Alexander J German

..Important factors affecting outcome are the choice of enzyme preparation, presence of hypocobalaminemia, and the response to the first 2 to 3 months of therapy...

..43, P=0.02) and percentage body fat loss (r(P)=0.39, P=0.03). These results indicate demonstrable improvement in HRQOL for obese dogs that successfully lose weight...

..Long-term use of a purpose-formulated weight management diet can significantly limit regain in the follow-up period, likely by limiting food intake...

..37% [15-72%), P=0.002). Thus, a diet formulated to include high levels of both protein and fibre, improves outcome during weight loss in obese dogs...

..Caution should be exercised when administering oral medication to cats, especially doxycycline, and should be accompanied either by a water or food swallow...

..Further, no information currently exists on the changes in body composition during weight loss in clinical cases...

..Therefore, although such calculations may provide a guide to final TW in obese dogs, they can either over- or under-estimate the appropriate end point of weight loss...

..Concurrent decreases in TNF-alpha and adipose tissue mass suggest that in dogs, as in humans, this adipokine may be implicated in the insulin resistance of obesity...

..To assess performance of a portable bioimpedance monitor for measurement of body composition in dogs...

..There is a need to increase the awareness of companion animal obesity as a serious medical concern within the veterinary profession...

....

..Imprecision in measuring food portions could also contribute to failure of weight management programmes for obese animals...

..Thus, most pre-weight-loss factors have limited effect on outcomes of weight loss. The significance of the associations identified between feeding of dried food and purchased treats, and weight-loss energy intake, requires further study...

..Preserving lean tissue during weight loss may maximise post-weight-loss MER and help prevent rebound...

..These results question the utility of quantitative duodenal juice bacteriology and indirect biochemical marker tests for SIBO in the investigation of canine gastrointestinal disorders...

..2%, P=0.026). Conventional weight loss programmes produce safe weight loss, but lean tissue loss is an inevitable consequence in cats that lose significant proportions of their starting body weight...

..43, P=0.035). In contrast, use of antidiarrhoeal products was positively associated with the presence of faecal mucus (OR=1.77, P=0.043), and negatively associated with vomiting (OR=0.57, P=0.025) and weight loss (OR=0.52, P=0.033)...

..Knowledge of breed associations is valuable to clinicians and researchers investigating diseases with a genetic basis...

..As walking is a low-risk exercise, participation of pregnant women in dog walking activities may be a useful context to investigate as part of a broader strategy to improve activity levels in pregnant women...

..Dogs received either an enteric-coated enzyme preparation (test treatment) or an identical preparation without the enteric coating (control treatment) over a period of 56 days...

..To examine whether dog ownership is associated with lower risk of childhood obesity...

..Response to therapy in canine exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) varies considerably, making it difficult to determine prognosis for individual patients...

..We also propose that the diversity of viruses like CECoV in these populations may provide a novel surrogate marker for the success of biosecurity...

..Cobalamin deficiency was rare in the population tested and this may suggest that the incidence of this biochemical abnormality is less common than reported in the USA...

..This is the first study to demonstrate elevated serum fPLI concentrations in cats with DM, suggesting that pancreatitis could be a significant comorbidity in these cats...

..None of these organisms show a characteristic pattern of clinical signs. This study demonstrates that enteric protozoal infection is common in domestic cats showing signs of alimentary disease...

....

..Interestingly five of the positive dogs from three separate households were aged over 6 years, suggesting that older dogs may play an important role in the persistence of CECoV in such populations...

..To determine whether clinical and clinicopathologic data could assist differentiation of congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSSs) from acquired portosystemic shunts (APSSs) in young dogs...

..It was suspected that the tears had been created at the time of the thoracostomy tube placement. Biliothorax has not been described before in a cat, and appears to be a rare complication following thoracostomy tube placement...

..upsaliensis infection for humans. However the prevalence of C. jejuni, the most common Campylobacter spp. associated with disease in humans, was low (1.2%, 95% CI 0.3, 3)...

..To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first report of a dermatophyte mycetoma in a Maine Coon and of successful resolution of this condition in cats following terbinafine therapy...

..Moreover, they provide information to direct future work in determining the risk to the human population from parasitic zoonoses of dogs...

..By way of comparison, total body fat mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, whilst total adiponectin, fasting insulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured using validated assays...

..To identify the most frequent underlying diseases in dogs examined because of dyspnea and determine whether signalment, clinical signs, and duration of clinical signs might help guide assessment of the underlying condition and prognosis...

....

..There was a marked trend towards lumbosacral spondylosis in cats with pelvic rotation or asymmetry. The frequency of hip dysplasia in cats with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae was very similar to those without...

..A commercially available ELISA kit for fecal elastase measurement can be used in the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in dogs. However, other causes of diarrhea also may affect fecal elastase concentration...

..Staining for factor VIII-related antigen confirmed that clusters of neoplastic cells represented intravascular emboli. Clinical signs in the cats were attributed to arterial occlusion by tumor emboli...

..This report is the first to describe the concurrence of eosinophilic stomatitis and systemic eosinophilic disease in Cavalier King Charles spaniels, and suggest that this breed may be predisposed to eosinophilic syndromes...

..The altered mucosal immune cell populations observed in dogs with ARD or IBD may reflect an underlying immunologic pathogenesis in these disorders...

..Fecal alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor (alpha(1)-PI) clearance is a reliable, noninvasive marker for protein-losing enteropathy in human beings. An assay for use in dogs has been developed and validated...

..The value of fecal alpha(1)-PI measurement in detecting unrelated gastrointestinal disease may be limited in dogs on NSAID therapy, but alpha(1)-PI may be a useful marker for NSAID-induced gastrointestinal damage...

..26 years) and the median number of consultations per assessment was seven (two to 43). A recognised body condition score had been assessed in only one dog on one occasion...

..As the use of cyclosporine in small animals is increasing, further work is required to substantiate and quantify the proposed increased risk...

..ALSPAC and other similar birth cohorts can be considered a potential resource for research into the effects of pet ownership during childhood...

..Trilostane ameliorates clinical signs of feline hyperadrenocorticism, but more research is needed before it can be recommended for treatment...

..Examples include the metabolism of dietary substrates, drug-induced disturbances of lipid metabolites in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the therapeutic effects of vitamin supplementation in the treatment of chronic metabolic disorders...

..Investigation of adipokine production and function will provide insight into the mechanisms involved in obesity-related pathologies in dogs and serve as a model for the related human diseases...

..It remains to be determined whether such a deficiency is a breed-related primary defect, or whether it arises secondary to the pathological processes within the intestinal mucosa...

..This report thus describes a presumed sterile and idiopathic panniculitis/pansteatitis complex in weimaraner dogs. Although the aetiology is unknown, this may represent an immune-mediated disorder...

..This review includes discussion of the factors involved in breakdown of mucosal tolerance, the immunologic basis of canine enteropathies, and the use of novel immunotherapies for these diseases...

..For feline samples, although there was excellent correlation for Hct, Hb and RBC, the WBC and three-part white blood cell differential and platelet count should be interpreted with caution as they can be unreliable...

..Definition of constitutive expression of MHC class II within the canine intestine may be important in identifying upregulation of this molecule in inflammatory bowel diseases...

..Both findings should be taken into account in future studies of canine mucosal immunoglobulins...

..Canine adipocytes appear highly sensitive to inflammatory stimuli...