Clinical features and outcome of functional thyroid tumours in 70 dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features and outcome of functional thyroid tumours in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective multi-institutional study of 70 dogs diagnosed with thyroid mass and concurrent hyperthyroidism. Clinical data regarding presentation, treatment, outcome and functional thyroid status were retrieved. RESULTS: Overall median survival of dogs with functional thyroid tumours was 35.1 months and 1- and 3-year survival rates were 83 and 49%, respectively. Median survival time was 72.6 months for dogs treated with surgical excision and 15.7 months for dogs that did not receive surgery. Of the 50 dogs treated by surgery and for which thyroid status was known following treatment, 64% developed hypothyroidism after surgery. Histopathologically confirmed metastasis was identified in 3% of dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Dogs with functional thyroid tumours may survive a long time after surgical excision, although post-operative hypothyroidism is common.

Retrospective evaluation of the efficacy of isolating bacteria from synovial fluid in dogs with suspected septic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of synovial fluid culture in obtaining the causative organism from dogs with suspected septic arthritis. METHODS: In this retrospective evaluation, synovial fluid cytology and microbiology submissions from dogs with suspected septic arthritis from March 2007 to August 2011 were reviewed. Synovial fluid cytology consistent with joint sepsis was identified. Cultures of synovial fluid from dogs with clinical histories and abnormalities consistent with septic arthritis were used to evaluate the efficacy of bacterial isolation. RESULTS: In total, 36 dogs met the inclusion criteria. Initial aerobic cultures of joint fluid yielded bacterial growth in 44% of these dogs. All anaerobic cultures were negative. In 19% of the dogs with positive cultures, antibiotics had been administered prior to arthrocentesis compared with 10% of dogs with negative cultures. There was no association between culture efficacy and the administration of antimicrobial treatment prior to synovial fluid culture or recent surgery involving the affected joint (P=0.637 and P=0.106, respectively). CONCLUSION: Culture of synovial fluid from dogs with suspected septic arthritis has a low yield, necessitating a more effective means of identifying bacteria from suspected septic joints in dogs.

Comparison of synovial fluid culture and 16S rRNA PCR in dogs with suspected septic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively compare the sensitivity and specificity of 16S rRNA PCR with culture for identifying the causative organism in synovial fluid obtained from dogs with suspected septic arthritis. METHODS: Synovial fluid cytology, PCR analysis and aerobic, anaerobic and Mycoplasma culture of samples from the affected joints of 18 dogs presenting with suspected septic arthritis were performed. Synovial fluid samples from the corresponding contralateral joints of 7 dogs were also analysed as negative controls. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the sensitivity of bacterial detection via culture (63.2%) versus PCR (73.7%) of synovial fluid (P=0.728) or between culture and combined PCR and culture (89.5%) of synovial fluid (P=0.124). The specificity of PCR (42.9%) was significantly lower than culture specificity (100%) (P=0.07). CONCLUSION: Although 16S PCR may hold potential as an ancillary diagnostic test for identifying the causative organism in dogs with septic arthritis, our study failed to demonstrate improved accuracy compared with traditional synovial fluid culture.