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Recent emerging zoonotic disease outbreaks, such as that of SARS-CoV-2, have demonstrated the need for wider companion animal disease surveillance. We tested 1000 dogs and cats belonging to employees of a US veterinary hospital network that were exposed to human COVID-19 cases in the household between 1 January 2020 and 10 March 2022 for SARS-CoV-2 and surveyed their owners about clinical signs and risk factors. The seropositivity was 33% for 747 dogs and 27% for 253 cats. Pet seropositivity correlated with the US human case rates over time, exhibiting peaks corresponding with the major COVID-19 surges. Antibodies persisted longer than previously documented (828 days in dogs; 650 days in cats). Increasing age and duration of proximity to infected people were associated with increased seropositivity in dogs but not cats. Cats were more likely to have clinical signs, but an association between seropositivity and the presence of clinical signs was not found in either species.

Background The veterinary care of cats and dogs is increasingly embracing innovations first applied to human health, including an increased emphasis on preventative care and precision medicine. Large scale human population biobanks have advanced research in these areas; however, few have been established in veterinary medicine. The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ (MPB) is a prospective study that aims to build a longitudinal bank of biological samples, with paired medical and lifestyle data, from 20,000 initially healthy cats and dogs (10,000 / species), recruited through veterinary hospitals over a ten-year period. Here, we describe the MPB protocol and discuss its potential as a platform to increase understanding of why and how diseases develop and how to advance personalised veterinary healthcare. Methods At regular intervals, extensive diet, health and lifestyle information, electronic medical records, clinicopathology and activity data are collected, genotypes, whole genome sequences and faecal metagenomes analysed, and blood, plasma, serum, and faecal samples stored for future research. Discussion Proposed areas for research include the early detection and progression of age-related disease, risk factors for common conditions, the influence of the microbiome on health and disease and, through genome wide association studies, the identification of candidate loci for disease associated genetic variants. Genomic data will be open access and research proposals for access to data and samples will be considered. Over the coming years, the MPB will provide the longitudinal data and systematically collected biological samples required to generate important insights into companion animal health, identifying biomarkers of disease, supporting earlier identification of risk, and enabling individually tailored interventions to manage disease.

Abstract Background Antimicrobials are commonly used to treat urinary tract disease in dogs. Understanding antimicrobial use is a critical component of antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Hypothesis/Objectives To evaluate antimicrobial prescriptions for dogs diagnosed with acute cystitis, recurrent cystitis, and pyelonephritis. Animals Dogs prescribed antimicrobials for urinary tract disease at veterinary practices in the United States and Canada. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of antimicrobial prescriptions was performed. Results The main clinical concerns were sporadic bacterial cystitis (n = 6582), recurrent cystitis (n = 428), and pyelonephritis (n = 326). Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (2702, 41%), cefpodoxime (1024, 16%), and amoxicillin (874, 13%) were most commonly prescribed for sporadic bacterial cystitis. The median prescribed duration was 12 days (range, 3-60 days; interquartile range [IQR], 4 days). Shorter durations were used in 2018 (median, 10 days; IQR, 4 days) compared to both 2016 and 2017 (both median, 14 days; IQR, 4 days; P ≤ .0002). Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (146, 33%), marbofloxacin (95, 21%), and cefpodoxime (65, 14%) were most commonly used for recurrent cystitis; median duration of 14 days (range, 3-77 days; IQR, 10.5 days). Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (86, 26%), marbofloxacin (56, 17%), and enrofloxacin (36, 11%) were most commonly prescribed for pyelonephritis; however, 93 (29%) dogs received drug combinations. The median duration of treatment was 14 days (range, 3-77 days; IQR, 11 days). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Decreases in duration and increased use of recommended first-line antimicrobials were encouraging. Common drug choices and durations should still be targets for antimicrobial stewardship programs that aim to optimize antimicrobial use, concurrently maximizing patient benefits while minimizing antimicrobial use and use of higher tier antimicrobials.

Background The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ (MPB) is a study recruiting pets visiting Mars Veterinary Health hospitals in the USA over a ten-year period, with the aim of analysing longitudinal data from thousands of otherwise healthy dogs and cats at their first presentation to identify novel and actionable pet health insights​. The present study summarises the baseline demographic, haematologic, and serum biochemistry data recorded for the first 2000 dogs enroled in the MPB study between March 2022 and December 2024 and considers how representative they are of the general population in the United States. Results The median enrolment age was 3.0 years (0.5–10.0 yrs). The population was 52% male and 48% female with approximately 84% of the population having undergone neutering by their initial study visit. The median enrolment body weight was 20.0 kg (2.5 – 71.5 kg) and the median body condition score was 5/9 (range 3–7). One hundred and twenty eight breeds were represented and 47% of the population were described as mixed breed. The median values for all serum biochemistry and complete blood count parameters were within the applicable reference interval. For certain analytes including serum glucose, amylase, cholesterol, phosphorus, creatine phosphokinase, precision pancreatic lipase, platelet count, haematocrit, and haemoglobin more than 5% of dogs had results outside the reference intervals. On review only 0.25% of dogs were subsequently excluded from continuing the MPB study because the results were considered of clinical significance. Conclusions The MPB aims to enable research to deliver insights applicable to the general dog population accessing primary veterinary care in the USA, and recruits accordingly. These data suggest that the first 2,000 dogs recruited in the MPB are comparable in demographics to other studies of the US population. The number of blood test results falling outside of reference intervals (up to 17% depending on analyte), for dogs deemed by veterinarians to be healthy in the context of the clinical history and examination, raises questions around the definition of health and how reference intervals are used. Data gathered during the study is expected to provide valuable information to studies pertaining to genetic, metagenomic, metabolic, dietary, and environmental risk factors associated with early signals of transition to various common diseases.

Background Insulinomas are the most common tumour of the endocrine pancreas in dogs. These malignant tumours have a high metastatic rate and limited chemotherapeutic options. The multi‐receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib malate has benefit in the treatment of metastatic insulinoma in people. Toceranib phosphate, an analogous veterinary agent, may provide benefit for dogs. Methods A retrospective study describing the extent and duration of clinical outcomes and adverse events (AEs) in dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and receiving toceranib. Results Records for 30 dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and having received toceranib were identified from a medical record search of five university and eight referral hospitals. The median progression‐free interval and overall survival time were 561 days (95% confidence interval (CI): [246, 727 days]) and 656 days (95% CI: [310, 1045 days]), respectively. Of the dogs for which the canine Response evaluation criteria for solid tumours tool could be applied, the majority (66.7%) showed either a complete response, partial response or stable disease. Time to clinical progression was associated with prior intervention and type of veterinary practice. Larger dogs were at increased risk for disease progression and death. No novel AEs were reported. Conclusions Most dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and receiving toceranib appeared to have a clinical benefit. Randomised, prospective studies are needed to better elucidate and objectively quantify the potential effect and survival benefit of toceranib therapy for management of insulinoma in dogs.