Salmonellosis in dogs with lymphosarcoma

In 6 dogs with multicentric lymphosarcoma, salmonellosis developed shortly after the start of anticancer chemotherapy. Three of the dogs died. Signs of illness in those that died were vomiting, diarrhea, neutropenia, anorexia, and fever, usually within 3 days of the start of chemotherapy.     

Chemotherapeutic responses in dogs with lymphosarcoma and hypercalcemia

Twelve dogs with lymphosarcoma and hypercalcemia were treated over a period of 36 months. Signs and laboratory findings were referable to hypercalcemia and azotemia. All dogs were staged, classified histologically, and given cytoreductive chemotherapy, using 5 drugs (vincristine sulfate, cytosine arabinoside, cyclophosphamide, L-asparaginase and prednisone). For azotemia, symptomatic therapy (0.9% NaCl solution and furosemide) was given. Seven dogs responded completely, with marked reduction of lymphadenopathy and return of serum calcium concentration to normal. Median duration of remission in this group was 48 days (range, 14 to 93), and median survival time was 112 days (range, 85 to 153). Five nonresponding dogs had less than 50% reduction in measurable tumor mass, although serum calcium concentration returned to normal. The median survival time for this group was 34 days (range, 23 to 68). Two of the nonresponders died from sepsis and another from disseminated intravascular coagulation. Response to therapy did not appear to be influenced by age, breed, sex, initial calcium concentration, degree of azotemia, or histologic classification.     

Uric acid and phosphorus excretion in dogs with lymphosarcoma

Serum uric acid and phosphorus concentrations were determined for 27 dogs with multicentric lymphosarcoma before and after chemotherapy. Mean serum uric acid values in dogs before treatment were significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than those of a control group of healthy dogs. Serum uric acid values did not change after treatment. Of the 27 dogs, 13 had 24-hour urine collections to determine endogenous creatinine clearance and quantitation of uric acid and phosphorus excretion before and after treatment for lymphosarcoma. Mean values for 24-hour creatinine clearance before and after treatment were statistically similar in dogs with lymphosarcoma, although the values were lower than those in a normal range. Total urinary phosphorus excretions were increased significantly (P less than 0.01) after treatment without change in fractional excretion. Chemotherapeutic agents used accounted for the significant (P less than 0.05) increase in urine volume after treatment and may have affected the excretion of uric acid and phosphorus. Seemingly, dogs with uncomplicated lymphosarcoma rarely have renal dysfunction or clinically important alterations in uric acid or phosphorus excretion secondary to rapid tumor lysis. However, preexisting renal disease or systemic complications, such as hypercalcemia, may be associated with increased risk of further renal impairment during treatment.     

Renal microcirculatory and correlated histologic changes associated with dirofilariasis in dogs

Nine 7-month-old Beagle dogs were inoculated with 200 third-stage larvae of Dirofilaria immitis. The development of cardiac disease secondary to heartworm infection was confirmed by thoracic radiography, echocardiography, and angiography with blood pressure measurements. The only indication of renal disease was mild-to-moderate proteinuria. The dogs were euthanatized approximately 18 months after inoculation. The mean microfilarial count in blood at the time of euthanasia was 88,700/ml, with a mean of 89 adult heartworms in the vena cavae, heart, and pulmonary arteries. The kidneys were perfused for microangiographic and correlative histologic examination of the intrarenal microvasculature and associated renal morphologic features. Angiograms of whole kidneys from 6 dogs revealed attenuation or truncation of the major renal vessels. Microangiograms of all kidney slices revealed attenuation in the microangiographic appearance of the glomerular capillaries. Histologic examination of all kidney slices revealed mild-to-intense, diffuse, chronic interstitial nephritis and generalized membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Microfilariae were observed within the glomerular capillaries and the medullary vessels. The microangiographic changes correlated with and were explained in part by the histologic changes in the renal parenchyma.     

Immunodeficiency associated with lymphosarcoma in a horse.

Immune system dysfunction and immunoglobulin deficiency was diagnosed in a 2-year-old horse with disseminated lymphosarcoma. Prolonged (35 days) parenteral nutrition was delivered to support the horse during a period in which immune function studies could be performed. Correction of nutritional compromise by use of parenteral nutrition did not correct the immunoglobulin deficiency, and results of lymphocyte phenotype testing did not indicate abnormal proportions of leukocytes. Lymphoblast transformation studies were suggestive of a circulating immunosuppressive factor in the horse's serum. Normal cell function was detected when the cells were stimulated in precolostral equine serum.     

Peripheral neuropathy associated with lymphosarcoma in a dog

A case of peripheral neuropathy associated with lymphosarcoma in a dog is described. A 6-year-old flat-coated Retriever male was presented with urinary incontinence and lameness of the right hind leg. Five days after hospitalization the dog developed a right-sided facial paralysis. The dog was destroyed 3 weeks after admittance. The post-mortem examination revealed lymphosarcoma in the stomach and a peripheral neuropathy mainly affecting the femoral and facial nerves. The possible connection between the lymphosarcoma and the peripheral neuropathy is discussed.     

Canine lymphosarcoma and hypercalcaemia: clinical, laboratory and pathologic evaluation of twenty-four cases

Twenty-four dogs with lymphosarcoma and hypercalcaemia were studied clinically, haematologically and biochemically. There was no age or breed predilection, although the St Bernard dog appeared to be over-represented. Male dogs were more frequently affected (62 per cent) than female dogs. Anorexia, weight loss, muscular weakness, depression, polydipsia, polyuria, and bilateral peripheral lymphadenopathy were the most frequently observed clinical signs and physical findings. Hypercalcaemia, creatinaemia, azotaemia, hypercalciuria, hyposthenuria, and decreased endogenous creatinine clearance were the most frequent laboratory abnormalities. Detailed gross and histopathologic examinations of 10 dogs revealed the multicentric anatomic form of lymphosarcoma, absence of skeletal metastases, and normal parathyroid glands. The dogs were clinically staged, and ten were histologically classified. Histologic staging revealed five diffuse histiocytic lymphomas, and five diffuse lymphocytic poorly differentiated lymphomas.     

Renal involvement in dogs with babesiosis

Proteinuria, and renal tubular casts and epithelial cells in urine sediment, are commonly observed in both complicated and uncomplicated babesiosis, but do not necessarily reflect or predict renal failure. This study investigated the presence and degree of renal damage in canine babesiosis. Renal function and integrity were evaluated using serum urea and creatinine, serum electrolytes (sodium and potassium), fractional clearance of sodium (FcNa) and potassium (FcK), urine enzyme activity of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase, urine protein:creatinine ratio, and urinalysis. One control group (n = 10) and 3 groups of babesiosis cases were studied: mild uncomplicated (n = 10), severe uncomplicated (n = 11), and complicated (n = 9). All babesiosis groups showed well-concentrated urine. Mean serum urea was elevated in the severe and complicated groups, and was significantly different from the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for creatinine, although the complicated group had a mean value above the normal reference range. Hypokalaemia was uncommon in all the groups. Hyperkalaemia was present in only 2 dogs in the complicated group. Marginal hyponatraemia was present in a minority of dogs in all groups. The serum electrolytes were not significantly different between groups. There was no overall elevation, nor any statistically significant difference in both the FcNa and FcK between the groups. Only 1 dog, in the complicated group, showed marked enzymuria. Proteinuria was a common finding and was significantly different between the severe and complicated groups and the control group. Some dogs in all groups had renal tubular epithelial cells in the urinary sediment, which increased in severity from the mild to the complicated groups and was significantly different from the control group. This study demonstrated that minimal renal damage occurs more often in canine babesiosis than significant damage or acute renal failure.     

Malabsorption in the horse associated with alimentary lymphosarcoma.

Three horses suffering from malabsorption were shown to have alimentary lymphosarcoma predominantly affecting the small intestine and the associated lymph nodes. The diffuse cellular infiltration in two of the case produced marked changes in the villous architecture reducing the available mucosal surface area, and, with lowered or barely detectable disaccharidase activities, contributed to the impairment of digestive-absorptive processes. One of the horses maintained a voracious appetite and was not diarrhoeic, but failed to gain weight, indicating differences in the production and utilisation of energy sources absorbed from the small and the large intestines. A large proportion of plasma cells in the infiltrate, and the resulting morphological changes in two of the cases bore a striking resemblance to features of alpha chain disease, an immunodeficiency disease of man, although immunological studies were not conducted on these horses.     

Renal dysfunction in dogs with pyometra

Renal function and pathologic changes in 27 dogs with pyometra were studied. Evaluation included CBC; serum biochemical evaluation; urinalysis; urine and uterine bacteriologic culture; uterine morphologic features; and light, electron, and immunofluorescent microscopic evaluation of renal tissues. Measurements of 24-hour creatinine clearance, protein excretion, Na excretion, and urine volume were made in 12 dogs without azotemia. Of 27 dogs, 26% were azotemic and 89% had a urine sp gr less than 1.035. Glomerular filtration rate was reduced in 75% of 12 dogs without azotemia. None of these 12 dogs was proteinuric. Examination of renal biopsy specimens revealed a high prevalence of mild tubulointerstitial nephritis, but few specific glomerular lesions. Minimal immunofluorescence was detected within the mesangium in 18% of the dogs. Immunofluorescence was not associated with the interstitium or tubules. Urinary tract infection was detected in 22% of the dogs. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella were recovered from the uterus in 59 and 15% of the dogs, respectively. Low urine specific gravity values were obtained from dogs without azotemia and from dogs with uterine cultures considered negative for E coli and other gram-negative bacteria. The reduction in glomerular filtration rate was a functional abnormality not correlated with structural damage in the glomerulus.     

Hypercalcaemia and soft tissue mineralisation associated with lymphosarcoma in two horses

Two horses with deposits of lymphosarcoma, one in the spleen, the other in the mediastinum, several lymph nodes and kidneys, lost weight rapidly and became depressed and weak. They were hypercalcaemic and post mortem examination revealed extensive calcification of the heart and major vessels. There was no evidence of bone marrow metastases in the one horse whose marrow was examined, and the thyroid and parathyroid glands of both horses were grossly normal.     

Renal functional relationships in dogs with glomerulopathies

Glomerular filtration rate, effective renal plasma flow, and filtration fraction were determined by measuring plasma disappearance of [14C] inulin and [3H]tetraethylammonium bromide after a single IV bolus injection was given to 8 dogs with membranous nephropathy, renal glomerulosclerosis, or renal amyloidosis. Glomerular filtration rate was decreased in the 8 dogs. Effective renal plasma flow was within reference values in 1 dog, increased in 1 dog, and decreased in 6 dogs. Filtration fraction was within reference values in 2 dogs and decreased in 6 dogs. The glomerular filtration rate also was estimated by the endogenous creatinine clearance technique and was decreased in the 8 dogs with glomerulopathies.     

Alteration of ventricular function on echocardiography associated with intra-pericardial disorder in dogs

Two dogs with severe exercise intolerance (Cases 1 and 2) and another dog with cardiac dilation (Case 3) were referred to the Nihon University Animal Medical Center (ANMEC). Case 1 was diagnosed as pericardial effusion (PE), Case 2 as pericardial hemorrhage, and Case 3 as pericardiophrenic hernia. When these causative disorders were removed, the heart expanded, and clinical symptoms markedly improved in these three dogs. In particular, the cardiac chamber diameters and left ventricle fractional shortening (LVFS) was normalized in all 3 dogs postoperatively. There is only one case report that compares before effusion extractions in the pericardial sac with the after echocardiography findings. In this paper, echocardiography was conducted on the three endocardial disease cases, comparing before removing these causative disorders with the findings after echocardiography.     

Diagnosis and treatment of chylothorax associated with lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma in four cats

Chylothorax was diagnosed in 4 cats with lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma. Clinical findings included dyspnea, muffled heart sounds, and noncompressibility of the cranial portion of the thorax. All cats had high pleural fluid triglyceride concentration. Lymphosarcoma was diagnosed by cytologic evaluation of pleural fluid in 3 cats and by histologic evaluation of a cranial cervical lymph node in 1 cat. Two cats were euthanatized prior to any treatment, and the other 2 cats were managed by thoracic drainage, chemotherapy, and/or irradiation.