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LHX3 mutation in dogs is associated with combined pituitary hormone deficiency. However, ACTH secretion is usually preserved. A 9‐week‐old female White Swiss Shepherd dog presented with growth retardation and was diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism due to LHX3 mutation. In the 2 years after diagnosis, the dog developed persistent lymphocytosis and eosinophilia. Endogenous ACTH measurement, ACTH stimulation test, and CRH stimulation test confirmed pituitary hypocortisolism. The dog was administered physiological doses of prednisolone, with improvement of activity levels. These findings are similar to scarce human reports and suggest that corticotrope function might decline over time in dogs with LHX3 mutations. Awareness and screening for ACTH deficiency in dwarf dogs is important in light of compatible clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities, as treatment with glucocorticoids improves the quality of life of these dogs.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by a disruption of intestinal homeostasis, chronic inflammation, and dysbiosis. Prebiotic supplementation may be useful for managing IBD in dogs. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of two prebiotics, Biolex MB40 or Leiber Beta-S, on the gut microbiota isolated from three dogs with IBD, using the Colon-on-a-plate technology. Biolex MB40 and Leiber Beta-S contain concentrated 1,3–1,6- β-D-glucan isolated from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls. Biolex MB40 also contains mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS). Wells of the Colon-on-a-plate set up were inoculated with fecal suspensions and supplemented with either Biolex MB40 and Leiber Beta-S, or no test product (blank). Following 48h incubation, bacterial metabolites were measured and 16S rRNA targeted gene sequencing was performed. Colonic supernatants were added to a Caco-2/THP1 co-culture model to evaluate their effects on barrier integrity upon inflammation-induced barrier disruption and interleukin (IL)-10 production. Acetate and propionate concentrations were significantly increased versus blank with Biolex MB40, and biologically relevant numerical increases were observed with Leiber Beta-S supplementation. A donor-dependent, biologically relevant increase in butyrate was observed with both test products versus blank. Alpha diversity and microbiota biomass were increased, as well as the abundance of the five predominant phyla with both test products relative to blank. The greatest increases in abundance were observed for the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla. Fermentation of both test products had a protective effect on the gut epithelial barrier (measured by transepithelial electrical resistance) that was donor dependent. IL-10 production was significantly increased with Biolex MB40 supplementation for all donors, and with Leiber Beta-S supplementation for one donor. These in vitro findings confirm a prebiotic effect for both products and suggest that supplementation with either Biolex MB40 or Leiber Beta-S may have beneficial effects on the gut microbiota of dogs with IBD.

Background Although regular health screening is recommended, long‐term follow‐up data in healthy aged cats are lacking. Objectives Determine the most common conditions in a large group of apparently healthy older cats and which diseases are manifested within 2 years in cats confirmed to be healthy based on extensive health screening. Animals Client‐owned cats. Methods Prospective study. Thorough history, physical examination, blood tests, and urinalysis were performed in 259 apparently healthy mature adult (7‐10 years) and senior (>10 years) cats. Semi‐annual follow‐up examinations were performed in 201 confirmed healthy cats. Results At baseline, 21% of apparently healthy cats were not considered healthy but were diagnosed with International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) ≥ stage 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD; 7.7%) or hyperthyroidism (4.6%), among other disorders. Disease occurred significantly more frequently in senior cats compared with mature adult cats. In addition, 40% cats were overweight, 35% had moderate to severe dental disease, and 22% had abnormal cardiac auscultation findings. Within 2 years, 28% of mature adult and 54% of senior cats that were confirmed healthy at inclusion developed new diseases, most commonly IRIS ≥ stage 2 CKD (cumulative incidence, 13.4%), hyperthyroidism (8.5%), chronic enteropathy, hepatopathy or pancreatitis (7.5%), or neoplasia (7%). Conclusions and Clinical Importance The high prevalence and 2‐year incidence of physical examination abnormalities and systemic diseases in apparently healthy older cats argue for regular health screening in cats ≥7 years of age. Although more common in senior cats, occult disease also occurs in mature adult cats, and owners should be informed accordingly.

Background Borderline proteinuria is associated with decreased survival in cats with azotemic chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objectives Determine the clinical importance of borderline proteinuria in nonazotemic cats. Animals A total of 201 healthy client‐owned cats ≥7 years of age; 150 nonproteinuric (urinary protein : creatinine ratio [UPC] <0.2) and 51 borderline proteinuric (UPC 0.2‐0.4). Methods Prospective study. Cats were thoroughly screened and subsequently examined every 6 months for 2 years. Kaplan‐Meier curves were compared between nonproteinuric and borderline proteinuric cats. Univariable and multivariable Cox models were fit to determine the relationship between development of renal disease and potential risk factors such as age, sex, breed, weight, dental disease, blood pressure, serum creatinine concentration (sCrea), serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration (sSDMA), blood urea nitrogen concentration, urine specific gravity (USG), and UPC. Results Significantly more cats with borderline proteinuria at inclusion developed renal disease (International Renal Interest Society [IRIS] ≥ stage 2 CKD or renal proteinuria; log‐rank P = .004) or died (log‐rank P = .02) within 2 years, compared with nonproteinuric cats. In the multivariate analysis, IRIS stage 1 CKD (persistent USG <1.035 or sSDMA >14 μg/dL; hazard ratio [HR], 4.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0‐8.8; P < .001), sCrea ≥1.6 mg/dL (≥140 μmol/L; HR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1‐6.4; P = .04), borderline proteinuria (HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2‐5.2; P = .01), and age at inclusion (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2‐1.5; P < .001) were significantly associated with diagnosis of renal disease 6 months later. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Borderline proteinuria should receive more attention in healthy mature adult and senior cats because it is associated with renal disease and death.

Serum creatinine concentration, the classical biomarker of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats, has important limitations that decrease its value as a biomarker of early CKD. Recently, serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration was introduced as a novel glomerular filtration rate biomarker for the early detection of CKD in cats. However, data on its specificity are still limited. The limitations of conventional biomarkers and the desire for early therapeutic intervention in cats with CKD to improve outcomes have prompted the discovery and validation of novel renal biomarkers to detect glomerular or tubular dysfunction. Changes in the serum or urinary concentrations of these biomarkers may indicate early kidney damage or predict the progression of kidney before changes in conventional biomarkers are detectable. This review summarizes current knowledge on renal biomarkers in CKD in cats, a field that has progressed substantially over the last 5 years.

Background Laboratory results are influenced by presence and severity of disease, as well as preanalytical factors, analytical variation, and biological variation. Biological variation data for urinary protein: creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine specific gravity (USG) in cats are lacking. Objectives Determine the biological variation of UPC and USG in cats. Animals Eighty healthy client‐owned cats. Methods Prospective study. Urine was collected on days 0, 14, and 56 from all 80 cats to investigate the persistence of borderline or overt proteinuria or suboptimal urine concentration. In 15 of these cats, urine was collected weekly from day 0 to 42 to calculate the index of individuality (II) and reference change value (RCV), and on days 56 and 57 to evaluate day‐to‐day variability of UPC and USG. Results Borderline or overt proteinuria (UPC ≥0.2) was present in 18/80 (23%) cats at baseline and persisted on 3 occasions in 2 months in 8/18 (44%) cats. Urine concentration was suboptimal at inclusion (USG <1.035) in 8/80 (10%) cats and at all 3 time points during 2 months in 3/8 (38%) cats. The II of UPC and USG indicated intermediate individuality. The 1‐sided RCV was 82% for UPC and 36% for USG. Proteinuria substage was identical on 2 consecutive days in 13/15 (87%) cats, and urine concentrating ability remained the same in all 15 cats. Conclusions and Clinical Importance A >82% increase in UPC in a healthy cat is not solely attributable to physiological and analytical variation. For USG, a decrease of >36% is considered clinically relevant.

Background The clinical relevance of repeated health screenings in aging dogs remains unclear. Moreover, which physical or laboratory variables are associated with survival have not been thoroughly studied. Objectives Evaluate the health status of apparently healthy older dogs and determine which diseases are manifested in confirmed healthy dogs within 2 years, based on extensive health screening. Assess the predictive value for mortality of various clinicopathological variables at baseline in confirmed healthy older dogs. Animals A total of 122 apparently healthy senior and geriatric dogs. Methods Prospective, longitudinal study. History, physical examination, blood testing, and urinalysis were performed at baseline and every 12 months for 2 years. Results At baseline, 20% of apparently healthy older dogs were diagnosed with ≥ 1 disease, resulting in 98 confirmed healthy dogs included in the follow‐up study. The most common emerging disorders within 2 years were neoplasia (cumulative incidence, 12%), azotemic chronic kidney disease (CKD, 8%), neurologic disease (11%), or orthopedic disorders (5%). Malignant neoplasia could be detected in 47% (8/17) of dogs on physical examination, including rectal, skin, and mammary gland palpation. Only age group was associated with survival in confirmed healthy dogs at baseline, with geriatric dogs being more likely to die compared with senior dogs. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Routine health screening helps to detect unrecognized diseases in older dogs. Repeated screening for CKD, rectal palpation, and assessment of neurologic and orthopedic health seem most relevant.

Background Hyperthyroidism can mask concurrent chronic kidney disease in cats, and no accurate biomarkers are available to predict which cats will develop renal azotemia after radioiodine (131I) treatment. Hypothesis/Objectives To evaluate the potential of serum and urinary metabolites and metabolite ratios to predict post‐131I renal azotemia in hyperthyroid cats. Animals Hyperthyroid cats (n = 31), before and (3–12 months) after treatment with 131I at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Ghent University, Belgium). Methods Retrospective study. Optimized and validated feline extraction and analysis protocols were employed for metabolic profiling of urine and serum samples using ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry. A dual strategy of cross‐validated univariate and penalized multivariate logistic regression was applied to determine predictivity (i.e., area under the curve [AUC], accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity) of individual biomarkers and panels. Results All hyperthyroid cats were non‐azotemic before 131I administration. After 131I treatment, 7 cats became persistently (≥ 2 timepoints) azotemic while 24 remained non‐azotemic. Urinary asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) was identified as a pivotal predictor of post‐131I azotemia in both univariate and multivariate modeling. When employed as a standalone biomarker, an AUC of 0.851, accuracy of 0.903, sensitivity of 0.714, and specificity of 0.958 were achieved. While pre‐treatment USG was significantly different (P = 0.002) between both groups, it did not show enhanced prediction over ADMA, nor in multivariate modeling. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Urinary ADMA can accurately predict post‐131I azotemia in hyperthyroid cats becoming euthyroid after 131I treatment. These findings can aid clinicians in managing owner expectations and modify treatment plans.

Background It is unknown if tumors or concomitant renal disease influence neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin (NGAL) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentrations in tumor‐bearing dogs. Objectives Determine the effect of tumor presence, tumor type, and metastasis on concentrations of serum NGAL (sNGAL), SDMA, urinary NGAL (uNGAL), and uNGAL‐to‐creatinine ratio (uNGAL/Cr) in dogs with carcinoma or sarcoma without clinically relevant renal disease. Animals Twenty‐one dogs with carcinoma, 18 with sarcoma, and 20 healthy age‐controlled dogs. Methods Concentrations of sNGAL, SDMA, and uNGAL, and uNGAL/Cr ratio were measured from banked samples collected during a previous prospective study. Patient clinicopathological and histopathology records were reviewed, and those with renal azotemia or moderate to severe histopathological renal abnormalities were classified as having clinically relevant renal disease. Biomarker concentrations were compared between tumor‐bearing dogs without clinically relevant renal disease and healthy age‐controlled dogs. Additionally, comparisons were made between dogs with carcinoma and sarcoma, as well as between dogs with and without metastasis. Correlations between uNGAL and sNGAL concentrations, along with acute phase protein (APP) concentrations, were also analyzed. Results Tumor‐bearing dogs without clinically relevant renal disease had increased uNGAL/Cr (p < 0.001), but not sNGAL, compared with healthy controls. Although median SDMA concentrations did not significantly differ between groups, increased concentrations were found in 32% of dogs with carcinoma and 20% of dogs with sarcoma. No differences were found between dogs with carcinoma and those with sarcoma, or between dogs with metastasis and those without. Urinary and serum NGAL concentrations were moderately correlated, while weak to no correlations were observed with APPs. Conclusion Carcinomas and sarcomas, but not metastasis, influence uNGAL/Cr and SDMA concentrations in dogs.