Necrotizing encephalitis in a Maltese dog in Belgium.

A one-year-old male-Maltese dog suffered seizures, blindness and behaviour change. The brain CT Scan examination evidenced an asymmetric ventricular enlargement, hypodensities and pathological contrast enhancements. A presumptive diagnosis of necrotizing encephalitis was made. Histopathology demonstrated lesions similar to those published in Maltese dogs, Yorkshire Terriers and Pug dogs with necrotizing encephalitis, i.e, perivascular and meningeal mononuclear cell accumulation, focal microgliosis, astrocytosis, mononuclear cell infiltration with spongiosis, necrosis and cavitation. The present case is, to the author's knowledge, the first report of necrotizing encephalitis in a Maltese dog outside the USA.