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Background: NSAIDs are accepted as the most predictably efficacious medical treatment of the clinical signs of osteoarthritis (OA). The marine-based fatty-acid compound PCSO-524 has been proposed as an adjunctive treatment for canine OA, however benefits of this agent is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of PCSO-524 combined with the NSAID firocoxib using force plate gait analysis, orthopedic assessment score (OAS) and canine brief pain inventory score (CBPI) in dogs with OA. A prospective, randomized, double-blinded study was conducted. Seventy-nine dogs that had hip and/or stifle OA were assigned randomly into three treatment groups: firocoxib, PCSO-524 and combination of firocoxib and PCSO-524, orally for 4 weeks. Peak vertical force (PVF, expressed as a percentage of bodyweight), OAS, CBPI, serum prostaglandin E 2 concentration, hematology and blood chemistry values were evaluated before treatment (Day0), as well as at the second (Day14) and fourth week (Day28) during treatment., Results: Within group analysis revealed significant increases in PVF over the 4-week treatment period for firocoxib, PCSO-524 and the combination (p < 0.05). Mean increases in PVF were 3.25 ± 4.13, 2.01 ± 3.86, 4.11 ± 4.69%BW (mean ± SD) respectively. The OAS showed non-significant change in all treatment groups. There were significant decreases in CBPI pain severity score (PSS) and CBPI pain interference scores (PIS) within some groups over time, however no significant differences were found between the groups. Significantly decreased serum PGE 2 concentration (p < 0.05) was found in the combination group. Significant increases in BUN and creatinine (p < 0.05) compared to pre-treatment values were found in the firocoxib and combination groups but not in the PCSO-524 group at day28, but all values in all dogs remained within the normal ranges., Conclusions: The results of this study suggested combination of both PCSO-524 and firocoxib is more effective in alleviation of inflammation and improvement of weight bearing ability when compared to the uses of either PCSO-524 or firocoxib alone. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm this, and to determine if there is any benefit of PCSO-524 over placebo.

Background: Generalized demodicosis in dogs can be challenging to manage, especially in adult-onset cases., Hypothesis/objectives: This study evaluated the efficacy of oral fluralaner at the dose of 25-50 mg/kg for the treatment of canine generalized demodicosis., Animals: Client-owned dogs from Bangkok, Thailand, diagnosed with generalized demodicosis according to published criteria., Methods: Deep skin scrapings were performed at three to five affected areas to evaluate numbers of mites. Repeat examinations were performed monthly until parasitological cure; dogs were then followed up for two to 12 months. Parasitological cure was defined as two negative skin scrapings achieved one month apart., Results: One hundred and fifteen dogs were included in the study, 73 with adult-onset demodicosis and 42 with juvenile-onset demodicosis. Twenty one dogs were lost to follow-up and 27 had one negative skin scraping but did not return. Sixty seven dogs (21 with juvenile-onset and 46 with adult-onset disease) reached parasitological cure, which occurred after two, three and four months in 63%, 85% and 100% (respectively) of dogs with adult-onset demodicosis, cumulatively, and after two and three months in 81% and 100% of dogs with juvenile-onset demodicosis. Underlying causes associated with adult-onset demodicosis included atopic dermatitis, neoplasia, metabolic diseases and idiopathy. No adverse effects of fluralaner were observed in any of the dogs., Conclusion: Fluralaner given at the label dose for flea and tick prevention is effective for the treatment of canine generalized demodicosis., (© 2018 ESVD and ACVD.)

Objective: To test the hypothesis that urate uroliths are uncommonly detected in female Dalmatians, compared with males., Design: Case-control study., Sample Population: Medical records of dogs evaluated at veterinary teaching hospitals in North America from 1981 to 2002 and compiled by the Veterinary Medical Database, and records of dogs with uroliths submitted for quantitative analyses to the Minnesota Urolith Center from 1981 to 2002., Procedures: Crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess whether sex (male vs female) was a risk factor for urate urolithiasis., Results: In Dalmatians evaluated by veterinary teaching hospitals in North America, males were more likely (OR, 13.0) to form uroliths, compared with females. In Dalmatians that formed uroliths analyzed by the Minnesota Urolith Center, males were more likely (OR, 14.0) to form urate uroliths, compared with females. In all dogs (Dalmatian and non-Dalmatian) that formed uroliths analyzed by the Minnesota Urolith Center, males were also more likely (OR, 48.0) to form urate uroliths, compared with females., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: When conducting studies and formulating generalities about urate urolithiasis in Dalmatians, it is important to consider sex-related differences in urolith occurrence. Long-term dietary or drug protocols designed to minimize formation of urate uroliths in male Dalmatians may not be warranted in female Dalmatians.

Objectives: To compare serum concentrations of total thyroxine (TT4), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), as well as measures of thyroid follicular colloid and epithelium, between groups of healthy dogs and severely sick dogs., Design: Cross-sectional study., Animals: 61 healthy dogs and 66 severely sick dogs., Procedure: Serum samples were obtained before euthanasia, and both thyroid lobes were removed immediately after euthanasia. Morphometric analyses were performed on each lobe, and serum TT4, fT4, and TSH concentrations were measured., Results: In the sick group, serum TT4 and fT4 concentrations were less than reference range values in 39 (59%) and 21 (32%) dogs, respectively; only 5 (8%) dogs had high TSH concentrations. Mean serum TT4 and fT4 concentrations were significantly lower in the sick group, compared with the healthy group. In the healthy group, a significant negative correlation was found between volume percentage of colloid and TT4 or fT4 concentrations, and a significant positive correlation was found between volume percentage of follicular epithelium and TT4 or fT4 concentrations. A significant negative correlation was observed between volume percentages of colloid and follicular epithelium in both groups., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: TT4 and fT4 concentrations are frequently less than reference range values in severely sick dogs. Therefore, thyroid status should not be evaluated during severe illness. The absence of any significant differences in mean volume percentages of follicular epithelium between healthy and severely sick dogs suggests that these 2 groups had similar potential for synthesizing and secreting thyroid hormones.

Objective: To determine whether high systolic blood pressure (SBP) at the time of initial diagnosis of chronic renal failure in dogs was associated with increased risk of uremic crisis, risk of dying, or rate of decline in renal function., Design: Prospective cohort study., Animals: 45 dogs with spontaneous chronic renal failure., Procedure: Dogs were assigned to 1 of 3 groups on the basis of initial SBP (high, intermediate, low); Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods were used to estimate the association between SBP and development of a uremic crisis and death. The reciprocal of serum creatinine concentration was used as an estimate of renal function., Results: Dogs in the high SBP group were more likely to develop a uremic crisis and to die than were dogs in the other groups, and the risks of developing a uremic crisis and of dying increased significantly as SBP increased. A greater decrease in renal function was observed in dogs in the high SBP group. Retinopathy and hypertensive encephalopathy were detected in 3 of 14 dogs with SBP > or = 180 mm Hg. Systolic blood pressure remained high in 10 of 11 dogs treated with antihypertensive drugs., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Results suggested that initial high SBP in dogs with chronic renal failure was associated with increased risk of developing a uremic crisis and of dying. Further studies are required to determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between high SBP and progressive renal injury and to identify the risks and benefits of antihypertensive drug treatment.

Objective: To determine whether a diet used for dogs with renal failure (renal food [RF]) was superior to an adult maintenance food (MF) in minimizing uremic crises and mortality rate in dogs with spontaneous chronic renal failure., Design: Double-masked, randomized, controlled clinical trial., Animals: 38 dogs with spontaneous chronic renal failure., Procedure: Dogs were randomly assigned to a group fed adult MF or a group fed RF and evaluated for up to 24 months. The 2 groups were of similar clinical, biochemical, and hematologic status. The effects of diets on uremic crises and mortality rate were compared. Changes in renal function were evaluated by use of serial evaluation of serum creatinine concentrations and reciprocal of serum creatinine concentrations., Results: Compared with the MF, the RF had a beneficial effect regarding uremic crises and mortality rate in dogs with mild and moderate renal failure. Dogs fed the RF had a slower decline in renal function, compared with dogs fed the MF., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Dietary modifications are beneficial in minimizing extrarenal manifestations of uremia and mortality rate in dogs with mild and moderate spontaneous chronic renal failure. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that delay in development of uremic crises and associated mortality rate in dogs fed RF was associated, at least in part, with reduction in rate of progression of renal failure.

Objective: To identify factors in dry diets associated with the occurrence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths in dogs., Animals: 600 dogs with CaOx uroliths and 898 dogs without urinary tract diseases., Procedure: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed., Results: Compared with diets with the highest concentrations of sodium, dry diets with the lowest concentrations of sodium, phosphorus, calcium, chloride, protein, magnesium, or potassium were linearly associated with increased risk of CaOx urolith formation. Significant nonlinear associations between increased occurrence of CaOx uroliths and urine acidifying potential and low moisture content were observed. Significant nonlinear associations between decreased occurrence of CaOx uroliths and carbohydrate and fiber contents were observed. A significant association between the occurrence of CaOx uroliths and dietary fat was not observed., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Results suggest that dry diets formulated to contain high concentrations of protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride may minimize formation of CaOx uroliths. In addition, comparison of risk and protective factors of various diet ingredients fed to dogs with CaOx uroliths suggests that although similar findings were observed in canned and dry formulations, in general, greater risk is associated with dry formulations. However, before these hypotheses about dietary modifications are adopted by food manufacturers, they must be investigated by use of appropriately designed clinical studies of dogs with CaOx urolithiasis.

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the electroencephalography (EEG) patterns between healthy and epileptic dogs, to analyze the diagnostic value of scalp EEG for canine epilepsy under sedation with dexmedetomidine and to provide canine standard protocol. EEG of 29 epileptic dogs and 17 control dogs was recorded. Normal patterns, interictal epileptiform, and non-epileptiform abnormalities were interpreted using visual analysis by board-certified epileptologists. Results revealed that 34% of the dogs with epilepsy did not show discernible abnormalities on their EEG recordings. Approximately 38% of the epileptic dogs presented interictal epileptiform discharges, 28% had only non-epileptiform discharges, and 24% had both abnormalities. Sixteen of the control dogs had normal EEG pattern while one of them had non-epileptiform pattern. To identify the interictal epileptiform discharges, EEG had 37.93% sensitivity and 100% specificity for the epilepsy group compared with the normal dogs. The interictal scalp EEG, as a result, had high specificity for supporting the diagnosis of epilepsy in dogs. Moreover, administration of 5-8 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine via the intravenous (IV) route was recommended for canine EEG study because it provided non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep EEG, together with awake period in each tracing which was valuable for EEG interpretation. EEG, as a result, is one of the considerably useful tools to evaluate cerebral functions and epileptiform discharges. Therefore, our study suggested that EEG should be a routine diagnostic tool for ruling in canine epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of hypercoagulation is essential for the identification of individuals at high risk for thrombosis and for early treatment of thrombotic disorder. The objective of the study was to evaluate some parameters for assessing the prothrombotic state in dogs with chronic renal failure (CRF). Some natural anticoagulants, protein C (PC), protein S (PS), and antithrombin III (AT III), as well as fibrinogen concentration and clinical chemistries, were concentrated. The study groups consisted of 42 dogs with CRF and 34 age- and sex-matched clinically healthy control dogs. The level of AT III in the CRF group was significantly lower ( P < 0.05), but the fibrinogen concentration was significantly higher ( P < 0.05) than in the control group. Additionally, the cholesterol level in the CRF group was significantly higher than in the control group ( P < 0.05) and was positively correlated to creatinine ( R = 0.5, P < 0.05). Elevated levels of PC and PS were exhibited in eight dogs with subcutaneous edema. The increased levels of PC and PS may counterbalance the reduction of AT III and may be related to the magnitude of hypoalbuminemia and proteinuria. These seem to be preventive mechanisms against thromboembolic phenomena. Simple correlations among parameters were determined for the CRF group. The fibrinogen concentration was correlated inversely with the AT III level ( R = −0.63, P < 0.05). A negative correlation between AT III and azotemic parameters (creatinine: R = −0.68, P < 0.05; blood urea nitrogen (BUN): R = −0.65, P < 0.05) was observed also. In contrast, the fibrinogen concentration was positively correlated to creatinine ( R = 0.66, P < 0.05) and BUN ( R = 0.67, P < 0.05). The study concluded that there was a significant reduction in AT III and hyperfibrinogenemia, which were predictable parameters for thrombotic tendency in the dogs with CRF. Hypercholesterolemia was the other risk factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]