Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy and surgery as a treatment for anal furunculosis

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of combining preoperative immunosuppressive therapy with surgical excision for treatment of anal furunculosis (AF) in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=25) with stages 1-4 AF. METHODS: Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy was either cyclosporine A (CyA) alone or in combination with ketoconazole (Group 1; n=18), or azathioprine combined with prednisolone (Group 2; n=7). Surgical excision of residual draining tracts, cryptectomy, and anal sacculectomy were performed. Only dogs with postoperative clinical follow-up exceeding 9 months were retained for the study. RESULTS: Both immunosuppressive protocols were effective in reducing progression of AF. Subsequent draining tracts excision, cryptectomy, and anal sacculectomy were bilateral (12 dogs) or unilateral (13 dogs of which 4 had bilateral anal sacculectomy). Postoperative recovery was uneventful, except for 2 dogs that had wound breakdown. Recurrence was not observed in any of the dogs that had bilateral surgical excision and or in 9 dogs that had unilateral excision. CONCLUSION: Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy, combined with bilateral surgical resection of affected tissue consistently, resulted in resolution of AF. Four dogs that had recurrence had unilateral excision despite initial bilateral involvement, suggesting that all diseased tissue should be excised. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These preliminary results suggest that immunosuppressive therapy before surgical excision for AF yields minimizes recurrence in dogs.     

Sperm chromatin condensation as an in vivo fertility biomarker in bulls:a flow cytometry approach

Background:Genetic selection in cattle has been directed to increase milk production.This,coupled to the fact that the vast majority of bovine artificial inseminations(AI)are performed using cryopreserved sperm,have led to a reduction of fertility rates over the years.Thus,seeking sensitive and specific sperm biomarkers able to predict fertility rates is of vital importance to improve cattle reproductive efficiency.In humans,sperm chromatin condensation evaluated through chromomycin A3(CMA3)has recently been purported to be a powerful biomarker for sperm functional status and male infertility.The objectives of the present study were:a)to set up a flow cytometry method for simultaneously evaluating chromatin condensation and sperm viability,and b)to test whether this parameter could be used as a predictor of in vivo fertility in bulls.The study included pools of three independent cryopreserved ejaculates per bull from 25 Holstein males.Reproductive outcomes of each sire were determined by non-return rates,which were used to classify bulls into two groups(highly fertile and subfertile).Results:Chromatin condensation status of bovine sperm was evaluated through the combination of CMA3 and Yo-Pro-1 staining and flow cytometry.Sperm quality parameters(morphology,viability,total and progressive motility)were also assessed.Pearson correlation coefficients and ROC curves were calculated to assess their capacity to predict in vivo fertility.Sperm morphology,viability and total motility presented an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.54,0.64 and 0.68,respectively(P>0.05),and thus were not able to discriminate between fertile and subfertile individuals.Alternatively,while the percentage of progressively motile sperm showed a significant predictive value,with an AUC of 0.73(P=0.05),CMA3/Yo-Pro-1 staining even depicted superior results for the prediction of in vivo fertility in bulls.Specifically,the percentage of viable sperm with poor chromatin condensation showed better accuracy and precision to predict in vivo fertility,with an AUC of 0.78(P=0.02).Conclusions:Chromatin condensation evaluated through CMA3/Yo-Pro-1 and flow cytometry is defined here as a more powerful tool than conventional sperm parameters to predict bull in vivo fertility,with a potential ability to maximising the efficiency of dairy breeding industry.     

Progressive myelopathy due to a spontaneous intramedullary hematoma in a dog: pre- and postoperative clinical and magnetic resonance imaging follow-up

A 4-year-old, male Jack Russell terrier was presented for a 6-month history of progressive right hemiparesis with episodic cervical hyperesthesia. The neurological examination showed a right-sided, upper motoneuron syndrome and partial Horner's syndrome. Two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were performed 3 months apart and revealed a persistent cervical intramedullary hematoma. A dorsal myelotomy was performed. A subacute hematoma was confirmed histologically without underlying lesions. Eighteen months later, the dog's clinical signs were minimal. Two MRI examinations were performed 2 weeks and 5 months after surgery and revealed regressing signal abnormalities at the surgical site, consistent with a surgical scar.     

Effects of roughage type on particle separation,rumination, fiber mat characteristics,in situ degradation,and ruminal fermentation parameters in beef steers

Six ruminally cannulated steers (average BW = 791 ± 71 kg) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square experiment to determine the effects of roughage type on rumination, fiber mat characteristics, and rumen fermentation variables. Three roughages were included at 7% (DM basis) in a steam flaked corn-based diet: cotton burrs (CB), wheat silage (WS), or corn stalks (CS). Steers were fitted with a sensory collar to record rumination behaviors in 2-h intervals at the beginning of the experiment. Each 30-d period consisted of 7 d of recovery, 14 d of diet adaptation, 7 d of rumination data collection (daily and bi-hourly average rumination), 1 d of rumen fluid collection, and 1 d of rumen evacuations. In situ degradation of individual roughages was determined for 4 d after period 3 evacuations. During rumen evacuations, ruminal contents were removed; the rumen fiber mat (RF) was separated from the liquid portion with a 2-mm sieve, weighed, and a subsample was dried. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with steer as the experimental unit and roughage (CB, WS, and CS) as the main effect. Dry matter intake (DMI) was not different for CB and WS (P = 0.25) and greatest for steers consuming CS diet (P ≤ 0.01). Roughage type did not influence the weight of the RF dry matter (%; DM; P = 0.92), RF weight (P = 0.69), or RF:DMI ratio (P = 0.29). Daily rumination (min/d) did not differ among roughages (P = 0.40), but min of rumination/kg of DMI was greatest for CS (18.0 min), min/kg of NDF was greatest for WS (89.8 min; P = 0.02), and min/kg of peNDF was greatest for CS (132.4 min; P ≤ 0.01). Wheat silage had the greatest percentage of soluble and degradable DM. Rumen fiber mat did not differ for roughages, although rumination min/kg of DMI and peNDF was greatest for steers consuming CS and WS. In situ degradation determined that CB-R and CS-R had the greatest percentage of ruminal undegraded DM. Based on the objective of the experiment, roughage type did not influence daily rumination or fiber mat characteristics.     

Blood-to-saliva glucose time lag in sedated healthy dogs

The management of diabetes mellitus mandates measurement of blood glucose. Saliva offers an alternative to blood sampling, but measurement of the salivary glucose concentration is difficult, and the blood-to-saliva glucose time lag is uncertain. We aimed to determine the serum–saliva glucose time lag in the saliva of healthy dogs. The combined duct of the mandibular and sublingual salivary glands of 6 dogs was cannulated to collect saliva and prevent glucose degradation by oral bacteria. Following a 0.25 g/kg IV bolus of dextrose, paired serum–saliva samples were collected at baseline and in twelve 5-min blocks over 60 min. Serum and salivary glucose levels were analyzed with a linear mixed model for repeated measures with a compound symmetry error structure. Mean (±SD) saliva production was 10.3 ± 2.9 µL/kg/min, and the area under the curve (AUC_glucose)_saliva/serum ratio was 0.006, which highlights the magnitude of the large difference in glucose concentration between the 2 compartments. The serum–saliva glucose time lag was 30–40 min.     

The immune responses to antigenic variants of Babesia bigemina in the bovine.

Four Babesia bigemina stabilates were used to determine the immune response of cattle to acute and chronic blood- and tick-borne infections. Thirty-two intact calves were divided into 16 groups of two and each calf was inoculated with infective B bigemina erythrocytic stabilates. Twenty-eight days later they were challanged with homologous and heterologous stabilates, and monitored for an additional 20 days. The hosts' apparently reduced response to homologous challenge but marked immune response to heterologous challenge indicated antigenic differences between the isolates and confirmed the conclusions reached by examination of the serological data.