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Case summary This report describes a case of gastric mucormycosis in a young Ragdoll cat with a 5-day history of vomiting. Physical examination detected mild dehydration and tenderness was elicited on abdominal palpation. The results of blood work-up and radiographic study were unremarkable; however, abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed multiple hyperechoic neoformations at the level of the pyloric antrum, which were confirmed on endoscopic examination. Non-septate hyphae of irregular diameter with a branched appearance were observed on cytology, and histological examination revealed severe diffuse necrotising and granulomatous gastritis with the presence of intralesional fungal hyphae indicative of mucormycosis, which was confirmed by PCR tests. Antifungal therapy with ketoconazole in addition to supportive treatment temporarily improved the clinical condition. Lethargy, fever and abdominal effusion developed in the following days. Cytological examination of abdominal fluid was compatible with septic peritonitis and, given the severity of the condition, euthanasia was opted by the owners. Post-mortem examination confirmed septic peritonitis resulting from perforation of the gastric wall at one of the neoformations of the pyloric antrum. Relevance and novel information To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of gastric mucormycosis in a cat. Previous literature includes a case of mucormycosis in a Persian cat affecting only the duodenum. In both the Persian cat and the cat described here, gastrointestinal mucormycosis disease progressed rapidly and was fatal.

Nasal rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease that affects the mucous membranes of the nose and nasopharynx in humans and animals. Although it is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, sporadic cases have been reported worldwide, including a few cases in Italy. The aim of this report is to describe two cases of nasal rhinosporidiosis in dogs from the same geographical region (Northwestern Italy) that were treated using a diode laser under endoscopic guidance. Both dogs presented persistent respiratory signs, including nasal wheezing, sneezing, and unilateral mucous, catarrhal and hemorrhagic discharge. Both dogs underwent diagnostic procedures, including rhinoscopy, which revealed abnormal tissue growth. Histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of proliferative-polypoid rhinitis caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi in both cases. In one dog, medical therapy with itraconazole failed to resolve the fungal infection. A local endoscopically guided treatment using a diode laser was thus proposed and successfully performed for polyp removal in both animals. Post-surgical rhinoscopy showed no tissue regrowth in one dog. The second dog experienced recurrence and progression of clinical signs following the first treatment. A second intervention was therefore needed, along with additional oral medical therapy to resolve the fungal rhinopathy. Both dogs were monitored for a minimum follow-up period of one year. Endoscopic debridement is a feasible, minimally invasive technique that could represent a new therapeutic option for the removal of nasal polyps caused by R. seeberi.

This study describes the clinicopathological features of seven canine cases showing a diffuse cobblestone-like gastric mucosal pattern on endoscopy. Cases were retrospectively retrieved from endoscopic databases (2017–2025). Clinical data, treatment history, endoscopic findings, and histology were reviewed. Endoscopically, all dogs exhibited thickened, irregular, and poorly distensible gastric folds. Histopathologic examination showed mild-to-moderate foveolar hyperplasia, variable cystic dilation of the fundic glands, mild chronic lymphoplasmacytic inflammation, and interstitial fibrosis. Parietal-cell population was variably increased and predominant (hyperplasia). Because these features can overlap widely among reactive and hyperplastic gastropathies, interpretation required correlation with clinical and endoscopic findings in addition to histopathology. All dogs had a history of prolonged omeprazole administration, and most showed clinical improvement after dose reduction or treatment withdrawal. Follow-up endoscopy in two dogs documented divergent outcomes, with marked improvement in one dog and only minimal changes in the other. These findings suggest that this cobblestone-like pattern represents a benign, reactive, and potentially regressive gastropathy, possibly associated with chronic acid suppression. Recognition of this appearance may assist clinicians in differentiating reactive gastropathy from proliferative or neoplastic conditions and supports prudent use of long-term proton pump inhibitors in dogs with chronic gastrointestinal disease.

Case summary An 11-year-old castrated male domestic shorthair cat presented with chronic regurgitation and weight loss. Despite a 2-month history of weight loss, regurgitation intensified over 4 weeks, occurring with every food intake, even on a semi-liquid diet. Physical examination revealed thinness and dehydration, and a focal oval mass was noted in the middle mediastinum on thoracic radiography. Oesophagoscopy identified a 6 cm neoformation almost completely obstructing the oesophageal lumen. Biopsies were taken and histopathology, positivity to melanoma triple cocktail and PNL-2 by immunohistochemistry led to the diagnosis of melanocytic neoplasm. Palliative debulking with argon plasma coagulation (APC) was performed, significantly improving the cat’s quality of life for 2 months. The cat survived for 107 days after diagnosis. Relevance and novel information This case report describes the first report of melanocytic neoplasia originating from the oesophageal mucosa in a cat. In cats, melanomas outside the eyes are exceedingly rare and oesophageal neoplasms are exceptionally rare in veterinary medicine, particularly melanomas. The diagnosis relied on positive immunohistochemistry markers aligning with previous research. Treatment with APC emerged as a novel, potentially palliative approach, successfully alleviating regurgitation for 3 months. This underscores APC’s potential in feline oesophageal neoplasia palliative care, which deserves further investigation in a broader feline cohort to confirm its efficacy. Overall, this report provides valuable insights into the diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal melanoma in cats.

Abstract Background Chronic idiopathic lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis (CILPR) is a common inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology affecting the nasal cavity of dogs. The diagnosis is made by exclusion of other causes of nasal disease and specific therapeutic protocols are lacking. In human medicine, a relationship between CILPR and gastrointestinal clinical signs has been postulated, and remission of respiratory signs after clinical trials with medications for gastrointestinal disorders has been observed. Objectives To describe history, clinical presentation, endoscopic and histopathologic concurrent respiratory and digestive tract abnormalities, and to evaluate improvement of respiratory signs after treatment for gastrointestinal signs. Animals Twenty-five dogs with CILPR. Methods Prospective study. For inclusion, following information had to be available: respiratory and digestive clinical signs, airway and digestive tract endoscopic abnormalities, histologic evaluation of respiratory and gastrointestinal tract biopsy specimens, and clinical response to different treatment strategies. Results Twenty-two dogs had endoscopic gastrointestinal lesions, whereas 13 dogs had concurrent gastrointestinal signs. Most esophageal and duodenal endoscopic abnormalities were classified as moderate or severe. Respiratory and gastrointestinal tract histologic evaluation identified mostly chronic inflammation. Remission or marked improvement of respiratory signs was observed in the majority of dogs treated only for gastrointestinal signs up to 12 months after endoscopy. No significant associations between treatments and follow-up information were found. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Nasal and upper digestive tract abnormalities coexist in some dogs with CILPR. Lack of standardized therapeutic protocols suggests caution when interpreting improvement in nasal clinical signs. Additional studies are needed to explore the possibility of a cause-effect relationship between the 2 processes.

Chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) is often retrospectively classified as food-responsive, steroid-responsive, and antibiotic-responsive enteropathy. However, whether bacterial fluorescence in situ hybridization or histopathologic findings can predict treatment response has not been extensively investigated. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical disease activity, bacterial abundance, and histopathologic scores in the small intestine of dogs with different subtypes of CIE. Samples from the duodenum and ileum from 54 dogs with different categories of CIE and 11 control dogs were used for investigation of bacterial abundance with fluorescence in situ hybridization and histopathologic changes. Duodenal bacterial abundance did not differ among the four groups. While the abundance of total superficial bacteria and attached bacteria was increased in the ileal mucosa of dogs with antibiotic-responsive enteropathy compared to control dogs, it was not significantly different between the CIE groups. Summative histopathologic scores did not differ between the different CIE categories. The histopathologic findings, including neutrophilic inflammation, were variable and most of the parameters overlapped between the different CIE. There was a positive correlation between duodenal and ileal histopathologic scores and the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index. In summary, increased bacterial abundance and histopathologic scores were found in CIE compared to healthy dogs, but these findings could not predict the treatment response for the different categories of CIE. Fluorescence in situ hybridization for bacteria in small intestinal biopsies had limited utility in distinguishing between different CIE types.

The respiratory consequences of brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS) are well known; however, brachycephalic dogs may also present with alimentary tract signs. The electronic medical records of 176 French bulldogs with BAOS were reviewed to classify the gastrointestinal endoscopic findings, and to evaluate the associations between clinicopathological data, endoscopic respiratory, and digestive findings. Dogs that did not undergo endoscopic examination of both airways and the upper digestive tract were excluded. The type and frequency of respiratory and digestive signs were assessed according to a previously described grading system, in addition to gastrointestinal histopathological findings. Video documentation was reviewed to assign a score to each gastrointestinal endoscopic finding (EGF) and to obtain a total EGF score. All dogs showed at least one EGF. The median total EGF score was 5 (range 1–9). A significant association between the score from digestive signs and the total EGF score was found. In addition, laryngeal granulomas were significantly associated with regurgitation. No associations were found between gastrointestinal histopathological findings and the scores from respiratory or digestive signs. Overall, gastrointestinal endoscopic findings and laryngeal granulomas are common among French bulldogs with BAOS. Therefore, a systematic endoscopic approach to alimentary signs is desirable to determine the most appropriate treatment.

Abstract Background Antibiotic-responsive enteropathy (ARE) is diagnosed by excluding other causes of diarrhea and when there is a short-term response to administration of antibiotics. Objectives To characterize the gut microbiota and clinical trend of dogs with suspected ARE and to evaluate the variation in microbiota before (T0), after 30 days (T30) of tylosin treatment, and 30 days after discontinuation of treatment (T60). A further objective was to evaluate whether changes in gut microbiota are related to relapses of diarrhea when the therapy is tapered. Animals Study sample (group A) was composed of 15 dogs with chronic diarrhea, group B was composed of 15 healthy dogs. Group A was given tylosin for 30 days. Methods A multicentric prospective study. Clinical Indexes, fecal score, and samples for microbiota analysis were collected at T0, T30, and T60 in group A and T0 and T30 in group B. The gut microbiota was analyzed via 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Qiime2 version 2020.2 was used to perform bioinformatic analyses, and Alpha- and Beta-diversity were computed. Results Diarrhea recurred after T30 in 9 of 14 dogs, which were classified as affected by ARE. At T0, a difference was noted in the beta-diversity between groups (Bray Curtis metric P = .006). A T0-T30 difference in alpha-diversity was noted in group A (Shannon index P = .001, Faith PD P = .007). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Although tylosin influences the microbiota of dogs with ARE, we failed to find any specific characteristic in the microbiota of dogs with ARE.

Abstract Background Brachycephalic dogs have abnormal breathing patterns similar to those in humans with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is associated with dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance. Despite the fact that anatomic and functional alterations are well described in brachycephalic dogs, little is known about the consequences of upper airway obstruction on systemic inflammatory response and metabolic profile. Objectives To describe history, clinical presentation, and anatomic abnormalities; to evaluate systemic inflammatory response and metabolic profile; and to identify possible associations among clinical signs, anatomic abnormalities, inflammatory response, and metabolic profile in brachycephalic dogs with airway obstruction. Animals Thirty purebred brachycephalic dogs with brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS). Methods Prospective study. The following information was recorded and studied: respiratory and digestive signs, airway and digestive endoscopic anomalies, presence or absence of tracheal hypoplasia, histologic evaluation of gastrointestinal tract biopsy specimens, serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), fructosamine, insulin, glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, and plasma concentrations of lipoprotein classes. Results A high proportion of dogs (76.7%) had gastrointestinal signs. Esophageal deviation, atony of the cardia of the stomach, and distal esophagitis were the most common endoscopic anomalies detected. Twenty-six (86.6%) dogs had different degrees of laryngeal collapse. Gastrointestinal histologic evaluation identified mostly chronic inflammation. Glucose, fructosamine, triglycerides, cholesterol, CRP, pre-beta, beta lipoproteins, and chylomicrons were increased to a variable extent. Significant associations among clinical signs, anatomic abnormalities, CRP, and metabolic profile were not found. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Despite the presence of inflammation and some mild metabolic derangements, the clinicopathological variables evaluated did not offer valuable information in dogs with BAOS.

A multicentre prospective study was performed to assess whether clinical, hematobiochemical, endoscopic and histopathological parameters were associated with mortality, clinical response and relapse of disease in short- and long-term follow-up of a total of 165 dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy, of which 150 had immunosuppressant responsive enteropathy (IRE), and 15 had non-responsive enteropathy (NRE) dogs. Clinical severity (CCECAI) was evaluated from presentation (T0) to 18 months (T18) from diagnosis. T0 body condition score (BCS), selected haematological parameters and endoscopic and histopathological scores were evaluated. Presence/absence of histopathological duodenal lesions was recorded. Responders were evaluated using CCECAI at T1. Relapse was evaluated from T3 to T18. Long-term responders included dogs who responded at T1 and showed no relapse. Dogs were divided into responders/non-responders, survivors/non-survivors and relapsed/non-relapsed. At T1, 15/165 dogs (9%) were considered NRE. Sixteen dogs (11%) were considered relapsed at T3, 8% at T6 and 10% at T12, and none of 96 dogs relapsed at T18. NREs showed significantly lower BCS than IREs. Non-survivors showed a significantly lower serum albumin concentration and BCS than survivors. Non-responders, relapsed or non-survivors had higher presence of lacteal dilatation compared to long-term responders. Dogs with IRE showed a good clinical course with a low relapse rate, with only a few dogs in the NRE group. Reduction of BCS, albumin and lacteal dilatation at diagnosis may be considered negative prognostic factors for response, mortality and long-term disease remission.