Results of the veterinary enalapril trial to prove reduction in onset of heart failure in dogs chronically treated with enalapril alone for compensated, naturally occurring mitral valve insufficiency

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of long-term enalapril administration in delaying the onset of congestive heart failure (CHF). DESIGN: Placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter, randomized trial. ANIMALS: 124 dogs with compensated mitral valve regurgitation (MR). PROCEDURES: Dogs randomly assigned to receive enalapril or placebo were monitored for the primary endpoint of onset of CHF for < or = 58 months. Secondary endpoints included time from study entry to the combined endpoint of CHF-all-cause death; number of dogs free of CHF at 500, 1,000, and 1,500 days; and mean number of CHF-free days. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier estimates of the effect of enalapril on the primary endpoint did not reveal a significant treatment benefit. Chronic enalapril administration did have a significant benefit on the combined endpoint of CHF-all-cause death (benefit was 317 days [10.6 months]). Dogs receiving enalapril remained free of CHF for a significantly longer time than those receiving placebo and were significantly more likely to be free of CHF at day 500 and at study end. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Chronic enalapril treatment of dogs with naturally occurring, moderate to severe MR significantly delayed onset of CHF, compared with placebo, on the basis of number of CHF-free days, number of dogs free of CHF at days 500 and study end, and increased time to a combined secondary endpoint of CHF-all-cause death. Improvement in the primary endpoint, CHF-free survival, was not significant. Results suggest that enalapril modestly delays the onset of CHF in dogs with moderate to severe MR.     

Experimentally induced parainfluenza type 3 virus infection in young lambs: pathologic response

Pulmonary changes in five 1-week-old, colostrum-deprived lambs transtracheally inoculated with parainfluenza type 3 virus were studied by immunofluorescent, microscopic, and ultrastructural techniques. The lambs were killed at postinoculation days (PID) 3, 5, and 7. Immunofluorescence specific for parainfluenza type 3 virus was first seen in small airways and alveolar epithelium and later in the lumens of airways and alveoli and, to a lesser extent, in the interstitium of the lungs. Grossly, there were multifocal areas of consolidation in all lobes of the lungs. These areas were characterized microscopically by bronchiolitis and interstitial pneumonitis. The bronchiolitis involved the terminal airways and consisted of necrosis and sloughing of epithelial cells followed by hyperplasia of the epithelium. The interstitial lesion comprised extensive infiltration of alveolar septa and alveoli with macrophages and the necrosis of alveolar epithelium. This was followed by hyperplasia of the epithelium. Degenerated bronchiolar and alveolar epithelium contained numerous intracytoplasmic inclusions early in the infection, but such inclusions were not seen in the lambs killed at PID 7. The degenerated changes were also seen with the electron microscope, as were numerous inclusions of viral nucleoprotein and a few viral buds at PID 3 and 5. Viral inclusions and buds were seen in ciliated and nonciliated bronchial epithelial cells and type I and type II alveolar epithelial cells.     

Immunisation against ovine caseous lymphadenitis: comparison of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis vaccines with and without bacterial cells

Sheep were immunised with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis vaccines prepared from cell-free toxoid or from toxoid with formalin-killed cells of C pseudotuberculosis added. Resistance of sheep to infection was tested 6 months after immunisation by inoculation with caseous lymphadenitis pus. The outcome was assessed 3 months later by slaughter and inspection of the sheep for lesions of caseous lymphadenitis. immunised sheep were adequately protected against infection as shown by a significant reduction in the number of sheep exhibiting lesions compared with control sheep, and by fewer abscesses in affected vaccinated sheep than in affected control sheep. The protective potency of the vaccines was not improved by the inclusion of cells of C pseudotuberculosis.     

Prediction of first onset of congestive heart failure in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease: The PREDICT cohort study

ObjectiveTo identify risk factors for first-onset congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD).AnimalsEighty-two dogs with and without CHF secondary to DMVD were retrospectively assigned to a derivation cohort. Sixty-five dogs with asymptomatic DMVD were recruited into a prospective validation cohort.MethodsVariables associated with risk of CHF in dogs were identified in a derivation cohort and used to construct a predictive model, which was then prospectively tested through longitudinal examination of a validation cohort.ResultsLogistic regression analysis of the derivation cohort yielded a predictive model that included the left atrial to aortic root dimension ratio (LA:Ao) and plasma concentration of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). When this model was prospectively applied to the validation cohort, it correctly predicted first-onset of CHF in 69.2% of cases. Analysis of the validation cohort revealed that plasma NT-proBNP concentration and indexed left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVIDd:Ao) were independent risk factors for development of first-onset CHF in dogs with DMVD (NT-proBNP ≥1500 pmol/L, odds ratio (OR), 5.76, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37–24.28, P = 0.017; LVIDd:Ao ≥3, OR, 6.11, 95% CI, 1.09–34.05, P = 0.039).ConclusionsMeasures of left heart size and plasma NT-proBNP concentration independently estimate risk of first-onset of CHF in dogs with DMVD. These parameters can contribute to the management of dogs with DMVD.     

Eradication of ovine progressive pneumonia from sheep flocks

Two management methods for controlling ovine progressive pneumonia in sheep were evaluated. By a test and cull method, wherein seropositive sheep were culled from the flock, the causative virus was eradicated from a closed flock and controlled in an open flock. By an isolate-and-test method, wherein lambs were removed from infected ewes before nursing and reared in isolation, the virus was eradicated in 1 of 2 attempts to establish virus-free flocks. It was concluded that either method should be effective in controlling ovine progressive pneumonia. Results indicated that annual serologic monitoring of a virus-free flock would be necessary to ensure that the virus-free status is maintained.     

Familial subvalvular aortic stenosis in golden retrievers: inheritance and echocardiographic findings

Objectives : To describe the echocardiographic findings and pedigree analysis of golden retrievers with subvalvular aortic stenosis. Methods : Seventy‐three golden retrievers were evaluated by auscultation and echocardiography. A subcostal continuous‐wave Doppler aortic velocity ê2·5 m/s and presence of a left basilar systolic ejection murmur were required for diagnosis of subvalvular aortic stenosis. Three echocardiographic characteristics were recorded: evidence of aortic insufficiency, subvalvular ridge or left ventricular hypertrophy. A disease status score was calculated by totalling the number of echocardiographic ‐characteristics per subject. Results : Thirty‐two of 73 dogs were affected and their aortic velocities were as follows: range 2·5 to 6·8 m/s, median 3·4 m/s and standard deviation 1·2 m/s. Echocardiographic characteristics of 32 affected dogs were distributed as follows: left ventricular hypertrophy 12 of 32, aortic insufficiency 20 of 32 and subvalvular ridge 20 of 32. Disease status score ranged from 0 to 3 with a median of 2. There was a statistically significant correlation between aortic velocity and disease status score (r=0·644, P<0·0001). Subvalvular aortic stenosis was observed in multiple generations of several families and appears familial. Clinical Significance : Subvalvular aortic stenosis in the golden retriever is familial. Severity of stenosis correlates well with cumulative presence of echocardiographic characteristics (left ventricular hypertrophy, subvalvular ridge and aortic insufficiency).     

Ovine progressive pneumonia (maedi-visna) in sheep

Ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP) is a multi-systemic disease of sheep caused by a nononcogenic exogenous retrovirus belonging to the Lentiviridae subfamily. Characteristics of the disease are chronic lymphocytic pneumonitis, encephalitis, arthritis, mastitis and vasculitis associated with progressive wasting, dyspnea, lameness, indurated udder and, rarely, paralysis. Any one or all of the characteristics may be manifest. Transmission of the virus is predominantly through the colostrum to newborn lambs, however, transmission can occur by contact and in utero. Treatment of the disease is only symptomatic and prevention of infection is only by avoiding the virus.     

Clinical and microbiologic findings in lambs inoculated with Pasteurella haemolytica after infection with ovine adenovirus type 6

Colostrum-deprived lambs (10 to 20 days old) were inoculated with either ovine adenovirus type 6 (OAV-6; n = 6), Pasteurella haemolytica type A1 (n = 6), or OAV-6 followed by P haemolytica 5 days later (n = 10). Another group (n = 3) served as sham-inoculated controls. Lambs inoculated with OAV-6 or P haemolytica developed mild and moderate respiratory tract disease of 6 and 3 days' duration, respectively. Lambs inoculated with virus and bacteria developed clinical signs of respiratory tract disease of greater intensity and duration (9 days) than with either agent alone. Within 3 hours of bacterial inoculation, all lambs that received P haemolytica were anorectic, listless, and febrile, and had hyperpnea and dyspnea. Ovine adenovirus type 6 was isolated from all virus-inoculated lambs. Although P haemolytica was not recovered from all bacteria-inoculated lambs, it was recovered for a longer period in the group that received both agents. Antibody to OAV-6 was detected in virus-inoculated lambs as early as day 6 after inoculation. The control lambs remained clinically normal and neither virus nor bacteria were recovered at necropsy.     

Protection from parainfluenza-3 virus and persistence of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus in sheep vaccinated with a modified live IBR-PI-3 vaccine.

Ewes (N = 7) and their lambs (N = 12) were vaccinated with a commercial modified live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis-parainfluenza type 3 virus vaccine. Both the vaccinated ewes and lambs and a group of unvaccinated ewes (N = 8) and their lambs (N = 13) were subsequently challenged with virulent parainfluenza type 3 virus. Although absolute immunity to infection and clinical response was not conferred, the clinical response was less severe in vaccinated lambs. Vaccinated animals also shed parainfluenza type 3 virus in nasal secretions for a shorter time than nonvaccinated animals. Some vaccinated lambs developed a persistent infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus infection that was recrudesced by treatment with dexamethasone. It was concluded that vaccination was of benefit in reducing the severity of infection with parainfluenza type 3 virus. However, the inclusion of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus in a vaccine for sheep respiratory tract disease is highly questionable as it might increase the risk factor associated with vaccination. The consequences of the persistence of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus are now known.