How useful is abdominal ultrasonography in dogs with diarrhoea?

European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy (ENOVAT) Guidelines for Antimicrobial Use in Canine Acute Diarrhoea

Acute diarrhoea is a common presentation in dogs, and a common reason for antimicrobial prescription and nutraceutical use. This evidence-based guideline provides recommendations for antimicrobial and probiotic treatment of canine acute diarrhoea (CAD). A multidisciplinary panel developed the recommendations by adhering to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. The opinions of stakeholders (general veterinary practitioners and dog owners) were collected and incorporated to ensure the applicability of this guideline. Four strong recommendations informed by high certainty evidence, and three conditional recommendations informed by very low or low certainty evidence, were drafted by the panel, along with an ungraded section on diagnostic work-up of dogs with acute diarrhoea. The ENOVAT guidelines initiative encourages national or regional guideline makers to use the evidence presented in this document, and the supporting systematic review, to draft national or local guidance documents.

Use of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography and Shear-Wave Elastography in the Diagnosis of Granulomatous Colitis in a French Bulldog

An 11-month-old male intact French Bulldog was referred for chronic intermittent diarrhea lasting three months. Ultrasonographic (US) examination revealed severe thickening of the wall of the colon and caecum; contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and elastography showed increased, heterogeneous vascularization and non-uniform stiffness of the colonic wall. The mucosa was thickened, fragile, and ulcerated as revealed by endoscopy, and histological examination confirmed the suspicion of granulomatous colitis.

Metronidazole treatment of acute diarrhea in dogs: A randomized double blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Metronidazole is commonly administered to dogs with acute diarrhea, but there is limited evidence to support this practice.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of metronidazole administration on dogs with acute nonspecific diarrhea.

ANIMALS

Thirty-one dogs, including 14 test population dogs and 17 controls.

METHODS

Randomized controlled clinical trial. Dogs with acute diarrhea in which causation was not determined by routine fecal diagnostic testing were randomly assigned to metronidazole treatment (10-15 mg/kg PO q12h for 7 days) or placebo. Fecal cultures and characterization of Clostridium perfringens isolates also were performed. Owners maintained medication and fecal scoring logs, and fecal diagnostic tests were repeated on day 7.

RESULTS

The mean ± SD time to resolution of diarrhea for test population dogs (2.1 ± 1.6 days) was less than that for controls (3.6 ± 2.1 days, P = .04). Potential relationships of C. perfringens with acute diarrhea pathogenesis were not investigated, but only 3 of 13 (23.1%) test population dogs had persistent C. perfringens carriage at day 7, which was less than the 11 of 14 (78.6%) controls with persistent growth (P = .007).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

Our results suggest that metronidazole treatment can shorten duration of diarrhea and decrease fecal culture detection of C. perfringens in some dogs with acute nonspecific diarrhea. Additional studies are needed to assess the benefits and risks of routine use of metronidazole for this purpose because most dogs achieve resolution of diarrhea within several days regardless of treatment.

Evaluation of duodenal perfusion by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy and intestinal lymphoma

Background

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) can be used to evaluate intestinal perfusion in healthy dogs. It is helpful for diagnosing and monitoring inflammatory bowel disease in humans and could be useful for dogs with chronic intestinal diseases.

Objectives

To examine duodenal perfusion in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) and intestinal lymphoma.

Animals

Client‐owned dogs with CIE (n = 26) or intestinal lymphoma (n = 7) and dogs with gastrointestinal signs but histopathologically normal duodenum (controls, n = 14).

Methods

In this cross‐sectional study, dogs with CIE were classified into remission (n = 16) and symptomatic (n = 10) groups based on clinical scores determined at the time of CEUS. The duodenum was scanned after IV injection of Sonazoid® (0.01 mL/kg). CEUS‐derived perfusion parameters, including time‐to‐peak, peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC), and wash‐in and wash‐out rates were evaluated.

Results

The PI was significantly higher in the symptomatic CIE group (median (range); 105.4 (89.3‐128.8) MPV) than in the control group (89.9 (68.5‐112.2) MPV). The AUC was significantly higher in the symptomatic CIE group (4847.9 (3824.3‐8462.8) MPV.sec) than in the control (3448.9 (1559.5‐4736.9) MPV.sec) and remission CIE (3862.3 (2094.5‐6899.0) MPV.sec) groups. The PI and clinical score were positively correlated in the CIE group. No significant differences in perfusion parameters were detected between the lymphoma and CIE groups or the lymphoma and control groups.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The PI and AUC can detect duodenal inflammation and hence are potentially useful for excluding a diagnosis of CIE.