Familial stomatocytosis--hypertrophic gastritis (FSHG), a newly recognised disease in the dog (Drentse patrijshond)

A newly recognised disease, which we have given the provisional name of familial stomatocytosis-hypertrophic gastritis (FSHG), is described in two families of dogs of the Drentse partrijshond breed. The affected dogs consisted of 3 females and 5 males, 3 to 19 (mean 9.5) months of age at admission. The main clinical problems were diarrhoea, icterus, and ataxia and paresis of the pelvic limbs. Laboratory evaluation revealed abnormal red cell shape (stomatocytosis), increased osmotic fragility, haemolytic anaemia, and increased liver enzymes and serum bilirubin. Gastroscopic and histopathologic examination of the gastric mucosa revealed hypertrophic gastritis resembling Ménétrier's disease in man. Histologic findings in the liver were suggestive of progressive liver disease. Cysts were found in the kidneys of the five oldest patients. Electroneurography in 2 dogs revealed polyneuropathy. In the parents of 2 patients (sister and brother), there were no clinical or laboratory abnormalities. An autosomal recessive hereditary defect of lipid metabolism is suspected.     

The histological appearance of peroral gastric biopsies in clinically healthy and vomiting dogs.

A survey of the histology of gastric biopsies in 501 dogs, consisting of 19 clinically healthy dogs and 482 vomiting dogs is presented. Whole stomachs of four young clinically healthy laboratory dogs were used as controls. Eleven percent of forceps biopsies were unsuitable for examination; all suction biopsies were of good quality. Slight to severe gastritis was found in 168 vomiting dogs (35%), whereas five dogs (26%) of the clinically healthy group showed a mainly slight gastritis. Superficial and diffuse gastritis were the most prominent findings in the 168 dogs with gastritis. A single type of gastritis was found in 114 dogs, a combination of different types in 54 dogs. Gastric atrophy was seen in 23 (5%) vomiting dogs and in three (15%) clinically healthy dogs, atrophy with a slight to severe fibrosis in 21 (4%) vomiting dogs, and in 84 (17%) vomiting dogs and two (11%) healthy dogs, gastric fibrosis was present. Carcinomas were seen in 26 vomiting dogs, of which 17 also had gastritis. A differential diagnosis of granulomatous gastritis/carcinoma had to be made in one case. Seven dogs showed a lymphosarcoma, and in six other dogs a differential diagnosis of lymphosarcoma and/or gastritis was made. One adenomatous polyp was seen. In one clinically healthy dog an adenomyoma was diagnosed. Ulceration was found in 24 dogs, but only five of these lacked other lesions. Other biopsy findings were pseudopyloric metaplasia, hyperplasia, cysts, calcification and edema. Some dogs showed "antralization".     

Comparison of three closure methods and two absorbable suture materials for closure of jejunal enterotomy incisions in healthy dogs

The macroscopic and histological appearance of jejunal antimesenteric incisions approximated with two different absorbable suture materials (monofilament versus multifilament) and three closure techniques (appositional single layer, crushing single layer, and double layer) were compared in healthy dogs at 14 or 28 days, postoperatively. No significant differences between the two suture materials were observed for most of the macroscopic or histological variables. However, the monofilament suture material caused significantly more fibrous tissue reaction in the muscular layer of the jejunum than did the multifilament suture material. Of the three enterotomy closure techniques used in this study, the appositional single-layer method proved to be the best. The double-layer closure method caused a significant decrease in the incisional circumference, the relative circumference, and volume of the jejunum, and a significant increase in jejunal wall thickness. Our findings suggest that canine jejunal enterotomy incisions can be closed using an appositional suture pattern with relatively rapidly absorbable monofilament suture material. The use of double-layer suture patterns for closure of jejunal enterotomy incisions should be avoided because the size of the intestinal lumen may be reduced.     

Gastric granulomatous cryptococcosis mimicking gastric carcinoma in a dog.

An ulcerated lesion resembling a tumour in the lesser curvature of the stomach of a 3-year-old male Dobermann pinscher was found to be caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. The dog had been vomiting for two months and had slight leucocytosis and anaemia. Biopsies of the ulcerated lesion revealed granulomatous inflammation and many cryptococci, which were particularly prominent in PAS and mucicarmine stained sections. No other lesions were found at necropsy.     

Surgery: Comparison of three closure methods and two absorbable suture materials for closure of jejunal enterotomy incisions in healthy dogs

Summary

The macroscopic and histological appearance of jejunal antimesenteric incisions approximated with two different absorbable suture materials (monofilament versus multifilament) and three closure techniques (appositional single layer, crushing single layer, and double layer) were compared in healthy dogs at 14 or 28 days, postoperatively. No significant differences between the two suture materials were observed for most of the macroscopic or histological variables. However, the monofilament suture material caused significantly more fibrous tissue reaction in the muscular layer of the jejunum than did the multifilament suture material. Of the three enterotomy closure techniques used in this study, the appositional single‐layer method proved to be the best. The double‐layer closure method caused a significant decrease in the incisional circumference, the relative circumference, and volume of the jejunum, and a significant increase in jejunal wall thickness. Our findings suggest that canine jejunal enterotomy incisions can be closed using an appositional suture pattern with relatively rapidly absorbable monofilament suture material. The use of double‐layer suture patterns for closure of jejunal enterotomy incisions should be avoided because the size of the intestinal lumen may be reduced.     

Reclassification of small intestinal and cecal smooth muscle tumors in 72 dogs: clinical, histologic, and immunohistochemical evaluation

Objectives— To reclassify canine small intestinal and cecal leiomyoma (LM) and leiomyosarcoma (LMS) into smooth muscle and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) using histologic and immunohistochemical (IH) analysis and to report clinical findings and survival data.
Study Design— Retrospective review of cases.
Animals— Dogs (n=47) with small intestinal (40 LMS; 7 LM) and 25 dogs with cecal tumors (23 LMS; 2 LM).
Methods— Clinical and survival data were reviewed. Tissue sections were reevaluated for light-microscopic malignancy criteria and examined for expression of SMA, desmin, vimentin, S-100, and CD117 (KIT) by immunohistochemistry.
Results— Reclassification resulted in 2 LM, 9 LMS, 19 GIST, and 17 GIST-like tumors in the small intestine and 23 GIST and 2 GIST-like tumors in the cecum. GIST-like tumors were morphologic and IH identical to GIST but lacked KIT expression. No significant difference in survival was observed for tumor type, location, histologic, or IH characteristics; however, dogs with cecal tumors were significantly older in age, presented more commonly with intestinal perforation and peritonitis, and less commonly with weight loss. Cecal tumors had more histologic malignancy criteria than small intestinal tumors. After excision, 1 and 2 year recurrence-free periods were 80.1% and 67.2% for small intestinal and 83.3% and 61.9% for cecal tumors.
Conclusion— Prognosis for intestinal tumors with histologic smooth muscle appearance is good after excision and not related to tumor type, location, histologic, or IH characteristics.
Clinical Relevance— Clinical importance could not be demonstrated for reclassification, but may be for future treatment, of intestinal smooth muscle or stromal tumors.     

A quantitative interpretation of the entry section of the EPPO decision‐support scheme for pest risk analysis

The development of methods to combine components of risk and their associated uncertainty in Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) has received attention in a number of recent European projects. Many of the risk components distinguished in the EPPO Decision‐support scheme (DSS) for PRA are usually difficult to quantify, but when there is detailed knowledge of the pest and pathway, quantification may be possible to a limited extent for the pest entry section of the scheme. The European Food Safety Authority has recently commissioned a project to investigate approaches to quantitative pathway analysis for pests of commodities entering and moving within the EU (QPA‐Food); a sister project concerns non‐food commodities. This paper illustrates the potential for a quantitative pathway model based closely on the Entry Section of the EPPO DSS for PRA, where existing quantitative definitions of rating categories have been used as a basis to estimate the proportion and number of infested lots on a pathway. Such quantification may provide additional insights without requiring substantial changes to the information elicited via the DSS.     

Follow-up studies by peroral gastric biopsies and necropsy in vomiting dogs.

The results of follow-up studies in 139 vomiting dogs are presented. Follow-up studies were performed by biopsies in 34 dogs, by biopsies and necropsy in six dogs and by necropsy only in 99 dogs. The times between the first and the last series of biopsies varied from three to 1042 days and from one to 656 days between the first series of biopsies and necropsy. From the 55 dogs with gastritis in the first series of biopsies, 35 also showed gastritis in the following biopsies or at necropsy. These were mainly severe types of gastritis such as diffuse, hypertrophic or atrophic. Ten dogs with superficial gastritis showed no gastric changes at necropsy, two dogs had edema only and three dogs had gastric changes other than gastritis, such as multiple polyps. In general, carcinoma and lymphosarcoma were found in the biopsies as well as at necropsy, but in three cases of terminal carcinoma only gastritis had been diagnosed initially. In 35 dogs the first series of gastric biopsies showed no pathological changes, but in 22 of these dogs gastritis, ulceration, fibrosis, atrophy, gastric dilation with local necrosis, and perforation or lymphosarcoma of the submucosa were found in the second series of biopsies or at necropsy. Several dogs which did not have gastric changes at necropsy had enteritis or intestinal lymphosarcoma.