Clinical aspects of middle ear tympanokeratoma in dogs diagnosed through advanced imaging, otoendoscopy and histopathological evaluation.

Background: Canine aural cholesteatoma (more appropriately named tympanokeratoma) is an epidermoid cyst whose aetiopathogenesis remains poorly recognised in veterinary medicine. There are a few reports published, possibly because it may be underdiagnosed.

Objectives: To characterise the clinical aspects of dogs with tympanokeratoma, to describe the otoendoscopic, advanced imaging and histopathological findings of tympanokeratoma and to report the best approach to diagnose canine auricular tympanokeratoma in a retrospective study.

Oclacitinib therapy in two cats with refractory proliferative and necrotising otitis externa.

Feline proliferative and necrotising otitis externa (PNOE) is a rare immune-mediated condition, usually self-limiting or responsive to immunosuppressants such as topical tacrolimus. This case report describes two cats with refractory PNOE that responded successfully to oclacitinib. One cat also had middle ear involvement and the other cat had extra-auricular dermatitis.

Middle ear cholesteatoma in two cats diagnosed with the aid of video-otoscopy.

Case Series Summary: The present report describes middle ear cholesteatoma in two cats and also the use of video-otoscopy and flushing to assist with the diagnosis. CT and video-otoscopic examination and flushing were performed in two cats, a 13-year-old mixed breed spayed female cat and a 1-year-old mixed breed male cat, with middle ear cholesteatomas. During the procedure, keratinous material from the middle ears was collected for histopathological evaluation, demonstrating findings consistent with cholesteatoma, and the middle ears were flushed extensively.

Pathology in Practice.

In collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Hostage to history - questioning the duration of systemic antimicrobial therapy for the treatment of canine superficial bacterial folliculitis.

Current guidelines for the use of systemic antimicrobials for the treatment of superficial bacterial folliculitis in dogs include the recommendation that the disease be treated for a minimum of 3 weeks and for at least 1 week beyond clinical resolution. With increasing antimicrobial resistance being noted for bacteria involved in this condition, as well as the increased use of evidence-based medicine, this dogma needs to be reevaluated.

Validation of the 0-10 verbal numeric scale for assessment of pruritus severity in dogs.

Background: The pruritus Visual Analog Scale (pVAS) is currently the only validated tool for assessing canine pruritus. A verbal numeric scale (VNS) offers an alternative if clients are not present or able to complete the pVAS.

Hypothesis/objective: To validate the 0-10 VNS and evaluate its interchangeability with the pVAS.

Patulous Eustachian tube and palatine defect in a Dachshund with chronic unilateral otitis externa and otitis media.

Background: Patulous Eustachian tube (pET) is a rare dysfunction of the Eustachian tube described in humans. It is characterized by failure of the ET to close, resulting in unrestricted passage of air, sound and material between the nasopharynx and the middle ear.

Objective: To report a case of pET associated with otitis in a dog.

Dermal arteritis of the nasal philtrum: a retrospective study of 23 dogs.

Background: Dermal arteritis of the nasal philtrum (DANP) is a cutaneous vascular condition that selectively targets large vessels of the nasal philtrum of dogs; little information is published about this disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to report the signalment, clinical signs, treatment options and outcome of dogs with DANP, and to propose a rationale for the clinical diagnosis.

Animals: Twenty-three dogs from four referral veterinary clinics from January 2002 to July 2018.

Canine Pruritus Visual Analog Scale: how does it capture owners' perception of their pet's itching level?

Background: Accurate measurement of pruritus severity is difficult in veterinary medicine.

Objectives: To determine how the changes in Pruritus Visual Analog Scale (PVAS) scores at follow-up visits agree with the owners' perceptions of improvement of their pet's pruritus.

Animals: One hundred and ninety two pruritic dogs were included in the prospective study and 196 in the retrospective study.

Comparison of demographic data, disease severity and response to treatment, between dogs with atopic dermatitis and atopic-like dermatitis: a retrospective study.

Background: Limited information is available describing the features of canine atopic-like dermatitis (ALD) compared with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objectives: To compare demographic data, disease severity and response to therapy between ALD and AD dogs.

Animals: Two hundred and fifty-three atopic dogs with intradermal and serum allergen-specific IgE test results were selected retrospectively.

Probable cutaneous adverse drug reaction to piroxicam in a cat.

Case Summary: A 9-year-old male neutered Devon Rex cat presented with bilaterally symmetrical ulcerative lesions with mucopurulent exudate that developed rapidly. The lesions were apparent on the axillae, ventral abdomen and inguinal areas. The cat was systemically well.

Subcutaneous administration of ciclosporin in 11 allergic cats - a pilot open-label uncontrolled clinical trial.

Background: Oral ciclosporin has been reported to be efficacious for feline inflammatory skin diseases; however, cats are often difficult to medicate orally.

Hypothesis/objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of subcutaneous ciclosporin administered to cats with allergic skin disease.

Animals: Eleven client-owned cats with nonseasonal clinical signs.

Can immunosuppressive therapy facilitate the diagnosis and affect the clinical signs of canine scabies? A retrospective study of 79 cases.

Background: Scabies infestation is one of the most pruritic dermatoses of dogs. It is often misdiagnosed and dogs are treated with immunomodulatory drugs (IMD) to relieve pruritus.

Hypothesis/objectives: The primary goals of this study were to determine the impact of IMD on skin scraping results, pruritus level and extent of skin lesions, and to evaluate whether disease duration is associated with positive skin scrapings and contagion.

Papillomavirus-associated diseases.

This article reviews various aspects of 3 clinical disorders associated with papillomavirus in horses commonly known as classical viral papillomatosis, genital papillomas/papillomatosis, and aural plaques. Classical papillomatosis is usually asymptomatic and spontaneously resolves within 1 to 9 months; therefore, treatment is often not required. Genital papillomas/papillomatosis have not been reported to spontaneously resolve, and there is increasing evidence that genital papillomas may evolve to in situ or invasive squamous cell carcinomas.

Gene transcription abnormalities in canine atopic dermatitis and related human eosinophilic allergic diseases.

Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is clinically similar to human AD, implicating it as a useful model of human eosinophilic allergic disease. To identify cutaneous gene transcription changes in relatively early inflammation of canine AD, microarrays were used to monitor transcription in normal skin (n=13) and in acute lesional AD (ALAD) and nearby visibly nonlesional AD (NLAD) skin (n=13) from dogs. Scanning the putative abnormally transcribed genes, several potentially relevant genes, some abnormally transcribed in both NLAD and ALAD (e.

Frequency of urinary tract infection in dogs with inflammatory skin disorders treated with ciclosporin alone or in combination with glucocorticoid therapy: a retrospective study.

Background: Few studies have investigated the frequency of urinary tract infection (UTI) in dogs receiving long-term ciclosporin therapy.

Hypothesis/objectives: The goal of the study was to investigate the frequency of UTI in dogs receiving ciclosporin with or without glucocorticoids. A secondary goal was to determine whether bacteriuria, pyuria and urine specific gravity were good predictors of UTI, and if ciclosporin dose, concurrent ketoconazole therapy, sex or duration of therapy affected the frequency of UTI.

The efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream (Aldara® in the treatment of aural plaque in horses: a pilot open-label clinical trial.

Aural plaques affect at least 22% of horses and can be asymptomatic or cause ear sensitivity. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopy studies have shown a strong association between aural plaques and papilloma virus. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream, an immune response modifier with potent antiviral activity, in the treatment of equine aural plaques.

Investigation of the pruritogenic effects of histamine, serotonin, tryptase, substance P and interleukin-2 in healthy dogs.

There are numerous studies of the pruritus-producing effects of histamine, serotonin, tryptase, substance P and interleukin-2 in humans and mice, but very little reported in dogs even though a common reason dogs are presented to veterinarians is pruritus. The aim of this study was to determine whether substances known to cause pruritus in humans also cause pruritus in dogs. Twenty-five clinically healthy research beagle dogs were included in the study.