Retrospective Evaluation of Nail Trimming as a Conservative Treatment for Ulcerative Dermatitis in Laboratory Mice.

Ulcerative dermatitis (UD) is an idiopathic disease that affects C57BL/6 mice and those having a B6 background. The hallmark of UD is pruritus, which leads to self-mutilation and epidermal ulceration typically in the intrascapular region. Although several treatments for UD have been published, some involve the use of pharmacologic agents that might confound research results. In this retrospective study, we evaluated nail trimming to determine whether this conservative treatment approach improved the resolution rate of UD at our institution compared with that of untreated mice or those that received oral or topical antibiotics. Our findings show that the incidence of resolution of UD was significantly greater and that the time to resolution was shorter in mice treated with nail trimming compared with other groups. These findings support the use of nail trimming as an effective conservative treatment option for UD in B6 mice.

Pharmacokinetics of Ceftiofur Crystalline-Free Acid in Clinically Healthy Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).

Economical, injectable antibiotics are beneficial when clinical manifestations of an animal model prevent the use of oral antibiotics. Ceftiofur crystalline-free acid (CCFA) is an injectable, sustained-release form of ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin that is labeled for use in swine, cattle, and horses. Because CCFA is an economical, injectable antibiotic that could be of value for use in research dogs, the objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic properties of CCFA in apparently healthy dogs and to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations of ceftiofur for veterinary pathogens cultured during 2011 through 2014 from the respiratory system, integumentary system, and urinary system of dogs. The study population comprised of 5 dogs (age, 1 y; weight, 24.7 to 26.9 kg) that were deemed healthy after no abnormalities were found on physical exam, CBC analysis, and clinical chemistry panel. Each dog received CCFA at 5.0 mg/kg SC, and blood samples were collected before administration of CCFA and at 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 192, 216, and 240 h after injection. The maximal plasma concentration (mean ± 1 SD) of CCFA was 1.98 ± 0.40 µ g/mL, time to reach maximal concentration was 22.3 ± 8.9 h, half-life was 56.6 ± 16.9 h, and AUC0-last was 124.98 ± 18.45 µ g-h/mL. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of ceftiofur ranged from ≤ 0.25 to ≥ 8.0 µ g/mL; ceftiofur was most effective against Pasteurella spp., Proteus spp., and Escherichia coli haemolytica and least effective against Bordatella bronchiseptica, Enterococcus spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.