Biochemical factors affecting newborn survival in dogs and cats.

The importance and implications of small animal neonatology were underestimated until recent times. Despite the recent increasing interest for this branch of veterinary medicine, however, perinatal mortality rates in canine and feline species remain high, representing an important challenge for the clinician. In this perspective, the prompt identification of newborns requiring additional and tailored assistance becomes a key to reduce the perinatal losses in small animals. To achieve this goal, clinical and laboratory findings must be carefully evaluated. This paper focuses on biochemical parameters and their reported influence on neonatal survival, guiding through the evaluation of canine and feline newborn laboratory analyses, with a thorough discussion about the use of different biological material in these subjects. Beside blood, other biological material, such as urines and fetal fluids proved to be interesting for the identification of possible prognostic markers, thanks also to their easy and safe collection. However, the correct reading-through the results must consider many variables such as type of delivery, anesthesia protocol in case of Caesarean section, age of the newborn at samples collection, and for blood analysis, also the type of blood, site of collection, modality of collection and storage must be considered. Notwithstanding the recent progress in literature, for most of the parameters more research is needed to define cut-off values with certainty.

Red cell distribution width, illness severity, and all-cause mortality in dogs admitted to the ICU.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether red cell distribution width (RDW) can predict illness severity and mortality risk in a heterogenous population of dogs admitted to the ICU. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Large, urban, private teaching hospital. ANIMALS: One hundred eleven dogs consecutively admitted to the ICU between September 2017 and December 2018. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Abbreviated Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation (APPLEfast ) score and RDW were measured within 6 h of ICU admission. This study did not demonstrate a significant difference in illness severity across patients stratified by RDW. There was no difference in RDW between survivors and nonsurvivors at hospital discharge or at 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: In this study population, RDW did not correspond with illness severity as measured by APPLEfast . Moreover, RDW did not predict in-hospital or 30-day mortality.

Retrospective assessment of radiation toxicity from a definitive-intent, moderately hypofractionated image-guided intensity-modulated protocol for anal sac adenocarcinoma in dogs.

A recent calculation study predicted acceptable toxicity in pelvic organs at risk for a new definitive-intent, moderately hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) protocol (12 x 3.8 Gy), when used with image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT). We hypothesized this protocol to result in clinically acceptable radiation toxicities. Dogs diagnosed with and irradiated for anal sac adenocarcinoma (ASAC) were retrospectively assessed. Eleven dogs were included, six had prior surgery. Before any therapy, staging according to Polton et al. resulted in the following distribution: stage 1 (n = 1), stage 2 (n = 1), stage 3a (n = 6), stage 3b (n = 3). We scored radiation toxicities at the end of therapy, at weeks 1, 3 and every 3 months after RT according to Veterinary Radiation Therapy Oncology Group radiation toxicity criteria. Clinical follow-up was maintained on regular intervals combined with computed tomography (n = 3). Median follow-up time for dogs still alive was 594 days (range: 224-972 days). Within 1 week post treatment, eight dogs (73%) developed grade 2 and four dogs (36%) grade 1 acute toxicity in the perianal region. All acute toxicities resolved or improved to grade 1 within 3 weeks after treatment. Late toxicity, for example, chronic colitis/diarrhoea, ulcerations, strictures or myelopathies was not observed in any patient. Five dogs were euthanized 105, 196, 401, 508 and 908 days after RT and six dogs were still alive, one in spite of progressive disease. The median progression-free survival was 908 days (95%CI: 215; 1602). The previous theoretically described definitive-intent, moderately hypofractionated protocol using IG-IMRT for the treatment of advanced ASAC showed clinically acceptable acute and late toxicities.

Prognostic indicators for naïve canine non-indolent T-cell lymphoma treated with combination lomustine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone chemotherapy.

Lomustine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone (LOPP) chemotherapy has been suggested to be an effective treatment for dogs with naïve non-indolent T-cell lymphoma (TCL). Studies evaluating prognostic factors for dogs with TCL treated with LOPP chemotherapy are lacking. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess potential prognostic factors for canine naïve non-indolent TCL treated with the LOPP protocol. This was a retrospective cohort study of naïve non-indolent TCL treated with the LOPP chemotherapy protocol at a single specialty veterinary oncology clinic. Sixty-seven dogs met the inclusion criteria. The outcomes assessed included progression free survival (PFS), overall survival time (OST) and duration of complete response (DCR). The overall median PFS was 118 days (range 7-2302 days). The median OST was 202 days (range 8-2302 days). The overall median DCR was 316 days (range 38-2261 days). Number of treatments administered (p < .0001), multicentric disease (p = .044) and the presence of hypercalcaemia (p = .006) were prognostic indicators for PFS. Increasing number of treatments (p < .0001) and age (p = .0088) were prognostic indicators for OST. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe hypercalcaemia as a positive prognostic indicator of PFS for TCL treated with LOPP chemotherapy. LOPP chemotherapy can be considered as a first-line treatment protocol against naïve hypercalcaemic non-indolent TCL.

Increased survival in puppies affected by Canine Parvovirus type II using an immunomodulator as a therapeutic aid.

Canine parvovirus type II (CPV-2) infection induces canine parvoviral enteritis (CPE), which in turn promotes sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Mortality in this disease is usually registered within 48-72 h post-hospitalization, the critical period of the illness. It has been recently described that the use of an immunomodulator, whose major component is monomeric ubiquitin (mUb) without the last two glycine residues (Ub∆GG), in pediatric human patients with sepsis augments survival. It is known that CXCR4 is the cell receptor of extracellular ubiquitin in humans. This work aimed to explore the effect of one immunomodulator (human Dialyzable Leukocyte Extract-hDLE) as a therapeutic auxiliary in puppies with sepsis and SIRS induced by CPE. We studied two groups of puppies with CPV-2 infection confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. The first group received conventional treatment (CT) and vehicle (V), while the second group received CT plus the immunomodulator (I). We assessed both groups' survival, clinical condition, number of erythrocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes during the hospitalization period. In addition, hematocrit, hemoglobin, plasma proteins and cortisol values, as well as norepinephrine/epinephrine and serotonin concentration were determined. Puppies treated with CT + I showed 81% survival, mild clinical signs, and a significant decrease in circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes in the critical period of the treatment. In contrast, the CT + V group presented a survival of 42%, severe clinical status, and no improvement of the parameters evaluated in the critical period of the disease. We determined in silico that human Ub∆GG can bind to dog CXCR4. In conclusion, the administration of a human immunomodulator (0.5 mg/day × 5 days) to puppies with CPE under six months of age reduces the severity of clinical signs, increases survival, and modulates inflammatory cell parameters. Further studies are necessary to take full advantage of these clinical findings, which might be mediated by the human Ub∆GG to canine CXCR4 interaction.

Wellbeing, quality of life, presence of concurrent diseases, and survival times in untreated and treated German Shepherd dogs with dwarfism.

BACKGROUND: Pituitary dwarfism (PD) in German Shepherd dogs (GSD) is a rare endocrinopathy. Cause and inheritance of the disease are well characterized, but the overall survival time, presence of concurrent diseases, quality of life (QoL) and influence of different treatment options on those parameters is still not well investigated. The aim of this study was to obtain data regarding the disease pattern of GSD with PD and to investigate the impact of treatment. METHODS: 47 dogs with dwarfism (presumably PD) and 94 unaffected GSD serving as controls were enrolled. Data were collected via a standardized questionnaire, which every owner of a participating dog had completed. Dogs with PD were grouped based on three categories of treatment: Group 1 (untreated), group 2 (treated with levothyroxine), group 3 (treated with thyroxine and progestogens or with growth hormone (GH)). Groups were compared using One-Way-Anova, Kruskal-Wallis test or Wilcoxon-rank-sum test. Categorical analysis was performed using Two-Sample-Chi-Squared-test. RESULTS: Dogs treated with thyroxine and gestagen or GH were significantly taller and heavier compared to all other dogs with PD. Quality of life was best in dogs with PD treated with thyroxine and similar to unaffected GSD. Treatment increased survival time in dogs with PD independent of the treatment strategy. Dogs receiving thyroxine and progestogens or GH did not develop chronic kidney disease (CKD). CONCLUSION: GSD with PD should be treated at least for their secondary hypothyroidism to increase survival time. Additional treatment with progestogens or GH improves body size and seems to protect against the occurrence of CKD.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and mortality in dogs with blastomycosis.

Blastomycosis is a prominent fungal disease in the United States. Vitamin D status has been found to be altered in critical illness and various infectious diseases. The objectives of this study were to compare serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations in dogs with blastomycosis and healthy controls, to assess the change in serum 25(OH)D concentrations in dogs with blastomycosis after 30 days of treatment, and to determine if baseline serum 25(OH)D concentrations in dogs with blastomycosis were associated with in-hospital, 30-day, or end-of-study mortality. In this prospective cohort study, 19 dogs newly diagnosed with blastomycosis had serum 25(OH)D concentrations measured with a commercially available validated radioimmunoassay at the time of diagnosis and 30 days after start of treatment. These values were compared to 24 healthy control dogs. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations at the time of diagnosis were lower in dogs with blastomycosis (median, 203 nmol/L; range, 31-590 nmol/L) than in clinically healthy control dogs (259.5 nmol/L, 97-829 nmol/L; P = 0.01). Despite clinical improvement, there was no significant change in serum 25(OH)D concentrations from baseline to 30-day follow-up. Dogs with baseline serum 25(OH)D concentrations <180.5nmol/L had a greater odds of death during hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 15.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-191.3; P = 0.04) and at 30 days follow-up (OR, 30.0; 95% CI, 2.5-366.7; P = 0.006). These findings highlight the need for further studies evaluating the prognostic value of vitamin D status in dogs with blastomycosis at diagnosis and throughout treatment and remission.

A Novel Analytical Population Tumor Control Probability Model Includes Cell Density and Volume Variations: Application to Canine Brain Tumor.

PURPOSE: Tumor control probability (TCP) models based on Poisson statistics characterize the distribution of surviving clonogens. Thus enabling the calculation of TCP for individuals. To mathematically describe clinically observed survival data of patient cohorts it is necessary to extend the Poisson TCP model. This is typically done by either incorporating variations of model parameters or by using an empirical logistic model. The purpose of this work is the development of an analytical population TCP model by mechanistic extension of the Possion model. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The frequency distribution of gross tumor volumes was used to incorporate tumor volume variations into the TCP model. Additionally the tumor cell density variation was incorporated. Both versions of the population TCP model were fitted to clinical data and compared to existing literature. RESULTS: It was shown that clinically observed brain tumor volumes of dogs undergoing radiotherapy are distributed according to an exponential distribution. The average gross tumor volume size was 3.37 cm3. Fitting the population TCP model including the volume variation using linear-quadratic and track-event model yieldedα=0.36Gy--1a, ß=0.045Gy--2, a=0.9yr--1, TD=5.0d,and p=.36Gy--1, q=0.48Gy--1, a=0.80yr--1, TD=3.0d, respectively. Fitting the population TCP model including both the volume and cell density variation yielded α=0.43Gy--1, ß=0.0537Gy--2, a=2.0yr--1, TD=3.0d, σ=2.5,and p=.43Gy--1, q=0.55Gy--1, a=2.0yr--1, TD=2.0d, σ=3.0,respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Two sets of radiobiological parameters were obtained which can be used for quantifying the TCP for radiation therapy of brain tumors in dogs. We established a mechanistic link between the poisson statistics based individual TCP model and the logistic TCP model. This link can be used to determine the radiobiological parameters of patient specific TCP models from published fits of logistic models to cohorts of patients.

Multiple retrospective analysis of survival and evaluation of cardiac death predictors in a population of dogs affected by degenerative mitral valve disease in ACVIM class C treated with different therapeutic protocols.

Clinical records of dogs with spontaneous degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD) with clinical signs related to congestive heart failure (CHF) recruited during routine clinical practice between 2001 and 2018 at the Cardiology Unit of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (University of Milan) were included in this retrospective cohort study. Baseline echocardiographic data were evaluated. Median survival time (MST) was calculated. Data on therapeutic treatment, ISACHC (International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council) or ACVIM (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine) classes were reviewed based on the inclusion period and type of endpoint (i.e. cardiac death or death for other causes). A univocal classification was needed, and the patients classified in ISACHC classes II, IIIa and IIIb, visited before 2009, were reallocated to ACVIM class C. The main goal of this data review was to retrospectively evaluate 259 clinical records of subjects belonging to ACVIM C class examined between 2001 to 2018 and 202 dogs examined between 2010 to 2018. In this way, in the second group, the bias of the reclassification was avoided. The MST (median survival time) of these subjects was 531 d (2001-2018) and 335.5 d (2010-2018), respectively. Univariate survival regression analysis for subjects included from 2010 to 2018 showed as significantly related to cardiac death (CD): left atrium to aorta ratio (LA/Ao) (HR 2.754, p=0.000), E wave (HR 2.961, p=0.000), E/A ratio (HR 1.372, p=0.000), end-diastolic (HR 1.007, p=0.000) (EDVI) and end-systolic (HR 1.012, p=0.026) (ESVI) volume indexes, allometric diastolic (HR 4.018, p=0.000) (LVIDdN) and systolic (HR 2.674, p=0.049) (LVIDsN) left ventricular internal diameters, age (HR 1.006, p=0.009) and pulmonary hypertension severity (HR=1.309, p=0.012) (PH). Multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, showed that the only variable that determined a statistically significant difference in MST was PH severity (HR 1.334, p=0.033). The type of therapeutic treatment within this class was not significant for the MST of the subjects.

Nasal Rhinosporidiosis: Clinical Presentation, Clinical Findings, and Outcome in Dogs.

The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical presentation, imaging findings, and outcome in 10 dogs diagnosed with Rhinosporidium seeberi infections. Histopathology and cytology records were searched at a veterinary teaching hospital and a veterinary diagnostic laboratory to identify dogs with rhinosporidiosis. Medical records were reviewed for clinical, imaging, endoscopic, and surgical findings. Outcome was determined via evaluation of records and, where possible, telephone conversation with the primary care veterinarian and/or owner. Young to middle-aged large-breed dogs with an approximately equal sex distribution were represented. Unilateral signs predominated. Diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology in 9 cases, and cytology was diagnostic in only 1 of 3 cases. Histopathology was superior to cytology. Masses were soft tissue and contrast enhancing with no evidence of bony lysis on computed tomography (2 dogs). Direct or rhinoscopic (2 dogs) visualization revealed white to yellow pinpoint foci. Surgical resection (4 dogs) can result in long-term disease-free periods (up to 2659 days), although repeat surgery can be required. Dapsone was well tolerated in 1 dog, and relapse was not noted despite incomplete surgical resection (follow-up 749 days). Visualization of pale foci on a rostral intranasal mass in an endemic region should prompt consideration of rhinosporidiosis.

Long-Term Treatment Results for Ovarian Tumors with Malignant Effusion in Seven Dogs.

Surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy are highly efficacious for treating advanced ovarian cancers in humans, but their efficacy is less known in dogs. We evaluated the long-term treatment outcomes of seven dogs with malignant ovarian tumors with malignant abdominal effusion. Ovariohysterectomies (OVHs) were performed on all dogs; four had ovarian adenocarcinoma (AC) with gross dissemination in the peritoneum (two with pleural effusion), and three had a granulosa cell tumor (GCT) with no gross dissemination in the peritoneal cavity, although one showed pleural effusion. Effusion resolved after the OVH in all dogs. Six dogs (three ACs, three GCTs) received postoperative IV carboplatin therapy. Two dogs with GCT had no postoperative recurrence or metastasis, and one dog with GCT had recurrence 1811 days postoperatively. All dogs with AC developed recurrent effusion 171-584 days postoperatively, which resolved after intracavitary administration of cisplatin or carboplatin, with a subsequent disease-free interval of 155-368 days. Overall survival was longer for dogs with GCTs (822-1840 days) than for those with ACs (617-841 days). These results suggest that dogs with ovarian tumors with malignant effusion can survive relatively long after platinum-based chemotherapy in addition to OVH, with a more favorable prognosis for GCT than AC.

Adjuvant Sirolimus Does Not Improve Outcome in Pet Dogs Receiving Standard-of-Care Therapy for Appendicular Osteosarcoma: A Prospective, Randomized Trial of 324 Dogs.

PURPOSE: The mTOR pathway has been identified as a key nutrient signaling hub that participates in metastatic progression of high-grade osteosarcoma. Inhibition of mTOR signaling is biologically achievable with sirolimus, and might slow the outgrowth of distant metastases. In this study, pet dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma were leveraged as high-value biologic models for pediatric osteosarcoma, to assess mTOR inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for attenuating metastatic disease progression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 324 pet dogs diagnosed with treatment-naïve appendicular osteosarcoma were randomized into a two-arm, multicenter, parallel superiority trial whereby dogs received amputation of the affected limb, followed by adjuvant carboplatin chemotherapy ± oral sirolimus therapy. The primary outcome measure was disease-free interval (DFI), as assessed by serial physical and radiologic detection of emergent macroscopic metastases; secondary outcomes included overall 1- and 2-year survival rates, and sirolimus pharmacokinetic variables and their correlative relationship to adverse events and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the median DFI or overall survival between the two arms of this trial; the median DFI and survival for standard-of-care (SOC; defined as amputation and carboplatin therapy) dogs was 180 days [95% confidence interval (CI), 144-237] and 282 days (95% CI, 224-383) and for SOC + sirolimus dogs, it was 204 days (95% CI, 157-217) and 280 days (95% CI, 252-332), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a population of pet dogs nongenomically segmented for predicted mTOR inhibition response, sequentially administered adjuvant sirolimus, although well tolerated when added to a backbone of therapy, did not extend DFI or survival in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma.

Proposing the VetCompass clinical grading tool for heat-related illness in dogs.

Heat-related illness is a potentially fatal condition in dogs. Rapid and accurate recognition of the severity can improve clinical management in affected dogs and lead to better outcomes. This study explored retrospective VetCompass veterinary clinical records to investigate the clinical signs recorded for dogs presenting with heat-related illness to primary-care veterinary practice from 2016 to 2018. The relative risk of death associated with these clinical signs was reported and used to develop a novel clinical grading tool. From the clinical records of 856 heat-related illness events, the most frequently recorded clinical signs were respiratory changes (68.73%) and lethargy (47.79%). The clinical signs with the highest relative risk of death were neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal haemorrhage and bleeding disorders. The novel VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool for Heat-Related Illness in dogs defines three grades: mild (altered respiration, lethargy), moderate (gastrointestinal signs, a single seizure, episodic collapse) and severe (neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal haemorrhage, bleeding disorders). This novel grading tool offers a simple, evidence-based device to improve recognition of heat-related illness in dogs and promote improved decision-making for earlier interventions such as cooling and hospitalisation. This could improve outcomes and protect the welfare of dogs in the face of rising global temperatures.

Intraarticular triamcinolone hexacetonide, stanozolol, Hylan G-F 20 and platelet concentrate in a naturally occurring canine osteoarthritis model.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease transversal to all mammals, a source of chronic pain and disability, a huge burden to societies, with a significant toll in healthcare cost, while reducing productivity and quality of life. The dog is considered a useful model for the translational study of the disease, closely matching human OA, with the advantage of a faster disease progression while maintaining the same life stages. In a prospective, longitudinal, double-blinded, negative controlled study, one hundred (N = 100) hip joints were selected and randomly assigned to five groups: control group (CG, n = 20, receiving a saline injection), triamcinolone hexacetonide group (THG, n = 20), platelet concentrate group (PCG, n = 20), stanozolol group (SG, n = 20) and hylan G-F 20 group (HG). Evaluations were conducted on days 0 (T0, treatment day), 8, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days post-treatment, consisting of weight distribution analysis and data from four Clinical Metrology Instruments (CMI). Kaplan-Meier estimators were generated and compared with the Breslow test. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to investigate the influence of variables of interest on treatment survival. All results were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 20 and a significance level of p < 0.05 was set. Sample included joints of 100 pelvic limbs (of patients with a mean age of 6.5 ± 2.4 years and body weight of 26.7 ± 5.2 kg. Joints were graded as mild (n = 70), moderate (n = 20) and severe (n = 10) OA. No differences were found between groups at T0. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that all treatments produced longer periods with better results in the various evaluations compared to CG. Patients in HG and PCG took longer to return to baseline values and scores. A higher impact on pain interference was observed in THG, with a 95% improvement over CG. PCG and HG experienced 57-81% improvements in functional evaluation and impairments due to OA, and may be a better options for these cases. This study documented the efficacy of several approaches to relieve OA clinical signs. These approaches varied in intensity and duration. HG and PCG where the groups were more significant improvements were observed throughout the follow-up periods, with lower variation in results.

One-year conditional survival of dogs and cats with invasive mammary carcinomas: A concept inspired from human breast cancer.

Numerous studies have described the prognostic factors of canine and feline mammary carcinomas (MCs), that is, variables that predict patient survival after diagnosis. But how does survival estimation evolve in patients that escaped early death from their cancer? In human oncology, conditional survival (CS), the probability of surviving X further years when cancer patients have already survived Y years, is used to analyse cancer outcomes in a long-term perspective. In this cohort of 344 dogs and 342 cats with surgically removed stage I to III invasive MCs, with a minimal follow-up of 2 years, we calculated the 1-year CS, that is, the probability for patients that have survived 1 year, to survive or to die from cancer during the subsequent year. The 1-year conditional specific survival probabilities were 59% and 48% at diagnosis of invasive MC respectively in dogs and cats, and 80% and 52% in 1-year surviving dogs and cats respectively, suggesting that 1-year surviving dogs were relatively protected from cancer-related death, whereas feline MCs remained life-threatening cancers for longer periods of time. Among the most significant parameters associated with CS in surviving dogs and cats were the nodal stage and lymphovascular invasion, as well as patient age, cancer stage and margin status in surviving dogs. By comparison, tumour size and the histological grade did not significantly alter CS probabilities in surviving dogs and cats. Conditional survival may be considered a very interesting tool for veterinary practitioners to estimate the likely outcome of cancer survivors.

Liquid biopsy based on small extracellular vesicles predicts chemotherapy response of canine multicentric lymphomas.

Lymphoma is the most common type of canine hematological malignancy where the multicentric (cMCL) form accounts for 75% of all cases. The standard treatment is the CHOP chemotherapy protocols that include cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, where the majority of dogs achieve complete/partial response; however, it is very important to predict non-responsive cases to improve treatment and to develop new targeted therapies. Here we evaluate a liquid biopsy approach based on serum Small Extracellular Vesicles enriched for exosomes (SEVs) to predict cMCL chemotherapy response. Nineteen dogs at the end of the 19-week chemotherapy protocol (8 Complete Response and 11 Progressive Disease) were evaluated for serum SEVs size, concentration and screened for 95 oncomirs. PD patients had higher SEVs concentration at the diagnosis than CR patients (P = 0.034). The ROC curve was significant for SEVs concentration to predict the response to CHOP (AUC = 0.8011, P = 0.0287). A potential molecular signature based on oncomirs from SEVs (caf-miR-205, caf-miR-222, caf-mir-20a and caf-miR-93) is proposed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the potential of a liquid biopsy based on SEVs and their miRNAs content to predict the outcome of chemotherapy for canine multicentric lymphomas.

Shock index is associated with mortality in canine vehicular trauma patients.

OBJECTIVE: To calculate and compare shock index (SI) in healthy dogs and vehicular trauma dogs (VT), determine the prognostic value of SI in VT dogs, and to assess the correlation between SI and the animal trauma triage score, modified Glasgow Coma Scale score, and lactate in VT dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective study from April 2016 to February 2018. SETTING: Twenty-four-hour tertiary referral level II trauma center. ANIMALS: One hundred twenty-one dogs presented to the emergency service for VT and 60 healthy control dogs. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Heart rate and systolic blood pressure were measured on each patient and used to calculate SI. SI was significantly higher in VT dogs compared to healthy control dogs (median SI, 1.0 vs 0.75; P < 0.0001). SI was significantly higher in those that died versus those that survived to discharge (median, 1.27 vs 0.96; P = 0.017). SI positively correlated with animal trauma triage score (95% confidence interval, 0.039-0.49; P = 0.019; r = 0.26) but did not with plasma lactate level at presentation (P = 0.068; r = 0.22) or modified Glasgow Coma Scale (P = 0.85; r = -0.021, 95% confidence interval, -0.24 to 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: SI is easy to calculate during triage of a trauma patient. Given its significant relationship with mortality, higher SIs should prompt the clinician to pursue additional monitoring, diagnostics, and intervention.

The role of atrial fibrillation as a prognostic factor in doberman pinschers with dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) in congestive heart failure (CHF) is associated with a high risk of mortality and shorter survival times in human and veterinary medicine. A retrospective review of medical records was performed to evaluate the impact of AF on survival times in Doberman Pinschers with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Time of first onset of CHF and its role as a prognostic factor were also determined, as were predictors of AF development. Forty-eight client-owned purebred Doberman Pinschers with DCM and CHF were included; 23 dogs presented with AF and 25 dogs did not develop AF until immediately before cardiac-related death. Dogs with AF survived for significantly shorter times than those without AF (P = 0.043). For dogs with AF, mean and median survival times were 88.2 days and 22 days, respectively (range, 42.1-134.4 days); mean and median survival times for dogs without AF were 150.7 days and 98 days, respectively (range, 98.5-203 days). AF increased the risk of cardiac-related death (hazard ratio [HR], 2.371; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.14-4.95; P = 0.021). Biventricular and right atrial dilation was only present in dogs with AF and right atrial enlargement was the only significant predictor of AF after multivariate analysis (P < 0.001). Dogs with AF had significantly higher mean heart rates than dogs without AF (201 beats per min [bpm] vs. 132 bpm; P < 0.001). In conclusion, AF in Doberman Pinschers with DCM and CHF increased the risk of cardiac-related death and reduced survival time.

Intentional Carbofuran poisoning in 7 dogs.

BACKGROUND: Carbofuran is a widely used broad-spectrum pesticide that, despite strict regulation and being banned for more than a decade, is still encountered in cases of intentional poisoning in dogs and wildlife. The objective of the study was to provide a complete and detailed description of the pathological, histological and toxicological findings of 7 cases of intentional carbofuran poisoning in dogs. RESULTS: In this retrospective study, 7 cases of carbofuran intoxication recorded from July 2015 to June 2017 were analyzed. Following complete history recording, all cases were examined by complete necropsy and histopathology. Carbofuran intoxication was confirmed in all cases by gas chromatography. The postmortem examination revealed extensive hemorrhaging and congestion located mainly within the respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems, accompanied by degeneration and necrosis within the lungs, heart, and kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: Although carbamates have been banned in the European Union, carbamate poisoning is still frequently encountered, especially in wild animals. This paper will contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence and pathogenesis of acute carbofuran exposure in dogs and contribute some peculiar pathological features of this type of poisoning to the current literature.