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The use of compounded formulations of chemotherapy in veterinary medicine is common. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the drug amount of two compounded chemotherapeutics (chlorambucil and cyclophosphamide) from multiple veterinary compounding pharmacies, to determine if there was a difference in drug amounts between those that came from 503A versus 503B pharmacies, and finally to determine heterogeneity in drug amounts within each individual pharmacy. Nine veterinary compounding pharmacies (eight 503A, one 503B) were sampled in total, with two different batches sampled from each pharmacy. Each capsule's actual concentration was compared to the intended (prescribed) concentration. Of the 68 total samples obtained, 20 (29%) tested outside the FDA-acceptable discrepancy of ±10%. Of these, 12 (60%) were chlorambucil and 8 (40%) were cyclophosphamide. 503A cyclophosphamide samples had an average discrepancy of 6.6% from the intended dose while samples from the 503B pharmacy had a discrepancy of 1.8%. 503A chlorambucil samples had an average discrepancy of 10.4% from the intended dose while samples from the 503B pharmacy had a discrepancy of 9.6%. Heterogeneity within the same pharmacy and batch ranged from 0.1% to 51% for the 503A pharmacies and 2.6% to 7.5% for the 503B pharmacy. Heterogeneity between different batches within the same pharmacy ranged from 0.4% to 58.3% for the 503A pharmacies and 5% to 14.8% for the 503B pharmacy. Although the drug amounts of compounded cyclophosphamide and chlorambucil manufactured by the 503B compounding pharmacy was more reliably maintained compared to that compounded by the 503A pharmacies, there was ultimately still potential for variability in drug amounts regardless of the pharmacy designation., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic potential of bacterial biomarkers by comparing the performance of molecular detection assays with clinical assessments of dog's oral health performed by veterinarians., Methods: Supragingival and subgingival plaque samples were collected from 127 client-owned dogs, pre-booked for procedures under general anesthesia, visiting veterinary practices in the United States. DNA was extracted and bacterial biomarkers quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gingivitis and periodontitis were recorded by a trained clinician using the Weighted Gingivitis Periodontitis Score which involved assessing the buccal surfaces of 18 teeth while under general anesthesia. Intraoral dental radiographs of the left and right mandibular first molar teeth were also obtained. These data were then used to establish the diagnostic performance of the molecular assay to detect periodontitis., Results: An initial conscious, visual oral examination performed by the veterinarian identified 67.7% of dogs as having periodontitis, but examination under general anesthesia indicated a higher proportion (86.6%). Analysis of supragingival plaque samples collected by veterinarians from conscious and unconscious dogs demonstrated the assay had an accuracy of 77.7 to 80.9%, a sensitivity of 77.6 to 81.0%, and a specificity of 80.0%., Discussion: Use of this molecular screening tool in conscious dogs has the potential to improve early periodontal disease detection and support veterinary decision making, ultimately improving the oral health of dogs and consequently their quality of life., Competing Interests: CW, LC-M, RR, PB, TSM, TM, LH, PW, and AC are employees of Mars Petcare, a manufacturer of commercial petfood and provider of veterinary services. Mars Petcare has filed a number of patents relating to the compositional analysis of the canine oral microbiome as a diagnostic for canine periodontal disease. CH and MS-R received payment from Mars Petcare for consultation relating to this research. CH is employed by the company Colin Harvey LLC., (Copyright This work is authored by Wallis, Soltero-Rivera, Harvey, Reynolds, Carvell-Miller, Colyer, McKee, Millis, Bergman, Watson and Holcombe. © 2024 Mars Petcare UK and its affiliates for Wallis, Reynolds, Carvell-Miller, Colyer, Watson and Holcombe and © 2024 VCA Clinical Studies for McKee, Mills and Bergman.)

Recent emerging zoonotic disease outbreaks, such as that of SARS-CoV-2, have demonstrated the need for wider companion animal disease surveillance. We tested 1000 dogs and cats belonging to employees of a US veterinary hospital network that were exposed to human COVID-19 cases in the household between 1 January 2020 and 10 March 2022 for SARS-CoV-2 and surveyed their owners about clinical signs and risk factors. The seropositivity was 33% for 747 dogs and 27% for 253 cats. Pet seropositivity correlated with the US human case rates over time, exhibiting peaks corresponding with the major COVID-19 surges. Antibodies persisted longer than previously documented (828 days in dogs; 650 days in cats). Increasing age and duration of proximity to infected people were associated with increased seropositivity in dogs but not cats. Cats were more likely to have clinical signs, but an association between seropositivity and the presence of clinical signs was not found in either species.

Background: The veterinary care of cats and dogs is increasingly embracing innovations first applied to human health, including an increased emphasis on preventative care and precision medicine. Large scale human population biobanks have advanced research in these areas; however, few have been established in veterinary medicine. The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ (MPB) is a prospective study that aims to build a longitudinal bank of biological samples, with paired medical and lifestyle data, from 20,000 initially healthy cats and dogs (10,000 / species), recruited through veterinary hospitals over a ten-year period. Here, we describe the MPB protocol and discuss its potential as a platform to increase understanding of why and how diseases develop and how to advance personalised veterinary healthcare., Methods: At regular intervals, extensive diet, health and lifestyle information, electronic medical records, clinicopathology and activity data are collected, genotypes, whole genome sequences and faecal metagenomes analysed, and blood, plasma, serum, and faecal samples stored for future research., Discussion: Proposed areas for research include the early detection and progression of age-related disease, risk factors for common conditions, the influence of the microbiome on health and disease and, through genome wide association studies, the identification of candidate loci for disease associated genetic variants. Genomic data will be open access and research proposals for access to data and samples will be considered. Over the coming years, the MPB will provide the longitudinal data and systematically collected biological samples required to generate important insights into companion animal health, identifying biomarkers of disease, supporting earlier identification of risk, and enabling individually tailored interventions to manage disease., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bexagliflozin on glycemic control in poorly regulated diabetic cats and to evaluate for adverse events associated with this medication. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are a newer class of drugs used in the management of humans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the orally administered drug, bexagliflozin in a group of poorly regulated diabetic cats over a 4-week study period. Five client-owned cats with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus receiving insulin therapy were enrolled. Bexagliflozin was administered once daily. Serum fructosamine, serum biochemistry profile, and 10-hour blood glucose curves were assessed at baseline (Day 0), Day 14, and Day 28. All cats had a significant reduction in insulin dose requirement ( P = 0.015) and insulin was discontinued in 2 cats. There was a significant decrease in blood glucose concentration obtained from blood glucose concentration curves during the study period ( P = 0.022). Serum fructosamine decreased in 4 of the 5 cats with a median decrease of 152 μmol/L (range: 103 to 241 μmol/L), which was not statistically significant ( P = 0.117). No cats had any documented episodes of hypoglycemia. Adverse effects were mild. The addition of bexagliflozin significantly improved diabetic management in this group of cats., (Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.)

Objective: To determine the incidence of and potential risk factors for postoperative regurgitation and vomiting (PORV), postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and aspiration pneumonia in geriatric dogs using premedication with maropitant and famotidine, intraoperative fentanyl, and postoperative fentanyl as part of an anesthetic protocol., Animals: 105 client-owned geriatric dogs that underwent general anesthesia for a major surgical procedure between January 2019 and March 2020., Procedures: Medical records were reviewed to collect data on signalment, historical gastrointestinal signs, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, indication for surgery, duration of anesthesia and surgery, patient position during surgery, mode of ventilation, and perioperative administration of maropitant, famotidine, anticholinergics, opioids, colloidal support, NSAID, corticosteroids, and appetite stimulants. The incidence of postoperative regurgitation, vomiting, nausea, and aspiration pneumonia was calculated, and variables were each analyzed for their association with these outcomes., Results: 2 of 105 (1.9%) dogs regurgitated, 1 of 105 (1.0%) dogs developed aspiration pneumonia, 4 of 105 (3.8%) dogs exhibited nausea, and no dogs vomited. Identified possible risk factors included older age (≥ 13 years old) for postoperative regurgitation, regurgitation for postoperative aspiration pneumonia, and high ASA score (≥ 4) for both regurgitation and aspiration pneumonia., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The use of an antiemetic protocol including maropitant, famotidine, and fentanyl in geriatric dogs resulted in very low incidences of PORV, PONV, and aspiration pneumonia. Future prospective studies are warranted to further evaluate and mitigate postoperative risks.