Clinical Occurrences in the Neurorehabilitation of Dogs with Severe Spinal Cord Injury.

This prospective observational clinical study in a population of tetraplegic and paraplegic dogs (n = 488) with or without deep pain sensation, similar to humans ASIA A and B, investigated the prevalence of clinical occurrences in a rehabilitation center with a hospitalization regime between 15 days and 9 months. A checklist of occurrences was used for easy identification and monitoring, resulting in a total of 79.5% occurrences. There were 58% of dogs with neurogenic bladder, 35.5% with diarrhea, 21.3% with urinary incontinence, and 20.5% with fecal incontinence. A low incidence of respiratory problems (e.g., pneumonia) and urinary tract infections may suggest the efficacy of some applied measures in this study, such as thoracic and abdominal POCUS evaluation, positioning strategies, physical exercises, respiratory kinesiotherapy, and early implementation of a functional neurorehabilitation protocol. These can be essential measures to prevent clinical occurrences, mainly in breeds such as the French Bulldog and the Dachshund.

Applications of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Splenic Studies of Dogs and Cats.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an emerging technology in veterinary medicine involving the administration of intravenous contrast agents, and it is increasingly recognized for its high potential as a diagnostic imaging tool for small animals. This exam is easy and quick to perform, safe and reliable, and allows for the differentiation of lesions. It permits the identification of lesions that may require more invasive procedures, from those that can be safely dismissed to those that can be followed-up with ultrasound imaging. Although it has been extensively reviewed for use in human medicine, there is an overall lack of information about the application of this technique for cats and dogs, particularly in splenic studies, which can be particularly important for small animals. The present review describes and summarizes the CEUS applications used for splenic analysis in cats and dogs, providing a basic overview of CEUS technology with examples of common and uncommon features of focal splenic lesions. It also systematically gathers the results obtained for benign and malignant splenic lesions described in the literature, whilst providing guidelines for their interpretation. Furthermore, it presents the advantages of using CEUS for splenic analysis in cats and dogs and the main factors that may influence the quality of the imaging and the accuracy of the diagnosis. This type of knowledge can be used to provide a framework to help veterinarians make informed decisions regarding the use of this emerging technique for splenic lesions, guiding their interpretation of CEUS findings in the splenic ultrasounds of cats and dogs.

Influence of Spinal Shock on the Neurorehabilitation of ANNPE Dogs.

Acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE) is related to contusive spinal cord injuries, and dogs usually appear to be exercising vigorously at the time of onset. ANNPE has a characteristic peracute onset of clinical signs during exercise or following trauma, with non-progressive signs during the first 24 h and possibly signs of spinal shock. The main aim was to assess if the presence of spinal shock affects the neurorehabilitation outcomes of ANNPE dogs. This prospective controlled cohort clinical study was conducted at the Arrábida Rehabilitation Center. All of the dogs had T3−L3 injuries and were paraplegic/monoplegic with/without nociception, the study group (n = 14) included dogs with ANNPE spinal shock dogs, and the control group (n = 19) included ANNPE dogs without spinal shock. The study group was also evaluated using a new scale­the Spinal Shock Scale (SSS)­and both groups were under the same intensive neurorehabilitation protocol. Spinal shock was a negative factor for a successful outcome within less time. SSS scores > 4 required additional hospitalization days. The protocol was safe, tolerable, and feasible and accomplished 32% ambulation within 7 days, 29% in 14 days, and 29% in 30 days. The results were better than those obtained in previous studies­94% at 60 days­and 75% of the dogs without nociception recovered ambulation. Long-term follows-ups carried out 4 years later revealed a positive evolution.

Identification of dysfunctional human-dog dyads through dog ownership histories.

The human-dog relationship is at least 16,000-years old and is mutually beneficial to both dyadic members. When the human-dog relationship becomes dysfunctional, however, there can be serious consequences for both parties and for society. Unfortunately, dysfunctional dyads are normally only identified after consequences have been felt (e.g., dog-human aggression) limiting the action that can be taken to prevent such occurrences. To evaluate whether these dysfunctional dyads can be preemptively identified, a questionnaire analyzing the owners' dog health care histories was administered to an urban dog owning population. Multiple correspondence analysis (n = 1,385) was conducted and identified three clusters accounting for 37.1% of the total variance, while four moderate positive correlations were found: "unspecified trauma" with "vehicular trauma" (r = 0.303, p < 0.001), "bitten" with "bit other animal" (r = 0.345, p < 0.001), "bit a person" with "bit other animal" (r = 0.369, p < 0.001), and "chronic illness" with "hospitalized" (r = 0.297, p < 0.001). These results suggest that a simple questionnaire can identify potential characteristics of functional and dysfunctional dyads. In functional dyads, humans tend to be responsible for their dogs' well-being, while dysfunctional dyads show the opposite characteristics, reporting experience with trauma and dog aggression.

Evaluation of the factor structure of the Canine Behavioural Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) in European Portuguese.

The human-dog relationship is thought to be the oldest domestic animal partnership. These relationships are complex and can become problematic when they become dysfunctional. The most common signs of dysfunctional human-dog partnerships are behaviour problems that, when unidentified and uncorrected, can be a clear danger to both species and the public. The Canine Behavioural Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) is a widely implemented instrument to evaluate dog behaviour proven to be useful across various cultures. A European Portuguese 78-item version based on the 100-item C-BARQ was developed and its psychometric properties evaluated. The resulting questionnaire has a 13-factor structure accounting for 58.42% of the total variance with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.902 and 0.721, showing excellent to respectable consistency. The original factors, Dog-Directed Aggression and Dog-Directed Fear, both loaded strongly onto a joint factor renamed Dog Associated Fear/Aggression, explaining the 13-factor structure compared to the previously found 14-factor structure. In the European Portuguese C-BARQ only two items did not load onto their expected factor. Results show that the questionnaire measures universal dog behaviours that are evident to most owners. Our results suggest that the European Portuguese version of the C-BARQ can be used to characterize the behaviour of dog populations and is adequate for use in animal shelters to help match dogs with new owners and in clinical settings to identify behaviour problems in veterinary patients before they become unmanageable. The European Portuguese C-BARQ could be of vital importance in helping to resolve behavioural problems in owned dogs before they become so serious as to lead to abandonment or euthanasia, diminishing the pressure on municipal kennels and greatly improving canine welfare.

A mixed population of Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter bizzozeronii and "Helicobacter heilmannii" in the gastric mucosa of a domestic cat.

BACKGROUND: The presence of Helicobacter within the gastric mucosa is responsible for producing pathology in many animal species, including man. Since humans have been shown to harbour many of the same bacterial species as domestic carnivores, concern over their zoonotic potential has been growing. Helicobacter pylori, a class 1 carcinogen responsible for cases of gastritis and gastric cancer in humans, produces similar pathology in pet carnivores and is considered an example of anthroponosis. The case here presented refers to a 13 year-old mixed breed spayed female cat seen at necropsy. FINDINGS: Stomach samples were analysed for the presence of Helicobacter spp. by cytology, histopathology and PCR. Mild mucosal atrophy was observed in the fundus and antrum, while lymphoplasmocytic infiltrates where noted in the lamina propria of the antrum. Helicobacter-like organisms were observed in the corpus and antrum, occupying gastric glands and surface mucosa. It was possible to detect Helicobacter spp., H. pylori, H. heilmannii and H. bizzozeronii in the fundus, corpus and antrum by PCR, while in the antrum PCR samples were positive for H. pylori. CONCLUSIONS: The spayed female under study could represent either a yet un-described population of domestic cats infected with H. pylori or a case of anthroponosis.