Retrospective evaluation of the etiology and clinical characteristics of peripheral edema in dogs.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and clinical characteristics of different etiologies of peripheral edema in dogs are unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of different etiologies of peripheral edema, describe clinical characteristics that vary among etiologies, and report survival times. ANIMALS: Five hundred twenty-seven dogs with peripheral edema. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review. Differences in clinical variables among etiology groups were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis testing with post hoc pairwise Dunn's testing and Chi-square testing with Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS: The most common etiologies of peripheral edema in dogs were vasculitis (n = 193, 37%), lymphatic/venous obstruction (LVO; 114, 22%), and hypoalbuminemia (94, 18%). Right-sided congestive heart failure (R-CHF) was uncommon (25, 5%). Edema was localized in 377 (72%) dogs and generalized in 142 (27%) dogs, and hypoalbuminemia was more likely to cause generalized edema compared to LVO or vasculitis (P < .0001). Concurrent abdominal effusion (155, 29%) was more common than pleural (77, 15%) or pericardial (12, 2%) effusion. Abdominal and pleural effusion occurred more commonly in dogs with hypoalbuminemia or R-CHF compared to LVO or vasculitis (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Distribution of edema, concurrent cavitary effusions, and clinicopathological data can help predict the underlying etiology of peripheral edema in dogs.

Development of plasma and whole blood taurine reference ranges and identification of dietary features associated with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers: A prospective, observational study.

INTRODUCTION: A surge in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consumer complaints identified concerns that legume-rich, grain-free diets were associated with nutritionally-mediated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Golden retrievers represent the most reported breed affected by this condition and previous studies documented the disease is responsive to dietary change and taurine supplementation. Although dietary findings across cases are compelling, prospective studies with control groups are lacking. The role of diet in developing taurine deficiency and echocardiographic changes consistent with DCM in healthy dogs is unknown. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that golden retrievers eating non-traditional diets are at a higher risk of having taurine deficiency and nutritionally-mediated DCM compared with those eating traditional commercial diets. We aimed to compare taurine concentrations and echocardiographic indices of systolic function between golden retrievers in each diet group and elucidate associations between diet and these variables. Additionally, we aimed to generate breed-specific reference intervals for whole blood and plasma taurine concentrations. ANIMALS: 86 golden retrievers. METHODS: Golden retrievers eating traditional or non-traditional diets were evaluated and diet history, taurine concentrations and echocardiographic data were collected. Dietary features, taurine concentrations and echocardiographic findings were compared between diet groups. Relative risks were calculated for the likelihood of echocardiographic abnormalities and taurine deficiency in each diet group. Breed-specific reference intervals were constructed for taurine concentrations in dogs from the traditional diet group. RESULTS: Golden retrievers eating non-traditional diets had significantly lower taurine concentrations and more frequent systolic dysfunction. Breed specific reference intervals are higher than previously reported across breeds. CONCLUSIONS: Non-traditional diets, which were typically grain-free and contained legumes in this study, were significantly associated with and have increased relative risk for the identification of taurine deficiency and echocardiographic abnormalities consistent with nutritionally-mediated DCM. These findings were identifiable in the absence of clinical signs and support the findings of multiple previous studies and the ongoing FDA investigation.