Antimicrobial use practices in canine and feline patients with co-morbidities undergoing dental procedures in primary care practices in the US.

This study aimed to investigate how the presence of co-morbid conditions influenced antimicrobial usage as presumptive prophylaxis for suspected bacteremia in dogs and cats undergoing dental treatments at primary care veterinary clinics in the United States. In 2020, data was collected from 1076 veterinary clinics across 44 US states. A total of 681,541 general anesthesia dental procedures were conducted on 592,472 dogs and 89,069 cats. This revealed that systemic antimicrobials were administered in 8.8% of dog procedures and 7.8% of cat procedures in the absence of concurrent periodontal disease or extractions. Cefpodoxime, clindamycin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate were the most frequently used antimicrobials in dogs, while cefovecin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, and clindamycin topped the list for cats. Dogs with cardiovascular, hepato-renal, and endocrine co-morbidities, as well as those undergoing concurrent removal of cutaneous or subcutaneous neoplasia, displayed higher antimicrobial use. Similarly, cats with endocrine or hepato-renal disease, retroviral infection (i.e., feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)), and concurrent removal of cutaneous or subcutaneous neoplasia exhibited increased antimicrobial use. Dogs with hepato-renal abnormalities had longer treatment durations compared to those without (10.1 vs. 9.6 days). Conversely, cats with concurrent removal of cutaneous or subcutaneous neoplasia had shorter durations of treatment as compared to those that did not have this procedure performed (8.4 vs 9.2 days). The findings of this study underscore the necessity for further research and collaboration within the veterinary community to develop evidence-based guidelines, promoting responsible antimicrobial use, and advancing the field of veterinary dentistry for enhanced patient outcomes.

Body weight, gonadectomy, and other risk factors for diagnosis of osteoarthritis in companion dogs.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate age, sex, body weight, breed, neuter status, and age at neutering as risk factors for diagnosis of osteoarthritis in companion dogs. Animals: Dogs seen as patients at Banfield Pet Hospital in the United States from 1998 to 2019 with a date of death in 2019. The final cohort consisted of 131,140 dogs. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, Cox proportional hazard models were used to test for associations between osteoarthritis incidence and age at baseline, sex, maximum body weight, maximum body condition score, neuter status, and age at neutering. The same model was used to test these associations in 12 representative breeds, chosen based on breed weight and sample size. Results: Older age, higher adult body weight, gonadectomy, and younger age at gonadectomy were significantly associated with higher risks of osteoarthritis in the total cohort and in all 12 breeds evaluated. Higher body condition scores and sex were also significantly associated with osteoarthritis but with minimal effect sizes in the overall cohort, and these risk factors were not consistently significant in all breeds tested. Clinical relevance: These results will assist veterinarians in identifying dogs at higher risk for osteoarthritis and applying appropriate diagnostic, preventative, and treatment interventions. An understanding of potentially modifiable risk factors, such as body condition and neutering, will support evidence-based discussions with dog owners about risk management in individual patients.

Antimicrobial use practices in canine and feline dental procedures performed in primary care veterinary practices in the United States.

This study examined the utilization of antimicrobials in canines and felines receiving dental treatments in veterinary clinics in the United States, retrospectively. A total of 818,150 animals (713,901 procedures in dogs and 104,249 procedures in cats) underwent dental procedures under general anesthesia in 2020. These included dental prophylaxis and extractions. Patient demographic data, antimicrobial treatment, treatment duration, dose, periodontal disease score, whether tooth extractions were performed and how many extractions were performed was recorded. Our results showed that local or systemic antimicrobials were used in 116,723/713,901 (16.4%) procedures in dogs and 14,264/104,249 (14%) procedures in cats. Age, weight, extraction of one or more teeth and diagnosis of periodontal disease (any stage) were associated with increased likelihood of antimicrobial administration using univariable analysis (all P<0.001) and in the multivariable model. Clindamycin, amoxicillin-clavulanate and amoxicillin were the most common oral antimicrobials used in dogs and cats. Drugs classified as highest priority clinically important antibiotics (HPCIA) were administered to 30,960/116,723 (26.5%) of dogs and 7,469/14,264 (52%) of treated cats. The results obtained can inform interventions to optimize patient care and promote prudent use of antimicrobials during dental procedures in canine and feline patients.

The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK protocol: establishing a longitudinal study of health and disease in dogs and cats.

BACKGROUND: The veterinary care of cats and dogs is increasingly embracing innovations first applied to human health, including an increased emphasis on preventative care and precision medicine. Large scale human population biobanks have advanced research in these areas; however, few have been established in veterinary medicine. The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ (MPB) is a prospective study that aims to build a longitudinal bank of biological samples, with paired medical and lifestyle data, from 20,000 initially healthy cats and dogs (10,000 / species), recruited through veterinary hospitals over a ten-year period. Here, we describe the MPB protocol and discuss its potential as a platform to increase understanding of why and how diseases develop and how to advance personalised veterinary healthcare. METHODS: At regular intervals, extensive diet, health and lifestyle information, electronic medical records, clinicopathology and activity data are collected, genotypes, whole genome sequences and faecal metagenomes analysed, and blood, plasma, serum, and faecal samples stored for future research. DISCUSSION: Proposed areas for research include the early detection and progression of age-related disease, risk factors for common conditions, the influence of the microbiome on health and disease and, through genome wide association studies, the identification of candidate loci for disease associated genetic variants. Genomic data will be open access and research proposals for access to data and samples will be considered. Over the coming years, the MPB will provide the longitudinal data and systematically collected biological samples required to generate important insights into companion animal health, identifying biomarkers of disease, supporting earlier identification of risk, and enabling individually tailored interventions to manage disease.

Breed, smaller weight, and multiple injections are associated with increased adverse event reports within three days following canine vaccine administration.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient and vaccine factors associated with adverse events (AEs) recorded within 3 days of vaccine administration in a large cohort of dogs. ANIMALS: 4,654,187 dogs vaccinated in 16,087,455 office visits in a 5-year period at 1,119 hospitals of a corporate practice. METHODS: Electronic medical records of dogs vaccinated between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020, were searched for diagnoses of possible AEs recorded within 3 days of administration of vaccines without concurrent injectable heartworm preventative. Patient risk factors (age, sex, breed, and weight) and number and type of vaccine were extracted from records. ORs (and 95% CIs) for risk factors were estimated via multivariable logistic regression mixed models with patient as a random effect. RESULTS: AEs were recorded following 31,197 vaccination visits (0.19%, or 19.4/10,000 visits). Reported AE rates increased from 1 to 4 vaccines administered and among individual vaccines were greatest for rabies vaccine. AE rate was generally inversely related to body weight, with largest rates in dogs ≤ 5 kg. The largest AE rates were noted in French Bulldogs and Dachshunds (ORs > 4 compared to mixed-breed dogs). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Risk factor information can be used to update vaccination protocols and client communication. Breed differences may indicate genetics as the primary risk factor for adverse vaccine reactions following vaccinations.

Younger dogs of specific breeds are more likely to experience a rare adverse event after administration of extended-release injectable moxidectin heartworm preventive.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence of and identify patient risk factors for an acute adverse event in dogs after administration of a sustained-release injectable heartworm preventive product. ANIMALS: Canine patients that received the injectable heartworm preventive product during routine preventive care visits. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records of canine visits within a large network of primary care veterinary clinics in which the product was administered from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2020. Visits during which vaccination(s) were also administered were excluded from analysis. Identification of acute adverse events was based on diagnostic entries and other clinical presentations suggestive of an adverse event within 3 days of product administration. Data were analyzed using mixed-effects logistic regression. RESULTS: In the 5-year study period, 1,399,289 visits with 694,030 dogs led to an incidence estimate of approximately 14.3 events/10,000 doses. Regression analysis found younger dogs and 7 breeds (relative to mixed-breed dogs) to have statistically significant greater odds of an event. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding of incidence and patient risk factors provides veterinary professionals and dog owners more information when deciding on heartworm preventive options for their dog when considering risk for adverse event in dogs of certain ages or breeds.

An early prediction model for canine chronic kidney disease based on routine clinical laboratory tests.

The aim of this study was to derive a model to predict the risk of dogs developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) using data from electronic health records (EHR) collected during routine veterinary practice. Data from 57,402 dogs were included in the study. Two thirds of the EHRs were used to build the model, which included feature selection and identification of the optimal neural network type and architecture. The remaining unseen EHRs were used to evaluate model performance. The final model was a recurrent neural network with 6 features (creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urine specific gravity, urine protein, weight, age). Identifying CKD at the time of diagnosis, the model displayed a sensitivity of 91.4% and a specificity of 97.2%. When predicting future risk of CKD, model sensitivity was 68.8% at 1 year, and 44.8% 2 years before diagnosis. Positive predictive value (PPV) varied between 15 and 23% and was influenced by the age of the patient, while the negative predictive value remained above 99% under all tested conditions. While the modest PPV limits its use as a stand-alone diagnostic screening tool, high specificity and NPV make the model particularly effective at identifying patients that will not go on to develop CKD.