Spontaneous remission and relapse of diabetes mellitus in a male dog.

An 8-year-old male neutered Miniature Schnauzer was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus based on fasting hyperglycemia and glucosuria after a 2-week history of polydipsia and periuria, in line with the Agreeing Language in Veterinary Endocrinology consensus definition. Treatment of insulin and dietary management was initiated. The insulin dose was gradually reduced and eventually discontinued over the next year based on spot blood glucose concentrations that revealed euglycemia or hypoglycemia. After discontinuation, the dog remained free of clinical signs for 1 year until it was again presented for polyuria/polydipsia with fasting hyperglycemia and glucosuria. Insulin therapy was resumed and continued for the remainder of the dog's life. Although diabetic remission often occurs in cats and humans, the presumed etiopathogenesis of pancreatic beta cell loss makes remission rare in dogs, except for cases occurring with diestrus or pregnancy. This case demonstrates that diabetic remission is possible in dogs, even in cases without an identifiable reversible trigger.

Clinicopathologic and gastrointestinal effects of administration of prednisone, prednisone with omeprazole, or prednisone with probiotics to dogs: A double-blind randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The efffect of administering of probiotics or twice-daily omeprazole on glucocorticoid-induced gastric bleeding in dogs is unknown. HYPOTHESIS: Compare gastrointestinal bleeding among dogs administered placebo, prednisone (2 mg/kg q24h), prednisone with omeprazole (1 mg/kg q12h), or prednisone with probiotics (Visbiome, 11.2-22.5 billion CFU/kg q24h) for 28 days. ANIMALS: Twenty-four healthy research dogs. METHODS: Double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial. Clinical signs and endoscopic gastrointestinal mucosal lesion scores at baseline (t1 ), day 14 (t2 ), and day 28 (t3 ) were compared using split-plot repeated-measures mixed-model ANOVAs. RESULTS: Fecal score differed by treatment-by-time (F[6,40] = 2.65, P < .03), with higher scores in groups receiving prednisone at t3 than t1 . Nineteen of thirty-three episodes of diarrhea occurred in the prednisone with omeprazole group. Gastric mucosal lesion scores differed by treatment-by-time (F[6,60] = 2.86, P = .05), among treatment groups (F[3,60] = 4.9, P = .004), and over time (F[2,60] = 16.5, P < .001). Post hoc analysis revealed lesion scores increased over time for all groups receiving prednisone. At t3 , scores for the prednisone (8.7 ± 4.9) and prednisone with probiotics (8.7 ± 4.9) groups differed significantly from placebo (1.8 ± 1.8; P ≤ .04), whereas scores for the prednisone with omeprazole (6.5 ± 5.5) group did not differ from placebo (P = .7). Ulcers occurred only in dogs receiving prednisone. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Prednisone-induced gastric bleeding. Co-administration of omeprazole partially mitigated bleeding, but a similar protective benefit was not demonstrated by co-administration of the evaluated probiotic.

Use of radiographic measurements to diagnose stage B2 preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the usefulness of radiographic measures of the left atrium and ventricle as surrogates for echocardiographic criteria in identifying dogs with stage B2 preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). ANIMALS: 56 client-owned dogs with preclinical mitral regurgitation attributed to MMVD examined between April 19, 2016, and November 22, 2017. PROCEDURES: Medical records were retrospectively searched, and data collected included age, body weight, heart murmur grade, and echocardiographic and radiographic measurements. Dogs were grouped according to whether they did (case dogs) or did not (control dogs) meet echocardiographic criteria used to identify dogs with stage B2 MMVD. Measurements for lateral thoracic radiographic variables normalized to vertebral body units (VBUs) were obtained, and results were analyzed to identify variables that could best discriminate between case and control dogs. RESULTS: Three radiographic variables of left atrial size (vertebral left atrial size [VLAS], left atrial width, and the combined variable of VLAS + left atrial width) most accurately distinguished control dogs from case dogs, and the VLAS was the simplest and fastest to perform in a clinical setting. The optimal cutoff for VLAS was 2.5 VBUs (sensitivity, 70%; specificity, 84%; and likelihood ratio, 4.38), with VLAS ≥ 2.5 VBUs for case dogs. The maximum specificity cutoff for VLAS was 3.0 VBUs (sensitivity, 40%; specificity, 96%; and likelihood ratio, 10.0), with VLAS ≥ 3.0 VBUs for case dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicated that when echocardiography is unavailable, radiographic VLAS ≥ 3 VBUs could be used with minimal risk of false-positive diagnosis of stage B2 MMVD in dogs.