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Enoxaparin at 0.8 mg/kg every 6 h is used in dogs to prevent prothrombotic events, but has only been validated in healthy Greyhounds, a breed with documented hypocoagulable haemostatic profiles in vitro and bleeding tendencies in vivo. This study investigated the effects of enoxaparin at this dose rate on the coagulation parameters of eight healthy adult Beagles over a 48 h period. Anti-Xa activity was significantly increased 3 h after the second and third of nine injections, and target anti-Xa activity was only reached transiently in 3/8 dogs. Paradoxically, a transient increase in endogenous thrombin potential was observed 6 h after the third injection. Other haematologic, biochemical and coagulation parameters were not significantly altered from the baseline values during enoxaparin treatment ( P  > 0.05). This study suggests that assumptions regarding the pharmacodynamic effects of enoxaparin are not generalisable across breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prolonged slow expiration (PSE) and assisted cough (AC) are airway clearance techniques feasible and well tolerated in dogs. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of PSE and AC as chest physiotherapy (CP) techniques in dogs with airway fluid accumulation. Animals Thirty‐one client‐owned dogs hospitalized in an intensive care unit from October 2014 to May 2018. Methods: Prospective randomized controlled trial. Dogs presented with or developing acute dyspnea during hospitalization associated with airway fluid accumulation were assigned to CP group (medical treatment and CP, 15 dogs) or control group (medical treatment alone, 16 dogs). The arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) to fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio (P/F ratio; PaO2/FiO2 × 100) was calculated daily for the 1st 48 hours of hospitalization and using the last arterial blood gas performed before discharge or death. The ratio of days of hospitalization with oxygen/total number of hospitalization days (ratio of oxygen‐free‐days [O2Free]) was calculated. Results: During the 1st 48 hours, the P/F ratio increased significantly in the CP group compared to the control group (+ 35.1 mm Hg/day; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.4‐57.5; P =.03). The (median; 1st quartile to 3rd quartile) difference between the P/F ratio at discharge and inclusion was significantly higher in the CP group (178 mm Hg; 123‐241) than in the control group (54 mm Hg; −19 ‐ 109; P =.001). Mean O2Free increased by 46.4% in the CP group compared with control group (95% CI = 16‐59; P =.001). Mortality was 13% (2/15) in the CP group and 44% (7/16) in the control group (P =.07). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Prolonged slow expiration and AC improved P/F ratio within 48 hours and decreased need for oxygenation in dyspneic dogs with acute airway fluid accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine hip dysplasia (HD) is a complex developmental disease of the coxo-femoral joint and is one of the most common orthopedic conditions in dogs. Due to the genetic contribution, most of the programs fighting against HD recommend selective breeding that excludes affected dogs. Using the best-scoring dogs for breeding may reduce the prevalence of HD. In France, the phenotypic screening of coxo-femoral joint conformation remains a strategy for breeders to establish selection decisions. The HD prevalence was evaluated in 10 breeds, based on the assessment of 27,710 dogs, during the 1997–2017 screening period, which was divided into 3 homogeneous cohorts for analysis. The global HD prevalence varied widely among breeds from 5% (Siberian Husky) to 51.9% (Cane Corso). It decreased over time in 6 breeds, among which 4 (Cane Corso, Gordon Setter, Rottweiler and White Swiss Shepherd) showed a significant decrease. A statistically significant increase in HD prevalence was noted for the Siberian Husky. Although the efficacy of phenotype-based breeding programs remains controversial, our results are in accordance with several recent studies showing that long-term selection policies are valuable, as they may help decreasing the HD prevalence in some breeds. The complementary use of more recent tools such as estimated breeding values and genomics would probably help breeders achieve more substantive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blood typing for the A and B antigens is essential and crossmatching testing is generally recommended before transfusing blood to cats. Objective: To evaluate 2 crossmatch (XM) tests. Animals: Forty‐nine healthy domestic shorthair cats that had not received a blood transfusion. Methods: Prospective study. Blood samples were typed for AB using immunochromatographic and flow cytometric techniques. A gel column (GC) and a feline antiglobulin‐enhanced gel column (AGC) XM tests were used for crossmatching. Results: The population included 34 type A, 13 B, and 2 AB cats, with concordant results (r = 1, P < .005) by flow cytometry and immunochromatographic strip kit. The plasma from type A cats had either no or weak anti‐B alloantibodies. The plasma of 12 of 13 type B cats contained strong anti‐A alloantibodies. For crossmatching, plasma to RBC pairings were prepared using the GC (n = 446) and AGC (n = 630) tests. Both methods showed compatibilities in 329 and incompatibilities in 102 pairings including all A‐B mismatches. Additionally 15 pairings showed agglutination by the AGC but not GC method. Fourteen incompatibilities outside the expected A‐B mismatches were only revealed by AGC. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: AB typing using immunochromatographic strip is as accurate as laboratory flow cytometry. The 2 XM methods had good agreement with additional incompatibilities being recognized by the AGC XM beyond A‐B incompatibilities. In clinic, feline AB typing and sensitive XM test kits are available and recommended before each transfusion, although the clinical implications of incompatible XM test results and clinical benefits of such crossmatching have not been documented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, benefits, and adverse effects of prolonged slow expiration (PSE) and assisted cough (AC) as chest physiotherapy (CP) techniques in dogs with airway fluid accumulation. Design: Prospective interventional study. Settings: University teaching hospital. Animals: Intervention group of 30 client‐owned dogs and retrospective control group of 71 client‐owned dogs. Interventions: PSE was performed on dogs with evidence of airway fluid accumulation, identified based on physical examination and thoracic radiographs. AC was performed if spontaneous cough or swallowing were not evident. The PSE treatment was performed every 6 hours until normalization of respiratory status or hospital discharge. Animals were monitored for respiratory distress, discomfort, and SpO2 during the procedure. A retrospective control group was identified by computer search. Measurements and Main Results: One hundred thirty‐three sessions of CP were performed on 30 dogs. Discomfort frequency during physiotherapy was low (9%). The most commonly used position for CP was in lateral recumbency (95%) and this was well tolerated in most cases. There was no significant difference in the median SpO2 before and after CP sessions (P = 0.24). Sixty percent of sessions had a spontaneous cough or swallowing evident, 21% had successful AC performed, and no cough or swallowing occurred in the remaining (19%) sessions despite attempts of AC being made. The length of hospitalization was significantly longer in the intervention group (6 days vs 4) (P = 0.02). There was no difference in survival between the intervention (76.7%) and the control (57.7%) group (P = 0.055). Conclusions: PSE associated with AC are easily adaptable, well‐tolerated techniques in dogs. The benefit of CP in dogs with airway fluid accumulation remains to be determined and it is hoped that future randomized controlled prospective studies may help answer this line of inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in pharmacokinetic parameters of critically ill patients make the treatment of infections challenging, particularly when multidrug-resistant bacteria are involved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of haemodialysis to reduce the exposure to high dose amikacin and prevent nephrotoxicity. Amikacin 50 mg/kg was administered intravenously to six adult sheep once-daily for four days. The sheep were divided into two groups according to the implementation (group 1) or not (group 2) of haemodialysis. In group 1, haemodialysis was performed for 4 h, initiated 2 h after starting amikacin infusion. Amikacin area under the curve (AUC) and trough concentrations (C min ) were used as markers of amikacin-induced nephrotoxicity. The median haemodialysis amikacin clearance was 2.14 L/h (35.6 mL/min), 14% of the mean total body clearance for 24 h. Haemodialysis reduced C min (group 1: 0.3 µg/mL [0.3–1.1]; group 2: 1.4 µg/mL [1.1–3.9]; P  = 0.0003). A trend towards reduced AUC with haemodialysis was observed (group 1: 1450 µg/mL⋅h [1311–1716]; group 2: 3126 µg/mL⋅h [2581–3171]; P  = 0.10). In conclusion, haemodialysis seems interesting in reducing AUC and C min after the injection of high-dose of amikacin, parameters known to be involved in its induced nephrotoxicity, in an experimental ovine model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact with the caterpillars of the pine processionary moth (CPPM) Thaumetopoea pityocampa induces severe local allergic reactions. The purpose of this large-scale retrospective cohort-study was to describe the clinical manifestations and related risk factors of CPPM exposure. This cohort-study included 109 dogs between the years of 2000 and 2016. Tongue lesions ranging from oedema to severe necrosis were observed in 94/109 dogs (86%). The following systemic signs were observed in 60/109 dogs (55%): vomiting (52/109, 48%), dyspnoea (6/109, 5%), hypovolemia (4/109, 4%) and diarrhoea (2/109, 2%). Based on the time elapsed from CPPM contact to the first oral flushing, three groups were defined: <2 h (group 1, 37/105, 35%), 2 h–6 h (group 2, 39/105, 37%) and >6 h (group 3, 29/105, 28%). Tongue necrosis (TN) at admission was significantly more common in the dogs in group 3 than those in groups 1 and 2 (45% vs. 5% and 5% respectively, p = 0.0002). In addition, the development of TN during hospitalisation was significantly more common in the dogs in group 3 (65%) than in those in the other groups (21% in group 1, p = 0.02) and 31% in group 2, p = 0.001). The dogs in group 3 presented a 14.63-fold higher risk of TN at admission and a 3.78-fold higher risk of developing necrosis during hospitalisation compared with the other groups. The survival rate after exposure was 97%. Long-term follow-up data were available for 69/109 dogs (63%). Twenty-three dogs (37%) had persistent, definitive TN without major consequences on quality of life. Elapsed time between contact and first oral flushing appears to be a key determinant for the progression of necrotic lesions, and the best results were observed when flushing occurred within 6 h of contact. The prognosis of CPPM envenomation is excellent, with a short hospitalisation duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: The authors review the limitations of current animal models in septic shock especially the lack of heterogeneity and comorbidities, and argue the need to develop animal intensive care unit (ICU) to better reflect the reality of human management. Our young research unit " I Agressions Pulmonaires et Circulatoires dans le Sepsis i " (APCSe) is composed of veterinary and medical physicians, and we have a platform for ovine and porcine experiments where we are able to reproduce ICU conditions for large-animal preclinical models [[2]].

Background: Veterinary studies describing acute kidney injury (AKI) management using renal replacement therapy (RRT) are limited and have primarily focused on intermittent haemodialysis in North American populations. European data are lacking, although differences in populations, pathogen and toxin exposure and RRT modalities may exist between Europe and North America. The present study reviewed RRT-managed cases from the intensive care unit (ICU) of VetAgro Sup, Lyon, France, for the period 2012–2015. The aims were to describe a 4-h RRT protocol of intermittent low efficiency haemodiafiltration, population characteristics and outcomes in canine AKI cases requiring RRT and to identify prognostic variables. We defined DeltaCreat/h as the difference between the serum creatinine level after RRT treatment N and that before treatment N + 1 divided by the time between treatments (in hours). Results: Thirty-nine dogs were included, and 67% were males. The median (range) age, weight, hospitalization length and number of RRT treatments were 4.4 (0.25–15) years, 26.6 (6.7–69) kg, 8 (1–23) days and 3 (1–8) treatments, respectively. The main AKI causes were leptospirosis (74.4%) and nephrotoxins (15.4%). Age (4.0 vs 5.4 years; P = 0.04), admission urine output (0.5 mL/kg/h vs 0 mL/kg/h; P = 0.02) and hospitalization length (10 vs 4 days; P < 0.001) differed between survivors and non-survivors. Hospitalization length [odds ratio (OR) = 0.4], number of treatments (OR = 5.1), serum potassium level on day 2 (OR = 1.9), DeltaCreat/h between the first and second treatments (OR = 1.2), and UOP during hospitalization (OR = 0.2) were correlated with outcome. The main causes of death were euthanasia (44%) and haemorrhagic diatheses (33%). The overall survival rate was 54%, with 55% of survivors discharged with a median creatinine < 240 µmol/L. Conclusions: This is the first description in the veterinary literature of a 4-h protocol of intermittent low efficiency haemodiafiltration to provide RRT in a veterinary critical care unit. While this protocol appears promising, the clinical application of this protocol requires further investigation. Among parameters associated with survival, UOP and DeltaCreat/h between the first and second RRT treatments may be prognostic indicators. The applicability of these parameters to other populations is unknown, and further international, multicentre prospective studies are warranted to confirm these preliminary observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]