The guidelines are the first comprehensive consensus report on veterinary healthcare recommendations for working, assistance, and therapy dogs. This category of canine patients includes a broad assortment of animals, some with well-defined functions and others that provide a more generalized support role. The guidelines discuss recommendations for dogs trained for protection, odor/scent detection, service functions for people with diagnosed disabilities or physical limitations, emotional support, and therapeutic intervention. Although the term is often used to describe dogs providing animal-assisted activities, true therapy dogs provide goal-directed therapy, often under the supervision of a healthcare professional such as an occupational therapist or psychologist. Many working dogs undergo extensive training and have rigorous physical demands placed upon them. These factors make working, assistance, and therapy dogs inherently valuable and impose a need for a high level of primary veterinary care as described in the guidelines. Because working dogs have a particularly close relationship with their handlers, a trust relationship between the practice team and the working-dog client is imperative.
The study objective was to evaluate sedative, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic effects of cats receiving single-dose, oral gabapentin. A prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted with 10 client-owned cats. Vital parameters, physical exam, blood pressure, echocardiography, and sedation scoring were performed at each visit within 2 hr of receiving either a placebo or gabapentin capsule. Vital parameters, blood pressure recordings, and echocardiographic measurements were compared between baseline, gabapentin, and placebo; interobserver agreement for sedation scoring and correlation between variables were also evaluated. Seven of 10 cats exhibited mild sedation within 120 min after receiving gabapentin, and no adverse events occurred. Significant differences were detected with two-dimensional fractional shortening (P = .022), left ventricular internal diameter in systole using M-mode (P = .014), and left atrial volume (P < .0001). Interobserver agreement for sedation scoring was near-perfect (κ = 0.84). No significant correlation was found for gabapentin dosage and sedation score. Single-dose oral gabapentin is well tolerated in healthy cats and produces a modest decrease in several echocardiographic parameters of systolic function; however, all affected variables remained within established reference ranges. These results suggest gabapentin may be an appropriate sedative to administer before echocardiography in cats necessitating mild sedation.
This case report details a previously undescribed malignancy of the tendon sheath in a golden retriever. This dog originally presented with lameness of the left forelimb, at which point radiographs revealed a monostotic, lytic lesion of the distal radius with overlying soft-tissue swelling. A fine-needle aspirate was performed, and cytology was compatible with a sarcoma, with the primary differential being an osteosarcoma. After amputation, the leg was submitted for histopathology, which revealed inconsistencies with a typical osteosarcoma lesion, including lack of osteoid deposition. Second opinion histopathology showed a fibrosarcoma that appeared to have originated in the tendon sheath of an extensor tendon and then secondarily invaded the radius. At the time of publication, ∼17 mo after amputation, the dog continues to do well without any evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease.
A 13 yr old spayed female Yorkshire terrier was hospitalized for a dull mentation, anorexia, presumptive gastroenterocolitis, and a suspected gastrointestinal bleed with melena. Despite supportive therapy, the patient’s clinical signs persisted. Throughout hospitalization, the patient became progressively dull to stuporous with a progressive hypernatremia. On day 3 of hospitalization, the patient acutely developed neurological signs with a neuroanatomical localization consistent with a process at the caudal cranial fossa. Per the owner’s wishes, the patient was euthanized with necropsy performed. Histopathology revealed a suppurative meningoencephalitis, ventriculitis, hypophysitis, otitis interna, and an ulcerative pharyngitis. Aerobic culture collected from the area of the pituitary gland grew an Enterococcus spp. Enterococcal meningoencephalitis is rare in humans but has not been reported in veterinary medicine. In future cases of canine bacterial meningitis, Enterococcus spp. should be considered. Because of the inherent resistance patterns of Enterococcus spp., targeted antibiotic selection would be required for treatment.
Three dogs that presented to the emergency service in severely emaciated body conditions were admitted to the hospital for monitoring and refeeding. During their hospitalization, all three dogs developed electrolyte derangements or required supplementation to prevent hypophosphatemia and hypomagnesemia. Additionally, all dogs developed hyperlactatemia, which was suspected to be secondary to thiamine deficiency. Two dogs were reported to have cardiac abnormalities, including cardiac arrhythmias, systolic dysfunction, and spontaneous echogenic contrast. These cases highlight the complexity of refeeding syndrome and its associated complications that extend beyond electrolyte deficiencies.
Renal telangiectasia has been reported in Pembroke Welsh corgis with chronic hematuria; however, the sonographic features of these lesions have never been described. Two dogs with confirmed renal telangiectasia and one dog with presumptive renal telangiectasia were identified in a medical record search. All dogs had one or more variably sized renal nodules identified on abdominal ultrasound. The nodules in two of the three dogs were similar, appearing hyperechoic with numerous punctate hypoechoic to anechoic foci throughout. None of the nodules showed evidence of hemodynamic flow on Doppler ultrasound. Renal telangiectasia should be considered as a benign differential diagnosis, particularly in Pembroke Welsh corgis.