Retrospective evaluation of sildenafil citrate as a therapy for pulmonary hypertension in dogs

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) is a pathologic condition in dogs characterized by abnormally high pressures in the pulmonary circulation and has been associated with a poor outcome. Sildenafil is a type V phosphodiesterase inhibitor that produces nitric oxide mediated vasodilatation. Sildenafil treatment decreases pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance in people with PH. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of dogs with PH treated with sildenafil. The cardiology database was searched for dogs with PH treated with sildenafil. PH was defined as systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (PAPs) > or = 25 mmHg at rest. Medical records were reviewed for the following information: signalment, duration and type of clinical signs before treatment, underlying disease, estimated or measured PAPs, dosage and dosing interval of sildenafil, and the effect of treatment on clinical signs and pulmonary arterial pressure and survival time. Thirteen affected dogs were identified. Clinical signs included collapse, syncope, respiratory distress, and cough. Duration of clinical signs before presentation ranged from 3 days to 5 months. An underlying cause was identified in 8 dogs. The median sildenafil dosage was 1.9 mg/kg. Ten dogs received concurrent medications. Median PAPs was 90 mmHg; 8 dogs were reevaluated after therapy, and the median decrease in PAPs was 16.5 mmHg. The median survival time of all dogs was 91 days. Sildenafil appeared to be well tolerated in dogs with PH and was associated with decreased PAPs and amelioration of clinical signs in most. Sildenafil represents a reasonable treatment option for dogs with pulmonary hypertension.     

Diagnosis and successful treatment of Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii in a domestic ferret

A domestic ferret was presented for episodic regurgitation. Cytologic examination and culture of an enlarged submandibular lymph node revealed Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii (serotype A). The ferret was successfully treated with itraconazole. This is the first documented case of Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii in a ferret in the United States.     

URETERAL FIBROEPITHELIAL POLYPS IN FOUR DOGS

Four dogs with ureteral fibroepithelial polyps, ranging from 9-12 years of age, are presented in this report. The patients presented with urinary incontinence, urinary tract infection, and/or polydypsia and pollakiuria. All dogs were intact at the time of diagnosis or for the majority of their lives and three were male. Various diagnostic procedures were performed including ultrasonography, contrast radiography, and nuclear scintigraphy. Not all procedures were performed in all patients. Findings included ureteral dilation proximal to the level of an intraluminal mass and ipsilateral hydronephrosis. Unilateral ureteronephrectomy was performed in three dogs with masses in the proximal ureter; ureteral resection and anastamosis was performed in the remaining patient with a mass located in the distal ureter. The same pathologist (RAP) reviewed all four lesions. The lesions appeared polypoid and were attached to the ureteral wall by a thin stalk. Histopathologically, they contained a superficial layer of well-differentiated transitional epithelial cells overlying a prominent fibrovascular stroma with a mild (three dogs) or marked (one dog) degree of lymphoplasmacytic inflammation. This disease may represent a benign neoplasm or a chronic inflammatory reaction and has a good prognosis with surgical removal. Its histopathological characteristics, higher incidence in males, and location more commonly within the upper third of the ureter is remarkably similar to the disease in humans.     

Thoracolumbar lateral corpectomy for treatment of chronic disk herniation: technique description and use in 15 dogs

OBJECTIVE: To describe a technique for thoracolumbar lateral corpectomy and to evaluate its use for treatment of chronic thoracolumbar disk disease in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Fifteen dogs with signs of chronic thoracolumbar disk herniation. METHODS: After a dorsal or lateral approach to the spine, a lateral slot was created in 2 adjacent vertebral bodies on either side of the herniated disk and extruded/protruded material was removed. Data collected included history, duration of clinical signs, presurgical assessment of neurologic status, postsurgical neurologic status, complications, and outcome. RESULTS: Ambulatory capacity was maintained or regained, and neurologic status improved by 1 grade (3 dogs), 2 grades (8), 3 grades (2), or 4 grades (2). Eleven dogs were considered free of disease. A seroma in 1 dog was the sole complication observed. CONCLUSIONS: Lateral corpectomy permits relatively easy removal of protruded-extruded disk material from within the vertebral canal in chronic disk disease without further iatrogenic injury to the spinal cord. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Lateral corpectomy is an alternative to dorsal decompression for treatment of ventral and lateroventral thoracolumbar chronic disk disease in dogs.     

Somatostatin receptor imaging in vivo by planar scintigraphy facilitates the diagnosis of canine insulinomas

Somatostatin receptors expressed by insulinomas in 5 dogs were imaged in vivo by means of indium in 111 pentetreotide (OctreoScan) scintigraphy. The diagnosis in each dog was supported by the presence of hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL), hyperinsulinemia (>20 microU/mL), and histopathologic review of neoplastic tissue. All insulinomas expressed high-affinity somatostatin receptors of subtype sst2, as shown by receptor autoradiography in vitro using 125I-[tyrosine3]-octreotide and 125I-[leucine8, Dtryptophan22, tyrosine25]-somatostatin-28 with an sst2 subtype-selective analogue. Scintigrams were obtained at 1, 4, 12, and 24 hours after the i.v. administration of 74-222 MBq of OctreoScan to each patient. Abnormal foci of activity were 1st observed from 1 hour after administration of the radioligand in dog 3, to 24 hours after its administration in dog 4; in dogs 1 and 2, abnormal foci of activity were visible from 12 hours. Dog 5 showed a questionable abnormal focus of activity at 12 hours, but not at 24 hours. Scintigraphy enabled accurate prediction of the anatomical location of the primary tumor in 1 of 4 dogs, but was unable to differentiate a right- from a left-pancreatic lobe tumor, or vice versa, in 3 dogs; the 5th dog had equivocal results. 111In-pentetreotide scintigraphy is a useful diagnostic adjunct to the clinical evaluation of the insulinoma patient, but is unable to localize the tumor in some cases.     

Intra- and interlaboratory variability of allergen-specific IgE levels in atopic dogs in three different laboratories using the Fc-ɛ receptor testing

The IgE specific Fc-? receptor test is widely used for serological evaluation of allergic canine patients. Aim of the study was to evaluate intra- and interlaboratory variability in three independent laboratories. Duplicate serum aliquots from 15 atopic dogs were submitted simultaneously to 3 laboratories (LA, LB, LC), which subsequently performed the test in a blinded fashion. LA and LC analysed sera for 35 allergens and expressed the results as optical density units (OD), while LB analysed 15 allergens and provided reaction grades (RG). Results were compared with three factorial ANOVA. Intralaboratory variability was evaluated by calculating the dispersion factor for data of LA and LC and standard deviation (SD) for LB. Correlation coefficients (r) were used to evaluate interlaboratory variability. Depending on the allergens, intralaboratory dispersion factor for LA and LC varied from 1.15 to 6.63 and 1.19 to 6.17, respectively. In LB the SD varied between 0 and 0.6 RG. Regarding interlaboratory variability, correlation of OD values between LA and LC was excellent (r > 0.8, p < 0.001) for 13 of 35 allergens. There was a significant difference in OD results for 9 allergens. The results were significantly correlated (r > 0.8, p < 0.001) for all except 3 allergens (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, mixed grasses, nettle). As far as negative/positive results were concerned, intralaboratory differences were 3.14% and interlaboratory differences were 4.76%.     

Dairy science and health in the tropics: challenges and opportunities for the next decades

In the next two decades, the world population will increase significantly; the majority in the developing countries located in the tropics of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. To feed such a population, it is necessary to increase the availability of food, particularly high-value animal protein foods produced locally, namely meat and dairy products. Dairy production in tropical regions has a lot of growth potential, but also poses a series of problems, particularly as dairy production systems were developed in temperate countries and in most cases are difficult to implement in the tropics. Drawbacks include hot weather and heat stress, the lack of availability of adequate feeds, poor infrastructure, and cold chain and the competition with cheap imports from temperate countries. This position paper reviews the major drawbacks in dairy production for the five major dairy species: cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goat, and camel, as well as the future trends in research and development. It also concerns the major trends in reproduction and production systems and health issues as well as environmental concerns, particularly those related to greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical Animal Health and Production now launches a topical collection on Tropical Dairy Science. We aim to publish interesting and significant papers in tropical dairy science. On behalf of the editorial board of the Tropical Animal Health and Production, we would like to invite all authors working in this field to submit their works on this topic to this topical collection in our journal.

     

A case of chronic wasting disease in an elk imported to Korea from Canada

A seven-year-old male elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) was euthanized and necropsied after having a 3-week history of body weight loss, emaciation, excessive salivation, teeth grinding, fever, anorexia, and respiratory distress. The elk was imported into Korea from Canada on March 9, 1997. Gross pathologic findings were restricted to a diffuse fibrinous pneumonia. Microscopic lesions included mild neuronal vacuolation and spongiform change in the neuropil of selected brain stem nuclei and generalized astrocytosis. Immunohistochemistry for protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(res)) was positive in all brain sections but more pronounced in the section of the obex of the medulla. And the PrP(res) was also detected by western immunoblotting in the brain and spinal cord. All the remaining elk and deer that had been in contact with this elk were destroyed and negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD). To our knowledge, this is the first case of CWD occurring outside of the U.S.A. and Canada.     

Effects of two training curricula on basic laparoscopic skills and surgical performance among veterinarians

Objective-To compare laparoscopic skills among veterinarians before and after undertaking 1 of 2 programs of simulation training. Design-Evaluation study. Sample Population-17 veterinarians at 1 institution. Procedures-Basic skills were tested by use of the McGill inanimate system for training and evaluation of laparoscopic skills (MISTELS). Surgical performance was assessed through an objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS). Both tests were performed prior to and after a 12-session training program, consisting of MISTELS exercises (curriculum A) or a variety of exercises (curriculum B). Results-Curriculum B led to improvement of scores obtained with both the MISTELS and the OSATS. Curriculum A did not result in higher scores obtained with the MISTELS, compared with curriculum B. Curriculum A did not lead to an improvement of scores obtained with the OSATS. Participant-perceived value of the training program was correlated positively with the improvement of scores for MISTELS suturing tasks and scores obtained with the OSATS. Time spent in clinical laparoscopic surgery and curriculum B training were both positively correlated with the post-training OSATS scores but not with post-training MISTELS scores. Conversely, simulation training time correlated with an increase in MISTELS scores but not OSATS scores. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-MISTELS training resulted in significant improvement of basic laparoscopic skills but not in the assessment used for surgical performance. This may have been due to the small number of study participants, the assessment tool, or the method of training. A varied curriculum may be advantageous when training veterinarians for clinical laparoscopic practice.