Clinical features and long-term follow-up of 70 cases of canine idiopathic eosinophilic lung disease.

BACKGROUND: Canine idiopathic eosinophilic lung disease (ELD) is sparsely documented in the literature. METHODS: Clinical presentation and outcome of dogs diagnosed with ELD (eosinophilic bronchitis or eosinophilic bronchopneumonia) were reviewed. Subgroups were made based on chronicity of clinical signs and findings of thoracic imaging: NCI (no changes in thoracic imaging), BRON (bronchial/peribronchial pattern), INT (bronchointerstitial/interstitial/alveolar). RESULTS: Seventy cases were included. There were more young to adult, crossbreed and female dogs. Compared with the other two groups NCI dogs showed lower bronchoalveolar lavage fluid eosinophilic pleocytosis and absence of circulating eosinophilia, bronchiectasis or death due to respiratory disease. All dogs responded clinically to corticosteroids. Median treatment duration was four months. Remission (no clinical signs after treatment discontinuation for >one month) and long-term remission (>six months) was achieved in 60 per cent, and 51 per cent of patients, respectively. Relapse occurred in 26 per cent of cases after remission but was rare (3 per cent) after long-term remission. The one-year, two-year and four-year survival to death due to respiratory disease was 98 per cent, 97 per cent and 91 per cent, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prognosis and initial clinical response for ELD was generally good although achievement of long-term remission was only seen in 51 per cent of dogs. Different outcomes based on chronicity of signs, corticosteroid dose, thoracic imaging abnormalities and other clinical variables were not appreciated.

Mitral Kissing Vegetation and Acquired Aortic Valve Stenosis Secondary to Infectious Endocarditis in a Goat with Suppurative Mastitis.

A six-year-old female goat was presented to the veterinary teaching hospital of the University of the West Indies with a history of progressive hind-limb paresis lasting two weeks. The doe developed a grade 6/6 holosystolic murmur during hospitalisation. Echocardiography revealed vegetative growths attached to cusps of the mitral and aortic valves. There was an accelerated aortic flow at 2.9 m/s and aortic insufficiency. The aortic vegetation was prolapsing into the left ventricle during diastole, causing it to contact the septal mitral valve leaflet. A diagnosis of mitral and aortic vegetative endocarditis, with a mitral kissing vegetation and mild aortic stenosis, was reached. The patient was placed on broad-spectrum antimicrobials. A short-term follow-up showed no resolution of clinical signs, and the animal eventually died. Post-mortem examination showed severe vegetative, fibrino-necrotic, aortic and mitral valve lesions. The goat also had a severe fibrino-suppurative mastitis. Histopathology confirmed the lesions to be vegetative endocarditis.

Pulmonary artery dissection in eight dogs with patent ductus arteriosus.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a series of dogs with pulmonary artery dissection and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). ANIMALS: Eight dogs. METHODS: Retrospective case series. RESULTS: Pulmonary artery dissection was diagnosed in 8 dogs, 3 were Weimaraners. Four dogs presented in left-sided congestive heart failure, 4 presented for murmur evaluation and without clinical signs, and 1 presented in right-sided congestive heart failure. In 7 dogs the dissection was first documented concurrent with a diagnosis of uncorrected PDA. In the other dog, with pulmonary valve stenosis and PDA, the dissection was observed on autopsy examination 17 months after balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty and ductal closure. Median age at presentation for the 7 dogs with antemortem diagnosis of pulmonary artery dissection was 3.5 years (range, 1.5-4 years). Three dogs had the PDA surgically ligated, 2 dogs did not undergo PDA closure, 1 dog failed transcatheter occlusion of the PDA with subsequent surgical ligation, 1 dog underwent successful transcatheter device occlusion of the PDA, and 1 dog had the PDA closed by transcatheter coil delivery 17 months prior to the diagnosis of pulmonary artery dissection. The 2 dogs that did not have the PDA closed died 1 and 3 years after diagnosis due to heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary artery dissection is a potential complication of PDA in dogs, the Weimaraner breed may be at increased risk, presentation is often in mature dogs, and closure of the PDA can be performed and appears to improve outcome.

Balloon dilation of an imperforate cor triatriatum dexter in a Golden Retriever with concurrent double-chambered right ventricle and subsequent evaluation by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

A 12-week-old male Golden Retriever was presented with signs of right-sided congestive heart failure and a grade V/VI left craniosternal systolic murmur. Echocardiography identified a double-chambered right ventricle and dilated coronary sinus (CS) running into an inter-atrial chamber. This was confirmed to be an imperforate cor triatriatum dexter (CTD) by selective angiographic studies. To the authors' knowledge this is the first case reported of imperforate CTD successfully treated by membranostomy and balloon dilation. Cardiac MRI confirmed the echocardiographic and angiographic findings and provided a more precise understanding of the venous abnormalities.

Assessment of mechanical ventricular synchrony in Doberman Pinschers with dilated cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: Loss of temporal synchrony of myocardial contraction has been shown to reduce systolic function and be responsible for disease progression in people. The objective of this study is the assessment of inter- and intra ventricular synchrony in healthy Doberman Pinschers and those with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by use of conventional Doppler and tissue velocity imaging. ANIMALS: A total of 60 scans from 35 client-owned Doberman Pinschers presented for cardiac evaluation were analysed. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of data. Using the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology DCM taskforce scoring system, Doberman Pinschers were classified into 4 groups: Control (Group 1; n=12), depressed systolic function other than DCM (Group 2; n=9), preclinical DCM (Group 3; n=8) and symptomatic DCM (Group 4; n=6). The time intervals between the beginning of the QRS complex and the peak velocity of pulmonic flow (Q-P) and the peak aortic flow (Q-Ao) were used to assess global synchrony between both ventricles. The time intervals between the beginning of the QRS complex and the peak myocardial systolic velocity (Q-peak S) and the onset of myocardial systolic velocity (Q-start S) were measured at the base of the right and left ventricular free wall (RVFW and LVFW) and interventricular septum (IVS), and used to determine segmental longitudinal inter- and intra ventricular synchrony. RESULTS: No significant loss of global or segmental longitudinal inter- or intra ventricular synchrony was identified between the groups. CONCLUSION: Impairment of longitudinal fibre synchrony does not appear to be significantly associated with clinical status of DCM in Doberman Pinschers, although it was identified in certain individuals.