This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only. You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.
Pulmonary thromboembolism is a commonly recognised disorder in human medicine.
It also occurs in veterinary medicine but it is difficult to recognise, and so it is under-diagnosed. Deep vein thrombosis also undoubtedly occurs in veterinary patients following major trauma or prolonged surgery on peripheral limbs, and fat emboli from fractured long bones may also occur in dogs and cats - these too may lead to pulmonary thromboembolism which may be unrecognised. Ventilation-perfusion scans are now also used experimentally with success . Perfusion scans involve injecting radiolabelled material and gamma-camera imaging to measure blood flow through the vessels. These drugs will reduce blood clotting capabilities and treatment may need to be terminated if spontaneous bleeding occurs.