Comparative study of ultrasound and necroscopic analysis of canine fetuses presenting fetal hydrops

Fetal hydrops is a pathological condition that is incompatible with the life of the affected animal and can lead to fetal distortions. The diagnosis is frequent in routine dog neonatology and can be made by gestational ultrasound and/or necroscopic study. To carry out this study, we analyzed three stillborn fetuses from French bulldog dogs with hydrops using echographic and anatomopathological techniques. Ultrasound was used to check for the presence of fluid in tissues such as the subcutaneous tissue, the abdominal and thoracic cavity and the intraencephalic tissue. The necroscopic study revealed morphological changes in the brain and the presence of hydropericardium. This confirmed that ultrasound can accurately identify subcutaneous and intracavitary fluids, as well as verify the brain morphology of fetuses. However, there is evidence of limitations to the ultrasound technique, given that alterations such as hydropericardium and encephalic morphological changes were not detected during the ultrasound study.