Erythrocyte and Biochemical Abnormalities as Diagnostic Markers in Dogs With Hemangiosarcoma Related Hemoabdomen.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate: 1) acanthocytosis and presence of acanthocytes in peritoneal fluid as a diagnostic marker for hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in dogs with non-traumatic hemoabdomen; and 2) the association between other erythrocyte, biochemical, and hematologic abnormalities as a mean of differentiating HSA from other disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective double-blinded cohort study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 40) with non-traumatic hemoabdomen. METHODS: Dogs diagnosed with hemoabdomen (January 2012 to May 2013) had cytologic evaluation of abdominal effusion and peripheral blood smears. Peripheral blood CBC, PT, and aPTT, as well as blood and effusion acanthocytes, keratocytes, schistocytes, lactate, glucose, PCV, and TP results were compared using the paired t-test or Fisher's exact test. Based on histologic confirmation of HSA, dogs were divided into 2 groups (HSA, non-HSA) and variables compared. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in erythrocyte morphology in abdominal effusion or peripheral blood between dogs with HSA or non-HSA related hemoabdomen. Platelet concentration and peripheral blood PCV were significantly lower in the HSA group. CONCLUSIONS: A reliable preoperative biochemical or cytologic test to differentiate between HSA and non-HSA related hemoabdomen was not identified.

Cestode infection in 2 dogs: cytologic findings in liver and a mesenteric lymph node.

Mesocestoides cestode infections in dogs are well known for causing severe peritonitis with larvae or larval fragments (metacestodes, tetrathyridia, or calcareous corpuscles) frequently observed cytologically in peritoneal fluid samples. This case report describes the cytologic and clinical features of 2 dogs infected with cestode larvae, with one case confirmed and the other presumed to be Mesocestoides sp. In these 2 unusual cases, cestode larvae or larval fragments were found in fine-needle aspirates of the liver and a mesenteric lymph node, but no organisms were found in peritoneal fluid samples. The data presented in this report indicate that clinical pathologists should not rule out Mesocestoides sp cestodiasis based on the absence of larvae in peritoneal fluid samples from dogs.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in pet dogs in the United States.

To determine the national, regional, and age-related prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs presenting to veterinarians in the United States, we reviewed the results of examination via zinc sulfate centrifugal flotation of 1,199,293 canine fecal samples submitted to Antech Diagnostics in 2006. The most commonly identified intestinal parasites were ascarids (2.2%), hookworms (2.5%), whipworms (1.2%), Giardia (4.0%), and Cystoisospora (4.4%). With the exception of whipworms, intestinal parasites were more commonly identified in dogs less than 6 months of age (29.6% positive) as compared to those greater than 1 year of age (6.1% positive) although infections with each parasite considered were identified in all age classes of dogs. Hookworm eggs were most commonly identified in fecal samples submitted from dogs from the South (4.0% positive), whereas ascarid eggs and Giardia cysts were most commonly seen in samples from dogs from the West (2.8% and 6.3% positive, respectively). When compared to previous data from shelter dogs, the prevalence of intestinal helminths, particularly ascarids and hookworms, was greatly suppressed in pet dogs in the southern United States (90-91% reduction) and much less so in dogs in the West (52-78% reduction), perhaps due in part to the routine year-round use of monthly anthelmintics effective at controlling both heartworm infection and intestinal helminths in dogs in the South. Taken together these data indicate that intestinal parasites remain a common, important finding in dogs presenting to veterinary practices although in most of the country infection rates in pet dogs appear to be greatly reduced from the level reported from dogs in animal shelters.