain. Abdominal radiographs revealed an increased liver size, a rounded structure of gas opacity located within the liver and a soft tissue opacity mass in the caudal abdomen. The ultrasonographic findings of the abdomen were consistent with emphysematous hepatic abscess (HA), vacuolar hepatopathy, focal peritonitis and pyometra. Surgical drainage, lavage and omentalisation of the liver abscess were performed, followed by an ovariohysterectomy. Twelve hours after surgery, the patient died due to the suspected multiple organ failure. Culture of the abscess and uterine fluid revealed presence of Burkholderia cepacia. To the authors’ knowledge, this report represented the first description of HA presumably caused by the haematogeneous spread of Burkholderia cepacia from a uterine infection.