An Internet-based survey of risk factors for surgical gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs

Preventive Health Care for Working Dogs

The goal of preventive care is to maintain and optimize health by averting preventable problems. Effective preventive care programs for working dogs must incorporate standard procedures applicable to dogs in general with additional elements pertinent to the more specific characteristics of breed, geographic location, living and working conditions, and physical and mental tasks required of the working dog. This article covers the basic essential preventive health guidelines for all working dogs as well as the specific breed, occupational, and regional considerations to be taken into account.

Operational Canine

Operational K9s encompass a unique population of working dogs that serve as a force multiplier in various civilian law enforcement, force protection, search and rescue, and humanitarian operations. These elite canines do not volunteer to serve, yet they are some of the most faithful and dependable operators in the field. They undoubtedly perform an invaluable service in today's society and are owed a tremendous debt of gratitude for their selfless service, loyalty, and sacrifices. This article describes the unique characteristics and occupational hazards that pertain to the community of Operational K9s.

A Review of the Impact of Neuter Status on Expression of Inherited Conditions in Dogs

Gonadectomy is an important reproductive management tool employed in many countries, and is highly prevalent in the US with an estimated 85% of dogs being neutered. Despite the societal benefits in pet population control, negative associations between neuter status, and health conditions have been reported in recent years. Most particularly observed are the consequences of early age neutering. Knowing that different physiological systems rely upon gonadal steroids during development and physiological maintenance, studies have been undertaken to assess the impact of neuter status on multiple body and organ systems. For some inherited conditions, neutering is associated with an increased risk of expression. Neutering has also been associated with altered metabolism and a predisposition for weight gain in dogs, which may confound the detected risk association between neutering and disease expression. This review summarizes the effects of neutering on cancer, orthopedic, and immune disorders in the dog and also explores the potentially exacerbating factor of body weight.

Associations between gastric dilatation-volvulus in Great Danes and specific alleles of the canine immune-system genes DLA88, DRB1, and TLR5

OBJECTIVE To determine whether specific alleles of candidate genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and innate immune system were associated with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in Great Danes. ANIMALS 42 healthy Great Danes (control group) and 39 Great Danes with ≥ 1 GDV episode. PROCEDURES Variable regions of the 2 most polymorphic MHC genes (DLA88 and DRB1) were amplified and sequenced from the dogs in each group. Similarly, regions of 3 genes associated with the innate immune system (TLR5, NOD2, and ATG16L1), which have been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, were amplified and sequenced. Alleles were evaluated for associations with GDV, controlling for age and dog family. RESULTS Specific alleles of genes DLA88, DRB1, and TLR5 were significantly associated with GDV. One allele of each gene had an OR > 2 in the unadjusted univariate analyses and retained a hazard ratio > 2 after controlling for temperament, age, and familial association in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The 3 GDV-associated alleles identified in this study may serve as diagnostic markers for identification of Great Danes at risk for GDV. Additional research is needed to determine whether other dog breeds have the same genetic associations. These findings also provided a new target for research into the etiology of, and potential treatments for, GDV in dogs.

Comparison of postoperative pain and inflammation reaction in dogs undergoing preventive laparoscopic-assisted and incisional gastropexy

This study compared the effects of postoperative pain and inflammation reaction after preventive laparoscopic-assisted gastropexy (LAG) and incisional gastropexy (IG) in 10 clinically normal Beagles. Surgical time, incision length, visual analog scale (VAS) score, University of Melbourne Pain Scale (UMPS) score, and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), plasma cortisol (COR), and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were evaluated. The VAS and UMPS scores and COR and IL-6 levels were recorded at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 hr after surgery. CRP level was recorded at 12, 24 and 48 hr after surgery. The VAS and UMPS scores showed no significant intergroup differences. Compared to IG, LAG had significantly lower surgical time (45 ± 9.91 min vs 64 ± 5.30 min; P<0.05), incision length (46 ± 8.21 mm vs 129 ± 19.49 mm; P<0.05), CRP level (12 hr after surgery; 4.58 ± 1.58 mg/dl vs 12.4 ± 1.34 mg/dl; P<0.01), and COR level (1 hr after surgery; 10.79 ± 3.07 µg/dl vs 15.9 ± 3.77 µg/dl; P<0.05). IL-6 levels showed no significant intergroup differences at any time point. However, LAG resulted in lower IL-6 levels than did IG at all postoperative time points. Neither procedure resulted in significant surgical complications. LAG produced lower surgical stress than did IG, suggesting that LAG is a safe, minimally invasive, and highly useful technique for preventing canine gastric dilatation-volvulus. Nevertheless, since this study used experimental models, its usefulness should be evaluated in future cases.

Validating and reliability testing the descriptive data and three different disease diagnoses of the internet-based DOGRISK questionnaire

Background

The DOGRISK questionnaire is an internet-based ongoing study of canine nutrition, living environment, and disease. Here we aim to assess the performance of the questionnaire using data from the first three years in relation to some descriptive and disease variables. We used associated questions, official register records, test-retest repeatability, and email/mail contact with questionnaire respondents.

Results

Reliability against an official register of gender, season of birth, breed, and results of hip radiography was tested and Cohen’s Kappa was between 0.95–0.99. Internal consistencies of hypothyroidism status and dog’s age were calculated using Cronbach’s Alpha (α = 0.95 and α = 0.99, respectively). Test-retest repeatability of ten variables among 224 participants was analyzed. Gender, season of birth, and born in owner family had Cohen’s Kappa > 0.86, color of coat, vaccination status as an adult, other dogs in household, and vaccination status as a puppy had Cohen’s Kappa between 0.67–0.80, and body condition score under two months of age and tidiness of household, had Cohen’s kappa of 0.45 and 0.42, respectively. In addition, time spent outside had Cohen’s kappa of 0.37. Of the owners contacted by email/mail to confirm their dog’s atopy/allergy (skin symptoms), 8.9 % reported that they had given an incorrect answer (positive predicted value 91 %), but only 69 % of all reaffirmed positive answers had a diagnosis set by a veterinarian.

Conclusions

Our study showed that owners were diligent with basic information and with the status of three diseases. Cohen’s Kappa in the reliability of the test-retest was in most variables at least 0.67. We propose that the descriptive variables and the disease variables be used as such when we generate hypotheses from the DOGRISK data.