Evaluation of Ki-67, goblet cell and MUC2 mucin RNA expression in dogs with lymphoplasmacytic and granulomatous colitis.

Intestinal mucus barrier disruption may occur with chronic inflammatory enteropathies. The lack of studies evaluating mucus health in dogs with chronic colitis arises from inherent challenges with assessment of the intestinal mucus layer. It is therefore unknown if reduced goblet cell (GBC) numbers and/or mucin 2 (MUC2) expression, which are responsible for mucus production and secretion, correlate with inflammation severity in dogs with granulomatous colitis (GC) or lymphocytic-plasmacytic colitis (LPC).

ACVIM consensus statement on pancreatitis in cats.

Background: Pancreatitis in cats, although commonly diagnosed, still presents many diagnostic and management challenges.

Objective: To summarize the current literature as it relates to etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of pancreatitis in cats and to arrive at clinically relevant suggestions for veterinary clinicians that are based on evidence, and where such evidence is lacking, based on consensus of experts in the field.

Animals: None.

Epidemiological study of dogs with diabetes mellitus attending primary care veterinary clinics in Australia.

Background: The objectives of this study were to establish the prevalence, risk factors and comorbidities/sequelae for diabetes mellitus (DM) in Australian dogs presented to first-opinion veterinary practices.

Methods: Electronic patient records of dogs (n=134,329) attending 152 veterinary clinics during 2017 were sourced through VetCompass Australia. They included 418 dogs with DM; a prevalence of 0.

Chronic Enteropathy In Canines: Prevalence, Impact And Management Strategies.

In this article, the studies about the prevalence of chronic enteropathy are reviewed as well as the information regarding short- and long-term prognosis for dogs treated with the three most common therapies; these include dietary modification, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants. Although the data available are limited, most studies support a good to excellent long-term response in dogs that have a successful food trial, whereas the response is poor with antibiotics or on-going treatment is required to retain remission. There is a risk of antimicrobial resistance developing with inappropriate use of antimicrobials such as in these situations.

Effect of immunosuppressive drugs on cytokine production in canine whole blood stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or a combination of ionomycin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.

A pharmacodynamic assay has been previously developed to monitor ciclosporin treatment in dogs by assessing inhibition of cytokine transcription after whole blood stimulation with 12-myristate 13-1 acetate and ionomycin (PMA/I). In this study, whole blood stimulation with either PMA/I or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to assess the effect of multiple drugs (azathioprine, ciclosporin, mycophenolate, leflunomide and prednisone) after a 7-day treatment course on production of cytokines measured with a multiplex assay in healthy dogs (n = 4 for each treatment). Interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon gamma (IFNγ) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) were significantly activated by PMA/I stimulation and IL-6, IL-10 and TNFα by LPS stimulation, in the absence of immunosuppressive drugs.

Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders.

Background: Labrador retrievers are reportedly predisposed to many disorders but accurate prevalence information relating to the general population are lacking. This study aimed to describe demography, mortality and commonly recorded diseases in Labrador retrievers under UK veterinary care.

Methods: The VetCompass™ programme collects electronic patient record data on dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practices.

Changes in duodenal CD163-positive cells in dogs with chronic enteropathy after successful treatment.

Chronic enteropathy (CE) in dogs is characterized retrospectively per treatment response as food-responsive enteropathy (FRE), antibiotic-responsive enteropathy (ARE), and immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy (IRE) - the latter most resembling inflammatory bowel disease in people. The aim of this study was to characterize duodenal macrophages (Mϕ) in CE using immunohistochemistry; with calprotectin (CAL) as a marker of early differentiated Mϕ and CD163 expression as a marker for resident Mϕ in the duodenum before and after treatment. Prior to treatment, dogs with FRE and IRE had a lower CD163/CAL ratio than control dogs (CTRL) in crypts; this increased significantly and normalized compared with CTRL after treatment.

Characterization of the fecal virome in dogs with chronic enteropathy.

The fecal virome has been investigated in humans and various animal species using next generation sequencing. However, limited information is available about the fecal virome of dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE). We aimed to characterize the canine fecal virome of dogs with CE and compare it with the virome of previously analyzed healthy dogs.

Emergence of nasal chondrosarcoma in a dog with nasal polyposis.

Whilst the malignant transformation of nasal polyps or secondary development of nasal neoplasia after chronic inflammation is likely to be relatively rare, this potential complication should be considered, and the clinician should be vigilant for evidence of malignant transformation.

VetCompass Australia: A National Big Data Collection System for Veterinary Science.

VetCompass Australia is veterinary medical records-based research coordinated with the global VetCompass endeavor to maximize its quality and effectiveness for Australian companion animals (cats, dogs, and horses). Bringing together all seven Australian veterinary schools, it is the first nationwide surveillance system collating clinical records on companion-animal diseases and treatments. VetCompass data service collects and aggregates real-time, clinical records for researchers to interrogate, delivering sustainable and cost-effective access to data from hundreds of veterinary practitioners nationwide.

Characterisation of the canine faecal virome in healthy dogs and dogs with acute diarrhoea using shotgun metagenomics.

The virome has been increasingly investigated in numerous animal species and in different sites of the body, facilitating the identification and discovery of a variety of viruses. In spite of this, the faecal virome of healthy dogs has not been investigated. In this study we describe the faecal virome of healthy dogs and dogs with acute diarrhoea in Australia, using a shotgun metagenomic approach.

Faecal microbiota of cats with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus.

Microorganisms within the gastrointestinal tract significantly influence metabolic processes within their mammalian host, and recently several groups have sought to characterise the gastrointestinal microbiota of individuals affected by metabolic disease. Differences in the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota have been reported in mouse models of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as in human patients. Diabetes mellitus in cats has many similarities to type 2 diabetes in humans.

Diagnostic accuracy of the SNAP and Spec canine pancreatic lipase tests for pancreatitis in dogs presenting with clinical signs of acute abdominal disease.

Objectives: To (i) assess the clinical diagnostic accuracy of SNAP canine pancreatic lipase (cPL) and specific canine pancreatic lipase (Spec cPL) and (ii) assess the agreement of an abnormal test result between SNAP cPL and Spec cPL in dogs presenting with acute abdominal disease.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Setting: University teaching hospital emergency center.

Effect of hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 and 200/0.5 solutions on canine platelet function in vitro.

Objective: To determine whether dilution of blood samples from healthy dogs with 2 hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions, HES 130/0.4 and HES 200/0.5, would result in platelet dysfunction as measured by closure time (Ct) beyond a dilutional effect.

Association between canine pancreatic-specific lipase and histologic exocrine pancreatic inflammation in dogs: assessing specificity.

The current study aimed to determine the specificity, and to a lesser extent the sensitivity, of canine pancreatic-specific lipase (cPL) concentration in dogs with various disease conditions. Dogs were presented for postmortem examination and had serum collected for cPL concentration within 6 hr preceding death or immediately postmortem. Pancreatic tissue was collected postmortem, and sections from the left lobe, right lobe, and body of the pancreas were examined histologically.

Molecular diagnosis of sparganosis associated with pneumothorax in a dog.

Pneumothorax was diagnosed in a dog presenting with progressive exercise intolerance and tachypnoea. Needle thoracocentesis failed to resolve the pneumothorax, and an exploratomy thoracotomy was performed. Upon inspection of the thoracic cavity, numerous white nodules (2 to 4mm) were present throughout the mediastinum, parietal pleura and the lung lobes.

Specificity and sensitivity of serum canine pancreatic elastase-1 concentration in the diagnosis of pancreatitis.

The aim of the current study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of serum canine pancreatic elastase-1 (cPE-1) for the diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs. The study was prospective, assessing dogs presenting with clinical signs similar to pancreatitis. Sixty-one dogs were recruited (49 with pancreatic disease and 12 with non-pancreatic disease).

Central diabetes insipidus in a cat with central nervous system B cell lymphoma.

A 6-year-old male neutered cat presented with blindness, lethargy, polydipsia, hyposthenuria and severe hypernatraemia. Central diabetes insipidus was demonstrated by means of a low measured anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) concentration in the face of hypernatraemia, and clinical response to supplementation with desmopressin. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a discrete mass in the region of the hypothalamus.

Effect of hematocrit on accuracy of two point-of-care glucometers for use in dogs.

Objective: To determine the effect of Hct on blood glucose readings of dogs obtained by use of 2 point-of-care (POC) blood glucometers and a laboratory analyzer.

Animals: 184 dogs, including 139 Greyhounds.

Procedures: Venous blood samples collected from 184 dogs with a range of Hcts (measured in EDTA-anticoagulated blood) were immediately analyzed with a handheld glucometer specifically developed for veterinary use and a glucometer developed for use in humans.

Granulomatous colitis of boxer dogs.

Granulomatous colitis (GC) is a rare, breed-specific inflammatory bowel disease of young Boxer dogs. GC has been refractory to treatment and associated with high mortality rates, but culture-independent molecular analysis has transformed therapy and prognosis by uncovering a correlation between GC and Escherichia coli invasion within colonic mucosal macrophages. GC-associated invasive E coli are similar to a newly identified E coli pathotype, "adherent and invasive E coli," that are increasingly associated with Crohn's disease in humans.

Clinical resolution of a nasal granuloma caused by Trichosporon loubieri.

The current report describes the diagnosis of a nasopharyngeal granuloma due to a fungal infection by Trichosporon loubieri. This is the first report of successful treatment of nasal granuloma formation caused by Trichosporon species infection in a cat.

Pancreatic response in healthy dogs fed diets of various fat compositions.

Objective: To indirectly assess the pancreatic response in healthy dogs that were fed diets of different fat compositions with or without supplemental pancreatic enzymes and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Animals: 10 healthy adult dogs.

Procedures: Dogs were fed 4 diets once in random order at 1-week intervals; food was withheld from the dogs for > or = 12 hours prior to the feeding of each diet.