Canine breed predispositions for marked hypocobalaminaemia or decreased folate concentration assessed by a laboratory survey.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine canine breed predispositions for decreased serum folate or markedly decreased cobalamin concentrations. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of samples from dogs that had serum folate and cobalamin concentrations measured, from 1990 to 2002 at the Comparative Gastroenterology Laboratory of Liverpool, were enrolled. A total of 13,069 samples were analysed. Those with trypsin-like immunoreactivity < 5·0 lg/L were excluded, and only breeds with at least 30 individuals tested were further analyzed. Breed predisposition was determined by calculating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for hypocobalaminaemia or decreased folate concentration. Significance was tested with a two-sided Fisher's exact test, and the level of statistical significance was set at P<0·05. RESULTS: A total of 9960 dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Forty breeds contained at least 30 individuals. Predispositions for hypocobalaminaemia were identified in shar peis, Staffordshire bull terriers, German shepherd dogs and mixed breeds. Predispositions for decreased folate concentration were found in golden retrievers and boxers. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Predisposition for marked hypocobalaminaemia and decreased folate concentration differed between breeds. The shar peis had a markedly increased odds ratio for hypocobalaminaemia, as previously reported in North America, but other at-risk breeds were also identified.

The effect of silver impregnation of surgical scrub suits on surface bacterial contamination.

Silver-impregnated fabrics are widely used for their antibacterial and antifungal effects, including for clinical clothing such as surgical scrub suits (scrubs). This study investigated whether silver impregnation reduces surface bacterial contamination of surgical scrubs during use in a veterinary hospital. Using agar contact plates, abdominal and lumbar areas of silver-impregnated nylon or polyester/cotton scrubs were sampled for surface bacterial contamination before (0 h) and after 4 and 8h of use. The number of bacterial colonies on each contact plate was counted after 24 and 48 h incubation at 37°C. Standard basic descriptive statistics and mixed-effects linear regression were used to investigate the association of possible predictors of the level of bacterial contamination of the scrubs with surface bacterial counts. Silver-impregnated scrubs had significantly lowered bacterial colony counts (BCC) at 0 h compared with polyester/cotton scrubs. However, after 4 and 8h of wear, silver impregnation had no effect on BCC. Scrub tops with higher BCC at 0 h had significantly higher BCC at 4 and 8h, suggesting that contamination present at 0 h persisted during wear. Sampling from the lumbar area was associated with lower BCC at all three time points. Other factors (contamination of the scrub top with a medication/drug, restraint of patients, working in the anaesthesia recovery area) also affected BCC at some time points. Silver impregnation appeared to be ineffective in reducing bacterial contamination of scrubs during use in a veterinary hospital.

First-choice therapy for dogs presenting with diarrhoea in clinical practice.

Computerised referral histories were reviewed for dogs admitted to the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital between January 2000 and December 2008 with diarrhoea among the clinical signs. A total of 371 cases presenting to the referring veterinary surgeon were included in the study, and information was compiled regarding signalment, clinical signs and treatment given at the initial consultation. Various breeds, ages and sexes were represented. Antibacterials were used in 263 (71 per cent) cases, steroids in 71 (19 per cent) cases and miscellaneous antidiarrhoeal products (including probiotics, prebiotics, adsorbents and antimotility drugs) in 98 (26 per cent) cases. Other drugs used included antiemetics (48 of 371 [13 per cent] cases), gastric protectants (37 of 371 [10 per cent] cases) and sulfasalazine (26 of 371 [7 per cent] cases). Antibacterial administration was positively associated with hyperthermia (odds ratio [OR]=2.97, P=0.012) and anorexia (OR=2.17, P=0.0075), but negatively associated with both weight loss (OR=0.55, P=0.036) and tenesmus (OR=0.43, P=0.035). In contrast, use of antidiarrhoeal products was positively associated with the presence of faecal mucus (OR=1.77, P=0.043), and negatively associated with vomiting (OR=0.57, P=0.025) and weight loss (OR=0.52, P=0.033).