Association between quantitative bacterial culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and antibiotic requirement in dogs with lower respiratory tract signs.

Background: Historically, positive bacterial cultures from the lower respiratory tract (LRT) have been considered clinically relevant when quantitative bacterial cultures of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were >1700 colony forming units (cfu)/mL. However, this threshold might not accurately predict a requirement for antibiotics.

Objectives: To study whether quantitative BALF bacterial culture results were predictive of antibiotic requirement in dogs with LRT signs.

Diagnostic performance of predicted ionized calcium in dogs with total hypercalcemia and total hypocalcemia.

Background: Abnormal total calcium (tCa) values do not necessarily imply dysregulated ionized calcium.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of predicted ionized calcium (piCa) regarding true calcium status in dogs with abnormal tCa.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional multicenter study.

Evaluation of bronchial narrowing in coughing dogs with heart murmurs using computed tomography.

Background: The origin of cough in dogs with heart murmurs is controversial, because the cough could be primary cardiac (eg, pulmonary edema, bronchi compression by left-sided cardiomegaly) or respiratory (eg, bronchomalacia, other bronchial or bronchiolar disease, interstitial lung disease) in origin.

Hypothesis/objectives: To study the association between left atrium (LA) dilatation and cardiomegaly and bronchial narrowing in coughing dogs with heart murmurs using computed tomography (CT).

Animals: Twenty-one client-owned coughing dogs with heart murmurs and 14 historical control dogs.