Bacterial Endocarditis of the Pulmonic Valve in a Dog.

An 11 yr old female spayed golden retriever weighing 30.3 kg presented for evaluation of progressive lethargy, anorexia, tachypnea, stiff gait, and nonlocalized pain. On physical exam, the patient was febrile and tachycardic, and an arrhythmia with pulse deficits was noted. Clinicopathological abnormalities included thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis, nonregenerative anemia, and mild hypoalbuminemia. The patient progressed overnight to develop a productive cough, and an echocardiogram performed the next morning revealed irregular proliferative lesions of the pulmonic valve with moderate pulmonic regurgitation. Subsequent blood cultures grew two organisms: alpha-hemolytic streptococci spp. and Empedobacter brevis. The dog was treated with appropriate intravenous antibiotics for 2 wk and then switched to oral therapy. The clinicopathologic abnormalities, fever, and clinical signs resolved with oral antibiotic treatment. To the authors' knowledge, this case report represents the first detailed published case of bacterial endocarditis with E brevis bacteremia involving the pulmonic valve. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up are discussed.

Serum alkaline phosphatase activity in Scottish Terriers versus dogs of other breeds.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Scottish Terriers have higher serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and a higher prevalence of diseases commonly associated with high serum ALP activity than do dogs of other breeds. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. ANIMALS: 85 Scottish Terriers and 340 age-matched control dogs that were not Scottish Terriers. PROCEDURE: Medical records were reviewed, and data for year of evaluation, age, sex, breed, serum ALP activity, and final diagnosis were recorded. RESULTS: Scottish Terriers had a significantly higher mean serum ALP activity than did control dogs (1,520 U/L vs 306 U/L). Regardless of breed, dogs that had a disease commonly associated with high serum ALP activity had a significantly higher mean serum ALP activity than did dogs without such diseases (1,304 U/L vs 427 U/L). Scottish Terriers were 2.4 times as likely to have a disease commonly associated with high serum ALP activity than were control dogs, but Scottish Terriers with diseases commonly associated with high serum ALP activity had a significantly higher mean ALP activity than did control dogs with such diseases (2,073 U/L vs 909 U/L), and Scottish Terriers without such diseases had a significantly higher mean serum ALP activity than did control dogs without such diseases (1,349 U/L vs 228 U/L). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that Scottish Terriers have higher serum ALP activities than do dogs of other breeds. Although Scottish Terriers also have a higher prevalence of diseases associated with high serum ALP activity, this alone did not explain the higher mean serum ALP activity in the breed.

Biochemical analysis of neoplastic versus nonneoplastic abdominal effusions in dogs.

This prospective study of 15 dogs evaluated biochemical parameters in abdominal effusions of neoplastic and nonneoplastic origin in an attempt to identify markers for malignant effusions. Dogs in the neoplastic group had statistically significant lower glucose concentrations (mean, 72.6 mg/dL versus 110.0 mg/dL; P=0.0431) and higher lactate levels (mean, 3.81 mmol/L versus 1.68 mmol/L; P=0.0377) in their abdominal fluid than did dogs in the nonneoplastic group, indicating that low glucose and high lactate in abdominal effusions may be markers for neoplasia.