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Background: In recent years, the field of transfusion medicine for dogs has advanced significantly, becoming a crucial aspect of veterinary clinical practice. Nowadays, blood still remains a fundamental biological source and the welfare and health status of eligible species-specific blood donors are essential for veterinary transfusion medicine. Aim: This study focused on evaluating two shelters in Central Italy (Marche region), located in Tolentino (TS) and in Camerino (CS), in order to assess the potential of the shelter dogs as canine blood donors. Methods: We evaluated a total of 45 dogs from these shelters based on physical (age and size), clinical, behavioural, and blood analysis criteria described in the Italian Ministerial Guideline for Veterinary Transfusion Medicine (2016). Results: At the TS shelter, out of 206 resident dogs, 125 met the donation criteria (60.68%), with 28 (13.59%) selected for the study due to the impossibility to collect the samplings or other exclusion causes. In the CS shelter, of the 149 dogs, 17 (11.41%) were identified as potential blood donors and included in the study. Among these, seven dogs (25%) from TS and five dogs (29.41%) from CS were found to have DEA1 negative blood group. High percentages (TS = 25.24%, CS = 40.27%) of dogs were excluded for seniority and 29.53% in CS for behavioural issues. Notable findings included reduced erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume [mean TS = 63.93 fl; CS = 64.00 fl] and Reticulocyte Hemoglobin [mean TS = 22.39 pg; CS = 21.38 pg]. Additionally, in both shelters’ dogs showed a modest increase in eosinophils levels [mean TS = 1.59 K/μl; CS = 1.02 K/μl]. Conclusion: Shelter dogs can fulfill the blood donation requirements set by the Italian Ministerial Guideline on Veterinary Transfusion Medicine. They are generally in good health and present a low risk of transmitting parasitic diseases; however, many are ineligible for donation due to behavioural pathologies or temperament issues and seniority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Food-responsive enteropathy is a chronic enteropathy of dogs managed with dietary changes; frequently, in such disease, more than one dietary trial is needed to resolve the condition. No clear predispositions are reported for the disease, and the response to the diet varies from subject to subject; additionally, very little literature is available about the possible role of the diet fed before the disease onset. The present study reports the clinical progression of 222 dogs diagnosed with food-responsive enteropathy (to the authors' knowledge, the largest cohort of FRE dogs present in the international literature as single research) and compares clinical variables with diets and breeds. The authors believe that considering the number of patients included and the variables investigated, the present study could represent a reference for future ones. Food-responsive enteropathy (FRE) is the most frequent form of canine chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE). It can be diagnosed if, after excluding known causes of diarrhea, clinical signs resolve or significantly improve after an appropriate dietary trial. No universal diet can resolve the clinical signs in every case of FRE, as genetic predisposition and environment (e.g., the possible role of the diet feed before the disease onset) are suggested as possible players. The study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the possible correlations between disease, diet, and breed in a large cohort of dogs (n = 222) suffering from FRE. Throughout the study, dogs differed based on dietary options: commercial diet group, homemade diet group, and mixed diet group. Diet, breed, age, body weight, body condition score (BCS), fecal score (FS), canine chronic enteropathy activity index (CCECAI), and selected clinical signs were variably evaluated at T0 and at final time (FT—based on response to the diet[s], but between 30 and 60 days). Significant differences between T0 and FT were found regarding FS, BCS, and CCECAI, as well as between age, BCS, and CCECAI at FT with the FS at FT. The CCECAI at FT was significantly directly correlated only with the shift from a mixed to a homemade diet. Finally, the multiple linear regression analysis between the covariables of different breeds versus clinical response to the dietary trials did not highlight any difference except for the passage from commercial to mixed diet in a specific subgroup of breeds. The present study reports the clinical progression in 222 dogs suffering from FRE, and it could represent a reference for the variables investigated, considering the large number of patients included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gastrointestinal tract of dogs, cats, and other mammals including humans harbors millions of beneficial microorganisms that regulate and maintain health. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure involving the administration of a fecal infusion from a healthy individual (donor) to a patient with disease to help improve health. Despite the effectiveness of FMT to treat intestinal disorders in humans, in particular recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, there is a paucity of scientific data regarding the application of FMT in veterinary patients. Here, we outline key aspects of FMT in small animal practice.

Background: Canine lymphoma is the most common hematopoietic cancer in dogs. Numerous studies have evaluated the prognostic value of hematological abnormalities and ratios in both humans and dogs with lymphoma. Aim: To compare hematological parameters and complete blood count ratios between a population of dogs affected by lymphoma and healthy dogs to identify potential prognostic markers for lymphoma. Methods: This retrospective case-control study compares hematological parameters and complete blood count ratios between a population of 114 dogs affected by multicentric large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) and 60 healthy dogs. Results: The study found several statistically significant differences between the hematological indices of LBCL dogs and healthy dogs, but no correlation between these parameters and the survival times of 78 dogs treated with chemotherapy Madison Wisconsin protocol. In addition, hematological alterations were evaluated such as anemia, leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia. Conclusion: Hematological ratios have been suggested as potential prognostic markers for canine LBCL but their real prognostic value remains controversial and requires future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports the case of a 3 years old, female Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) presenting lethargy, anorexia, weight loss, and anemia and marked leukocytosis at CBC. The majority of leukocytes were lymphocytic/lymphoblastic cells (97%). Immunocytochemical staining of blood smears marked for CD3 (neg) and CD79a (pos) suggested immunophenotype B. The patient died after one month from diagnosis. Histology evidenced lymphoid infiltration in the heart, spleen, liver, kidneys and gut. In addition, in the bone marrow a massive infiltration of lymphoid cells confirmed the diagnosis of leukemia. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the CD79a positivity of a large part of infiltrating lymphoid cells indicating a B cells immunophenotype of the neoplastic population. The presence of lymphocytosis and multiorgan infiltration supported the diagnosis of lymphocytic leukemia. Finally, a revision of the literature has also been made.

Diets rich in readily fermentable carbohydrates primarily impact microbial composition and activity, but can also impair the ruminal epithelium barrier function. By combining microbiota, metabolome, and gene expression analysis, we evaluated the impact of feeding a 65% concentrate diet for 4 weeks, with or without a phytogenic feed additive (PFA), on the rumen ecosystem of cattle. The breaking point for rumen health seemed to be the second week of high grain (HG) diet, with a dysbiosis characterized by reduced alpha diversity. While we did not find changes in histological evaluations, genes related with epithelial proliferation (IGF-1, IGF-1R, EGFR , and TBP) and ZO-1 were affected by the HG feeding. Integrative analyses allowed us to define the main drivers of difference for the rumen ecosystem in response to a HG diet, identified as ZO-1, MyD88 , and genus Prevotella 1. PFA supplementation reduced the concentration of potentially harmful compounds in the rumen (e.g. dopamine and 5-aminovaleric acid) and increased the tolerance of the epithelium toward the microbiota by altering the expression of TLR-2, IL-6 , and IL-10. The particle-associated rumen liquid microbiota showed a quicker adaptation potential to prolonged HG feeding compared to the other microenvironments investigated, especially by the end of the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]