Medial canthoplasty for epiphora in dogs: a retrospective study of 23 cases.

The medical records of 23 dogs that underwent medial canthoplasty for treatment of epiphora were reviewed. The most prevalent breed encountered was the shih tzu. Other affected breeds included the Pekingese, Maltese, toy poodle, and pug. All dogs had epiphora associated with medial canthal trichiasis and/or entropion. Other ocular abnormalities included conjunctivitis, keratitis, pigmentary keratitis, corneal ulceration, globe prolapse, and nasal fold trichiasis. After medial canthoplasty, the epiphora resolved in all dogs.

Effect of traditional acupuncture on proximal colonic motility in conscious dogs.

Acupoints on the Large Intestine Meridian and specific acupoints related with large intestine have been empirically used to treat large intestinal disease. However, the relationship between acupoints related with large intestine and their functions has not been investigated fully. We investigated whether large intestine-related acupoints affect colonic motility in conscious dogs implanted with electrodes at the proximal colon. Manual acupuncture was applied at the following acupoints: 7 main points on the Large Intestine Meridian (LI1, LI2, LI3, LI4, LI5, LI6, and LI11), ST25, BL25 or GV1. Acupuncture at the Large Intestine Meridian acupoints, ST25 and BL25 had no significant effects on the proximal colonic motility. However, acupuncture at GV1 depressed the proximal colonic motility by decreasing the total duration and the frequency of contractile states, which may contribute to the therapeutic effects of GV1. This study also revealed that there was no clear correlation between Large Intestine Meridian and the proximal colonic motility in conscious dogs.

Electroencephalography (EEG) spectral edge frequency for assessing the sedative effect of acupuncture in dogs.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is an effective method for the evaluation of sedation or anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to examine the sedative effect of acupuncture by electroencephalographic spectral edge frequency (SEF) in Miniature Schnauzer dogs (4.2-6.1 kg, 1-2 years old). The acupuncture points "GV20 and Yintang" were applied for 20 min. Sedation level was assessed before, during, and after acupuncture by spectral edge frequency 95 values and the Ramsay sedation score. The spectral edge frequency 95 values were significantly reduced during acupuncture on GV20 or Yintang point and returned to the baseline values after acupuncture releasing. The Ramsay sedation score (RSS) also showed the acceptable sedation level during acupuncture. It was concluded that an acupuncture application at GV20 or Yintang point used in the present study would be a valuable method to induce the sedation in dogs.

Study on the ophthalmic diseases in ICR mice and BALB/c mice.

In pharmaceutical companies and research institutes, many toxicity tests are performed with laboratory animals. This study was performed to produce reference data for eye toxicity tests and to investigate the ophthalmic diseases of 408 ICR mice and 119 BALB/c mice, which are commonly used as subjects in toxicity tests. The experimental animals without clinical disorders were selected regardless of sex. The ophthalmic diseases were examined by using special ophthalmic instruments: direct ophthalmoscope, indirect ophthalmoscope, slit-lamp biomicroscope and focal illuminator. The most prevalent ocular variation within normal limits was hyaloid vessel remnant (ICR mice, 28.2%; BALB/c mice, 31.9%) and the incidence gradually decreased with age. The ocular diseases found in ICR mice were retinal degeneration (9.8%), corneal scar (4.2%), focal cataract (2.2%), anisocoria (1.2%), corneal ulcer (0.2%) and uveitis (0.2%). In BALB/c mice, corneal scar (9.2%), focal cataract (1.7%) and corneal ulcer (0.8%) were the ocular diseases found.

Malignant ocular melanoma in a dog.

A mongrel male dog of three years old was referred to the Seoul National University Veterinary Teaching Hospital following a one month history of glaucoma. On ophthalmic examination, hyphema, glaucoma, uveitis, iridal mass, and loss of vision were noted in the right eye. Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a mass with involvement of the entire uvea. Radiographic evaluation did not reveal any evidence of distant metastasis. The right eye was surgically removed because of the high likelihood of neoplasia. A histologic diagnosis of malignant uveal melanoma was made.

Evaluation of sedation on electroencephalographic spectral edge frequency 95 in dogs sedated by acupuncture at GV20 or Yintang and sedative combination.

The spectral edge frequency (SEF) 95 is one of the electroencephalographic (EEG) parameters, which is a relatively simple and effective method to evaluate a sedative status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on electroencephalographic SEF 95 in dogs (4.2 - 6.1 kg, 1-2 years old) sedated by a sedative. The acupoints used were the GV20 point and Yintang point. The sedatives used were acepromazine, butorphanol, diazepam, medetomidine, and phenobarbital, each using a different mechanism. The sedation level was assessed by a SEF 95 value under normal conditions, sedation being induced by a sedative, a combination of a sedative and acupuncture, and acupuncture release. During the sedative and acupuncture combination, the SEF 95 values significantly decreased in the butorphanol group. Although this result was just based on the changes of the brain it is suggested that acupuncture, combined with opioids, would be a useful method to produce a safe and deep sedation in clinics.

Spontaneous ophthalmic diseases in 586 New Zealand white rabbits.

The purpose of this study was to investigate spontaneous eye disease in New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits, which are commonly used for toxicity tests, and to provide reference materials for pharmaceutical companies and research centers. A total of 586 NZW rabbits were randomly chosen without sex preference and were examined using ocular equipment, including a direct ophthalmoscope, an indirect ophthalmoscope, a slit-lamp biomicroscope, a focal illuminator, and a fundus camera. This study showed that the incidence rate of temporary cataracts, regarded as a change within normal variation, was 0.5% in the NZW rabbits. Regarding abnormal ophthalmic disease, blepharitis was the most commonly observed ocular disease. Other findings included cataract, conjunctivitis, choroidal hypoplasia, keratitis, corneal scarring, eyelid laceration, posterior synechiae, uveitis, dacryocystitis, and persistent pupillary membrane. In total, the incidence rate of ophthalmic diseases was 9.6%. Based on sex and age distributions, females had more ocular diseases than males, and rabbits were less susceptible to eye diseases as they got older. In this study, photographs were taken to document findings, such as normal fundus, normal variations, ophthalmic disease, and histopathologic examination.

A Case of oculocutaneous albinism in a Maltese.

A 4-month-old female maltese dog was admitted to Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Seoul National University for evaluation of abnormal color of bilateral irises. This patient had the photophobia in the light and exhibited the complete absence of pigment resulting in white hair, pink muzzle, eyelids and foot-pads. Central zone of the irises were yellow in color influenced by tapetal reflex, and peripheral zone were pale blue. The iridal capillaries were transparented on the irises. Ophthalmoscopic examination revealed a yellow tapetal fundus but no pigment in the nontapetal fundus.

Effects of acupuncture at GV01 on experimentally induced colitis in rats: possible involvement of the opioid system.

Oriental medicine uses acupuncture at the GV01 acupoint with great success to treat diarrhea. It significantly reduced the colonic motility and inflammation in colitic rats. Naloxone pretreatment blocked these effects. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture at GV01 in colitis may involve endogenous opioid pathways.

Effect of acupuncture on intraocular pressure in normal dogs.

The effect of acupuncture on intraocular pressure (IOP) was evaluated in normal dogs. After determination of baseline pressure, acupuncture was applied at 3 acupoints (LI-4, LIV-3 and GB-37) for 20 min. After acupuncture treatment, IOP were significantly lowered 2.7 +/- 0.1 in left eye, 1.7 +/- 0.7 in right eye, respectively (p<0.05). From these results of this study, an acupuncture therapy may be valuable treatment for decreasing on IOP in dogs.

Thermographic evaluation for the efficacy of acupuncture on induced chronic arthritis in the dog.

This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture on induced chronic arthritis of the dog by thermography. Complete Freund's adjuvant was injected into the left knee joint of 8 dogs to induce arthritis. Acupuncture was applied to BL-40, GB-33, GB-34, and LIV-8 once a week for 4 consecutive weeks, from 3 weeks after induction of chronic arthritis, in treatment group. At 3 weeks of acupuncture treatment, skin temperature difference (DeltaT) of treatment group returned to normal range (< 0.3 degrees C), while DeltaT remained high in non-treatment group. Infrared thermography (IRT) is useful to evaluate the treatment of acupuncture for induced canine chronic arthritis. Therefore, it is considered that clinical application of IRT in arthritis treatment would be also valuable.

Reversal of medetomidine-ketamine combination anesthesia in rabbits by atipamezole.

This study was performed to determine the optimal reversal dosage of atipamezole on medetomidine-ketamine combination anesthesia. The subject rabbits were divided into five groups (n=5/group), and all were anesthetized with intravenous medetomidine (0.35 mg/kg) and ketamine (5 mg/kg). Atipamezole was administered intravenously 35 min after administration of the medetomidine-ketamine mixture, at doses of a quarter, a half, equal, or two times higher than the preceding medetomidine -ketamine dose according to experimental group. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (RR) and rectal temperature (RT) were measured every five minutes and the mean arousal time (MAT) was also recorded. This study revealed that the optimal atipamezole dosage to achieve reversal effects is equal to or double the dose of medetomidine. At these dosages, HR and MAP significantly recovered and MAT was significantly shortened with no side effects being observed (p<0.05).

Reverse effects of tetraarsenic oxide on the angiogenesis induced by nerve growth factor in the rat cornea.

To compare the antiangiogenic effects of tetraarsenic oxide (As4O6) with those of diarsenic oxide (As2O3) in the rat cornea, rat cornea micropocket assay was conducted to induce angiogenesis by implantation of the pellet contained 1.0 ng of nerve growth factor (NGF). Ten of thirty eyes of Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of three groups, namely, control group (no medication), As2O3 group (50 mg/kg As2O3, PO, s.i.d.), and As4O6 group (50 mg/kg As4O6, PO, s.i.d.). After implantation, the number of new vessels, vessel length and clock hour of neovascularization were examined under the microscope from day 3 to day 7. The area of neovascularization was calculated using a mathematical formula. Although new vessels in control and As2O3 groups were first noticed at day 3, whereas those of As4O6 group were first observed on day 5. The number, length, clock hour of neovascularization and areas of the vessels in As4O6 group showed more significant inhibition than those of control and As2O3 groups from day 5 (P<0.05). However, there were no differences in all parameters between control group and As2O3 group during the entire study period. These results showed that As4O6 had antiangiogenic effects on the new vessels induced by NGF in the rat cornea.

Effect of intratesticular injection of xylazine/ketamine combination on canine castration.

This study was performed to compare the effect of intratesticular (IT) injection of xylazine/ketamine combination for canine castration with those of intramuscular (IM) or intravenous (IV) injection. Xylazine and ketamine was administered simultaneously via intratesticularly (IT group), intramuscularly (IM group) or intravenously (IV group) at doses of 2 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Pain response at the time of injection, mean induction time, mean arousal time, mean walking time and cardiopulmonary function during anesthesia were monitored after the xylazine and ketamine administration. In IV and IM groups, heart rates were significantly decreased 30 and 45 min after xylazine and ketamine administration, respectively (p < 0.05). Respiratory rates were significantly decreased in the IV group (p < 0.05). In the IT group, there was no significant changes in heart and respiratory rates. The occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias was less severe in IT group compared with those in IM and IV groups. The route of administration did not affect rectal temperature. Mean induction time was significantly (p < 0.05) longer in IT group than in IM and IV groups. On the contrary, mean arousal time and mean walking time were shortened in IT group. Clinical signs related to pain response at the time of injection and vomiting were less observed in IT group than in IM group, and head shaking was less shown in IT group than in IM and IV groups during recovery period. These results indicated that intratesticular injection of xylazine/ketamine for castration has several advantages such as less inhibition of cardiopulmonary function and fast recovery from anesthesia without severe complications, and would be an effective anesthetic method for castration in small animal practice.

Effect of acupuncture in the treatment of young pigs with induced Escherichia coli diarrhea.

The effect of acupuncture in the treatment of young pigs with induced enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhea was histopathologically evaluated by routine hematoxylin and eosin stain. Thirty two pigs weighed 4-5 kg and aged 21 days old were used in this study. The animals with diarrhea were treated with traditional acupuncture, or enrofloxacin. In the group treated with traditional acupuncture, acupoint GV1 (Jiaochao) was used and in the group treated with antibiotics, enrofloxacin was injected intramuscularly. Ten pigs were inoculated with E. coli, but were not treated and served as nontreated control group. At postinoculation day 6, all pigs of the acupuncture and antibiotic treated groups recovered from diarrhea. In the ascending and descending colons of the nontreated control group, severe infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria was observed and in the fundic stomach, destruction of the fundic gland architecture and necrotic lesions were observed, however, in the same sites of the acupuncture and antibiotics treated groups, the mucosae of the colon and stomach were relatively similar to those of the normal group. These results indicate that acupuncture treatment is effective in controlling induced E. coli diarrhea in pigs at its early stage.

Electroacupuncture and moxibustion for correction of abomasal displacement in dairy cattle.

This study was performed to investigate the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture and moxibustion on abomasal displacement in dairy cattle. After acupuncture needles were inserted bilaterally into the acupoints, 'Pi yu', 'Wei yu' and 'Guan yuan yu' , electronic stimulation (5 Hz and 10 V, 20 minutes) was conducted once a day for 3 days consecutively. Modified moxa patch was also applied at the same acupoints as in acupuncture for 3 days consecutively. Ten among twelve cows with abomasal displacement were recovered by electroacupuncture and moxibustion, but two were treated with paramedian abomasopexy. It is considered that electroacupuncture and moxibustion may be convenient, safe and economical therapeutic alternatives available instead of surgical procedures on abomasal displacement in dairy cattle.

Effects of corticosteroid and electroacupuncture on experimental spinal cord injury in dogs.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture, corticosteroid, and combination of two treatments on ambulatory paresis due to spinal cord injury in dogs by comparing therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture and corticosteroid. Spinal cord injury was induced in twenty healthy dogs (2.5-7 kg and 2-4 years) by foreign body insertion which compressed about 25% of spinal cord. There was no conscious proprioception, no extensor postural thrust, and ambulatory. Dogs were divided into four groups according to the treatment; corticosteroid (group A), electroacupuncture (group B), corticosteroid and electroacupuncture (group AB), and control (group C). Neurological examination was performed everyday to evaluate the spinal cord dysfunction until motor functions were returned to normal. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were measured for objective and accurate evaluations. The latency in measured potentials was converted into the velocity for the evaluation of spinal cord dysfunctions. Pain perceptions were normal from pre-operation to 5 weeks after operation. Recovery days of conscious proprioception in groups A, B, AB, and C were 21.2+/-8.5 days, 19.8+/-4.3 days, 8.2+/-2.6 days, and 46.6+/-3.7 days, respectively. Recovery days of extensor postural thrust in group A, group B, group AB, and group C were 12.8+/-6.8 days, 13.8+/-4.8 days, 5.4+/-1.8 days, and 38.2+/-4.2 days, respectively. There were no significant differences between group A and group B. However, recovery days of group AB was significantly shorter than that of other groups and that of group C was significantly delayed (p<0.05). Conduction velocities of each group were significantly decreased after induction of spinal cord injury on SEPs (p<0.05) and they showed a tendency to return to normal when motor functions were recovered. According to these results, it was considered that the combination of corticosteroid and electroacupuncture was the most therapeutically effective for ambulatory paresis due to spinal cord injury in dogs.

Effect of electroacupuncture on minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane in dogs.

The effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane was evaluated in dogs. After determination of baseline MAC, EA was applied at each acupoints (LI-4, SP-6, ST-36 and TH-8) and nonacupoint for 30 min. MAC was determined again. EA at acupoints significantly lowered the MAC of isoflurane in dogs (17.5 +/- 3.1%, 21.3 +/- 8.0%, 21.2 +/- 7.5% and 15.4 +/- 3.1%, respectively). In control group and nonacupoint electrical stimulation group MAC were not decreased significantly. From these results, electroacupuncture at each acupoints used in the present study would have an advantage in isoflurane anesthesia with reducing its requirement.