Evaluation of early renal disease in bitches with pyometra based on renal doppler measurements

Pyometra is a widely detected, chronic infection of the uterus. One of the complications of this infection is renal disease. Kidney biopsy, urinary biomarkers and blood tests were done to detect pyometra-associated renal disease. To our knowledge, no reports are available describing values for renal Doppler measurements in the bitches with pyometra. Doppler ultrasonography is a relatively new method used for evaluation of the renal diseases. The aims of this study were to determine whether renal vascular resistance does increase in dogs with pyometra and to make an early diagnosis of renal disease in dogs with pyometra. Eighteen bitches diagnosed with pyometra and ten healthy bitches were evaluated. Mean values for renal resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) were 0.65 +/- 0.02 and 1.73 +/- 0.09 for dogs with pyometra; 0.55 +/- 0.03 and 1.18 +/- 0.03 for the healthy ones, respectively. Of these, four animals had increased RI values and fourteen had an increased PI level. In conclusion, renal vascular resistance determined by renal RI and PI, was increased in some dogs with pyometra. In early detection of the disease intrarenal PI values were more sensitive than intrarenal RI

Evaluation of serum and tissue magnesium, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and osteopontin levels in dogs with mammary tumor with/without pulmonary metastases and in healthy dogs

Mammary tumors in female dogs are usually malignant and tend to metastasize to distant organs, especially to regional lymph nodes and lungs. Radiography is the standard diagnostic method to detect pulmonary metastases in these animals. Magnesium (Mg), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and osteopontin (OPN) levels have been used in recent studies to make prognoses of human breast cancer. To the best of our knowledge, however, there are not many studies that have been performed on this subject, and there is no study on animals in which the three indicators are scrutinized together. The aim of this present study is to evaluate Mg, VEGF, and OPN levels in healthy dogs and in dogs with mammary tumors with/without pulmonary metastases, and to investigate the alterations of these parameters in the serum and tissue samples of dogs with mammary tumors in connection with the histological tumor type and tumor grade. Mammary tumor groups were designed according to the presence of pulmonary metastasis in radiography; group M1 consists of 20 dogs with metastatic mammary tumors to the lung, and group M0 consists of 20 dogs with nonmetastatic mammary tumors. Ten clinically healthy dogs composed group H. The dogs represented different breeds and ages. Threeview thoracic radiographs were taken to determine any metastasis in lungs by digital radiography. Magnesium, VEGF, and OPN were determined in the mammary gland samples and blood serum of 40 dogs with malignant mammary tumors and in 10 healthy dogs. The magnesium levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, both in the tissue and serum samples. Also, the tissue and serum VEGF and OPN levels were determined by ELISA with commercially available kits. The tissue Mg levels in the M0 group were significantly (P<0.05) higher than in group H. However, the serum VEGF level was significantly associated with a tumor type. Additionally, the serum OPN levels exhibited a tendency to be higher in dogs with mammary tumors with pulmonary metastases, grade 3, and carcinosarcoma. It is concluded that Mg, VEGF, and OPN could have practical use for diagnosing and understanding the pathophysiology of CMT

Actinomyces viscosus Isolation from the Skin of a Cat

Actinomyces is an aerobic or microaerobic, Gram-positive, non-acid fast, filamentous, diphtheroidal rod or coccobacillus-shaped bacteria. Actinomycosisis is seen mostly as a dental disease of cattle, however it also occurs in other animal species such as dogs, cats, cows, goats and horses. This report describes a 1 year-old, female, mixed-breed, indoor cat which developed a purulent exudate around the interdigital area for 6 months. Despite various antibacterial treatments the skin lesions of the cat deteriorated. Anamnesis revealed that cat did not show any sign of pruritis however was eating a special diet for dermatologic disorders. The only sign on physical examination was a purulent exudate seen in the interdigital area. Hematological and biochemical profiles were within normal limits. Skin scrapes were negative for parasites and fungi. From the wound swab, Actinomyces viscosus was identified. According to the antibiotic susceptibility test, the isolate was susceptible to amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. The cat received amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (8.75 mg/kg BID, IM) for a week. After the treatment, there was no discharge around the interdigital area. This case is of interest since Actinomyces viscosus has been rarely encountered in the skin of cats. Veterinarians should include A. viscosus in the differential diagnosis in case with dermal purulent discharge

Granulosa Cell Tumor In A Spayed Young Queen

A four years old cat was presented to Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with complaints of weakness, inappetency, vomiting and estrus signs although it was spayed. Blood tests, radiography and ultrasonography revealed abdominal mass and uterine stump which were then removed surgically. Multilobular mass was defined as solid granulosa cell tumor (GCT). Increase of estrogen (E2) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF- 1) values were detected on the 10th postoperative day. On the 40th postoperative day, the cat was brought to Internal Medicine Clinic with the complaints of weakness, inappetency and cachexia. Anemia, leucocytosis, uremia, hyperglycemia, sensitiveness and pain in the right abdomen were determined. A tumor was detected in the liver by radiography and ultrasonography and was suspected to be GCT metastasis. Despite medical therapy, the cat died after four months

Biochemical and cytological analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and effects on arterial blood gases in dogs with lower respiratory airway disease

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of BAL collection on the respiratory function in healthy dogs and in dogs suffering from lower airway respiratory diseases and to consider the potential diagnostic value of some biochemical and cytological parameters measured in BAL fluids. For that, endoscopy and BAL collection were performed under anaesthesia induced with medetomidin (40 mu g/kg IM) and propofol (1 mg/kg IV) in dogs with pulmonary disorders (n = 30) and in healthy dogs (n = 10). The evaluation of the respiratory function was made throughout determination of blood gas and acid-base balance before anaesthesia and directly after BAL fluid sampling. In parallel, the effects of the anaesthesia alone on the respiratory system were also assessed in healthy dogs (n = 10) which were not submitted to the BAL collection. The anaesthesia protocol instead of the BAL collection by itself induced hypoventilation and low O(2) exchange between alveoli and arteries as evidencing by significant decreases of PaO(2) and O(2)Sat and significant increases of PaCO(2) and arterial-alveolar PO(2) gradient (A-aPO(2)). In diseased dogs. PaO(2)/O(2)Sat and the A-aPO(2) were initially affected and under anaesthesia, variations of O(2)Sat, PaCO(2) and base deficit were aggravated whereas changes in PaO(2) and A-aPO(2) were less pronounced compared to healthy controls. Significant increases of LDH. ALT and ALP activities and of urea concentrations in BAL fluids from diseased dogs coupled to a high cellularity (epithelial and inflammatory cells) and positive bacterial isolation in some cases have confirmed the inflammatory and/or infectious origin of the pulmonary diseases. Although biochemical and cytological analysis of the BAL fluids can help to characterize the pulmonary disease, its collection under anaesthesia may require some attention in diseased dogs because of its direct effects on respiratory function