Journal of Small Animal Practice最新文献

Objectives: Determine the utility of abdominal fluid bile acids concentration to diagnose biliary tract rupture and the utility of abdominal fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio as diagnostic tools in dogs.

Materials and methods: This was a prospective pilot study. Canine serum and abdominal fluid samples were collected and submitted for the determination of bilirubin and bile acids concentrations between 2020 and 2022. Samples were measured at the time of admission from dogs with acute onset of clinical signs and peritoneal fluid. A Mann-Whitney U test and ROC curves were used to compare serum and abdominal fluid bilirubin and bile acids concentration and fluid-to-serum bilirubin and bile acids ratio between patients with biliary tract rupture and non-biliary tract rupture.

Results: Ninety-four cases were included, of which seven were diagnosed with biliary tract rupture. Median abdominal fluid bile acids concentration was significantly higher in dogs with biliary tract rupture than non-biliary tract rupture (P-value <0.001). Abdominal fluid bile acids concentration had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 99% for the diagnosis of biliary tract rupture. Fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio was also analysed and no statistically significant difference was seen between groups (P-value 0.925).

Clinical significance: Although the number of dogs with biliary tract rupture in this study population was small, abdominal fluid bile acids concentration may have a better accuracy than fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio for the diagnosis of biliary tract rupture. The utility of fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio for the diagnosis of biliary tract rupture, appears limited. Further studies with a larger number of biliary tract rupture cases are required to support these conclusions.

Objectives: To assess the parameters utilised by and the diagnostic performance of two traditional veterinary classification schemes (named A and B) based on ascites total protein and total nucleated cell count, the Boyer's criteria based on ascites lactic dehydrogenase activity, its serum ratio and the serum total protein, a simplified Boyer's criteria based on ascites lactic dehydrogenase activity and serum total protein only, and finally the serum-ascites albumin gradient in discriminate the pathophysiological origin of the ascites formation in dogs.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study including 291 client-owned dogs with ascites. Ascites aetiology was used to classify the pathophysiology of its formation. Parameters measured and calculated included ascites total protein, ascites total nucleated cell count, ascites lactic dehydrogenase activity and its serum ratio, serum total protein, and the serum-ascites albumin gradient.

Results: There were 33 transudates due to decreased colloid osmotic pressure, 69 transudates due to increased hydrostatic pressure gradient, and 189 exudates. Simplified Boyer's criteria misclassified 16 of 291 ascites (94.5% accuracy; 95% confidence interval: 91.2 to 96.8) and Boyer's criteria misclassified 21 of 291 ascites (92.8% accuracy; 95% confidence interval: 89.2 to 95.5). The traditional veterinary classification scheme B misclassified 71 of 291 ascites (75.6% accuracy; 95% confidence interval: 70.3 to 80.4) and scheme A 130 of 291 (55.3% accuracy; 95% confidence interval: 49.4 to 61.1). Finally, the serum-ascites albumin gradient misclassified 100 of 291 ascites (65.6% accuracy; 95% confidence interval: 59.9 to 71.1).

Clinical significance: The Boyers' criteria and a simplified Boyer's criteria were highly accurate in discriminating exudates from transudates, while the other classification schemes had significantly less diagnostic value in doing so.

Foregut duplication cysts can arise anywhere in the gastrointestinal system, leading to non-specific clinical signs in small animals. There are few reports of foregut duplication cysts in the literature that have been managed surgically. This report describes a case of multilevel foregut duplication cysts in a dog, including a cervical oesophageal duplication cyst with tracheal communication. Surgical treatment by resection resulted in the resolution of clinical signs. No clinical evidence of recurrence was noted at 12 months post-operatively. Surgical resection may be a feasible option for the management of foregut duplication cysts that cause clinical signs in dogs.

A female entire dog with a history of travel from Eastern Europe, coprophagia, and absent prophylactic treatment against parasites, developed excessive haemorrhage during elective ovariohysterectomy, resulting in abandonment of the procedure. Physical examination and abdominal ultrasound were unremarkable. Routine blood analysis was unremarkable and there was no support for angiostrongylosis or the presence of common travel-associated infectious agents. Viscoelastic testing demonstrated hyperfibrinolysis and Baermann's faecal analysis documented Strongyloides stercoralis infection. They were treated with ivermectin, with a resolution of hyperfibrinolysis. This is the first description of transient hyperfibrinolysis associated with strongyloidiasis in the dog, although hyperfibrinolysis has been described in association with other helminth infections in the dog and in other host species. Strongyloidiasis should be considered as an uncommon cause of acquired clinical hyperfibrinolysis, particularly in dogs where common differentials have been excluded.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of uropathogens in dogs and cats with signs of urinary tract infection and to characterise their antimicrobial susceptibility.

Materials and methods: Urine samples from canine and feline patients with clinical signs of urinary tract infection were collected between September 2015 and December 2019 in Santiago, Chile. Bacterial identification and bacterial susceptibility profile was performed through biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility tests.

Results: Four hundred sixty-six samples from dogs (37.7%) and 152 from cats (26.1%) showed bacterial growth. Positive samples were mainly from females (dogs: 52.8%; cats: 48.0%), with the highest infection rates in senior dogs (57.7%) and adult cats (45.4%). A single organism caused the infection in 78.2% of the cases, whereas the remaining 21.8% corresponded to a mixed infection. The most prevalent isolated pathogen in dogs and cats was Escherichia coli (42.6% and 49.7%, respectively). Staphylococcus spp. (15.6% and 14.6%), Enterococcus spp. (8.6% and 15.2%) and Proteus spp. (9.7% and 6.4%) were also commonly isolated. A total of 52.4% of Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to amoxicillin, 44.3% to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, 40.0% to cephradine and 25.3% to ciprofloxacin. Regarding the other three uropathogens commonly isolated in this study, all of them showed a percentage of resistance to the antimicrobials analysed. In addition, 24.6% of multidrug resistance was detected in the E. coli isolates. Penicillin, cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones showed the lowest susceptibility levels.

Clinical significance: The observed high rates of resistance to commonly prescribed antimicrobials raise concerns for public health.

Objectives: To evaluate evidence of Malassezia overgrowth following successful topical antibacterial monotherapy of refractory canine bacterial otitis using semi-quantitative cultures.

Materials and methods: Twenty-nine dogs with bacterial otitis were treated topically with either fluoro-quinolone [0.5% enrofloxacin (18 dogs, 19 treatment events, 25 ears) or 0.1% marbofloxacin (1 ear), with 0.1% dexamethasone] ("FQ") SID, or 143 mg/mL piperacillin/18 mg/mL tazobactam ("PT") BID (11 dogs, 14 treatment events, 19 ears) for 8 to 36 days (mean 20 days). At visits 1 (V1) and 2 (V2), ear swab tips were washed in PBS + Triton X-100 and serial dilutions spread-plated onto blood, MacConkey (37°C, 48 hours) and modified Dixon's agar (32°C, 14 days) to generate semiquantitative counts. Microbes were identified by phenotype and MALDI-TOF.

Results: Prior to treatment, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated alone or in combination with other bacteria in 14 FQ-treated ears and 18 PT-treated ears; the next most frequent bacteria were Streptococcus canis (8 FQ, 2 PT) and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (8 FQ, 1 PT). The proportions of dogs' ears (excluding cross-over treatments and contra-lateral affected ears) from which bacteria were isolated were significantly reduced by treatment with both FQ (V1, 13/15; V2, 5/15) and PT (V1, 14/14; V2, 2/14). The proportions of dogs' ears from which yeasts (Malassezia pachydermatis, Candida spp.) were isolated were significantly increased by treatment in dogs treated with PT (V1, 1/14; V2, 14/14) but not FQ (V1, 3/15; V2, 6/15).

Clinical significance: Otitis cases that receive potent antibacterial monotherapy must be monitored for yeast overgrowth.

A 3-year-old female entire cocker spaniel presented with acute progressive lethargy, pyrexia and tetraplegia. Neurological examination revealed tetraplegia with intact nociception, decreased withdrawal reflexes in all limbs, intact patellar reflexes, absent cutaneous trunci reflex, bilateral Horner syndrome, inconsistent menace response bilaterally, aphonia and diffuse spinal hyperaesthesia. Neuroanatomical localisation was to the C1-5 spinal cord segments with spinal shock, diffuse spinal cord ± brainstem.

Haematology revealed neutrophilia [14.21 × 10⁹/L, reference interval (RI): 3.00 to 11.50 × 10⁹/L]. Serum biochemistry revealed increased C-reactive protein [81.9 mg/L, RI: <10 mg/L]. Thoracic and abdominal radiographs were unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Intera 1.5 T, Philips Healthcare, Amsterdam, Netherlands) of head and neck demonstrated multifocal bilateral asymmetric ill-defined intra-axial mildly contrast-enhancing T2W hyperintense lesions affecting the corpus striatum, periventricular region and brainstem (Fig 1), and a longitudinal poorly-defined non-contrast-enhancing T2W dorsal intramedullary hyperintensity from C1 to T1 spinal cord. Cerebellomedullary cisternal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed increased total proteins (2.96 g/L, RI: <0.25 g/L) and a marked neutrophilic pleocytosis (total nucleated cell count: 2455 cells/μL, RI: <5 cells/μL) with 68% non-degenerate neutrophils, 20% monocytes, 7% lymphocytes, 5% macrophages and the presence of leukophagia. Differential diagnoses included infectious or immune-mediated meningoencephalomyelitis or neoplasia. Euthanasia was elected. Post-mortem examination revealed diffuse neutrophilic and histiocytic leptomeningitis and necrotizing fibrinoid thrombotic arteritis affecting the leptomeningeal arterioles in the cervical spinal cord and brainstem. Rarefaction, gliosis, necrosis and haemorrhages were present in the adjacent neuroparenchyma. Infectious agents were not visualised. A diagnosis of steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) was made.

SRMA with intracranial/intramedullary extension is rare and should be considered in a young dog with MRI and CSF analysis consistent with neutrophilic meningoencephalomyelitis. Although experimentally spinal shock has been associated with brainstem transection in dogs, this is the first clinical case to describe spinal shock in a dog with brainstem and cervical spinal cord lesions.