Acquired partial lower urinary tract obstruction caused by intravesical ureterocele in an adult dog

Ureterocele is an uncommon condition in dogs characterised by a cystic dilation of the submucosal portion of the distal ureter. A 4‐year‐old intact male Siberian husky with a 4‐month previous diagnosis of ureterocele was presented for pollakiuria. Abdominal ultrasound showed increased dimensions of the ureterocele, and a retrograde positive contrast urethrocystography detected a filling defect of the bladder neck lumen. The position of ureterocele was considered responsible for the partial urinary obstruction. This hypothesis is supported by the resolution of pollakiuria after surgical ureterocele resection. Based on a literature search, this is the first case of an intravesical ureterocele causing partial urinary obstruction in dogs. Ureterocele should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with pollakiuria.

Seasonal variation in canine anti-Leishmania infantum antibody titres

Quantitative anti-Leishmania antibody titres are critical in the management of dogs with leishmaniosis, from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up, and there is a paucity of data relating changes in antibody titres to sand fly vector seasonality. This study aimed to evaluate seasonal variations in anti-Leishmania infantum antibody titres in dogs from a hyperendemic area for canine leishmaniosis (CanL). Leishmania infantum-seropositive and clinically healthy dogs (n=65) were sampled in June 2019 (sand fly season) and again in February-March 2020 (non-transmission season) to monitor clinical status and serological titres. There was a reduction in anti-L. infantum antibody titres during the non-transmission season in most dogs (n=36; 55.4%), and 44% of those dogs (n=16/36) became seronegative (i.e. below the cut-off value of 1:80). Given the relevance of serology to epidemiological, preventive and clinical studies related to CanL, seasonal variations in antibody titres are important in areas where phlebotomine vectors have seasonal patterns of activity. Sand fly seasonal period must be considered in the interpretation of annual anti-L. infantum antibody screening test results in asymptomatic dogs, to make clinical decisions about staging, treatment and prevention.

The effect of renal diet in association with enalapril or benazepril on proteinuria in dogs with proteinuric chronic kidney disease

Treating proteinuria in dogs reduces the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD); renal diets and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors are cornerstones of treatment. Whether different ACE-inhibitors have distinct kidney protective effects is unknown; it is therefore hypothesized that renal diets and enalapril or benazepril have different beneficial effects in proteinuric CKD dogs. Forty-four dogs with proteinuric CKD (IRIS stages 1-4) were enrolled in the study and were fed renal diet for 30 days. Thereafter, they were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups. Dogs in group A (n=22) received enalapril (0.5 mg/kg, q12h) and in group B (n=22) benazepril (0.5 mg/kg, q24h); in both groups, dogs were fed the same renal diet. After randomization, dogs were monitored for 120 days. Body weight and body condition score (BCS), serum concentrations of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), albumin and total proteins, and urine protein-to-creatinine (UPC) ratio were compared at different time-points. After 30 days of renal diet, creatinine, BUN and UPC ratio decreased significantly (p<0.0001). Compared to randomization, body weight, BCS, albumin, total proteins, creatinine and BUN did not vary during follow-up in the 44 dogs and differences between group A and B were not observed. However, the UPC ratio of group A at day 60, 90 and 150 was significantly lower than in group B and compared to randomization (p<0.05). In group B it did not vary overtime. It is concluded that the renal diet is beneficial to decrease creatinine, BUN and UPC ratio in proteinuric CKD dogs. Enalapril further ameliorates proteinuria if administered along with renal diet.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the size of the adrenal glands of 24 diseased cats without endocrinopathies

The ultrasonographic measurements of the adrenal glands of 24 diseased cats without a clinically or laboratory identifiable endocrinopathy were evaluated retrospectively. The mean (sd) thickness of the left adrenal glands was 3.8 (0.8) mm and their mean length was 11.3 (2.8) mm; the thickness of the right glands was 4.5 (1.0) mm and their length was 9.8 (2.4) mm. The products of thickness and length were 43.9 (20.2) mm(2) for the left gland and 45.7 (19.7) mm(2) for the right gland. There were no significant correlations between the bodyweight, body surface area or body condition scores of the cats and the thickness, length or the product of thickness and length of either gland.

Percutaneous fine-needle biopsy of deep thoracic and abdominal masses in dogs and cats

Percutaneous fine-needle biopsy was used to investigate thoracic and abdominal masses in the dog and cat. One hundred and thirty-two cases were included in the study; 20 cases were excluded from the comparative study due to poor cellularity or blood contamination (retrieval rate 86.8 per cent). One hundred samples (56 dogs and 44 cats) were classified by cytology as neoplastic. All the cytological diagnoses of neoplasia were confirmed by histological samples obtained either by non-surgical methods, at surgery or during postmortem examination. No false positive diagnoses of neoplasia were made. Thirty-two samples were cytologically classified as 'negative for neoplasia'. Subsequent histological examination revealed 18 true negative and 14 false negative results. The procedure had an overall 89.4 per cent (118 cases out of 132) agreement between the diagnosis of inflammatory disease versus neoplasia, with a sensitivity of 87.8 per cent, a specificity of 100 per cent, a predictive value of a positive test of 100 per cent and a predictive value of a negative test of 56.3 per cent.

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma with osteogenic differentiation and paraneoplastic hepatopathy in a dog, possibly related to human Stauffer's syndrome

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma is an uncommon tumour in human beings, and osteogenic differentiation is a rare feature. This report describes such a case in a male dog aged 8 years. The tumour, which showed extensive osseous metaplasia and a few necrotic areas, protruded into the renal pelvis, disrupting the renal capsule. Light microscopical and immunohistochemical examination revealed the epithelial nature of the tumour. Abnormal liver biochemistry, mild hepatocyte degeneration and the absence of histological evidence of metastasis suggested a paraneoplastic hepatopathy.