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The rise in subsidized spay-neuter access helped drive the euthanasia of shelter pets in the US from an estimated 13. 5 million in 1973 to 1.5 million in 2019. When the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered lockdowns beginning in March 2020, many veterinary providers suspended nonessential services such as routine spay-neuter surgeries. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volume of spay-neuter procedures performed by spay-neuter clinics. A retrospective study of patient data from 212 spay-neuter clinics using Clinic HQ practice management software was conducted from January 2019 through December 2021. The clinics collectively performed 1,217,240 surgeries in the pre-COVID baseline year of 2019. A sharp decline in surgeries began in March 2020 (-22%) and reached a nadir in April 2020 (-80%). Surgeries began to increase in May 2020 (-39%), before plateauing in July 2020 (-6%) and remaining slightly below the 2019 baseline in most months through the end of 2021. Compared to 2019, total surgeries decreased 13% to 1,059,388 in 2020 and decreased 3% to 1,184,274 in 2021. In 2020, when clinic disruptions were highest, the impact of the surgery cutbacks varied by geographic region, species, age, and source of animals. Compared with 2019, in 2020 surgeries decreased 17% in the Midwest region, 15% in the Northeast and West, and 11% in the South. Surgeries were reduced 19% in dogs and 10% in cats. When grouped by age, surgeries were reduced by 18% in geriatrics, 14% in adults, and 11% in juveniles. Reductions were similar for females (-14%) and males (-12%) and similar for unowned/organization-owned animals (-14%) and privately owned animals (-12%). In total, 190,818 fewer surgeries were performed by the 212 studied clinics in the 24 months from January 2020 through December 2021 than would be expected had 2019 levels been maintained. If a similar pattern was experienced by other spay/neuter providers in the US, it would suggest there is a deficit of more than 2.7 million spay/neuter surgeries that animal welfare organizations have yet to address., 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 © 2022 Guerios, Porcher, Clemmer, Denagamage and Levy.)

Background: Various heartworm (HW) diagnostic testing modalities detect products of, or reactions to, different life cycle stages of Dirofilaria immitis. Microfilariae (Mf) can be directly visualized in blood, antigen (Ag) from immature and adult heartworms may be detected on commercial assays, and antibody (Ab) tests detect the host immune response to larval stages. Ag and Mf tests are commonly used in dogs, which frequently carry adult HW infections, but Ab tests have only been validated for use in cats. In some HW-infected dogs, Ag is blocked by immune complexing leading to false-negative results. Heat-treatment (HT) to disrupt these complexes can increase the sensitivity of HW Ag tests. The aim of this study was to compare different methods for diagnosing HW infection in dogs at high risk using individual and paired diagnostic tests, including an exploration of using Ab tests designed for cats to test canine samples., Methods: One hundred stray adult (≥ 2-year-old) dogs in Florida shelters were tested using Mf, HW Ag, and HW Ab tests (feline HW Ab tests currently not commercially validated/approved for use in dogs); two versions of each test platform were used., Results: Fourteen dogs tested positive using point-of-care (POC) Ag tests; an additional 2 dogs tested positive with microtiter well assay, and an additional 12 dogs tested positive using HT Ag testing. For individual tests, Ag test sensitivity/specificity compared to HT Ag was 50-57%/100%, and Ab tests were 46-64%/82-94%. Sensitivity estimates for individual tests were higher when comparing to non-HT Ag. Pairing POC Ag tests with Mf tests improved sensitivity without loss of specificity, while pairing POC Ag and Ab tests modestly increased sensitivity at the expense of specificity., Conclusions: Screening dogs for HW infection using both POC Ag and Mf detection, which is recommended by the American Heartworm Society, improved diagnostic performance in this study compared to single Ag test use, but may have missed more than one in four infected dogs. The need to improve access to highly accurate, rapid, and inexpensive large-scale HW testing for dogs in animal shelters remains largely unmet by current testing availability. The development of practical and validated protocols that incorporate heat or chemical treatment to disrupt Ag-Ab complexes in POC testing or decreasing the cost and time required for such testing in reference laboratories might provide solutions to this unmet need. Similar studies performed in countries where the prevalence of parasites such as D. repens or A. vasorum is different to the USA could potentially yield very different positive predictive values for both HT and non-HT Ag tests.

The cornerstones of diagnosis of heartworm (HW) in dogs are the detection of circulating antigen from adult female Dirofilaria immitis or the visualization of microfilariae in whole blood. These tests are less sensitive in cats because of the feline immune response leading to low numbers of adult worms, but heartworm antibody tests are also licensed for use in cats. HW antibodies in cats are detectable when there has at least been larval development in the tissues, but positive antibody tests cannot distinguish between current and previous larval infections; thus, cats with positive antibody test results are considered currently or previously infected with D. immitis . The aim of the present study was to use multiple HW diagnostic modalities to maximize detection of infection in dogs and cats at high risk of infection and to compare infection prevalence between these two hosts. Blood samples collected from 100 stray dogs and 100 stray cats at Florida animal shelters were tested for HW antigen (before and after heat treatment) and microfilariae; cats were also tested for HW antibody. Dogs were significantly ( P = 0.0001) more likely to be diagnosed with adult HW infection (28 %; 95 % CI: 20.1-37.6%) when compared with cats (4 %; 95 % CI: 1.6-10.2%) on the basis of positive antigen and microfilariae test results. Cats with current or previous adult, immature adult, or larval HW infections comprised 19 % (95 % CI: 12.4%-27.9%) of the feline population, which was not significantly different ( P = 0.1) from the prevalence of adult D. immitis infection in dogs. Testing unprotected cats for heartworm antibodies demonstrated a similar, high risk of infection to the matched unprotected dog population in Florida, which supports the use of HW preventives in cats in areas where HW transmission occurs., (© 2020 The Authors.)

The cornerstones of diagnosis of heartworm (HW) in dogs are the detection of circulating antigen from adult female Dirofilaria immitis or the visualization of microfilariae in whole blood. These tests are less sensitive in cats because of the feline immune response leading to low numbers of adult worms, but heartworm antibody tests are also licensed for use in cats. HW antibodies in cats are detectable when there has at least been larval development in the tissues, but positive antibody tests cannot distinguish between current and previous larval infections; thus, cats with positive antibody test results are considered currently or previously infected with D. immitis. The aim of the present study was to use multiple HW diagnostic modalities to maximize detection of infection in dogs and cats at high risk of infection and to compare infection prevalence between these two hosts. Blood samples collected from 100 stray dogs and 100 stray cats at Florida animal shelters were tested for HW antigen (before and after heat treatment) and microfilariae; cats were also tested for HW antibody. Dogs were significantly (P = 0.0001) more likely to be diagnosed with adult HW infection (28 %; 95 % CI: 20.1-37.6%) when compared with cats (4 %; 95 % CI: 1.6-10.2%) on the basis of positive antigen and microfilariae test results. Cats with current or previous adult, immature adult, or larval HW infections comprised 19 % (95 % CI: 12.4%-27.9%) of the feline population, which was not significantly different (P = 0.1) from the prevalence of adult D. immitis infection in dogs. Testing unprotected cats for heartworm antibodies demonstrated a similar, high risk of infection to the matched unprotected dog population in Florida, which supports the use of HW preventives in cats in areas where HW transmission occurs., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The acute abdomen is any abdominal disorder resulting in pain, shock, or sepsis. Although it has a multifactorial etiology, the primary cause is gastrointestinal tract pathology. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of abdominal ultrasound as a complementary diagnostic tool in non-human primates with an acute abdomen., Methods: Three different non-human primates with clinical signs of acute abdomen were evaluated as follows: a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), a tufted capuchin (Cebus apella), and a black-tufted marmoset (Callithrix penicillata)., Results: Ultrasonographic examination assisted in the identification of a variety of differential diagnoses and was used in decision-making for exploratory laparotomy, which was performed in two animals. Ultrasound examination confirmed the source of the acute abdomen as the gastrointestinal tract in the three animals studied., Conclusions: Abdominal ultrasound is a useful technique for the investigation of signs of acute abdomen in non-human primates., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: Lidocaine produces analgesia by inhibiting excitation of nerve endings or blocking impulse conduction in peripheral nerves. This study was performed to determine whether intrathecal or intravesical administration of lidocaine prior, or subsequent, to induction of chemical cystitis in rats would block referred mechanical hyperalgesia., Methods: Intrathecal or intravesical lidocaine was administered 15 (intrathecal) or 30 (intravesical) min before intravesical instillation of saline or 1 mM acrolein (400 microl) or 4 hr after saline or acrolein instillation in female Wistar rats. Mechanical sensitivity of hind paws was determined at 24 hr prior to any treatment (baseline) and, 4, 24, and 48 hr after intravesical instillation of acrolein or saline. Also, nerve growth factor (NGF) content was measured in bladder and dorsal root ganglia (DRG)., Results: Pre-treatment with intrathecal or intravesical lidocaine attenuated acrolein-induced referred mechanical hyperalgesia of the hind paws. Lidocaine administered after acrolein instillation did not alter referred hyperalgesia. Lidocaine treatment prior to or after induction of cystitis reduced NGF content in the bladder., Conclusions: These results indicate that pre-treatment with lidocaine attenuates referred hyperalgesia associated with cystitis. Lidocaine treatment 4 hr after induction of cystitis failed to prevent referred hyperalgesia despite a similar decrease in bladder NGF. Neurourol. Urodynam. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2) are G-protein coupled receptors that are expressed throughout the body. Cannabinoid receptors are expressed in the urinary bladder and may affect bladder function. The purpose of this study was twofold: to confirm the presence of cannabinoid receptors in the bladder, the L6/S1 spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and to determine the effects of acute and chronic bladder inflammation on expression of cannabinoid receptors. Acute or chronic bladder inflammation was induced in rats by intravesical administration of acrolein. Abundance of CB1 and CB2 protein and their respective mRNA was determined using immunoblotting and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. We confirmed the presence of CB1 and CB2 receptor protein and mRNA in bladder, L6-S spinal cord, and DRG. Acute bladder inflammation induced increased expression of CB2, but not CB1, protein in the bladder detrusor. Chronic bladder inflammation increased expression of bladder CB2 protein and mRNA but not CB1 protein or mRNA. Expression of CB1 or CB2 in spinal cord or DRG was unaffected by acute or chronic bladder inflammation. CB1 and CB2 receptors are present in the bladder and its associated innervation, and CB2 receptors are up-regulated in bladder after acute or chronic inflammation. CB2 receptors may be a viable target for pharmacological treatment of bladder inflammation and associated pain.

Visceral inflammation, including that arising from bladder inflammation, reduces the threshold to sensation of innocuous or noxious stimuli applied to peripheral structures (referred hyperalgesia). Cystitis may induce transient or persistent plastic changes mediated by neurotrophins, particularly nerve growth factor (NGF), which contribute to increased nociceptive input. In this study, acute or subacute cystitis was induced in female rats by one or three (at 72-h intervals) 400-microl intravesical instillations of 1 mM acrolein. Sensitivity of the hindpaws to mechanical and thermal stimuli was determined before and 4, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after treatment. Other groups of rats were treated with intravesical or intrathecal k252a [a nonspecific antagonist of tyrosine kinase (trk) receptors, including trkA, the high-affinity receptor for NGF] before the first or third acrolein instillation. Some rats were intraperitoneally injected with specific NGF-neutralizing antiserum or normal serum before acrolein instillation. Acute and subacute cystitis induced mechanical, but not thermal, referred hyperalgesia that was attenuated by intravesical pretreatment with k252a. Systemic treatment with NGF-neutralizing antiserum before instillation of acrolein suppressed subsequent mechanical referred hyperalgesia. Expression of NGF was increased within the bladder by acute or subacute cystitis and in L6/S1 dorsal root ganglia by subacute cystitis. These results suggest that the bladder-derived NGF acting via trk receptors at least partially mediates peripheral sensitization to mechanical stimuli associated with acute and subacute acrolein-induced cystitis.

Increased sensitivity to somatic stimuli has been noted in the presence of visceral inflammation. Cystitis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (CYP) in female mice. Sensitivity of hind paws to mechanical stimuli was determined prior to and 4, 9 and 24 h after CYP, and sensitivity of the tail to thermal stimuli was determined prior to, 4 and 24 h after CYP treatment. To investigate the role of nerve growth factor (NGF) in these processes, other groups of mice received NGF antiserum, normal serum, or K252a intravenously 30 min after CYP administration. CYP induced bladder inflammation that was not ablated by treatment with NGF antiserum or K252a. Sensitivity to mechanical stimuli was increased 4 and 9 h after CYP administration. This was reversed by NGF antiserum or K252a but not by normal serum. After 24 h, no differences were observed in withdrawal threshold among groups. None of the treatments had any effect on sensitivity to thermal stimuli. To further investigate the role of NGF in this process, NGF was instilled into the bladders of mice in the presence or absence of intravenous NGF antiserum. Four hours after intravesical instillation of NGF, the threshold of the hind paws to mechanical stimulation was significantly decreased, and this effect was reversed by prior treatment with NGF antiserum. This model of visceral pain causes increased sensitivity to peripheral application of mechanical stimuli. This effect is at least partially mediated by NGF, and the bladder may be the source of NGF in this process.