Idiopathic telangiectasia in a Golden Retriever

A case report of a 12-year-old spayed female Golden Retriever with a 4-month history of persistent diffuse erythema involving the right and left antebrachia is presented. Cutaneous biopsies revealed superficial dermal vascular dilation and proliferation with moderate epidermal acanthosis. Diagnostic tests failed to reveal an underlying aetiology. Telangiectasia is defined as a permanent dilation of pre-existing blood vessels creating small focal lesions. Generalized essential telangiectasia of humans is common in women of middle-age and can involve entire segments of the body. Lesions predominantly affect the extremities and can persist for years without any systemic effects. The cutaneous lesions in this case have remained static for 3 years with no manifestation of systemic signs. A diagnosis of idiopathic telangiectasia was made based on the clinical and histological findings in the dog of this report. The lesions described in this dog resemble generalized essential telangiectasia of humans.     

The use of fluoroquinolones in veterinary dermatology

The fluoroquinolones are a group of antibiotics with considerable application for use in veterinary dermatology. They are rapidly bactericidal against a wide variety of clinically important organisms including Staphylococcus intermedius and gram-negative enteric bacilli by virtue of interference with the supercoiling of bacterial chromosomal material. Their favourable pharmacokinetic features make them applicable in many animal species, and in a range of dose formulations. The only major clinical contraindication is that fluoroquinolones should not be given to young, rapidly growing dogs as they can induce a noninflammatory, erosive arthropathy. For many years the only veterinary-labelled fluoroquinolone available was enrofloxacin. The selection of a fluoroquinolone has become more complex now that there are more choices available. Orbifloxacin, difloxacin and marbofloxacin now join enrofloxacin on the veterinary market, although not all of these are licensed in every country. The use of fluoroquinolones in dermatology remains controversial. The authors recommend that fluoroquinolones be considered in circumstances where canine pyoderma has been refractory to appropriate 'first line' antibiotics. They are most useful in the management of recurrent pyoderma and in chronic, deep pyoderma with extensive scar tissue. In addition, fluouroquinolones frequently are the drugs of choice for canine ear infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.