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- Author or Editor: Katharine F. Lunn x
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Abstract
Objective—To determine the diagnostic use of cytologic examination of bone marrow from dogs with thrombocytopenia.
Design—Retrospective case series.
Animals—58 dogs with thrombocytopenia.
Procedures—Medical records were searched and reviewed for dogs with thrombocytopenia. Dogs that had thrombocytopenia and cytologic examination of bone marrow were included in the study. Dogs with other hematologic abnormalities, with a previous diagnosis of hematopoietic neoplasia, or that had previous treatment with cytotoxic drugs were excluded. Bone marrow cytologic findings were reviewed. Results were compared between dogs with severe thrombocytopenia (< 20,000 platelets/μL) and dogs with mild to moderate thrombocytopenia (20,000 to 200,000 platelets/μL).
Results—58 dogs met the inclusion criteria. Of 55 dogs with diagnostic bone marrow aspirates, 36 had severe thrombocytopenia. Cytologic evaluation of bone marrow did not reveal substantial nonmegakaryocytic bone marrow abnormalities or result in a definitive diagnosis in any of these dogs. Nineteen dogs with mild to moderate thrombocytopenia had diagnostic bone marrow aspirates. Bone marrow cytologic findings revealed nonmegakaryocytic abnormalities in 4 of these dogs. Significantly fewer dogs with severe thrombocytopenia had abnormalities identified on cytologic examination of bone marrow, compared with dogs with mild to moderate thrombocytopenia.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Cytologic examination of bone marrow is unlikely to provide specific diagnostic or prognostic information in dogs with severe thrombocytopenia.
Abstract
Objective—To determine whether short-term administration of an oral glucosamine–chondroitin sulfate (Glu-CS) supplement alters serum fructosamine concentration in healthy dogs.
Design—Prospective crossover study.
Animals—12 healthy adult dogs.
Procedures—Dogs received Glu-CS and a placebo for 3 weeks each, with a 4-week minimum washout period between treatments. Serum fructosamine concentration was measured 4 times for each dog: prior to the first treatment period, at the end of the first treatment period, at the end of the washout period, and at the end of the second treatment period.
Results—No significant change in serum fructosamine concentration was identified after treatment with either Glu-CS or the placebo. The change in serum fructosamine concentration associated with Glu-CS administration was not significantly different from the change in concentration associated with administration of the placebo.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that in healthy dogs, short-term (ie, 21 days) oral Glu-CS administration does not affect glycemic control or cause diabetes mellitus.
Abstract
Objective—To determine opinions of faculty members with clinical appointments, clinical veterinarians, residents, and interns at a US veterinary teaching hospital regarding antimicrobial use and antimicrobial-resistant infections.
Design—Cross-sectional survey.
Sample—71 veterinarians.
Procedures—An online questionnaire was sent to all veterinarians with clinical service responsibilities at the North Carolina State University veterinary teaching hospital (n = 167). The survey included 23 questions regarding demographic information, educational experiences, current prescribing practices, and personal opinions related to antimicrobial selection, antimicrobial use, restrictions on antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance.
Results—Of the 167 veterinarians eligible to participate, 71 (43%) responded. When respondents were asked to rate their level of concern (very concerned = 1; not concerned = 5) about antimicrobial-resistant infections, most (41/70 [59%]) assigned a score of 1, with mean score for all respondents being 1.5. Most survey participants rated their immediate colleagues (mean score, 1.9) as more concerned than other veterinary medical professionals (mean score, 2.3) and their clients (mean score, 3.4). Fifty-nine of 67 (88%) respondents felt that antimicrobials were overprescribed at the hospital, and 32 of 69 (46%) respondents felt uncomfortable prescribing at least one class of antimicrobials (eg, carbapenems or glycopeptides) because of public health concerns.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Findings indicated that veterinarians at this teaching hospital were concerned about antimicrobial resistance, thought antimicrobials were overprescribed, and supported restricting use of certain antimicrobial classes in companion animals. Findings may be useful in educating future veterinarians and altering prescribing habits and antimicrobial distribution systems in veterinary hospitals.