Fluoroscopically measured bronchial collapse in healthy dogs during cough exceeds 25%, and a cutoff of 60% bronchial collapse can be used to distinguish healthy from chronically coughing dogs.

Bronchomalacia, the weakening of bronchial cartilage, is a common cause of cough in dogs. The gold standard for diagnosis of bronchomalacia is bronchoscopy; however, fluoroscopy is often used as a preliminary diagnostic test due to its noninvasiveness. The normal amount of bronchial collapse in healthy dogs using fluoroscopy has not been previously established, with some authors citing <25%.

Recovery of Fecal Microbiome and Bile Acids in Healthy Dogs after Tylosin Administration with and without Fecal Microbiota Transplantation.

Antibiotics cause gut dysbiosis and bile acid dysmetabolism in dogs. The effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on microbiome and metabolome recovery is unknown. This prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study included sixteen healthy purpose-bred dogs.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the effects of azithromycin on antral motility and gastric emptying in healthy cats.

Background: Erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic with motilin agonist properties, shortens gastric emptying (GE) time in healthy cats. Azithromycin, another macrolide antibiotic, is effective for treatment of gastric paresis in people.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of azithromycin on GE and gastric motility in healthy cats in comparison with erythromycin (positive control) and placebo.

Gastric Motility Disorders in Dogs and Cats.

Gastric motility disorders present both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and likely are under-recognized in small animal practice. This review includes a comparative overview of etiopathogenesis and clinical presentation of gastric motility disorders, suggests a practical approach to the diagnosis of these conditions, and provides an update on methods to evaluate gastric motor function. Furthermore, management of gastric dysmotility is discussed, including a review of the documented effect of gastric prokinetics.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Dogs.

In people, fecal microbiota transplantation is recognized as the best treatment modality for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection in people, and its value is currently investigated in the treatment of other diseases associated with an abnormal gut microbiome. In dogs, intestinal dysbiosis has been documented in many acute and chronic digestive diseases as well as in diseases of other organ systems. There are only few published studies evaluating the benefits of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in canine gastrointestinal disorders.

Effects of metronidazole on the fecal microbiome and metabolome in healthy dogs.

Background: Metronidazole has a substantial impact on the gut microbiome. However, the recovery of the microbiome after discontinuation of administration, and the metabolic consequences of such alterations have not been investigated to date.

Objectives: To describe the impact of 14-day metronidazole administration, alone or in combination with a hydrolyzed protein diet, on fecal microbiome, metabolome, bile acids (BAs), and lactate production, and on serum metabolome in healthy dogs.

Colorectal basidiobolomycosis in a dog.

A 7-year-old castrated male French Bulldog was examined for chronic large intestinal enteropathy. A colonic mass and thickened rectal mucosa were identified, and histopathologic examination of endoscopic biopsy specimens disclosed eosinophilic proctitis with large (5-20 μm), irregularly shaped, pauciseptate hyphae that were Gomori methenamine silver and periodic acid-Schiff positive. Amplification and sequencing of ribosomal DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues yielded a sequence with 97% identity to GenBank sequences for Basidiobolus ranarum.

Ultrasonographic assessment of the effect of metoclopramide, erythromycin, and exenatide on solid-phase gastric emptying in healthy cats.

Background: Available data on the effect of gastrointestinal motility-modifying drugs in cats are limited. Most recommendations for drug usage and dosage are based on collective clinical experience.

Objectives: To assess the effects of metoclopramide, erythromycin, and exenatide on gastric emptying (GE) and gastric motility in comparison to placebo.

Administration of a Synbiotic Containing Does Not Significantly Alter Fecal Microbiota Richness or Diversity in Dogs With and Without Food-Responsive Chronic Enteropathy.

Canine chronic enteropathies (CE) are a group of intestinal diseases that can be categorized based on treatment response into diet- or food- responsive enteropathy (FRD), antibiotic-responsive enteropathy, steroid-responsive enteropathy, and non-responsive enteropathy. CE can often be associated with intestinal dysbiosis and thus administration of probiotic or synbiotic products may provide a useful tool for the management of some of these patients. (EF) is a probiotic strain included in a commercially available synbiotic for small animals, however its impact on the microbial communities in dogs with FRD has not yet been evaluated.

THE EFFECTS OF FOOD INTAKE AND ITS FAT COMPOSITION ON INTESTINAL ECHOGENICITY IN HEALTHY DOGS.

Dogs presenting for ultrasonography due to suspected gastrointestinal disease might have residual ingesta and this could have an affect on the appearance of intestinal mucosa unrelated to pathology. The purpose of this prospective descriptive study was to determine effects of a recent meal consisting of the recommended daily fat content (meal 1) and a higher fat one (meal 2) on mucosal echogenicity in healthy dogs. Sixty client-owned and clinically healthy dogs were recruited.

Commentary on key aspects of fecal microbiota transplantation in small animal practice.

The gastrointestinal tract of dogs, cats, and other mammals including humans harbors millions of beneficial microorganisms that regulate and maintain health. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure involving the administration of a fecal infusion from a healthy individual (donor) to a patient with disease to help improve health. Despite the effectiveness of FMT to treat intestinal disorders in humans, in particular recurrent infection, there is a paucity of scientific data regarding the application of FMT in veterinary patients.

Sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction associated with postgrooming furunculosis in a dog.

Background: Postgrooming furunculosis, as previously described in the dog, is a type of pyoderma that typically responds to routine antimicrobial therapy. Systemic clinical signs are common but are usually mild.

Animal: A 3-year-old spayed female great dane was presented with marked dorsal furunculosis of 24 h duration.

CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASONOGRAPHY OF THE PANCREAS IN HEALTHY DOGS AND IN DOGS WITH ACUTE PANCREATITIS.

Pancreatitis is the most frequent disease affecting the exocrine pancreas in dogs and reliable diagnostic techniques for predicting fatal complications are lacking. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) improves detection of tissue perfusion as well as organ lesion vascular pattern. Objectives of this prospective case control study were to compare perfusion characteristics and enhancement patterns of the pancreas in healthy dogs and dogs with pancreatitis using CEUS.

Perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies in dogs infected with various vector-borne pathogens and in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (pANCA) in dogs with confirmed or suspected immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) or dogs infected with various vector-borne pathogens, including Rickettsia rickettsii, Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp berkhoffii, Ehrlichia canis, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leishmania infantum.

Animals: 55 dogs with confirmed or suspected IMHA, 140 dogs seroreactive for vector-borne pathogens, and 62 healthy dogs and dogs seronegative for vector-borne pathogens.

Procedures: Samples were allocated to subgroups on the basis of the health status of the dogs and the degree of seroreactivity against various vector-borne pathogens.

Chronic idiopathic large bowel diarrhea in the dog.

Chronic idiopathic large bowel diarrhea (CILBD) is a descriptive diagnosis reached by exclusion of the most common diseases associated with chronic large bowel diarrhea. The most important features of irritable bowel syndrome in people are reviewed. The authors report 19 new cases of CILBD that they compare with 37 cases from the literature.

Adverse food reactions in dogs and cats.

Adverse food reactions (AFR) are a common problem that may cause cutaneous and/or gastrointestinal signs in dogs and cats. They comprise food intolerance, food intoxication, and food allergy. Response to a dietary elimination trial and recurrence of signs during dietary provocation remain the centerpiece of diagnosis and management of dogs and cats with AFR.

Canine bronchoesophageal fistulas: case report and literature review.

A bronchoesophageal fistula (BEF) is defined as a communication between the esophagus and one or more bronchi. BEFs are commonly associated with esophageal diverticula, which are circumscribed outpouchings of the esophageal wall. This article presents the report of a case seen at Louisiana State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Clinics in 2006 and reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of esophageal diverticula and BEFs.

Variability associated with repeated measurements of gastrointestinal tract motility in dogs obtained by use of a wireless motility capsule system and scintigraphy.

Objective: To compare repeatability of measurements of gastrointestinal tract motility in healthy dogs obtained by use of a wireless motility capsule (WMC) and scintigraphy.

Animals: 6 healthy adult dogs (mean +/- SD body weight, 21.5 +/- 1.

Assessment of the relationship between body weight and gastrointestinal transit times measured by use of a wireless motility capsule system in dogs.

Objective: To assess the relationship between body weight and gastrointestinal transit times measured by use of a wireless motility capsule (WMC) system in healthy dogs.

Animals: 31 healthy adult dogs that weighed between 19.6 and 81.

Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB in dogs with chronic enteropathies.

Homeostasis in the intestinal microenvironment between the immune system and luminal antigens appears disturbed in chronic enteropathies. Pro-inflammatory cytokines likely play a role in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation. Several inflammatory and immunoregulatory genes have associated nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) binding sites, which allow NF-kappaB to regulate gene transcription.