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Abstract

Objective—To determine whether results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are associated with postoperative outcome in working dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis.

Design—Prospective cohort study.

Animals—12 dogs treated surgically for degenerative lumbosacral stenosis.

Procedure—Procedure—The lumbosacral vertebral column was examined before surgery by use of MRI and CT and after surgery by use of CT. Outcome, based on performance in standardized training exercises, was assessed 6 months after decompressive surgery. Associations between imaging results and postoperative outcome were determined by use of a Fisher exact test and logistic regression.

Results—None of the dogs were able to perform their duties before surgery. By 6 months after surgery, 8 of 12 dogs had been returned to full active duty. Nerve tissue compression was effectively localized by use of CT and MRI. Significant associations between results of imaging studies and postoperative outcome were not identified.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Surgical intervention is justified in high-performance working dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. However, results of imaging studies may be less important than clinical or surgical factors for predicting outcome in affected dogs. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000;216:1769–1774)

Full access
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate the hemodynamic effects of orally administered carvedilol in healthy dogs with doses that might be used to initiate treatment in dogs with congestive heart failure.

Animals—24 healthy dogs.

Procedure—Dogs were randomly allocated to receive carvedilol PO at a dose of 1.56, 3.125, or 12.5 mg, twice daily for 7 to 10 days; 6 dogs served as controls. Investigators were blinded to group assignment. Hemodynamic variables were recorded prior to administration of the drug on day 1 and then 2, 4, and 6 hours after the morning dose on day 1 and days 7 to 10. Change in heart rate after IV administration of 1 µg of isoproterenol/kg and change in systemic arterial blood pressure after IV administration of 8 µg of phenylephrine/kg were recorded 2 and 6 hours after administration of carvedilol.

Results—Administration of carvedilol did not significantly affect resting hemodynamic variables or response to phenylephrine. The interaction of day and carvedilol dose had a significant effect on resting heart rate, but a significant main effect of carvedilol dose on resting heart rate was not detected. Increasing carvedilol dose resulted in a significant linear decrease in heart rate response to isoproterenol.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In healthy conscious dogs, orally administered carvedilol at mean doses from 0.08 to 0.54 mg/kg given twice daily did not affect resting hemodynamics. Over the dose range evaluated, there was a dose-dependent attenuation of the response to isoproterenol, which provided evidence of β-adrenergic receptor antagonism. (Am J Vet Res 2005;66:637–641)

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To determine the duration of effect and the effect of multiple doses of topical ophthalmic application of 0.5% proparacaine hydrochloride on corneal sensitivity in clinically normal dogs.

Animals—8 clinically normal dogs.

Procedure—Dogs were randomly allocated to treatment order in a 2 × 2 (period × treatment) crossover study. Treatments consisted of topical application of ophthalmic 0.5% proparacaine (1 drop or 2 drops at a 1-minute interval); treatments were applied to both eyes. A Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer was used to determine corneal touch threshold (CTT) before corneal application, 1 and 5 minutes after corneal application, and at 5-minute intervals thereafter for 90 minutes.

Results—The CTT value before treatment differed significantly from CTT values after treatment until 45 minutes after application in the 1-drop group and until 55 minutes after application in the 2-drop group. As determined by use of the Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer, a significantly greater anesthetic effect was detected for the 2-drop treatment, compared with the effect for the 1-drop treatment, at 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55 minutes after application. Maximal anesthetic effect lasted for 15 minutes for the 1-drop treatment and 25 minutes for the 2-drop treatment.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Duration of corneal anesthetic effect induced by topical ophthalmic application of 0.5% proparacaine in dogs of this study is considerably longer than that reported elsewhere. Serial application of doses of 0.5% proparacaine increases the duration and magnitude of corneal anesthetic effects. (Am J Vet Res 2005;66:77–80)

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate differences in response to ID injection of histamine, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and Aspergillus organisms between clinically normal horses and horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO).

Animals—5 healthy adult horses and 5 adult horses with RAO.

Procedure—Intradermal testing (IDT) was performed on the neck with 2 positive control substances (histamine and PHA) and a mixture comprising 5 Aspergillus species. Four concentrations of each test substance plus a negative control substance were used. Equal volumes (0.1 mL) of each test substance were prepared to yield 15 syringes ([4 concentrations of each test substance plus 1 negative control substance] times 3 test substances) for each side of each horse (ie, 30 syringes/horse). Intradermal injections were administered; diameter of wheals was recorded 0.5, 4, and 24 hours after injection.

Results—Hypersensitive responses to ID injection of histamine were detected 0.5 hours after injection, and a delay in wheal formation after ID injection of Aspergillus mixture 24 hours after injection was detected in RAO-affected horses but was not observed in clinically normal horses. No differences were detected between the 2 groups after ID injection of PHA.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—RAO-affected horses are hypersensitive to histamine, suggesting that RAO is associated with a heightened vascular response to histamine. Higher concentrations of Aspergillus mixture may be needed to detect horses that are sensitive to this group of antigens. Wheal reactions to Aspergillus may be a delayed response, suggesting that IDT results should be evaluated 0.5, 4, and 24 hours after ID injection. (Am J Vet Res2005;66:1348–1355)

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate the precision of intradermal testing (IDT) in horses.

Animals—12 healthy adult horses.

Procedure—IDT was performed on the neck of each horse by use of 2 positive control substances (histamine and phytohemagglutinin [PHA]) and a negative control substance. An equal volume (0.1 mL) for each injection was prepared to yield a total of 20 syringes ([4 concentrations of each positive control substance plus 1 negative control substance] times 2 positive control substances times 2 duplicative tests) for each side of the neck. Both sides of the neck were used for IDT; therefore, 40 syringes were prepared for each horse. Hair was clipped on both sides of the neck, and ID injections were performed. Diameter of the skin wheals was recorded 0.5, 4, and 24 hours after ID injection.

Results—Intra- and interhorse skin reactions to ID injection of histamine and PHA resulted in wheals of uniform size at 0.5 and 4 hours, respectively. Significant intra- and interhorse variation was detected in wheals caused by PHA at 24 hours.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—ID injection of histamine and PHA caused repeatable and precise results at 0.5 and 4 hours, respectively. Concentrations of 0.005 mg of histamine/mL and 0.1 mg of PHA/mL are recommended for use as positive control substances for IDT in horses. This information suggests that consistent wheal size is evident for ID injection of control substances, and variation in wheals in response to ID injection of test antigens results from a horse's immune response to specific antigens. (Am J Vet Res 2005;66:1341–1347)

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate the effects of deracoxib and aspirin on serum concentrations of thyroxine (T4), 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in healthy dogs.

Animals—24 dogs.

Procedure—Dogs were allocated to 1 of 3 groups of 8 dogs each. Dogs received the vehicle used for deracoxib tablets (PO, q 8 h; placebo), aspirin (23 to 25 mg/kg, PO, q 8 h), or deracoxib (1.25 to 1.8 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) and placebo (PO, q 8 h) for 28 days. Measurement of serum concentrations of T4, T3, fT4, and TSH were performed 7 days before treatment (day −7), on days 14 and 28 of treatment, and 14 days after treatment was discontinued. Plasma total protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations were measured on days −7 and 28.

Results—Mean serum T4, fT4, and T3 concentrations decreased significantly from baseline on days 14 and 28 of treatment in dogs receiving aspirin, compared with those receiving placebo. Mean plasma total protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations on day 28 decreased significantly in dogs receiving aspirin, compared with those receiving placebo. Fourteen days after administration of aspirin was stopped, differences in hormone concentrations were no longer significant. Differences in serum TSH or the free fraction of T4 were not detected at any time. No significant difference in any of the analytes was detected at any time in dogs treated with deracoxib.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Aspirin had substantial suppressive effects on thyroid hormone concentrations in dogs. Treatment with high dosages of aspirin, but not deracoxib, should be discontinued prior to evaluation of thyroid function.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To compare results of a nonradioactive colorimetric microplate assay with results of a traditional radioactive proliferation assay for determination of its use as a reliable and accurate alternative method for determination of proliferative activity of feline lymphocytes.

Sample Population—Blood samples from 10 clinically normal domestic shorthair cats.

Procedure—Double-density gradient separation was used to isolate mononuclear cells. Isolated cells were stimulated with various concentrations of concanavalin A (Con-A) and cultured for 72 hours. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured by radioactive ([3H]thymidine) and nonradioactive (colorimetric) techniques. Immunophenotypic analysis with felinespecific CD4+ and CD8+ monoclonal antibody was performed, using flow cytometry.

Results—Mononuclear cells were successfully isolated (97 to 99% purity and viability) from blood samples. A similar dose-dependent proliferative response to Con-A stimulation was measured with [3H]thymidine incorporation and the colorimetric assay. For both techniques, concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 µg of Con-A/ml were submitogenic, and 100 µg/ml was toxic to cultured cells. For both techniques, maximal proliferation was observed with 5 µg of Con-A/ml.

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance—These results indicate that the nonradioactive colorimetric technique is a reliable and accurate method for measuring proliferative activity of feline lymphocytes. Clinically, this assay can be used as part of a screening process to determine immunocompetence of at-risk cats and to evaluate treatments for cats with immune-mediated or T-cell-dependent diseases. (Am J Vet Res 2001; 62:567–571)

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To determine ocular tissue drug concentrations after topical ocular administration of 0.3% ciprofloxacin and 0.5% moxifloxacin in ophthalmologically normal horses.

Animals—24 ophthalmologically normal adult horses.

Procedures—0.3% ciprofloxacin and 0.5% moxifloxacin solutions (0.1 mL) were applied to the ventral conjunctival fornix of 1 eye in each horse as follows: group 1 (n = 8) at 0, 2, 4, and 6 hours; group 2 (8) at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 10 hours; and group 3 (8) at 0, 2, 4, 6, 10, and 14 hours. Tears, cornea, and aqueous humor (AH) were collected at 8, 14, and 18 hours for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Drug concentrations were determined via high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results—Median (25th to 75th percentile) concentrations of ciprofloxacin for groups 1, 2, and 3 in tears (μg/mL) were 53.7 (25.5 to 88.8), 48.5 (19.7 to 74.7), and 24.4 (15.4 to 67.1), respectively; in corneal tissue (μg/g) were 0.95 (0.60 to 1.02), 0.37 (0.32 to 0.47), and 0.48 (0.34 to 0.95), respectively; and in AH were lower than the limit of quantification in all groups. Concentrations of moxifloxacin for groups 1, 2, and 3 in tears (μg/mL) were 188.7 (44.5 to 669.2), 107.4 (41.7 to 296.5), and 178.1 (70.1 to 400.6), respectively; in corneal tissue (μg/g) were 1.84 (1.44 to 2.11), 0.78 (0.55 to 0.98), and 0.77 (0.65 to 0.97), respectively; and in AH (μg/mL) were 0.06 (0.04 to 0.08), 0.03 (0.02 to 0.05), and 0.02 (0.01 to 0.04), respectively. Corneal moxifloxacin concentrations were significantly higher in group 1 than groups 2 and 3.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—After topical ocular administration, fluoroquinolones can reach therapeutic concentrations in tears and corneal tissue of horses, even when there is an intact epithelium.

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To determine whether ticlopidine exerts an antiplatelet effect, estimate the pharmacodynamics of ticlopidine, and evaluate any acute adverse effects associated with administration of ticlopidine in cats.

Animals—8 domestic purpose-bred sexually intact male cats.

Procedure—Ticlopidine was administered orally (50 mg, q 24 h; 100 mg, q 24 h; 200 mg, q 24 h; and 250 mg, q 12 h). Each treatment period consisted of 10 days of drug administration. Platelet aggregation studies with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen and evaluation of oral mucosal bleeding times (OMBTs) were performed on days 3, 7, and 10 during each drug administration. Serotonin was measured to evaluate secretion at baseline and on day 10 for cats that received the 250-mg dosage.

Results—A significant reduction in platelet aggregation was detected in response to ADP on days 7 and 10 at 100 mg, on day 3 at 200 mg, and on days 3, 7, and 10 at 250 mg. A significant increase in the OMBT and decrease in serotonin release on day 10 at 250 mg was also detected; however, the cats had anorexia and vomiting at the 250-mg dosage.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Although there was a consistent antiplatelet effect at the 250-mg dosage, there was dose-dependent anorexia and vomiting that we conclude precludes the clinical usefulness of this drug in cats. ( Am J Vet Res 2004;65:327–332)

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in American Journal of Veterinary Research