Effect of age on survivability of pups eating a carbohydrate-free diet

Seventy-nine pups from 18 litters were changed to a carbohydrate-free diet between 7 and 19 weeks of age. It was found that if the diet change was made after pups were 17 weeks old, the pups remained clinically normal. If the change was made before pups were 17 weeks old, the survival rate was less than or equal to 45.5%.

Morbidity and mortality in a closed foxhound breeding colony

A 3-year mortality and morbidity survey was conducted in a research foxhound breeding colony. Its purpose was to identify specific problem areas for further study and rectification. Three-hundred and thirty-nine litters (2,872 puppies) were whelped. Seventeen percent (17.4%) of the puppies died before weaning and 4.0% died between weaning and 30 weeks of age. Major puppy losses (55.6% of the total mortality) occurred during the 1st week after birth. The majority of deaths during this period was attributable to stillbirth, immaturity or runting, trauma and congenital abnormalities. The predominant causes of death thereafter were pneumonia, malnutrition, and gastrointestinal disease. The most frequent causes of morbidity among puppies were respiratory disease, anorexia and dehydration, skin disorders, and gastrointestinal disease. These entities were most commonly observed during the 2 weeks before and after weaning at 6 weeks of age. Clinical disease problems among breeding stock were few and were easily resolved. Fighting and infections of the skin and ear canals constituted 75.5% of the cases observed.

Results of surgical treatment in 65 dogs with osteosarcoma

Clinical and necropsy findings were obtained from case records for 65 dogs treated surgically for osteosarcoma at the University of Pennsylvania Small Animal Hospital between July, 1952, and July, 1973, inclusive. The median age of the dogs was 6 years. There were 39 males and 26 females. All but 5 of the 65 dogs weighed more than 16 kg. Sixty-two of the osteosarcomas arose from the limbs and 3 from the ribs. The median duration of presurgical clinical signs was 6 weeks, with a range of 1 day to 24 weeks. There were no statistical correlations between the postsurigical survival times and the age, sex, or breed of the dog, the site of the osteosarcoma, or the duration of the presurgical clinical signs. Of the 40 dogs with known lung metastases, 11 also had hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy. The median survival time was 18 weeks, with a range of 3 to greater than 578 weeks. Twenty-six percent were alive 6 months potoperatively, 13.8% were still alive at 9 months, and 10.7% survived more than 1 year. The total median duration of the disease was 24 weeks (range, 8 greater than 578 weeks).

Non-fatal rabies in dogs and cats

Serological studies were performed in 1,015 dog brains and 144 cat brains collected in a rabies enzootic area. Significant levels of rabies virus neutralizing activity were observed in two dog brains and in one cat brain which had been negative for rabies by immunofluorescence and mouse inoculation tests. These results were compared with those obtained in the group of surviving animals at different times after onset of experimentally induced abortive rabies. The possibility that naturally infected animals recovered from rabies central nervous system infection is suggested.

Motor vehicle accidents in urban dogs: a study of 600 cases

The records of 600 dogs injured in motor vehicle accidents and admitted as emergencies to the Trauma Emergency Service of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital were studied. Young males were the most frequently injured dogs. The motor vehicle accidents resulted in a wide variety of injuries. Superficial wounds were diagnosed as the only manifestation of trauma in 190 (31%) dogs. Among the remaining 410 dogs, skeletal injury was diagnosed in 87% and soft organ injury in 27%. Multiple region injury occurred in 36% of all dogs. Among specific injuries, it was found that the pelvis was the most frequently injured skeletal structure and that the liver was the most frequently injured abdominal organ. Almost all deaths resulted from intrathoracic and intraabdominal injuries, and over 50% of the dogs euthanatized had central nervous system injury. The overall fatality rate, including euthanasias, was 12.5%.

Chemotherapy for canine lymphosarcoma

Twenty dogs with naturally occurring lymphosarcoma were histologically diagnosed, clinically staged, and treated with combinations of drugs, including corticosteroids, alkylating agents, plant alkaloids and antimetabolities. Clinical response was categorized as complete, partial, or unsatisfactory. Of the 20 dogs, 17 responded to the chemotherapy completely or partially, with a mean objective remission duration of 104.8 days. The mean survival time for 19 dogs was 211.5 days, whereas the mean survival time for 16 dogs which responded completely or partially was 233.7 days.

Investigations of therapeutic measures for disophenol toxicosis in dogs

Acute disophenol toxicosis, induced in 10 dogs by giving 33, 35, or 40 mg of disophenol/kg of body weight, was treated with the antipyretic dipyrone, lactated Ringer's infusions, or ice baths. Rectal temperature and estimates of hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, and total white blood cell count and differential count were recorded. Higher hemogram values were sometimes observed for dogs dying of the toxicosis. Toxicosis was induced in 5 other dogs which were not treated; 1 of these, given the low dose of disophenol, recovered. Two of 3 dogs (67%) treated with the antipyretic recovered, 0 of 2 (0%) given lactated Ringer's infusion recovered, and 2 of 5 dogs (40%) treated with ice baths recovered. One of the surviving dogs treated with antipyretic was given the low disophenol dose and all the other survivors were given the medium disophenol dosage level.