Persistent papilloma treated with cryotherapy in three dogs.

BACKGROUND: Canine papillomaviruses can affect the mucous membranes and skin of young, old and immunocompromised dogs. Most lesions regress spontaneously over a four to eight week interval; however, in some cases the lesions may persist or progress. Cryotherapy is used as a treatment for papillomavirus induced lesions in veterinary practice but there is limited published evidence regarding its use. OBJECTIVES: To describe the history, lesions and treatment outcomes of three dogs with persistent viral papillomas treated with cryotherapy. ANIMALS: Three client owned dogs. METHODS: Canine viral papilloma lesions were treated with five to six freeze-thaw cycles using liquid nitrogen cryotherapy. RESULTS: All lesions in each case resolved with cryotherapy treatment. Two cases required one treatment and one case required two treatment courses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The apparent resolution of these papilloma lesions with cryotherapy suggests that this may be a useful treatment intervention for persistent canine papilloma lesions. Spontaneous resolution may still have taken place; consequently, large scale clinical trials are required to demonstrate unequivocally that this mode of therapy, as with other therapeutic modalities, is really effective in the treatment of canine papillomatosis.

Residual antibacterial activity of canine hair treated with topical antimicrobial sprays against Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Topical antimicrobial therapy is increasingly important in the treatment of canine pyoderma as the incidence of multidrug resistance has risen. However, little information is reported on the persistence of activity of topical antimicrobial products. OBJECTIVE: To determine the residual antibacterial activity of canine hairs treated with antimicrobial sprays. ANIMALS: Twelve privately owned dogs with no history of dermatological disease. METHODS: Dogs were treated once with four different spray products [(A) 1% chlorhexidine digluconate, (B) 2% miconazole nitrate, 2% chlorhexidine gluconate, tromethamine USP/disodium EDTA (TrizEDTA), (C) 3% chlorhexidine gluconate, phytosphingosine salicyloyl and (D) 4% chlorhexidine gluconate, TrizEDTA] in separate 5 × 5 cm sections on the trunk. Hairs were collected via shaving before, one hour after and 2, 4, 7 and 10 days after treatment. Hairs were incubated on agar plates streaked with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius for 24 h and the bacterial growth inhibition zone around the hairs was measured. RESULTS: There were significant overall treatment and day (P < 0.0001) differences in inhibition zones. The largest zones of inhibition were from hairs treated with spray B, followed by sprays D, C and A, respectively. All sprays demonstrated residual antimicrobial activity for the ten days evaluated. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Results suggest that the efficacy of an antimicrobial spray is dependent on both the concentration and combination of active ingredients. Several ingredient profiles appear to effectively inhibit S. pseudintermedius growth for at least 10 days, which may be beneficial in the treatment of canine pyoderma.

Evaluation of otoscope cone disinfection techniques and contamination level in small animal private practice.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of bacterial contamination of otoscope cones in veterinary private practice, and to determine the most effective method of disinfection. Fifty small animal practices participated in this study, which included a detailed survey regarding otoscope cleaning, storage and usage and quantitative culture of the cleaned and stored otoscope cones. Using sterile technique, two cones from each of the 50 hospitals were swabbed and submitted for quantitative culture. Contamination was present in 29% of the samples and the following organisms were isolated: Flavobacterium brevis (10%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6%), Pseudomonas alcaligenes (4%), Staphylococcus intermedius (4%), Corynebacterium spp. (2%), Bacillus spp. (1%), Enterococcus faecalis (1%) Malassezia spp. (1%). There was no statistically significant difference between storage type (dry versus stored in solution) and for the instrumentation used to clean the cones (brush, cotton-tipped applicator, both versus none). There was a statistically significant difference between the different cleaning solutions (P < 0.001) and between the storage solutions (P = 0.003). A single most effective cleaning solution was unable to be determined due to the large number of solutions utilized. Cetylcide G (Cetylite Industries, Inc., Pennsauken, NJ, USA) was the most effective of the three most commonly used storage solutions (Cetylcide G, Benz-all, and 2% Chlorhexidine gluconate) when used as directed (P < 0.001). The level of contamination had a positive association with the frequency of cone use and a negative association with the frequency of storage solution replacement.