Topics in companion animal medicine最新文献

Intraocular pressure (IOP), pupil size (PS), and tear production are variables important in maintaining eye homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of methadone on IOP, PS, and tear production measured by Schirmer I tear test (STT-I) in healthy nonpainful dogs. A prospective, randomized, “double-blind” clinical study was performed. A total of 40 healthy conscious client-owned dogs were included in the study. Dogs were allocated randomly to 1 of 3 groups and given intravenous methadone 0.3 mg/kg (Met-IV, n = 15), intramuscular methadone 0.3 mg/kg (Met-IM, n = 15), or saline 0.3 mL/kg (SAL, n = 10). IOP, PS, STT-I, heart rate (HR), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured prior to (baseline) and at 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes after drug administration. Data were analyzed using 1-way and 2-way repeated measures ANOVA or their nonparametric equivalents (P < .05). No significant differences in IOP and PS within or between the groups were detected. In the Met-IV group, the STT-I decreased significantly after 30 minutes (P = .025), however, the values remained within the physiological ranges. In Met-IV group, HR decreased significantly at 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes, respectively. No other significant differences were observed. Methadone administered at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg intravenously or intramuscularly seems to cause within 30 minutes no clinically important effect on IOP, PS, and STT-I in healthy conscious nonpainful dogs without ocular abnormalities.

Aging is the leading cause of disability, disease, and death in adult dogs. One major consequence of aging is diminishing physical function. For normal functioning, basic elements such as strength, balance, and energy must be present. These must then be integrated to enable higher levels of function, from simple walking and feeding to the complex demands of social roles, such as family companion or working search-and-rescue dog. Biological aging processes, such as loss of muscle strength, diminished cardiorespiratory function, chronic inflammation, and age-associated diseases, as well as the adverse effects of medical treatments, all contribute to physical dysfunction. Contextual elements, such as lack of opportunity for physical exercise or restricted access to veterinary care due to owner socioeconomic circumstances, also influence age-associated functional decline in dogs. In humans, well-established clinical assessments are available to evaluate physical function, and these can predict disability, morbidity, and mortality. There are also well-supported interventions that preserve and restore function and reduce the risk of death and disease in the elderly. Because the fundamental biology and the clinical phenotype of aging are very similar in humans and dogs, these assessments and interventions can likely be adapted for use in mitigating declining physical function in geriatric canines. This review evaluates the decline in physical function with age in dogs and the potential utility in this species of clinical assessment tools and interventions developed for humans.

Veterinarians often test for serologic evidence of vector-borne infections in sick dogs presenting with clinical signs or to screen for subclinical chronic infections. Additional peptide targets for the detection of antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma platys, and Ehrlichia canis were added to an existing point-of-care (POC) ELISA test (SNAP 4Dx Plus Test, IDEXX Laboratories, Westbrook, ME). This second-generation, multi-analyte test detects Dirofilaria immitis antigen and antibodies to Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and Ehrlichia spp. The second-generation test is expected to better meet the needs of practicing veterinarians and their patients. To assess this expectation, the second-generation POC test was evaluated with serum samples from experimentally infected dogs and a broader field population of dogs. Compared to the first-generation test, most dogs experimentally infected with A phagocytophilum (n = 7/8), A platys (n = 4/6), or E canis (n = 4/6) had detectable antibody responses 3-22 days earlier post-infection; these results demonstrated better alignment with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification results and the onset of clinical signs. Using a convenience sample set of 510 sera from both academic and commercial veterinary diagnostic laboratories, the second-generation test had sensitivities greater than 90% for Anaplasma spp. (94.1%), B burgdorferi (95.5%), Ehrlichia spp. (93.4%) and D immitis (98.0%). Specificity ranged from 96.8% - 100% across the four assays. Results from this study demonstrate that the second-generation POC ELISA had an improved ability to detect serologic responses during the acute phase of A phagocytophilum, A platys, and E canis experimental infections. The results from the broader field samples support overall high sensitivity and specificity, consistent with the historical performance of the first-generation POC ELISA test.

The aim of this study is to report the case of a 4-month-old Beagle dog diagnosed with Musladin-Lueke syndrome. The dog appeared to walk on the digits (“tiptoes”) with all limbs during ambulation and rigid extension of the carpus, elbow, tarsus, and knee joints during ambulation. Thickening of the fur and auricular cartilage, reduction in radiocarpal, and tibiotarsal joint amplitude, macrocephaly, and lateralized eyes were noticed on physical examination. Echocardiography showed reduced mobility and altered (tortuous) valve morphology. Bilateral abdominal cryptorchidism was confirmed by ultrasonography. Musladin-Lueke syndrome was the presumptive diagnosis, based on the clinical signs presented. The diagnosis was confirmed after DNA testing performed by serial collection of saliva. This is the first paper that describes unprecedented cardiac and reproductive changes of Musladin-Lueke syndrome in which the dog was followed for 2 years, presenting a good quality of life.

Internet use for pet health information is increasing in popularity among pet owners. So far, evidence on motivations and topics of interest is limited to surveys on English speaking countries. The objective was to evaluate the motivations of Portuguese-speaking pet owners when visiting a pet information website, written by a certified veterinarian. In situ needs and motivations of visitors were evaluated by classifying online questions (n = 202) and conducting a short questionnaire in the website sidebar (n = 453). Most pet owners were looking for general advice (73.9%), especially on systems with visible disease signs, being motivated by the lack of access to veterinary services due to costs (17.7%), support from other pet owners (11.3%), and complementing the insufficient information provided by the veterinarian (7.7%). Brazilians reported more lack of veterinary access due to costs compared to Portuguese respondents. Thus, Portuguese-speaking pet owners engaged in online searches to seek affordable veterinary care, better information, and emotional support.

Bichon frise (1) and Boxer (2), both with epileptic seizures, underwent lumbar taps for cerebrospinal fluid collection. After the procedure, the first dog became paraplegic, and the second dog did not recover from anesthesia and remained in a coma. Both dogs were euthanatized 12 h after the examination. The dogs were diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy and fibrillar astrocytoma, respectively, after postmortem examination. They were also diagnosed with progressive myelomalacia, involving C1-C5 until the L4-S3 spinal segments. Since it was not possible to attribute the development of myelomalacia to the primary diseases observed, the lumbar tap likely caused this severe spinal cord injury. These reports highlight myelomalacia as a possible complication of lumbar taps.

This study aimed to determine the minimum anesthetic concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane in tegus (Salvator merianae) and the morphine-sparing effect on this variable. In a prospective, non-blinded, crossover study, MAC was first determined in 6 tegus under sevoflurane anesthesia alone (MAC_SEVO) and then following intramuscular administration of morphine (10 mg/kg), administered 3 hour before sevoflurane anesthesia (MAC_SEVO+MOR). A standard bracketing technique was applied to determine the MAC by an electrical supramaximal noxious stimulus (50 Hz, 30 mA) delivered at the base of the tail of the tegus. The end-tidal sevoflurane fraction was reduced or increased by 10% in any evidence of negative or positive motor responses, respectively. The MAC was calculated as the mean of the 2 highest successive sevoflurane concentrations that permitted positive responses and the 2 lowest that prevented positive responses. Heart rate, esophageal temperature, and noninvasive mean arterial blood pressure were assessed every 10 minutes. The MAC was significantly different between MAC_SEVO (2.41 ± 0.06%) and MAC_SEVO+MORF (1.88 ± 0.43%) (P = .007), with a mean ± SD morphine-induced reduction in the sevoflurane MAC of 22 ± 18% (P = .0158). Heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, and esophageal temperature did not differ between groups or within groups over time. Results showed that intramuscular premedication with 10 mg/kg morphine produced a sevoflurane sparing effect in tegus with no significant impact on cardiovascular variables.

This report describes the clinical features and molecular diagnosis of a case of canine leproid granuloma (CLG) caused by mycobacterial strains of the Mycobacterium simiae complex in Brazil. A 12-year-old non-neutered male Labrador Retriever dog was presented with a 2-week history of progressive painless cutaneous lesions. Ulcerated nodules with hematic crusts were observed on the dorsal surface of the right and left pinna and on the metacarpal, metatarsal, and digits. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, aspiration cytology of cutaneous lesions, biopsy for histopathological evaluation, culture for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing to identify mycobacterial species were performed. According to the clinical and histopathological findings, a diagnosis of CLG was established. Despite the negative result of the bacterial culture, mycobacterial identification was made by sequencing the hsp65 gene. Our findings highlight that mycobacterial species closely related to members of the M simiae clade can be causative agents of CLG.

Systemic arterial hypertension is a health condition causing target organ damage (TOD) in dogs. Early and effective treatment is essential to prevent hypertensive emergencies and to reduce the risk of TOD. This study investigated the diseases underlying hypertension and compared the short-term efficacy of antihypertensive drugs in dogs. We evaluated the medical records of client-owned dogs treated with antihypertensive drugs between 2017 and 2018. The study included 75 dogs diagnosed with systemic arterial hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥150 mmHg). The dogs were classified based on treatment with the following antihypertensive drugs: calcium channel blocker amlodipine, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril, and angiotensin receptor blocker telmisartan, either as monotherapy or combination therapy (telmisartan + amlodipine or ramipril + amlodipine). Systolic blood pressure was measured using an indirect Doppler method over 4 weeks. Naturally acquired hyperadrenocorticism was the most common disorder to be diagnosed in conjunction with systemic hypertension. In the telmisartan group, the systolic blood pressure decreased more rapidly for 3 weeks compared to ramipril. The combination of telmisartan and amlodipine showed the greatest decrease in systolic blood pressure throughout the 4-week treatment period. This study is meaningful as it suggests guidelines for the use of various antihypertensive drugs in dogs.

Chronic sun exposure in dogs can result in clinical changes in the skin referred to as solar or actinic dermatitis. A 5-year-old, neutered male, American Bulldog presented with localized unilateral erythematous macules, plaques, alopecia, comedones and hemorrhagic bullae involving the non-pigmented skin on left lateral ventral flank area. The presence of hyperplastic epidermis with keratinocyte dysplasia, superficial dermal elastosis, and multiple follicular cysts with occasional rupture (furunculosis) on histology, together with history and characteristic skin lesions was consistent solar dermatitis/actinic keratosis. Skin scrapings were negative and treatment for secondary pyoderma was initiated with oral clindamycin for 8 weeks. After 2 months of antibiotic therapy, the hemorrhagic bullae resolved; however, erythematous solar/actinic skin lesions with induration and comedones persisted. Topical application of imiquimod 5% cream 3 times weekly for 8 weeks resulted in the resolution of erythema, but some of the non-inflamed comedones remained. Staining for elastin and Ki67 revealed keratinocyte hyperplasia in hair follicle infundibulums and alterations in the elastic fibers around follicles, which may lead to closure and formation of follicular cysts. Imiquimod has been long suggested as a treatment option for solar dermatitis, but this is the first known case report detailing its efficacy in dogs.