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Neu gibt es einen Therapieleitfaden für Hunde und Katzen. Dieser gibt Tierärztinnen und Tierärzten Empfehlungen für die Antibiotika-Behandlung ab. Er soll bei der Entscheidung helfen, ob Antibiotika nötig sind und wenn ja, welche verwendet werden sollen. Die Vetsuisse Fakultät, die Gesellschaft Schweizer Tierärztinnen und Tierärzte (GST) und die Schweizerische Vereinigung für Kleintiermedizin (SVK) haben unter Koordination des BLV den Therapieleitfaden gemeinsam erarbeitet.

BACKGROUND: There is a successful outcome after surgical management of spinal arachnoid diverticula (SAD) in up to 82% of cases. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that Pugs have favorable short-term and poor long-term prognosis after surgical treatment of thoracolumbar SAD. The aim of the present investigation was to describe clinical findings, short- and long-term outcomes, and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in Pugs with thoracolumbar SAD. ANIMALS: Twenty-five client owned Pugs with 12-month follow-up information after surgical treatment of thoracolumbar SAD. METHODS: Multicenter retrospective case series. All medical records were searched for Pugs diagnosed with SAD. Data regarding signalment, history, surgical procedure, outcome, histopathology, and follow-up MRI results were extracted. RESULTS: Mean age at presentation was 7.32 (range 2-11) years, 80% were males. Short-term outcome was available in 25 dogs, and improvement was confirmed in 80% of dogs. Long-term outcome was available in 21 dogs, and deterioration was confirmed in 86% of cases, with late-onset recurrence of clinical signs after initial postsurgical improvement affecting 85% of Pugs. A moderate correlation (r = 0.50) was found between duration of clinical signs and outcome. In 8 dogs with deteriorating clinical signs, follow-up MRI revealed regrowth of the SAD in 2 cases, new SAD formation in 2 cases, and intramedullary T2W hyperintensity/syringomyelia in 6 cases. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This study suggests that Pugs with thoracolumbar SAD do not have a favorable long-term prognosis after surgical treatment for reasons yet to be determined.

Cerebral cortical laminar necrosis (CLN) is a consequence of severe hypoxic, ischemic, or hypoglycemic events. In humans, these cortical lesions show characteristic linear T1-weighted (T1W) hyperintensity in the late subacute stage. Limited information reporting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in dogs affected by CLN is available. A 3-year-old Belgian Shepherd dog was referred 8 days after sudden onset of blindness after general anesthesia. Neurological examination showed central blindness and mild ataxia. Three-Tesla MRI examination of the brain revealed bilateral asymmetrical areas of T2-weighted hyperintensity within the occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal cortex, involving gray and white matter. Furthermore, linear T1W-hyperintense lesions were found in the cerebral cortex of the same areas and showed heterogeneous contrast enhancement. Perfusion-weighted images revealed hyperperfusion in the affected regions. Lesions were compatible with subacute CLN with corresponding edema suspected to be secondary to anesthesia-related brain hypoxia. Three-Tesla MRI enabled identification of the laminar pattern of the cortical lesions.

Inherited neurodegenerative disorders are debilitating diseases that occur across different species. We have performed clinical, pathological and genetic studies to characterize a novel canine neurodegenerative disease present in the Lagotto Romagnolo dog breed. Affected dogs suffer from progressive cerebellar ataxia, sometimes accompanied by episodic nystagmus and behavioral changes. Histological examination revealed unique pathological changes, including profound neuronal cytoplasmic vacuolization in the nervous system, as well as spheroid formation and cytoplasmic aggregation of vacuoles in secretory epithelial tissues and mesenchymal cells. Genetic analyses uncovered a missense change, c.1288G>A; p.A430T, in the autophagy-related ATG4D gene on canine chromosome 20 with a highly significant disease association (p = 3.8 x 10(-136)) in a cohort of more than 2300 Lagotto Romagnolo dogs. ATG4D encodes a poorly characterized cysteine protease belonging to themacroautophagy pathway. Accordingly, our histological analyses indicated altered autophagic flux in affected tissues. The knockdown of the zebrafish homologue atg4da resulted in a widespread developmental disturbance and neurodegeneration in the central nervous system. Our study describes a previously unknown canine neurological disease with particular pathological features and implicates the ATG4D protein as an important autophagy mediator in neuronal homeostasis. The canine phenotype serves as a model to delineate the disease-causing pathological mechanism(s) and ATG4D function, and can also be used to explore treatment options. Furthermore, our results reveal a novel candidate gene for human neurodegeneration and enable the development of a genetic test for veterinary diagnostic and breeding purposes.

BACKGROUND: A plethora of treatment options have been described for canine meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO), yet a gold standard has not been established. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to document the effect of a newly designed 30 Gray (Gy) radiation therapy (RT) protocol plus corticosteroids as treatment for focal and multifocal MUO, to monitor clinical and imaging changes during the course of the disease with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton MR Spectroscopy (H-1 MRS) and to detect the occurrence of radiation related side effects. RESULTS: Six dogs (3 with focal and 3 with multifocal lesions) were included in the study. The RT protocol used consisted of 30 Gy in 10 fractions. The neurological status of all six dogs improved during RT, with 3 of 6 cases returning to a normal condition. One dog was euthanized early during follow-up (<3 weeks after end of RT). Three month follow up MRI was normal in one dog and improved in 3 dogs and H-1 MRS normalized in 4. In the dog without improvement of the MRI lesions, the N-acetyl aspartate continued to decrease, while choline and creatine concentrations remained stable during that time. This dog was euthanized 18 month after the end of RT due to relapse. One dog was lost to follow up 12 month after completion of RT. The other 3 dogs are still alive at the time of writing. CONCLUSIONS: RT with 30 Gy in 10 fractions can provide an additional option for anti-inflammatory treatment of focal and multifocal MUO. The protocol used for treatment monitoring was feasible while no side effects of RT could be observed during the follow up period. Moreover, H-1 MRS could represent a new and non-invasive tool to control the progression of the disease during the treatment course.