First Evidence of Cotinine in Canine Semen Reveals Tobacco Smoke Exposure.

Tobacco smoke has numerous adverse effects on both human and animal health, including impaired reproductive function. Recent research has explored environmental exposure in dogs, investigating various biological matrices. However, no data are currently available on the presence of cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, in the canine ejaculate.

Study of correlations between serum taurine, thyroid hormones and echocardiographic parameters of systolic function in clinically healthy Golden retrievers fed with commercial diet.

Taurine deficiency predisposes to the development of nutritional dilated cardiomyopathy and is widespread in dogs fed with non-traditional diets. However, Golden retrievers show lower plasma taurine concentration and an impaired systolic function compared to breeds of the same size and morphotype. For these reasons, it can be difficult to classify a subject from a cardiological point of view, with the risk of considering as pathological characteristics that can be completely normal in this breed.

Peripheral and central capillary non-perfusion in diabetic retinopathy: An updated overview.

Capillary non-perfusion (CNP) is one of the key hallmarks of diabetic retinopathy (DR), which may develop both in the periphery and at the posterior pole. Our perspectives on CNP have extended with the introduction of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and ultra-widefield imaging, and the clinical consequences of peripheral and macular CNP have been well characterized. Fluorescein angiography (FA) continues to be the gold standard for detecting and measuring CNP, particularly when ultra-widefield imaging is available.

Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism in a kitten, supported by immunoenzymatic measurement of feline intact parathyroid hormone.

A 6-mo-old, intact male, domestic shorthair cat was referred with a history of poor growth, reluctance to move, and deformation of the nasal profile. The kitten had been fed a diet composed almost exclusively of a complementary pet food and tuna, which was similar to an all-meat diet. We detected osteopenia and hypocalcemia associated with severe parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitriol increases; we measured PTH concentrations with an immunoenzymatic method that has been validated in cats.

Preliminary Data on Echocardiographic Evaluation and Serum Taurine Concentration in Healthy Dogs of Two Breeds (10 Golden Retrievers and 12 German Shorthaired Pointers) with Different Predispositions to Nutritional Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Pilot Study.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common myocardial disorder in dogs, and it is primarily considered to be an inherited or genetic disease with a higher prevalence in specific breeds such as Doberman Pinschers and Great Danes. Recently, several publications have reported concerns about cases of DCM in unusual breeds (Golden Retrievers-GRs) and associated them with specific diets (grain-free, high in pulses or potatoes, or low in taurine and amino acid precursors). Because taurine is involved in the digestion and absorption of fat and liposoluble vitamins, including vitamin D, the aims of this pilot study were: (1) to compare serum taurine and serum vitamin D (both implicated in cardiac function and absorbed from food) between healthy GRs and German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs), breeds with different predispositions to nutritional DCM; (2) to highlight the differences between the echocardiographic variables in the two breeds; and (3) to evaluate the associations between the serum taurine and vitamin D concentrations and the echocardiographic features.