Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid specific gravity

The specific gravity of 71 CSF samples from clinically normal dogs ranged from 1.004 to 1.006, with a mean of 1.005. A 3-year retrospective study of CSF samples obtained from 124 animals suspected of having neurologic disease revealed only 30 samples (24.2%) having a specific gravity greater than 1.006. Diagnostic or prognostic value from CSF specific gravity determination was not recognized.     

Effects of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol on disuse osteoporosis in the dog: a histomorphometric study.

Disuse osteoporosis was produced in dogs by immobilization of the left rear limb in a plaster cast. The trabecular bone volume of the calcaneus was then determined following treatment with 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol for 4 weeks with oral dosages of 60 to 240 ng/kg of body weight. The trabecular bone volume percentage of the immobilized calcaneus was in direct relation to the dosage of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol.     

Natural remission of nephrotic syndrome in a dog with immune-complex glomerular disease.

A nephrotic syndrome caused by immune-complex glomerular disease was diagnosed in a 4-year-old male Great Dane. The syndrome was characterized by proteinuria, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, and subcutaneous edema. Renal biopsy revealed segmental membranous glomerular disease. The edema underwent complete remission 18 days after admission. Two months after admission, there was no clinical or laboratory evidence of glomerular disease. Periodic reevaluation of the dog during the next 2 years revealed recurrence of proteinuria, but no other clinical or laboratory abnormalities. Serial renal biopsies revealed persistence, but no appreciable increase, in the severity of the segmental membranous glomerular disease. The natural course of the nephrotic syndrome and immune-complex glomerular disease has been associated with unpredictable variability. It was concluded that the widespread use of corticosteroid or immunosuppressant therapy in dogs with immune complex glomerular disease should be withheld until the natural course of the disease has been evaluated in a significant number of patients and until the results of well-controlled clinical studies confirm or deny their therapeutic value.     

A comparison of polychromasia and reticulocyte counts in assessing erythrocytic regenerative response in the cat.

Three staining techniques were evaluated for use in assessing the erythrocytic regenerative responses in the cat. Using new methylene blue as a vital stain, the aggregate reticulocyte count closely corresponded to the reticulocyte count on air-dried smears stained with new methylene blue and to the polychromatophilic erythrocyte count on Wright's stained smears.