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Cats with diabetes mellitus frequently achieve clinical remission, suggesting residual β-cell function. Responsiveness of β-cells to arginine persists the longest during diabetes progression, making the intravenous arginine stimulation test (IVAST) a useful tool to assess residual insulin and glucagon secretion. Diabetic cats with and without remission will have different arginine-induced insulin or glucagon response. Seventeen cats with diabetes, 7 healthy cats. Blood samples collected on admission and during subsequent IVAST. Glucose, insulin, and glucagon were measured. Response to IVAST was assessed by calculating the insulin and glucagon area under the curve (AUC) and the AUC glucagon-to-insulin ratio. Diabetic cats were treated with insulin and were followed for 18 weeks. Remission was defined as normoglycemia and disappearance of clinical signs of diabetes for ≥4 weeks, without requiring insulin. Seven diabetic cats (41%) achieved remission. On admission, blood glucose concentration was significantly lower in cats with remission (median, 389 mg/dL; range, 342-536 mg/dL) than in those without remission (median, 506 mg/dL; range, 266-738 mg/dL). After IVAST, diabetic cats with remission had higher AUC glucagon-to-insulin ratios (median, 61; range, 34-852) than did cats without remission (median, 26; range, 20-498); glucose, insulin, and glucagon AUCs were not different. Diabetic cats had lower insulin AUC than did healthy cats but comparable glucagon AUC. Diabetic cats with and without remission have similar arginine-stimulated insulin secretion on admission. Although cats with remission had lower blood glucose concentrations and higher AUC glucagon-to-insulin ratios, large overlap between groups prevents use of these parameters in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Splenic marginal zone lymphomas (MZL) in dogs arise from the marginal zone of B-cell follicles and can progress slowly. To describe clinical features, treatment, and outcome of dogs with splenic MZL. Five dogs with naturally occurring MZL. Clinical, laboratory, and follow-up data were retrospectively reviewed. Diagnosis was based on clinical, histopathological, and immunophenotypic features. All dogs had stage IV disease; among them, 2 were symptomatic (substage 'b') because of splenic rupture. Four dogs underwent splenectomy and adjuvant doxorubicin, and 1 dog underwent surgery only. Three out of the 4 dogs treated with surgery and chemotherapy died of causes unrelated to lymphoma, after 760, 939, and 1,825 days, whereas the remaining dog was alive and in complete remission after 445 days. The dog not receiving any adjuvant treatment had recurrence of the tumor after 180 days. Splenic MZL appears indolent and can benefit from splenectomy, with or without systemic chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement in imaging technology, ECG-gated cardiac multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has emerged as a tool for the anatomic evaluation of the pulmonary valve and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in human medicine. Currently, the evaluation of the pulmonary valve relies primarily on echocardiographic examination. However, the bi-dimensional nature of this technique and the location/orientation of the pulmonary valve in the thoracic cavity can pose challenges. In human medicine, ECG-gated MDCT distinguishes four main anatomic components of the pulmonary valve and RVOT: the pulmonary valve leaflets, the sinotubular junction, the anatomic ventriculo-arterial junction and the hemodynamic ventriculo-arterial junction. Hence, this study aimed to describe the computed tomographic findings of the normal RVOT and pulmonary cusps in a population of dogs. This is an anatomic prospective descriptive study. A total of 24 dogs underwent a complete echocardiographic examination and an ECG-gated MDCT to rule out pulmonary valve abnormalities. Multiplanar reconstruction of the pulmonary valve was obtained. Additionally, hearts from three dogs euthanized for reasons unrelated to the study were collected and their gross and histological findings were compared with the CT images. The ECG-gated MDCT provided good visualization of the pulmonary valve leaflets, the sinotubular junction, the anatomic ventriculo-arterial junction and the hemodynamic ventriculo-arterial junction. Notably, the short-axis view of the pulmonary valve anatomy resembled the 'Mercedes-Benz sign' characteristic of the aortic valve in all dogs. In conclusion, this study provides the first description of the CT anatomy of the RVOT in dogs without pulmonary valve and RVOT abnormalities., (© 2025 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)

AA amyloidosis is a prototypic example of systemic amyloidosis: it results from the prolonged overproduction of SAA protein produced in response to chronic inflammation. AA amyloidosis primarily affects the kidneys, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, leading to a variety of symptoms. First, this review examines AA amyloidosis in humans, focusing on pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and diagnosis and then in animals. In fact AA amyloidosis is the only systemic amyloidosis that has been largely documented in a remarkable number of vertebrate species: mammals, birds, and fishes, especially in individuals with comorbidities, chronic stress, or held in captivity. Secondly, here, we summarise independent sets of evidence obtained on different animal species, exploring the possible transmissibility of AA amyloidosis especially in crowded or confined populations. Finally, biochemical and structural data on native SAA and on AA amyloid fibrils from human, murine, and cat ex vivo samples are discussed. The available structural data depict a complex scenario, where SAA can misfold forming highly different amyloid assemblies. This review highlights the complexity of AA amyloidosis, emphasising the need for further research into its spread in the animal kingdom, its structural aspects, and pathogenetic mechanisms to evaluate its impact on human and animal health.

AA-amyloidosis is frequent in shelter cats, and chronic kidney disease is the foremost cause of death. The aims were to describe kidney laboratory and microscopic findings in shelter cats with AA-amyloidosis. Cats were included if kidney specimens were collected post-mortem and laboratory data were available within 6 months before death. Renal lesions were evaluated with optical and electron microscopy. Mass spectrometry was used to characterize amyloid. Nine domestic short-hair cats were included; 4 females and 5 males with a median age of 8 years (range = 2-13). All cats had blood analyses and urinalyses available. Serum creatinine concentrations were increased in 6 cats and symmetric dimethylarginine was increased in all of the cats. All of the cats had proteinuria. Eight of 9 cats had amyloid in the medulla, and 9 had amyloid in the cortex (glomeruli). All cats had amyloid in the interstitium. Six cats had concurrent interstitial nephritis and 1 had membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. All cats had extrarenal amyloid deposits. Amyloid was AA in each case. In conclusion, renal deposition of amyloid occurs in both cortex and medulla in shelter cats and is associated with azotemia and proteinuria. Renal involvement of systemic AA-amyloidosis should be considered in shelter cats with chronic kidney disease. The cat represents a natural model of renal AA-amyloidosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a gradient echo (GE) MRI sequence. Intravenous administration of gadolinium (Gd) may affect GE images, but its effect on SWI has not been investigated in veterinary medicine. This cross-sectional prospective study evaluated the effects of Gd on SWI. Seventy-one dogs that underwent brain MRI were included and distributed in two groups. Susceptibility-weighted imaging was performed pre- and postcontrast, obtained immediately after Gd administration (Group A: n = 35) or delayed (Group B: n = 36; median delay 19.9 min). Pre- and post-Gd SWI were analyzed for signal intensity changes in the lentiform nuclei of gray matter (GM), in the centrum semiovale of white matter (WM), and in brain lesions. No difference in GM signal intensity was identified in either group between pre- and postcontrast images (Group A, P = .395; Group B, P = .895). In group A, WM signal intensity was lower in pre- than post-Gd sequences (P = .019). Brain lesions were identified in 30/71 (41%) cases; the signal intensity of intracranial lesions was significantly lower in pre- than post-Gd images in both groups (P < .001); the number of lesions influenced the difference in signal intensity in group B (P = .043). Susceptibility artifacts did not change in appearance between pre- and postcontrast images in either the normal brain or in parenchymal lesions. In conclusion, Gd may modify the signal intensity of WM and brain lesions but does not affect the susceptibility artifacts and does not interfere with SWI interpretation., (© 2024 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)

There are no published reports describing the anatomic variations of the phrenicoabdominal (PhAbd) veins in cats. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomic variations of the PhAbd veins in cats without adrenal disease. This is an anatomic study. Abdominal CT images of cats acquired from January 2021 to February 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria were the presence of pre- and postcontrast CT images of the abdomen and the absence of any abdominal diseases that compromise the left and right PhAbd veins visualization. A total of 128 cats were included. Three different vascular anatomic variations were found in the distal pericaval segment of the left phrenicoabdominal (LPhAbd) vein. In the first type, found in 65 cases (50.8%), the LPhAbd vein drained directly into the caudal vena cava. In the second type defined IIa, found in 25 cases (19.5%), the LPhAbd vein drained into the distal third of the left renal vein, less than 5 mm from its opening into the caudal vena cava. In the third type defined IIb, found in 38 cases (29.7%), the LPhAbd vein drained into the distal third of the left renal vein, more than 5 mm from its opening into the caudal vena cava. The right phrenicoabdominal vein had a consistent path and drained into the caudal vena cava in all cases. The knowledge of these vascular variations is expected to help the surgeon during adrenalectomy due to masses with vascular invasion in cats., (© 2024 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)

Introduction: Large clinical studies regarding cervical intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) in Dachshunds are lacking. This retrospective multicentric study therefore aims to describe the clinical features, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and outcomes of Dachshunds diagnosed with cervical IVDE., Methods: Medical records of Dachshunds with cervical IVDE were reviewed for signalment, onset of clinical signs, neurological examination, MRI features, treatment and outcome., Results: Eighty Dachshunds were included in the study, mostly ambulatory (55% grade 1 and 33% grade 2) and without nerve root signature (85% of cases) on presentation. Information on coat type was available for 56% of dogs; specifically, 41% were smooth-haired, 9% were long-haired and 6% were wire-haired Dachshunds. There were 29 (36%) neutered female, 27 (34%) male entire, 15 (19%) male neutered and 9 (11%) entire female dogs. The onset of clinical signs was most often >48 h (84%). The most common intervertebral disc space affected was C2-C3 (38%) and foraminal IVDEs were reported in 14% of dogs. A foraminal IVDE was diagnosed in only 25% of dogs presented with nerve root signatures. Most dogs (77.5%) were treated surgically. In this group, a higher body condition score on presentation and a higher mean spinal cord compression ratio calculated on MRI were directly and moderately associated with a longer hospitalization time ( r  = 0.490 p  = 0.005 and r  = 0.310 p  = 0.012, respectively). The recovery time was longer in dogs with an onset of clinical signs <24 h or 24-48 h compared to those with an onset of clinical signs >48 h (3.1 ± 6.5 days versus 1.6 ± 6.2, p  < 0.001) in both medically and surgically treated groups. Data about the outcome was available for 83% of dogs. Eighty percent of the entire population of dogs was considered to have completely returned to normal. There was no association between the therapeutic choice (surgical versus medical management) and the outcome of the dogs included in this study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Violini, Tirrito, Cozzi, Contiero, Anesi, Zini and Toni.)

Background: A combination of dermoscopic and histological findings may provide useful information for the diagnosis of hair follicle diseases. However, there are no studies on dermoscopic-histopathological correlations in dogs affected by alopecia X, and comparison of longitudinal versus transversal sectioning of skin biopsy specimens in the assessment of this hair loss disorder has not been thoroughly investigated., Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to correlate dermoscopic and histological features using both longitudinal and transversal sectioning of skin biopsy samples to gain additional information for the diagnosis of alopecia X., Animals: Nineteen Pomeranian dogs affected by alopecia X and five healthy Pomeranians as controls., Materials and Methods: Dermoscopic-histological correlation was performed within the diseased group, whereas histological comparisons against controls. The demographic and clinical characteristics also were related to the histological findings., Results: The dermoscopic findings revealed scattered, thinned, short hairs mixed with amorphous keratoseborrhoeic-like material (follicular plugging), perifollicular and intrafollicular scaling, and hyperpigmentation varying from pinpoint black spots to a diffuse texture. Dermoscopic findings correlated with histological findings for selected qualitative and quantitative findings. The usefulness of transversal sections was demonstrated in accurately determining the hair follicular density and counts, growth arrest phases and in identifying mineralisation of hair follicle basement membrane when compared to the longitudinal. Conversely, no correlations between histological findings and demographic and clinical characteristics were detected., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: These data provide evidence of the usefulness of dermoscopic evaluation as an accessory diagnostic tool and of transversal sections of skin biopsies as complementary to the diagnosis of alopecia X., (© 2023 ESVD and ACVD.)

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) has been used in canine medicine in several disorders, above all, to evaluate levels of inflammation. This study evaluated the ESR in canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and other inflammatory conditions. Three groups of dogs were examined: CanL affected dogs without clinical signs (INFECTED group, #25) or with clinical signs (SICK group, #43) and dogs affected by acute or acute-on-chronic conditions (OTHER DISEASE group, #65). The ESR was compared with acute phase proteins or reactants either positive or negative (leukogram, fibrinogen, iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity, ferritin, haptoglobin, and albumin) and immunological markers (gamma-globulins, IgG, and IgM). The ESR was higher in the SICK group than in the INFECTED group (median 39 vs. 11 mm/h; p < 0.0001), as well as in the OTHER DISEASE than in the INFECTED groups (median 41 vs. 11 mm/h; p < 0.0001). The ESR appeared outside the reference range for all dogs in the SICK and OTHER DISEASE groups and almost with similar values (mm/h; median 39, 95% CI 31-51 vs. 41, 95% CI 12-87; p > 0.05). The extent of changes in ESR can help to establish the severity of CanL and other inflammatory disorders. As a point-of-care test, the ESR can be used to screen dogs for unhealthy conditions, and its values correlate with the severity of any disease, including CanL.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a newly adopted consensus term to replace the therapeutic application of low-level laser therapy. It has been suggested that PMB influences the microbiome which, in turn, has increasingly been shown to be linked with health and disease. Even though the use of PBM has also grown dramatically in veterinary medicine, there is still a lack of evidence supporting its effect in vivo. Our objective was to investigate the impact of a dual-wavelength near-infrared laser source (Multiwavelength Locked Laser System, MLS ® ) on the skin microbiome in atopic dogs. Twenty adult-client-owned atopic dogs were enrolled in the study. The dogs were treated with MLS ® laser therapy on one half of the abdominal region, whereas the contralateral side was left untreated and served as a control. Skin microbiome samples were collected before and after MLS ® treatments, and then subjected to NGS-based ITS and 16S rRNA analysis. The results showed that while microbiome composition and diversity were not significantly affected, PBM could play a role in modulating the abundance of specific bacterial species, in particular Staphylococcus , that represent a major skin pathogenic strain. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the potential impact of MLS ® laser therapy on the skin microbiome in atopic dogs.

Background: Amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis is a protein misfolding disease arising from serum amyloid A (SAA). Systemic AA amyloidosis recently was shown to have a high prevalence in shelter cats in Italy and was associated with azotemia and proteinuria., Objectives: Investigate urine protein profiles and diagnostic biomarkers in cats with renal AA amyloidosis., Animals: Twenty-nine shelter cats., Methods: Case-control study. Cats with renal proteinuria that died or were euthanized between 2018 and 2021 with available necropsy kidney, liver and spleen samples, and with surplus urine collected within 30 days before death, were included. Histology was used to characterize renal damage and amyloid amount and distribution; immunohistochemistry was used to confirm AA amyloidosis. Urine protein-to-creatinine (UPC) and urine amyloid A-to-creatinine (UAAC) ratios were calculated, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-agarose gel electrophoresis (SDS-AGE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) of proteins were performed., Results: Twenty-nine cats were included. Nineteen had AA amyloidosis with renal involvement. Cats with AA amyloidosis had a higher UPC (median, 3.9; range, 0.6-12.7 vs 1.5; 0.6-3.1; P = .03) and UAAC ratios (median, 7.18 × 10 -3 ; range, 23 × 10 -3 -21.29 × 10 -3 vs 1.26 × 10 -3 ; 0.21 × 10 -3 -6.33 × 10 -3 ; P = .04) than unaffected cats. The SDS-AGE identified mixed-type proteinuria in 89.4% of cats with AA amyloidosis and in 55.6% without AA amyloidosis (P = .57). The LC-MS identified 63 potential biomarkers associated with AA amyloidosis (P < .05). Among these, urine apolipoprotein C-III was higher in cats with AA amyloidosis (median, 1.38 × 10 7 ; range, 1.85 × 10 5 -5.29 × 10 7 vs 1.76 × 10 6 ; 0.0 × 10 0 -1.38 × 10 7 ; P = .01). In the kidney, AA-amyloidosis was associated with glomerulosclerosis (P = .02) and interstitial fibrosis (P = .05)., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Renal AA amyloidosis is associated with kidney lesions, increased proteinuria and increased urine excretion of SAA in shelter cats. Additional studies are needed to characterize the role of lipid transport proteins in the urine of affected cats., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Prototheca infections are rare in cats, and they are usually associated with cutaneous or subcutaneous infections by P. wickerhamii , with no evidence of neurological signs or systemic disease. In this study, we report the identification of prototheca in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a cat with neurological symptoms. Fourteen CSF samples were gathered from cats presented with neurological disease between 2012 and 2014. The inclusion criteria for the samples were an increase in CSF protein and cell number (pleocytosis), suggestive of an infectious inflammatory status of the central nervous system (CNS). Nine samples fulfilled the inclusion criteria (inflammatory samples), while five samples, used as control, did not (non-inflammatory samples). All the samples were screened molecularly for different pathogens associated with CNS disease in cats, including prototheca. Out of 14 CSF samples, only one inflammatory sample tested positive for prototheca. Upon sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the amplicon, the strain was characterized as P. bovis . This report is the first documented evidence of prototheca in the cerebrospinal fluid of a cat with neurological signs. Prototheca should be considered in the diagnostics procedures on the CNS of cats presented with infectious diseases.

Amyloidosis is a group of protein-misfolding disorders characterized by the accumulation of amyloid in organs, both in humans and animals. AA-amyloidosis is considered a reactive type of amyloidosis and in humans is characterized by the deposition of AA-amyloid fibrils in one or more organs. In domestic shorthair cats, AA-amyloidosis was recently reported to be frequent in shelters. To better characterize this pathology, we report the distribution of amyloid deposits and associated histological lesions in the organs of shelter cats with systemic AA-amyloidosis. AA-amyloid deposits were identified with Congo Red staining and immunofluorescence. AA-amyloid deposits were then described and scored, and associated histological lesions were reported. Based on Congo Red staining and immunofluorescence nine shelter cats presented systemic AA-amyloidosis. The kidney (9/9), the spleen (8/8), the adrenal glands (8/8), the small intestine (7/7) and the liver (8/9) were the organs most involved by amyloid deposits, with multifocal to diffuse and from moderate to severe deposits, both in the organ parenchyma and/or in the vascular compartment. The lung (2/9) and the skin (1/8) were the least frequently involved organs and deposits were mainly focal to multifocal, mild, vascular and perivascular. Interestingly, among the organs with fibril deposition, the stomach (7/9), the gallbladder (6/6), the urinary bladder (3/9), and the heart (6/7) were reported for the first time in cats. All eye, brain and skeletal muscle samples had no amyloid deposits. An inflammatory condition was identified in 8/9 cats, with chronic enteritis and chronic nephritis being the most common. Except for secondary cell compression, other lesions were not associated to amyloid deposits. To conclude, this study gives new insights into the distribution of AA-amyloid deposits in cats. A concurrent chronic inflammation was present in almost all cases, possibly suggesting a relationship with AA-amyloidosis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Moccia et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Sepsis of Gram negative bacterial origin results in lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia. This often leads to acute kidney injury (AKI) and its recognition remains a challenge and delays treatment. As renal damage occurs before a rise in serum creatinine is detected, new early biomarkers of kidney injury need to be explored. The aim of this study was to determine changes in serum parameters of renal function and urine biomarkers of renal injury. This was a descriptive study. Endotoxemia was induced intravenously in six anaesthetized Beagles (T1). To achieve normotension, dogs received fluids (T2), followed by a continuous infusion of noradrenaline and dexmedetomidine or 0.9% NaCl (T3). Ten minutes later, the dogs received fluids (T4) and noradrenaline and dexmedetomidine or 0.9% NaCl in a crossover manner (T5). At each timepoint, blood and urine were collected for serum creatinine, urea, symmetric dimethylarginine, urine protein/creatinine (UPC) ratio, urine neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin (U-NGAL), U-NGAL/creatinine ratio, urine clusterin (U-clusterin) and U-clusterin/creatinine ratio. Data were analyzed using a mixed-effect model taking into account time and stage of veterinary AKI (VAKI). Three of six dogs had a VAKI stage ≥1; one with anuria and elevated creatinine. Serum creatinine (P < 0.001), U-NGAL/creatinine ratio (P = 0.01) and U-clusterin/creatinine ratio increased over time (P < 0.01). The UPC ratio (mean (range) 0.68 (0.35-2.3) versus 0.39 (0.15-0.71) P < 0.01) and U-NGAL (3164 pg/mL (100-147,555) versus 100 (100-14,524), P = 0.01) were higher in VAKI stage ≥1 versus stage 0, respectively. Endotoxemia induced VAKI stage ≥1 in half of the dogs. Repeated measurement of selected parameters could detect AKI early., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: As part of the EU Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Healthcare-Associated Infections, an initiative has been launched to build the European AMR Surveillance network in veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet). So far, activities included mapping national systems for AMR surveillance in animal bacterial pathogens, and defining the EARS-Vet objectives, scope, and standards. Drawing on these milestones, this study aimed to pilot test EARS-Vet surveillance, namely to (i) assess available data, (ii) perform cross-country analyses, and (iii) identify potential challenges and develop recommendations to improve future data collection and analysis., Methods: Eleven partners from nine EU/EEA countries participated and shared available data for the period 2016-2020, representing a total of 140,110 bacterial isolates and 1,302,389 entries (isolate-antibiotic agent combinations)., Results: Collected data were highly diverse and fragmented. Using a standardized approach and interpretation with epidemiological cut-offs, we were able to jointly analyze AMR trends of 53 combinations of animal host-bacteria-antibiotic categories of interest to EARS-Vet. This work demonstrated substantial variations of resistance levels, both among and within countries (e.g., between animal host species)., Discussion: Key issues at this stage include the lack of harmonization of antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods used in European surveillance systems and veterinary diagnostic laboratories, the absence of interpretation criteria for many bacteria-antibiotic combinations of interest, and the lack of data from a lot of EU/EEA countries where little or even surveillance currently exists. Still, this pilot study provides a proof-of-concept of what EARS-Vet can achieve. Results form an important basis to shape future systematic data collection and analysis., Competing Interests: BK and EM work for a commercial veterinary laboratory with EARS-Vet activity not influencing the laboratory work. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lagrange, Amat, Ballesteros, Damborg, Grönthal, Haenni, Jouy, Kaspar, Kenny, Klein, Lupo, Madec, Salomonsen, Müller, Madero, Nilsson, Norström, Nykäsenoja, Overesch, Pedersen, Pohjanvirta, Slowey, Justo, Urdahl, Zafeiridis, Zini, Cazeau, Jarrige, Collineau and on behalf of the EARS-Vet network.)

Background: Pulmonary stenosis (PS) usually is evaluated using echocardiography. A multiparametric approach, in addition to the maximum pressure gradient (PG), might be indicated to better characterize PS severity and address its management., Hypothesis/objectives: Our hypothesis was that right heart size and function are associated with echocardiographic and clinical severity of pulmonary stenosis in dogs., Animals: Client-owned dogs with PS., Methods: Prospective, multicenter, observational study. Enrolled dogs underwent complete echocardiographic examination. Associations among right heart echocardiographic variables, PS transvalvular PG >80 mm Hg and presence of clinical signs (exercise intolerance, syncope, right-sided congestive failure, or some combination of these) were assessed using logistic regression analysis., Results: Eighty-eight dogs with PS. Twenty-eight dogs were symptomatic. Increased right ventricular end-diastolic free wall thickness (odds ratio [OR] > 100; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 50- > 100; P = .01) and decreased aorta-to-pulmonary artery velocity time integral ratio (OR, < 0.001; 95%CI, 0.0-0.001; P = .005) were independently associated with PS PG >80 mm Hg. Decreased tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (OR, 0.35; 95%CI, 0.15-0.77; P = .01) and increased right ventricular end-diastolic area (OR, 1.4; 95%CI, 1.08-2.02; P = .01) were independently associated with clinical severity., Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Structural and functional right heart echocardiographic variables are associated with echocardiographic and clinical severity in dogs with PS. A multiparametric approach is advised to better assess PS severity., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Systemic AA-amyloidosis is a protein-misfolding disease characterized by fibril deposition of serum amyloid-A protein (SAA) in several organs in humans and many animal species. Fibril deposits originate from abnormally high serum levels of SAA during chronic inflammation. A high prevalence of AA-amyloidosis has been reported in captive cheetahs and a horizontal transmission has been proposed. In domestic cats, AA-amyloidosis has been mainly described in predisposed breeds but only rarely reported in domestic short-hair cats. Aims of the study were to determine AA-amyloidosis prevalence in dead shelter cats. Liver, kidney, spleen and bile were collected at death in cats from 3 shelters. AA-amyloidosis was scored. Shedding of amyloid fibrils was investigated with western blot in bile and scored. Descriptive statistics were calculated. In the three shelters investigated, prevalence of AA-amyloidosis was 57.1% (16/28 cats), 73.0% (19/26) and 52.0% (13/25), respectively. In 72.9% of cats (35 in total) three organs were affected concurrently. Histopathology and immunofluorescence of post-mortem extracted deposits identified SAA as the major protein source. The duration of stay in the shelters was positively associated with a histological score of AA-amyloidosis (B = 0.026, CI95% = 0.007-0.046; p = 0.010). AA-amyloidosis was very frequent in shelter cats. Presence of SAA fragments in bile secretions raises the possibility of fecal-oral transmission of the disease. In conclusion, AA-amyloidosis was very frequent in shelter cats and those staying longer had more deposits. The cat may represent a natural model of AA-amyloidosis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Ferri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

An 8-month-old, male, crossbreed dog was presented for macroglossia, reduced mandibular extension, ptyalism, dysphagia, and regurgitation. Serum creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase activity were markedly increased. Thoracic radiographs showed an axial gastro-esophageal hiatal hernia, diaphragmatic thickening, and asymmetry. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head showed a severely enlarged tongue, symmetric increase in size of the geniohyoid and mylohyoid muscles, and diffuse masticatory hypomyotrophy. Whole-body CT ruled out other musculoskeletal abnormalities and further characterized the radiographic and MRI findings. Muscular histopathology was consistent with Becker muscular dystrophy., (© 2022 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)