Metastasizing extra-adrenal paraganglioma with neurological signs in four dogs.

Extra-adrenal paragangliomas associated with vertebral pain and clinical neurological abnormalities as a result of metastasis to the vertebral column were diagnosed in four dogs of different breeds by light microscopy. All were males (two intact and two neutered) aged 8 years. Metastatic neoplasms occurred as extradural masses with associated bone lysis at vertebrae C4 (2 cases), T12-L1 (1 case) and L4 (1 case). The neoplastic cells exhibited similar morphology with little variation between cases. All neoplasms showed cytoplasmic granules after staining with the Churukian-Schenk modification of the Pascual argyrophil stain for neurosecretory granules or for membrane bound electron-dense granules (dense-core granules). On immunohistochemical examination the neoplastic cells gave positive results for neuron-specific enolase and negative results for chromogranin and epithelial membrane antigen. Multiple organ metastasis and metastasis to bone have been reported previously, but these cases were unusual due to the involvement of the spine as an apparent predilection site for metastasis, and the sex (male) and age of the animals affected.

Diskospondylitis associated with Brucella canis infection in dogs: 14 cases (1980-1991).

A retrospective study of 135 dogs with diskospondylitis revealed 14 dogs with concurrent Brucella canis infection. Sexually intact male dogs and dogs in the southeastern United States appeared to be at higher risk. Results of bacteriologic culturing of blood were less likely to be positive for dogs with diskospondylitis caused by B canis infection than for dogs with diskospondylitis caused by other organisms. Follow-up evaluation of 13 of the 14 dogs revealed complete remission of clinical signs in nine, but serologic test results continued to be positive for B canis infection long after resolution of clinical abnormalities. Radiographic follow-up evaluation in 6 dogs revealed active lesions despite complete remission of clinical abnormalities.

Survival of a dog with pneumonia caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum.

Pneumonia caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum was diagnosed in the left lung lobes of a 3-year-old male Samoyed. Unilateral pneumonectomy and antibiotic treatment (primarily amoxicillin trihydrate-clavulanate potassium and kanamycin) were associated with resolution of the pneumonia. In dogs, M fortuitum causes pulmonary disease that radiographically resembles bacterial pneumonia. Therefore, M fortuitum infection should be considered in dogs with radiographic signs of bronchopneumonia that worsen despite antibiotic treatment.

Complications following thiacetarsamide sodium therapy in Louisiana dogs with naturally-occurring heartworm disease.

Four hundred and sixteen dogs with naturally-occurring heartworm disease were evaluated for complications following thiacetarsamide sodium therapy. Of these, 109 dogs (26.2%) experienced complications. Increased lung sounds was the most commonly seen complication, followed by fever and coughing. In dogs with complications, 83.5% of them presented without clinical evidence of pulmonary thromboembolism or heart failure. There were no statistically significant differences between the age, sex, breed and body size of dogs that experienced complications following thiacetarsamide therapy and dogs that did not. Complications were most frequently seen 5 to 9 days following thiacetarsamide therapy although some dogs experienced initial complications as late as 28 days. Thirty-three of 109 dogs (33.0%) with complications responded to exercise restriction. The remaining 76 dogs with complications prior to or following thiacetarsamide required adjunct drug therapy. Of these, 35 dogs responded favorably to anti-inflammatory doses of prednisolone or prednisone. Five dogs died or were euthanatized because of the complications experienced. Eighteen of 416 dogs (4.3%) presented with clinical evidence of pulmonary thromboembolism or heart failure prior to the thiacetarsamide therapy. All 18 dogs experienced complications in spite of adjunct drug therapy and exercise restriction prior to, during, and following thiacetarsamide therapy. Survival rate following resolution of the thiacetarsamide-induced complications was greater than 98%.

Lymphocyte transformation suppression caused by pyoderma--failure to demonstrate it in uncomplicated demodectic mange.

Three dogs with demodectic mange uncomplicated by a bacterial infection and 9 dogs with demodectic mange and pyoderma were tested for their lymphocyte response to phytomitogens in vitro and for the presence of the serum's lymphocyte immunoregulatory factors (SLIF) suppressing blastogenesis. None of the 3 dogs with uncomplicated demodectic mange showed any detectable dysfunction of their lymphocytes or presence of the blastogenesis suppressing SLIF. Their lymphocytes generally responded to the mitogens with more blastogenesis than lymphocytes from healthy controls. On the other hand, in the group of 9 dogs with demodicosis complicated by a bacterial infection, high levels of the blastogenesis suppressing SLIF for concanavalin A-sensitive cells were detected in 4 dogs, for phytohemagglutinin-sensitive cells in 2 dogs, and for pokeweed mitogen-sensitive cells in 1 (of only 3 tested) dog. Dysfunction of lymphocytes per se (detected by a decreased blastogenesis in nonsuppressive normal canine and bovine sera) was detected in 3 dogs with demodicosis with pyoderma. The success of the treatment of demodectic mange or the bacterial skin infection did not correlate with the previous presence or absence of the blastogenesis suppressing SLIF. The treatment of pyoderma was less successful in dogs with an increase in blastogenesis of unstimulated cells in fresh normal canine serum over that in autologous serum. All 3 dogs with a detected dysfunction of their lymphocytes either died or were euthanatized as untreatable cases. It is concluded that the development of demodectic mange per se did not cause the appearance of the blastogenesis suppressing SLIF, which was primarily related to the appearance and extent of the secondary bacterial skin infection.