Study of the chemical and nutritional characteristics of commercial dog foods used as elimination diet for the diagnosis of canine food allergy

"Hypoallergenic" pet foods are commercial dietary products for dogs and cats used as elimination diets for the diagnosis of adverse food reactions. Aim of this study was to compare chemical and nutritional characteristics of this kind of dog foods with regular maintenance diets. Twenty-nine dry pet foods (pellets) were collected and divided into classes on the basis of the type (H: hypoallergenic; R: regular), source of fat (with or without fish oil) and source of protein (with or without fish protein) used in their composition. Labels of the H pet foods identified 8 products (44%) with one protein in their formula, suggesting that only few commercial manufacturers concern about the number of protein sources included in their products. Samples of the two groups showed different chemical profiles with lower levels of protein, gross energy, phosphorus and better fatty acid profile (expressed as % of total fatty acids) for H products in comparison to R foods: PUFA, 38.91 vs 24.03, P<0.01; ω3, 5.70 vs 2.58, P<0.01; ω6, 33.22 vs 21.63, P<0.01; DHA, 2.85 vs 0.16, P<0.05; CLA, 0.24 vs 0.08, P<0.05, for H and R respectively. This study suggests that the differences observed in the fatty acids composition may be attributed to fish proteins addition, but not to fish oil, in H pet foods production

Evaluation of pet animals involved in assisted interventions (AAI) as potential carriers of bacteria resistant to antimicrobials: Preliminary data

open8noopenDotto, G.; Pasotto, D.; Poser, H.; Menandro, M.L.; Berlanda, M.; Falomo, M.E.; Mondin, A.; Martini, M.Dotto, Giorgia; Pasotto, Daniela; Poser, Helen; Menandro, MARIA LUISA; Berlanda, Michele; Falomo, MARIA ELENA; Mondin, Alessandra; Martini, Marc

Survey of Methicillin-resistant coagulase positive Staphylococcus spp. carriage in healthy dogs and dogs with skin disease

Canine skin diseases (SD) are very common in the veterinary practice and are often complicated by recurrent bacterial infection. Affected dogs usually need multiple cycles of antibiotic treatments (AT) that can lead to development of multidrug resistant strains [1]. Coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) are the most often isolated pathogens from canine SD. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of multidrug and methicillin resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci (MRScp) isolated from healthy dogs and dogs with SD, and to evaluate the correlation with clinical scores and previous AT. Forty-nine dogs were enrolled: 25 healthy and 24 with SD. Clinical history and previous AT were recorded. After a complete physical examination, clinical scores (CADESI-3 and pruritus) were calculated. Skin swabs from mouth, ear, genitalia, axilla and skin lesions, when present, were cultured in a nutrient and in a selective medium for MRScp. Suspected Staphylococcus colonies were identified by Maldi-Tof MS and specific PCR; methicillin resistance was confirmed by a PCR targeting mecA gene. Susceptibility tests and genetic typing, including spa-typing, SCCmec-typing and MLST were performed on isolates. Normal distribution of data was tested with Shapiro-Wilk test. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and z-test if normally distributed, otherwise with Mann-Whitney Test. Correlations between bacterial resistance and clinical scores or previous AT were assessed by Spearman test. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Ninety-five strains of CPS were isolated from 229 samples. A total of 13/95 strains were MRScp and were identified as Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. Among them, 10 were multidrug resistant and two were isolated from healthy dogs. The Sequence Type 71, spa-type t02 e SCCmec type II-III, which represents the main clonal strain in Europe [2], was the most frequently identified genetic type (11/13) also in this study. Staphylococci were more commonly isolated from axilla, genitalia and ear conduct of dogs with SD compared with healthy dogs (p<0.001). Four out of the 6 MRScp positive dogs had received AT in the previous 6 months. No significant correlations between clinical scores or previous AT and methicillin resistance was found. Although the low number of dogs included in the study could have affected the results of the investigated correlations, this study confirms the role of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in canine pyoderma and shows that pet dogs may play a significant role as MRScp carriers. Furthermore, close attention should be also paid also to the control of healthy dogs

Efficacy of milbemycin oxime/afoxolaner chewable tablets (NEXGARD SPECTRA®) against Capillaria aerophila and Capillaria boehmi in naturally infected dogs

BACKGROUND: Capillaria aerophila and Capillaria boehmi parasitize the respiratory system of wild and domestic carnivores. Capillaria aerophila inhabits the trachea and bronchi of dogs and cats, while C. boehmi affects the nasal cavities and sinuses of dogs. In dogs the infection may be subclinical or characterized by varying respiratory distress.METHODS: The present study evaluated the efficacyof an oral formulation containing milbemycin oxime and afoxolaner (NEXGARD SPECTRA) in dogs naturally infected with C. aerophila and/or C. boehmi from three enzootic areas of Italy. Dogs were enrolled pending fecal examination and molecular confirmation of respiratory capillarioses. Dogs were allocated in two groups: Group 1 (G1, 25 dogs), treated with a negative control product with no anthelmintic activity (afoxolaner, NEXGARD), and Group 2 (G2, 26 dogs), treated with NEXGARD SPECTRA. At the day of treatment administration (Day 0), all dogs were clinically examined. Dogs were again subjected to clinical and fecal examinations at Days 28 (±4) and 56 (±2). The primary criterion for treatment efficacy was the reduction of fecal Capillaria egg counts in G2 compared with G1. The regression of/recovery from baseline clinical signs was considered as a further efficacy criterion.RESULTS: Percentage reduction of fecal Capillaria egg counts in the NEXGARD SPECTRA group compared to the control group was &gt;97% on Day 28 and 100% on Day 56, respectively (p&lt;0.05 for both time points). Twelve of the 13 dogs in the NEXGARD SPECTRA group with respiratory signs prior to treatment were free of clinical signs at the end of the study. Conversely, the six control group dogs with respiratory signs prior to treatment remained symptomatic.CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study showed that NEXGARD SPECTRA was safe and highly efficacious in the reduction of C. aerophila and C. boehmi eggs after one treatment with a complete reduction of the egg output after the second administration associated with a recovery from respiratory signs

Aspetti clinici ed eziopatogenetici della dermatite ed otite da Malassezia sp. nel cane

Malassezia spp. yeasts are commensal organisms of human and animal skin and occasionally act as pathogens. The aim of this study was to get a further insight into pathogenetic and clinical aspects of Malassezia dermatitis and otitis in the dog through a comparison between patients with Malassezia overgrowth to those of a control group. All animals enrolled in the study were presented at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Science for a dermatological consultancy. After a complete physical and dermatologic examination, samples were obtained from four regions: axilla, interdigital area, ear pinna and one skin lesion. Citology was performed from the above regions in order to identify and count yeasts. In positive cases a yeast culture, phenotypic and genotypic identification were carried out. Ninety-seven animals were enrolled in the study: 84 patients with Malassezia sp. overgrowth and 13 healthy dogs. German shepherd, labrador and boxer were overrepresented among breeds (10/11,9%; 6/7,1%; 5/5,9%, respectively) and females were more than males (50 vs 34). The history of most patients (32/44,5%) revealed that they have not received any medication before examination. In fact, antibiotic or steroid therapy may affect Malassezia overgrowth in some way but there is still not enough evidence to confirm it. In affected patients parasites were isolated more often from external auditory canal (33/ 46,5%), skin lesions (31/43,7%) and interdigital areas (29/40,8%). The number of yeasts resulting from the skin cytology seems to be the most important predisposing factor for the clinical presentation of Malassezia dermatitis as evidenced by the comparison between pathological and healthy dogs. The cytology, performed following the technique of the adhesive tape strips and stained with modified Diff-Quick®, seems to be more sensitive in detecting an overgrowth of Malassezia than culture. This result is in disagreement with previous studies. The only species of the genus Malassezia, isolated in the present study, was Malassezia pachydermatis. Further studies on yeast and host genotype could provide new insights into the etiopathogenetic aspects of Malassezia dermatitis and otitis in the dog.I lieviti appartenenti al genere Malassezia sono organismi commensali della cute umana ed animale che in talune condizioni predisponenti possono diventare patogeni. Obiettivo del presente lavoro è stato di approfondire le conoscenze di alcuni aspetti clinici ed eziopatogenetici di dermatite ed otite da Malassezia sp. nel cane. Per raggiungere tali obiettivi sono stati messi a confronto i risultati ottenuti da un gruppo di controllo e quelli di tutti gli animali che sulla base della visita clinica e degli esami citologici sono stati riconosciuti affetti da sovraccrescita di Malassezia sp. In tutti i soggetti, dopo visita dermatologica, sono state campionate tre regioni standard (ascella, interdigitale, padiglione) ed una coinvolta da lesioni. Di tali regioni è stato eseguito l’esame citologico per l’identificazione e la conta dei lieviti. Nei casi di positività citologica sono stati eseguiti l’esame colturale, l’identificazione fenotipica e genotipica. Sono stati inclusi 97 animali di cui 84 affetti da sovraccrescita di Malassezia sp. Fra questi le razze maggiormente rappresentate sono state il pastore tedesco, il Labrador ed il boxer (10/11,9%; 6/7,1%; 5/5,9%, rispettivamente); le femmine sono risultate in numero superiore ai maschi (50 vs 34). Un elevato numero di pazienti (32/44,5%) non aveva ricevuto, in precedenza alla visita, alcuna terapia farmacologica. I risultati non escludono che la somministrazione di antibiotici e/o cortisonici possa avere un’influenza parziale sulla sovraccrescita di Malassezia sp. Negli animali malati la maggior frequenza d’isolamento si è avuta nel condotto uditivo esterno (33/46,5%), seguito dalle regioni coinvolte da lesioni (31/43,7%) e dagli spazi interdigitali (29/40,8%). La maggior numerosità dei lieviti riscontrata con esame citologico nei cani malati rispetto ai sani sembra essere uno dei fattori sostanziali per lo sviluppo dei segni clinici della dermatite da Malassezia. I risultati ottenuti dal confronto fra la citologia e l’esame colturale appaiono in disaccordo con quanto affermato in letteratura. L’esame citologico, realizzato con la tecnica del nastro adesivo e colorato con la tecnica Diff-Quick® modificata, sembra maggiormente sensibile nel rilevare una sovraccrescita di Malassezia rispetto all’esame colturale ottenuto secondo la tecnica adottata in questo studio. L’unica specie del genere Malassezia isolata nel presente lavoro è stata Malassezia pachydermatis. È auspicabile che in futuro, ulteriori informazioni possano giungere dall’approfondimento di aspetti clinici correlati al genotipo dei lieviti e dell’ospite per chiarire definitivamente gli aspetti irrisolti dell’eziopatogenesi della dermatite da Malassezia