Effect of site of sample collection on blood glucose concentrations measured with a portable blood glucose meter in healthy and diabetic dogs.

Background: Blood glucose (BG) monitoring with portable blood glucose meters (PBGMs) is a critical aspect of managing canine diabetes mellitus. Some dogs best tolerate sampling from the ear, others from the lip, and others from other body sites. Therefore, it is relevant to know if the choice of the sampling site affects the glucose concentration. Aim: To compare different sampling sites for BG measurement in diabetic and non-diabetic dogs using veterinary PBGM. Moreover, determining the possible impact of body condition score (BCS) on BG concentration. Methods: Thirty-seven healthy and 12 diabetic dogs were included. A veterinary PBGM was used to measure BG concentrations in a total of 196 blood samples collected from the marginal ear vein (MEV), carpal pad, saphenous vein, and cephalic vein. The results obtained from the different sampling sites were compared. Results: The carpal pad, MEV, cephalic vein, and saphenous vein BG values were not significantly different at the different blood collection sites. There was no significant difference between higher and lower BCS in BG measurements in the different sampling sites. Conclusion: Different sampling sites, likewise utilizing either a venous or capillary sample, had no significant effect on BG measurement using veterinary PBGMs. The BCS seems to have no relevant influence on dog BG measurement.

Histopathologic Findings in Canine Pituitary Glands.

To optimize the histologic evaluation of hypophysectomy specimens, sections of 207 canine pituitary glands (196 postmortem, 11 hypophysectomy specimens) were reviewed. Adenohypophyseal proliferation was the most common (n = 79) lesion. Proliferative lesions were sparsely to densely granulated; the granules were usually basophilic to chromophobic and periodic acid-Schiff-positive. Adenohypophyseal proliferation was classified as hyperplasia (n = 40) if ≤2 mm diameter with intact reticulin network, as microadenoma (n = 22) for 1-5 mm homogeneous nodules with lost reticulin network, or as macroadenoma (n = 17) for larger tumors. Craniopharyngeal duct cysts were common incidental lesions and the only lesion in 15 dogs. Uncommon diagnoses included lymphoma (n = 4), hemorrhagic necrosis (n = 4), metastatic carcinoma (n = 3), hypophysitis (n = 3), ependymoma (n = 2), craniopharyngioma (n = 2), and 1 case each of metastatic melanoma, pituicytoma, gliomatosis, germ cell tumor, meningioma, and atrophy. The pituitary histologic diagnosis was associated with hyperadrenocorticism (HAC; P < .001) and adrenocortical histologic diagnosis ( P = .025). Both HAC and adrenocortical hyperplasia showed a positive trend with the degree of adenohypophyseal proliferation. The association of adrenocortical hyperplasia with HAC was not significant ( P = .077). Dogs with adenohypophyseal proliferations were older than dogs with normal pituitary glands ( P < .05). Brachycephalic breeds were overrepresented among dogs with pituitary macroadenoma or craniopharyngeal duct cysts, but the association was not statistically significant ( P = .076). Adenohypophyseal hyperplasia was more common than adenoma among postmortem specimens, but was unexpected in >80% of cases. Pituitary macroadenoma was the most common diagnosis in hypophysectomy specimens.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies of stray cats in Garmsar, Iran.

UNLABELLED: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii. The infection may be serious if is transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy. The infection in non-exposure mothers leads to abortion, congenital disorders and blindness. Infections of human are common and are usually asymptomatic but it is so dangerous in immunosuppressed and HIV positive patients. The Aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma IgG antibodies in cats of Garmsar. From December 2007 to August 2008, blood samples of 107 stray cats were collected and analyzed for T. gondii IgG antibody using ELISA method (Toxoplasma IgG antibodies kit, Trinity Biotech Co., USA). RESULTS: 32 samples were male and 75 were female. 64.48 % (69 samples) were positive and 35.51 % (38 samples) were negative. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female. The seropositivity rate of T. gondii increased with age (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between various regions of the city. The results of recent study showed the high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in Garmsar rather than other countries. According to high seroprevalence of Toxoplasma IgG antibodies in cats, Performing a screening test and determination IgG antibodies titer in high risk population (young girls, pregnant women) is recommended.