Arthroscopic Caudal Cruciate Ligament Damage in Canine Stifles with Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to describe the arthroscopic changes to the caudal cruciate ligament (CdCL) in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease.

Study Design:  Arthroscopic video recordings ( = 117) of the stifle with cranial cruciate ligament disease were reviewed. The extent of CdCL tearing was described.

Pain Treatment in the Companion Canine Model to Validate Rodent Results and Incentivize the Transition to Human Clinical Trials.

One of the biggest challenges for analgesic drug development is how to decide if a potential analgesic candidate will work in humans. What preclinical data are the most convincing, incentivizing and most predictive of success? Such a predicament is not unique to analgesics, and the pain field has certain advantages over drug development efforts in areas like neuropsychiatry where the etiological origins are either unknown or difficult to ascertain. For pain, the origin of the problem frequently is known, and the causative peripheral tissue insult might be observable.

Evaluation of short-term risk factors associated with dehiscence and death following full-thickness incisions of the large intestine in cats: 84 cases (1993-2015).

Objective: To evaluate short-term risk factors associated with dehiscence and death in cats undergoing full-thickness large intestinal incisions.

Animals: 84 client-owned cats that had undergone full-thickness large intestinal incisions and for which information regarding outcome through postoperative day 7 was available.

Procedures: Medical records from 4 veterinary teaching hospitals were reviewed.

Evaluation of scar revision after inadequate primary excision of cutaneous mast cell tumors in 85 dogs (2000-2013).

Objective: To determine the frequency of residual tumor, and factors associated with local recurrence and disease progression in dogs with incompletely excised mast cell tumors (MCT) following scar revision surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: Eighty-five dogs.

Arthroscopic Articular Cartilage Scores of the Canine Stifle Joint with Naturally Occurring Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease.

Objective:  This study aimed to evaluate frequency, location and severity of cartilage pathology in dogs with naturally occurring cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease.

Study Design:  Stifle arthroscopic video recordings ( = 120) were reviewed. A modified Outerbridge classification system (MOCS) (0-4) was used to score cartilage at 10 locations in the femorotibial (medial and lateral femoral condyles and tibial plateaus) and patellofemoral compartments (proximal, middle and distal locations of the patella and femoral trochlear groove) of the stifle joint.

Evaluation of short-term outcomes and potential risk factors for death and intestinal dehiscence following full-thickness large intestinal incisions in dogs.

Objective: To determine complication rates for dogs in which full-thickness large intestinal incisions were performed, assess potential risk factors for death during hospitalization and for intestinal dehiscence following these surgeries, and report short-term mortality rates for these patients.

Animals: 90 dogs.

Procedures: Medical records of 4 veterinary referral hospitals were reviewed to identify dogs that underwent large intestinal surgery requiring full-thickness incisions.

Outcomes in 40 cats with discrete intermediate- or large-cell gastrointestinal lymphoma masses treated with surgical mass resection (2005-2015).

Objective: To report outcomes in cats with discrete intermediate- and large-cell gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoma masses after surgical resection.

Study Design: Retrospective clinical case series.

Animals: Forty client-owned cats in which intermediate- or large-cell GI lymphoma was diagnosed.

Radiation exposure of dogs and cats undergoing fluoroscopic procedures and for operators performing those procedures.

Objective: To evaluate radiation exposure of dogs and cats undergoing procedures requiring intraoperative fluoroscopy and for operators performing those procedures.

Sample: 360 fluoroscopic procedures performed at 2 academic institutions between 2012 and 2015.

Procedures: Fluoroscopic procedures were classified as vascular, urinary, respiratory, cardiac, gastrointestinal, and orthopedic.

Clinicopathological Features, Risk Factors and Predispositions, and Response to Treatment of Eosinophilic Oral Disease in 24 Dogs (2000-2016).

The objectives of this study were to retrospectively describe clinicopathological features of eosinophilic oral disease in dogs, to identify possible risk factors or predispositions to the condition, and to report overall treatment response. Canine medical records from a veterinary teaching hospital and private referral practice over a 17-year period were reviewed for a diagnosis of eosinophilic oral disease. Twenty-four dogs with 26 lesions met the inclusion criteria.

Ability of ultrasonography to predict the presence and location of histologic lesions in the small intestine of cats.

Background: Diagnosis of infiltrative small intestinal (SI) disease in cats is challenging, and debate continues regarding optimal biopsy techniques. Ultrasonography may facilitate selection of biopsy type and location.

Hypothesis/objectives: Assess ability of ultrasonography to predict histologic lesions by SI segment and tissue layer.

Observer Variability of Arthroscopic Cartilage Grading Using the Modified Outerbridge Classification System in the Dog.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to determine the inter- and intra-observer variability of the modified Outerbridge cartilage classification system in canine joints evaluated via arthroscopy.

Materials And Methods:  Fifty arthroscopic videos of canine cartilage were scored by six observers, where three of the observers had significant arthroscopic experience and three had minimal to no experience. The kappa () statistic was used to evaluate overall and individual score inter-observer variability, as well as experience variability.

Factors associated with survival to hospital discharge for cats treated surgically for thoracic trauma.

OBJECTIVE To determine the most common types of injuries in cats surgically treated for thoracic trauma, complications associated with surgical treatment, and factors associated with mortality rate and evaluate the effectiveness of the animal trauma triage (ATT) scoring system for predicting outcome. DESIGN Retrospective case series with nested observational study. ANIMALS 23 client-owned cats surgically treated for thoracic trauma at 7 veterinary teaching hospitals between 1990 and 2014.

Long-term pain relief in canine osteoarthritis by a single intra-articular injection of resiniferatoxin, a potent TRPV1 agonist.

The translational potential of analgesic approaches emerging from basic research can be augmented by client-owned dog trials. We report on a peripheral interventional approach that uses intra-articular injection of the ultrapotent TRPV1 agonist resiniferatoxin (RTX) to produce a selective long-term chemoinactivation of nociceptive primary afferent nerve endings for pain control in naturally occurring canine osteoarthritis. A single injection of 10 µg of RTX, produced suppression of pain, improvement in gait, weight bearing, and improvement in the dog's activities of daily living lasting 4 months or longer.

Development and psychometric testing of the Canine Owner-Reported Quality of Life questionnaire, an instrument designed to measure quality of life in dogs with cancer.

OBJECTIVE To describe development and initial psychometric testing of an owner-reported questionnaire designed to standardize measurement of general quality of life (QOL) in dogs with cancer. DESIGN Key-informant interviews, questionnaire development, and field trial. SAMPLE Owners of 25 dogs with cancer for item development and pretesting and owners of 90 dogs with cancer for reliability and validity testing.

Perioperative mortality rate and risk factors for death in dogs undergoing surgery for treatment of thoracic trauma: 157 cases (1990-2014).

OBJECTIVE To determine perioperative mortality rate and identify risk factors associated with outcome in dogs with thoracic trauma that underwent surgical procedures and to evaluate the utility of the animal trauma triage (ATT) score in predicting outcome. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 157 client-owned dogs.

Associations between owner personality and psychological status and the prevalence of canine behavior problems.

Behavioral problems are a major source of poor welfare and premature mortality in companion dogs. Previous studies have demonstrated associations between owners' personality and psychological status and the prevalence and/or severity of their dogs' behavior problems. However, the mechanisms responsible for these associations are currently unknown.

Pain control through selective chemo-axotomy of centrally projecting TRPV1+ sensory neurons.

Agonists of the vanilloid receptor transient vanilloid potential 1 (TRPV1) are emerging as highly efficacious nonopioid analgesics in preclinical studies. These drugs selectively lesion TRPV1+ primary sensory afferents, which are responsible for the transmission of many noxious stimulus modalities. Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a very potent and selective TRPV1 agonist and is a promising candidate for treating many types of pain.

Psychometric properties of the Canine Symptom Assessment Scale, a multidimensional owner-reported questionnaire instrument for assessment of physical symptoms in dogs with solid tumors.

OBJECTIVE To describe development and initial psychometric testing of the Canine Symptom Assessment Scale (CSAS), a multidimensional owner-reported questionnaire instrument, in a population of dogs with solid tumors enrolled in clinical trials. DESIGN Questionnaire development and validation study. ANIMALS 238 client-owned dogs with solid tumors.

Investigating Associations Between Proliferation Indices, C-kit, and Lymph Node Stage in Canine Mast Cell Tumors.

Previous studies have evaluated cellular proliferation indices, KIT expression, and c-kit mutations to predict the clinical behavior of canine mast cell tumors (MCTs). The study purpose was to retrospectively compare mitotic index, argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs)/nucleus, Ki-67 index, KIT labeling pattern, and internal tandem duplication mutations in c-KIT between stage I and stage II grade II MCTs. Medical records and tumor biopsy samples from dogs with Grade II MCTs with cytological or histopathological regional lymph node evaluation were included.

Identification of prognostic collagen signatures and potential therapeutic stromal targets in canine mammary gland carcinoma.

Increasing evidence indicates that the tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in regulating the biologic behavior of breast cancer. In veterinary oncology, there is a need for improved prognostic markers to accurately identify dogs at risk for local and distant (metastatic) recurrence of mammary gland carcinoma and therefore would benefit from adjuvant therapy. Collagen density and fiber organization have been shown to regulate tumor progression in both mouse and human mammary tumors, with certain collagen signatures predicting poor outcomes in women with breast cancer.

T Regulatory Cells Support Plasma Cell Populations in the Bone Marrow.

Long-lived plasma cells (PCs) in the bone marrow (BM) are a critical source of antibodies after infection or vaccination, but questions remain about the factors that control PCs. We found that systemic infection alters the BM, greatly reducing PCs and regulatory T (Treg) cells, a population that contributes to immune privilege in the BM. The use of intravital imaging revealed that BM Treg cells display a distinct behavior characterized by sustained co-localization with PCs and CD11c-YFP cells.

Effects of various diets on the calcium and phosphorus composition of mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae) and superworms (Zophobas morio larvae).

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the nutritive quality of Tenebrio molitor larvae and Zophobas morio larvae, which are commonly cultured as live food sources, is influenced by 4 commercially available diets used as nutritional substrates; identify which diet best improved calcium content of larvae; and identify the feeding time interval that assured the highest calcium intake by larvae. ANIMALS 2,000 Zophobas morio larvae (ie, superworms) and 7,500 Tenebrio molitor larvae (ie, mealworms). PROCEDURES Larvae were placed in control and diet treatment groups for 2-, 7-, and 10-day intervals.

The learning curve for veterinary surgery residents performing hemilaminectomy surgeries in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To describe the learning curve for veterinary surgery residents performing hemilaminectomy surgeries in dogs. DESIGN Retrospective case review and learning curve evaluation. SAMPLE 13 individuals who completed a 3-year surgery residency program at a university teaching hospital and who had no prior experience performing hemilaminectomies.

Evaluation of the dynactin 1 gene in Leonbergers and Labrador Retrievers with laryngeal paralysis.

OBJECTIVE To sequence exons and splice consensus sites of the dynactin subunit 1 (DCTN1) gene in Leonbergers and Labrador Retrievers with clinical laryngeal paralysis. ANIMALS 5 unrelated Leonbergers with laryngeal paralysis, 2 clinically normal Leonbergers, 7 unrelated Labrador Retrievers with laryngeal paralysis, and 2 clinically normal Labrador Retrievers. PROCEDURES Primers were designed for the entire coding regions of the DCTN1 gene, a noncoding exon at the 5´ end of the gene, and a 900-bp single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-rich region located 17 kb upstream of the DCTN1 gene by use of the CanFam3 assembly of the canine genome sequence.