Publications by authors named "Ed Pilkington"
Background: Intervertebral disc herniation is widely recognized as the most common cause of myelopathy in dogs older than 2 years; however, the prevalence of various causes of myelopathy in younger dogs has not been reported.
Hypothesis/objectives: To describe the prevalence, clinical presentation, and etiology of myelopathy in dogs aged 18 months or less. Secondarily, to investigate which clinical features were associated with each of the most common etiologies.
Article Synopsis
- Canine discospondylitis is often tricky to diagnose regarding the infectious agent involved, and little research has explored what factors lead to positive bacterial cultures in dogs with this condition.
- In a study looking at 120 dogs, 42% had positive cultures from samples like urine and blood, with weight and the number of samples taken being significant factors for these positive results.
- The findings suggest that common signs of infection don't predict culture positivity, indicating a need for better standardization in sampling methods across veterinary institutions.*
Case Description: Three dogs were presented for investigation of chronic nasal discharge and epistaxis 141, 250, and 357 days after undergoing transfrontal craniotomy to treat an intracranial meningioma (2 dogs) or a meningoencephalocele (1 dog).
Clinical Findings: CT findings were consistent with destructive rhinitis and frontal sinusitis in all 3 dogs, with results of histologic examination and fungal culture of samples obtained during frontal sinusotomy confirming mycotic infection. Frontal sinusotomy revealed fungal plaques covering a combination of bone and residual surgical tissue adhesive at the site of the previous craniotomy in all 3 dogs.