Prostate cancer in dogs: comparative and clinical aspects

The canine prostate gland shares many morphological and functional similarities with the human prostate and dogs are the only other large mammals that commonly develop spontaneous prostate cancer. However, the incidence of prostate cancer is much lower in dogs and the precise cell of origin is not known. Dogs with prostate cancer usually present with advanced disease that does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy. Similar to humans, affected dogs often develop osteoblastic bone metastases in the pelvis and/or lumbar spine with associated pain and neurological deficits. Other clinical signs include weight loss, lethargy, and abnormal urination and/or defecation. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation have been used to treat dogs with prostate cancer, but success has been limited by the location and aggressive nature of the disease. It is evident that better methods of early detection and more effective therapies are needed for prostate cancer in dogs and advanced prostate carcinoma in men. Dogs with naturally-occurring prostate cancer are relevant models for the disease in humans and pre-clinical studies of new diagnostics and therapies in dogs may benefit both humans and dogs with prostate cancer.     

Neuromuscular disease in dogs: some aspects of its investigation and diagnosis

The techniques used in clinical investigation of muscle disease are discussed with particular reference to the use of EMG and muscle biopsy. Cryostat sections of muscle are used for rapid diagnosis but their main function is for the performance of investigative enzyme histochemistry. A brief review of the commoner diseases of muscle is presented, the material being obtained principally from the Veterinary Surgery Department at Glasgow. These diseases include neurogenic disorders, muscular dystrophy and various inflammatory diseases. It is suggested that a large number of myopathies occur in dogs which will be revealed by further studies. Examples of these are myopathies in association with malignancies. It is emphasized that for an accurate and complete investigation clinical, biochemical, electrical and pathological studies must be performed on the cases presented. Résumé. Les techniques employées dans l'investigation clinique des maladies musculaires sont traitées particulièrement en référence avec L'utilisation de l'électromyogramme et de la biopsie musculaire. Les coupes microscopiques cryostatiques du muscle permettent d'établir un rapide diagnostique, mais leur fonction principale réside dans la recherche histochimique sur les enzymes. Les maladies musculaires les plus communes sont rapidement passées en revue, les matériaux provenant en majeure partie du Département de Chirurgie Vétérinaire de Glasgow. Ces maladies comprennent les troubles neurogènes, l'atrophie musculaire et diverses troubles inflammatoires. Il est suggéré que, chez les chiens, se trouve un grand nombre de myopathies qui pourront ětre révélées par des études plus approfondies. Pour que l'investigation soit exacte et complète, il est absolument indispensable de procéder à la fois aux études biologique clinique, électrique et pathologique dans chacun des cas présentés. Zusammenfassung. Die Techniken, die man in klinischer Erforschung von Muskelerkrankung anwendet, sind diskustert mit besonderem Hinweis auf den Gebrauch von EMG und Muskelbiop-sie. Kryostat Sektionen von Muskeln werden fur schnelle Diagnosen gebraucht, aber ihre Haupt-funktion ist fur die Ausfuhrung von erforschender Enzym-Histochemie. Ein kurzer Uberlick von allgemeinen Muskelkrankheiten wird dargelegt, das Material erhielt man hauptsǎchlich von der Veterinaren Chirurgie Abteilung in Glasgow. Dièse Krankheiten schliessen nervursprùngliche Stǒrungen, Muskelschwund und verschiedene Entziindungskrankheiten ein. Es wird angedeutet, dass eine gross Anzahl von Muskelleiden in Hunden vorkommt, welche sich durch weitere Studien zeigen werden. Beispiele von diesen sind Muskelleiden in Verbindung mit Malignitàten. Man mǒchte besonders betonen, dass fiir eine genaue und komplette Erforschung klinisch biochemische, elektrische und pathologische Studien von Fall zu Fall ausgefiihrt werden mǔssen.     

Leptospirosis in dogs: a review with emphasis on clinical aspects

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease affecting several mammalian species, including human beings. In dogs, it is spread mainly by rodents that act as a maintenance host for several Leptospira serovars. Until recently, the most common signs observed in affected dogs consisted of icterus and haemorrhagic diathesis, but today the most prevalent clinical signs are attributed to acute renal failure. The current literature gives a good review of leptospirosis in dogs in the USA and Canada, but less information is available about its occurrence in Europe. This review considers the clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this emerging zoonotic disease.     

Black hair follicular dysplasia, an autosomal recessive condition in dogs.

Using histology, a coat color abnormality and the subsequent hair loss were diagnosed as black hair follicular dysplasia. A pedigree analysis of an affected litter and literature review suggests that this is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor gene is ruled out by using linkage analysis.     

Docking of dogs: practical and ethical aspects.

Next month, the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons will discuss the docking of dogs' tails, with a view to deciding whether docking for non-therapeutic purposes should be considered as prima-facie evidence of disgraceful professional conduct. Here, Professor David Morton considers the arguments for and against tail docking, and the ethical issues involved.     

Dog bite wounds in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 196 cases

The age, type, etc., time of injury, body areas injured, treatment modalities and mortality rates were reviewed in 185 dogs and 11 cats that were bitten by dogs. Male dogs were more frequently bitten than females, and small dogs (< or = 10 kg) were not only the most common victims but also were more likely to suffer multiple injuries. Mortality occurred only in cases with thoracic or abdominal injuries. Exploratory thoracotomy, performed in some of the cases presented with penetrating thoracic injury, did not prove to alter prognosis. Cats are not as frequently bitten as dogs, and are often younger than the mean age of cats in the overall hospital population.     

Progressive axonopathy: an inherited neuropathy of Boxer dogs. 1. Further studies of the clinical and electrophysiological features

The clinical and electrophysiological findings in 14 Boxer dogs with progressive axonopathy (PA) are described. The salient clinical features are hind-limb ataxia which may later involve forelegs, proprioceptive defects, hypotonia, patellar areflexia, absence of muscle atrophy and, in a few instances, ocular tremor and head bobbing. The outward signs are often observed by 2–3 months of age but clinical testing can reveal patellar areflexia at 1 month of age. After an initial progression, the signs may stabilize and dogs are alive at 4 years of age having shown no deterioration over the previous 2 years. The electrophysiology shows reduced motor nerve conduction velocities and evoked potential amplitudes after about 4 months of age. The F-wave latency is considerably increased. Sensory nerves also show a marked reduction in the amplitude of their evoked potentials and eventually cease to conduct. Abnormal spontaneous activity is not a feature on electromyography. The conduction defects probably reflect to some degree the reduced nerve fibre diameters and myelin sheath changes found in PA although other factors may also be operating. The study shows that PA can be diagnosed with reasonable confidence by routine clinical testing at an early age.     

Hexamitiasis and an emaciation syndrome in pheasant poults: clinical aspects and differential diagnosis

Clinical hexamitiasis was recorded in pheasant poults between six and 12 weeks old, after placing the birds into release pens, and was characterised by reduced appetite, lethargy and emaciation. Post mortem the carcases were dehydrated. The presence in the lumen of the gut of characteristic motile organisms which could often be found several hours after death, provided a good clinical diagnosis. An emaciation syndrome, clinically similar but not associated with hexamitiasis or other pathogens also occurs in poults. It is characterised by extreme emaciation, largely confined to the pectoral muscles, and dehydration although the birds continue to eat and drink; the cause is unknown. Both hexamitiasis and the emaciation syndrome can cause high morbidity and mortality.     

Improvement in clinical condition and thymus morphologic features associated with growth hormone treatment of immunodeficient dwarf dogs

Immunodeficient dwarfism in Weimaraner dogs was characterized by failure to grow, emaciation, growth hormone (GH) deficiency, decreased lymphocyte blastogenic responsiveness to mitogens, lack of thymus cortex, and recurrent infections usually resulting in death. Affected pups did not respond to conventional supportive therapy, but did respond to treatment with thymosin fraction 5. Response to therapy with bovine GH was monitored by clinical observation, histopathologic examination of thymic biopsy material, lymphocyte blastogenic responsiveness to nonspecific mitogens, and radioimmunoassay of thymosin alpha 1 concentration in the serum. Growth hormone therapy (0.1 mg/kg of body weight/dose, 14 doses) during a 1-month period in 2 immunodeficient dwarf pups resulted in clinical improvement and a marked increase in the thickness and cellularity of the cortex of the thymus. Immunodeficient dwarf pups were not deficient in serum thymosin alpha 1 before GH therapy. Growth hormone therapy was not associated with a consistent increase in serum thymosin alpha 1 concentration or lymphocyte blastogenic responsiveness to mitogens.     

Thromboembolic therapies in dogs and cats: an evidence-based approach.

In veterinary medicine, we are forced to make use of less than ideal "evidence," such as extrapolation from experimental studies in dogs and cats without naturally occurring diseases and from clinical trials in other species (particularly human clinical trials), as well as limited information gained from veterinary clinical experience, small clinical trials, case studies, and anecdotal reports. In this article, specific treatment recommendations are made for each of the common thromboembolic conditions seen in dogs and cats. These recommendations are made with the important caveat that, to date, such suggested therapeutic approaches are based on limited evidence.     

Thunderstorm phobia in dogs: an Internet survey of 69 cases.

To learn more about predispositions for, signs, and progression of canine thunderstorm phobia, a survey for owners was posted on the Internet. Questions addressed signalment, age of onset, behavior during storms, and treatments tried. Sixty-nine responses were received. Herding dogs and herding crossbreeds accounted for the majority of dogs. Seventeen of 41 dogs with a known age of onset began exhibiting thunderstorm phobia <1 year of age. Various characteristic responses of dogs to storms were described. Improved knowledge of the demographics of thunderstorm phobia, its development, and presentation will assist in understanding the genesis and progression of the condition.