Prolonged storage reduces viability of and core intestinal bacteria in fecal microbiota transplantation preparations for dogs.

Introduction: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been described useful as an adjunct treatment for chronic enteropathy in dogs. Different protocols can be used to prepare and store FMT preparations, however, the effect of these methods on microbial viability is unknown. We aimed (1) to assess the viability of several core intestinal bacterial species by qPCR and (2) to assess () viability through culture to further characterize bacterial viability in different protocols for FMT preparations.

Harnessing the microbiome: probiotics, antibiotics and their role in canine and feline gastrointestinal disease.

Unfavourable alterations of the host microbial environment, known as dysbiosis, have been identified in many canine and feline gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. As a result, normalisation of microbial composition and function has become an important therapeutic target. Given the complex and individualistic interplay between the resident microbiota, host and environment, a multimodal approach is often necessary when addressing dysbiosis in dogs and cats with GI disease.

Pharmacodynamics of 2 dosages of orally administered esomeprazole in client-owned, healthy dogs: A prospective, crossover study.

Background: Esomeprazole use is increasing in dogs, but the gastrointestinal adverse events associated with q12h dosing necessitate pharmacodynamic evaluation of a reduced dose and frequency of administration.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of 2 doses of (q24h) esomeprazole in raising intragastric pH in dogs.

Animals: Nine healthy, client-owned dogs, >20 kg.

Dysbiosis index and fecal concentrations of sterols, long-chain fatty acids and unconjugated bile acids in dogs with inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy.

Introduction: Canine protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is a syndrome characterized by gastrointestinal loss of proteins. While fecal microbiome and metabolome perturbations have been reported in dogs with chronic enteropathy, they have not been widely studied in dogs with PLE. Therefore, the study aims were to investigate gut microbiome and targeted fecal metabolites in dogs with inflammatory PLE (iPLE) and evaluate whether treatment affects these changes at short-term follow-up.

From theory to therapy: a One Health approach guides current and future acid suppressant use in veterinary medicine.

Acid-suppressant drugs (ASDs) have revolutionized the treatment of acid-related disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux and gastrointestinal ulceration in both human and veterinary species. However, continued advancement in this field is dependent on a shared understanding of both human and veterinary research as well as an appreciation for species similarities and differences. In this Currents in One Health article, we will compare the efficacy of and indications for ASDs in humans and small animals, noting species differences and knowledge gaps when applicable.

Dog and owner demographics impact dietary choices in Dog Aging Project cohort.

Objective: To describe the demographic factors of owners and their dogs associated with owner feeding choices and the regularity with which those diets were fed to a US-based population of dogs.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis examined 40,367 initial survey responses from US dog owners participating in the Dog Aging Project. The surveys were collected from January 2, 2020, to December 31, 2022, and included primary and secondary diet component types and dog and owner demographic variables.

pH-independent effects of acid suppressants in dogs and cats: a One Health perspective and case for further investigation.

Our understanding of the use of acid-suppressant drugs (ASDs) in companion animals is largely centered around the treatment of acid-related disorders including gastroesophageal reflux and gastrointestinal ulceration. The companion article by Grady et al, JAVMA, October 2024, summarizes our current knowledge of the efficacy of and indications for ASDs for the treatment of acid-related disorders. Far less is understood about both the benefits of and potential for adverse effects of ASDs outside of the parietal cell including those directed toward inflammation and immunomodulation, tumorigenesis, fibrosis, and oxidative stress.

Secondary Brown Carbon Aerosol Resists Bleaching by Ozone under Acidic Conditions.

Light-absorbing organic aerosol (brown carbon, BrC) can affect Earth's radiative balance. However, owing to uncertainties in BrC sources, composition, and lifetime, the radiative impact of BrC is poorly constrained. In particular, the effects of heterogeneous oxidation and the influence of aerosol pH on the lifetime and light absorption properties of BrC are not well established.

Use of octreotide for the treatment of protein-losing enteropathy in dogs: Retrospective study of 18 cases.

Background: More than 50% of dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) fail to respond to standard therapies. Octreotide, a somatostatin analogue, is used in cases of intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL) in humans with some success.

Objectives: Describe the use of octreotide in dogs with PLE including reason for and details of prescription, adverse effects, and apparent response.

The use of metronidazole in acute diarrhea in dogs: a narrative review.

Acute diarrhea is a common reason for non-wellness veterinary visits in dogs. Treatment for acute diarrhea usually consists of supportive care with nutritional intervention, fluid therapy, anthelmintics, and often an antibiotic - commonly metronidazole in North America. The empirical use of metronidazole for acute diarrhea in dogs has been a common practice in veterinary medicine for many decades; however, recent studies evaluating its use suggest it may be inappropriately utilized in many cases.

Gastric pH and serum gastrin concentration in age-matched healthy dogs and dogs with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Gastric hyperacidity and hypergastrinemia are purported to cause gastric ulceration in dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, no published studies have evaluated gastric pH with serum gastrin concentrations in dogs with CKD.

Hypothesis: To compare mean intragastric pH, mean percent pH distribution, and serum gastrin concentrations in dogs with CKD to age-matched, healthy dogs. We hypothesized there would be no difference in mean gastric pH or serum gastrin between groups.

Effect of esomeprazole with and without a probiotic on fecal dysbiosis, intestinal inflammation, and fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations in healthy dogs.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors can cause diarrhea and a transient increase in fecal dysbiosis index in dogs. It is unknown if concurrent probiotic administration mitigates these effects.

Objective/hypothesis: To assess the fecal Canine Microbial Dysbiosis Index (CMDI), fecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA), and fecal calprotectin concentrations in dogs administered esomeprazole with and without a probiotic.

Viscoelasticity and advective flow of RNA underlies nucleolar form and function.

The nucleolus is the largest biomolecular condensate and facilitates transcription, processing, and assembly of ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Although nucleolar function is thought to require multiphase liquid-like properties, nucleolar fluidity and its connection to the highly coordinated transport and biogenesis of ribosomal subunits are poorly understood. Here, we use quantitative imaging, mathematical modeling, and pulse-chase nucleotide labeling to examine nucleolar material properties and rRNA dynamics.

Teaching argument writing in math class: challenges and solutions to improve the performance of 4th and 5th graders with disabilities.

Incorporating argument writing as a learning activity has been found to increase students' mathematics performance. However, teachers report receiving little to no preservice or inservice preparation to use writing to support students' learning. This is especially concerning for special education teachers who provide highly specialized mathematics instruction (i.

Assessment of gastrointestinal health in racing Alaskan sled dogs using capsule endoscopy and inflammatory cytokines.

Objectives: Exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome occurs in dogs and people and might compromise athlete performance by increasing intestinal permeability and causing gastrointestinal erosions. Racing sled dogs often receive acid suppressant prophylaxis which decreases the incidence of gastric erosions induced by exercise. The objectives were to quantify intestinal injury by measuring serum pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations before and after exercise and to evaluate gastrointestinal mucosa using video capsule endoscopy after exercise.

Double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial of prophylactic omeprazole in dogs treated surgically for acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors are administered prophylactically in dogs treated surgically for acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion (TL-IVDE). However, their efficacy in decreasing gastrointestinal (GI) complications is unknown.

Hypothesis: Omeprazole does not decrease the frequency of GI complications compared to placebo in dogs treated surgically for acute TL-IVDE.

Carbohydrate vitrification in aerosolized saliva is associated with the humidity-dependent infectious potential of airborne coronavirus.

An accepted murine analogue for the environmental behavior of human SARS coronaviruses was aerosolized in microdroplets of its culture media and saliva to observe the decay of its airborne infectious potential under relative humidity (RH) conditions relevant to conditioned indoor air. Contained in a dark, 10 m chamber maintained at 22°C, murine hepatitis virus (MHV) was entrained in artificial saliva particles that were aerosolized in size distributions that mimic SARS-CoV-2 virus expelled from infected humans' respiration. As judged by quantitative PCR, more than 95% of the airborne MHV aerosolized was recovered from microdroplets with mean aerodynamic diameters between 0.

Clinical utility of an immunoglobulin A-based serological panel for the diagnosis of chronic enteropathy in dogs.

Background: A panel of IgA-based serologic assays might aid in the diagnosis of chronic enteropathy (CE) in dogs, a syndrome encompassing conditions such as food-responsive enteropathy, immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy, and inflammatory bowel disease (also referred to as chronic inflammatory enteropathy). However, it is unclear whether these biomarkers discriminate between CE and other types of primary intestinal disorders.

Objectives: To evaluate a diagnostic panel that measures serum concentrations of IgA directed against OmpC (ACA), canine calprotectin (ACNA), and gliadin-derived peptides (AGA) in dogs with well-characterized intestinal diseases.

Esomeprazole induces structural changes and apoptosis and alters function of in vitro canine neoplastic mast cells.

Histamine-2 receptor antagonists such as famotidine and proton pump inhibitors such as esomeprazole are commonly used in canine MCT disease, but direct effects on dog MCs have not been evaluated. Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor which has been demonstrated to cause structural and functional changes to in vitro murine mast cells (MCs). It has not yet been determined if esomeprazole, the commercially available and commonly prescribed S-isomer of omeprazole, has similar effects.

Gastrointestinal transit time is faster in Beagle dogs compared to cats.

Objective: To characterize gastrointestinal transit times (GITTs) and pH in dogs, and to compare to data recently described for cats.

Animals: 7 healthy, colony-housed Beagles.

Procedures: The GITTs and pH were measured using a continuous pH monitoring system.

Development and evaluation of a survey instrument to assess veterinary medical record suitability for multi-center research studies.

Here we describe the development and evaluation of a survey instrument to assess the research suitability of veterinary electronic medical records (EMRs) through the conduct of two studies as part of the Dog Aging Project (DAP). In study 1, four reviewers used the instrument to score a total of 218 records in an overlapping matrix of pairs to assess inter-rater agreement with respect to appropriate format (qualification), identification match (verification), and record quality. Based upon the moderate inter-rater agreement with respect to verification and the relatively large number of records that were incorrectly rejected the instrument was modified and more specific instructions were provided.

Demographic factors associated with joint supplement use in dogs from the Dog Aging Project.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent age-related chronic conditions that afflict companion dogs, and multiple joint supplements are available to prevent or treat OA, though the efficacy of these treatments is controversial. While the demographic factors that are associated with OA diagnosis are well established, the factors that are associated with joint supplement use are not as well studied. Using data collected from the Dog Aging Project, we analyzed owner survey responses regarding joint supplement administration and OA diagnosis for 26,951 adult dogs.

Evaluation of proton pump inhibitor administration in hospitalized dogs in a tertiary referral hospital.

Background: Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly administered to hospitalized dogs, prescribing patterns and appropriateness of use require continued investigation.

Hypothesis/objective: Describe prescription patterns and appropriateness of use associated with PPIs in hospitalized dogs at a single tertiary care facility. We hypothesized that the majority of prescriptions would not comply with current guidelines for the rational use of acid suppressants.