OBJECTIVE To compare glucose concentrations in peripheral venous and capillary blood samples collected from dogs before and after consumption of a meal and measured with a veterinary-specific portable blood glucose meter (PBGM). ANIMALS 12 dogs (96 blood samples). PROCEDURES A veterinary-specific PBGM was used to measure blood glucose concentrations. Glucose concentrations in capillary blood samples obtained from the carpal pad, medial aspect of a pinna, and oral mucosa were compared with glucose concentrations in blood samples obtained from a lateral saphenous vein. Samples were collected after food was withheld for 12 hours and again 2 hours after consumption of a meal. RESULTS Location of capillary blood collection had a significant effect on glucose concentrations measured with the PBGM. Glucose concentration in capillary blood collected from the medial aspect of the pinna did not differ significantly from the glucose concentration in peripheral venous blood samples, whereas glucose concentrations in blood samples collected from the carpal pad and oral mucosa differed significantly from the glucose concentration in peripheral venous blood samples. There was no significant difference between preprandial and postprandial blood glucose concentrations. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Glucose concentrations in capillary blood collected from the medial aspect of the pinna of dogs better reflected glucose concentrations in venous blood than concentrations measured in capillary blood collected from the carpal pad or oral mucosa.

OBJECTIVE To characterize physical examination, plasma biochemical, and ultrasonographic findings in aquarium-housed, managed semiwild, and wild southern stingrays (Hypanus americanus) with and without reproductive disease. ANIMALS Southern stingrays from aquarium (n = 48), lagoon (managed semiwild; 34), and wild (12) habitats. PROCEDURES Limited, opportunistic prosections were performed of presumed anatomically normal wild southern stingrays and compared with findings for aquarium-housed stingrays with reproductive disease. Ultrasonographic video data from both groups were used to assign a score (1 to 5) indicating increasing severity of ovarian and uterine reproductive disease. Plasma total 17β-estradiol, estrone, progesterone, and testosterone concentrations were measured with enzyme immunoassays validated for use in southern stingrays. RESULTS Ultrasonographic ovarian scores were significantly correlated with uterine scores. No reproductive disease was detected in semiwild or wild stingrays, but 65% (31/48) of aquarium-housed stingrays had developing or advanced reproductive disease (ie, ultrasonographic ovarian or uterine score of 4 or 5). Significant correlations were identified between ovarian and uterine disease status and plasma concentrations of all steroid hormones except testosterone. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings suggested that ultrasonography and plasma hormone concentrations may be useful in the identification of reproductive disease and determination of disease severity in southern stingrays.

OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility of radiographic measurement of liver area in small-breed dogs and to assess correlations between CT liver volume measurements (reference standard) and radiographic liver size measurements. ANIMALS 107 small-breed dogs (body weight, ≤ 10 kg) that had previously undergone orthogonal thoracic and abdominal radiography and abdominal CT. PROCEDURES In a retrospective study design, dogs were allocated to groups (normal liver [n = 36], microhepatia [34], and hepatomegaly [37]) on the basis of radiographic liver size and clinicopathologic findings. Radiographic liver area (RLA) was automatically calculated from archived radiographic images by free-hand outlining of the liver margins by use of DICOM viewer software, and other standard radiographic measurements were performed. Liver volume was measured on CT images. Intraoperator repeatability of RLA and CT measurements was assessed (duplicate measurements 2 weeks apart). To control for various breed conformations, radiographic values were normalized to body weight and T11 area. RESULTS Mean ± SD ratios of RLA to T11 area and RLA to body weight for dogs with normal livers were 32.7 ± 6.2 and 7.0 ± 1.4, respectively. Excellent intraobserver agreement was observed in RLA measurements within groups (intraclass correlation coefficients, 0.861 to 0.989), and RLA measurements had the highest correlation with CT liver volume measurements (r = 0.94) of all radiographic measurements. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings indicated that RLA measurement in small-breed dogs with or without liver disease was useful and accurate for estimation of liver size, compared with CT measurement, and might be particularly useful for monitoring of changes in liver size.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether a virulent Canadian isolate of Senecavirus A (SVA) causes idiopathic vesicular disease (IVD) in pigs. Senecavirus A, which was first isolated in the United States in 2002 as Seneca Valley Virus, was linked to cases of porcine idiopathic vesicular disease in Canada in 2007 and in the United States in 2010. Since 2014, SVA outbreaks in Brazil, the US, Canada, China, Thailand, and Colombia point to an expanding global distribution and the need to study the pathogenicity of the virus. Unlike the prototype virus, recent US isolates of SVA have been shown to cause vesicular disease in pigs. We report vesicular disease in pigs following experimental inoculation with a 2016 Canadian isolate of SVA. All inoculated pigs developed vesicular lesions regardless of route of inoculation. Virus was detected in blood and oral fluids as well as on oral and fecal swabs. In addition, all pigs seroconverted to SVA by 6 days post-inoculation (DPI). This study confirms that recent Canadian isolates of SVA cause vesicular disease in pigs and highlights the importance of monitoring SVA for increased virulence.

OBJECTIVE To compare effects of tiletamine-zolazepam, alfaxalone, ketamine-diazepam, and propofol for anesthetic induction on cardiorespiratory and acid-base variables before and during isoflurane-maintained anesthesia in healthy dogs. ANIMALS 6 dogs. PROCEDURES Dogs were anesthetized with sevoflurane and instrumented. After dogs recovered from anesthesia, baseline values for cardiorespiratory variables and cardiac output were determined, and arterial and mixed-venous blood samples were obtained. Tiletamine-zolazepam (5 mg/kg), alfaxalone (4 mg/kg), propofol (6 mg/kg), or ketamine-diazepam (7 and 0.3 mg/kg) was administered IV in 25% increments to enable intubation. After induction (M0) and at 10, 20, 40, and 60 minutes of a light anesthetic plane maintained with isoflurane, measurements and sample collections were repeated. Cardiorespiratory and acid-base variables were compared with a repeated-measures ANOVA and post hoc t test and between time points with a pairwise Tukey test. RESULTS Mean ± SD intubation doses were 3.8 ± 0.8 mg/kg for tiletamine-zolazepam, 2.8 ± 0.3 mg/kg for alfaxalone, 6.1 ± 0.9 mg/kg and 0.26 ± 0.04 mg/kg for ketamine-diazepam, and 5.4 ± 1.1 mg/kg for propofol. Anesthetic depth was similar among regimens. At M0, heart rate increased by 94.9%, 74.7%, and 54.3% for tiletamine-zolazepam, ketamine-diazepam, and alfaxalone, respectively. Tiletamine-zolazepam caused higher oxygen delivery than propofol. Postinduction apnea occurred in 3 dogs when receiving alfaxalone. Acid-base variables remained within reference limits. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In healthy dogs in which a light plane of anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane, cardiovascular and metabolic effects after induction with tiletamine-zolazepam were comparable to those after induction with alfaxalone and ketamine-diazepam.

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between acute volume overload and echocardiographic indices of right ventricular (RV) function and dyssynchrony in healthy dogs. ANIMALS 7 healthy Beagles. PROCEDURES Right heart catheterization and echocardiography were performed in 7 healthy anesthetized Beagles at baseline and after induction of volume overload. Volume overload was induced by IV infusion of lactated Ringer solution (150 mL/kg/h for 90 minutes). Echocardiographic indices of RV function, including peak velocity of systolic tricuspid annular motion, tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion, fractional area change, RV Tei index, RV longitudinal strain (RVLS), and systolic RV longitudinal strain rate (RVLSR), were obtained by use of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). In addition, SD of the systolic shortening time of the right ventricle for the 6 segments (RV-SD6) was determined with STE. RESULTS Volume overload significantly increased the RV end-diastolic pressure, compared with the baseline value. Echocardiographic indices of RV function, except for septal RVLSR, were significantly enhanced by volume overload. In contrast, RV-SD6 did not change with volume overload. Although echocardiographic indices of RV function, except for septal RVLSR, were correlated with RV end-diastolic pressure, RV-SD6 was not correlated. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Echocardiographic indices of RV function, including RVLS and RVLSR, were affected by acute short-term volume overload. Therefore, results for assessment of RV function by use of STE in dogs with clinical conditions associated with right-sided chronic volume overload, such as tricuspid and pulmonic regurgitation, should be interpreted with caution.

This study evaluated the effects of 3 morphine doses combined with acepromazine, on sedation and physiological parameters in 5 clinically healthy dogs. Four treatments were administered intramuscularly in a randomized, blinded, crossover design: acepromazine, 0.05 mg/kg, alone (ACP) and acepromazine plus morphine at doses of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg body weight (BW) (AM(0.25), AM(0.5), and AM(1.0), respectively). Sedation scores and cardiorespiratory variables were evaluated for 120 min after drug administration. The sedation scores were significantly higher with the AM(0.25) and AM(1.0) treatments than with the ACP treatment. At 30 min the scores were 36% to 66% higher with AM(1.0) than with AM0.25 and AM0.5, respectively, but these differences were not significant. The physiological variables remained acceptable for dogs. The results of this study do not support the use of AM0.5 over AM(0.25) to improve sedation in dogs, but they do indicate that sedation may be greater with AM(1.0) than with AM(0.25) and AM(0.5). Studies with a greater number of samples are warranted to confirm this statement.

OBJECTIVE To investigate effects of body condition on permeability of intestinal mucosa in horses. ANIMALS 13 horses (7 obese and 6 lean) from 8 to 15 years of age. PROCEDURES Body condition score was assessed, and an oral sugar test (OST) was performed to evaluate glucose and insulin dynamics. Horses were allowed a 2-week diet acclimation period and were then euthanized. Tissue samples were collected from the jejunum, ileum, cecum, pelvic flexure, right dorsal colon, and rectum. Mucosal permeability was assessed by measuring transepithelial resistance and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) flux across tissue samples mounted in Ussing chambers. RESULTS 5 obese horses and 1 lean horse had evidence of insulin dysregulation, whereas 1 obese and 5 lean horses had no abnormalities in results of the OST. Results for the OST were not available for 1 obese horse. Mucosal transepithelial resistance did not differ in any intestinal segment between obese and lean horses. Obese horses had a significantly higher LPS flux across jejunal mucosa, compared with results for lean horses, but there were no significant differences between obese and lean horses for other intestinal segments. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Obese horses may have had greater paracellular mucosal permeability of jejunal mucosa to LPS, compared with that for lean horses. This finding was consistent with data for the gastrointestinal mucosa of humans and mice and supported the hypothesis that obese horses may be at higher risk from chronic exposure to increased amounts of LPS, compared with the risk for lean horses.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between histologic degeneration of cranial cruciate ligaments (CCLs) and severity of synovitis and ligament vascularity. SAMPLE: CCL and synovium from 59 stifle joints (53 dogs). PROCEDURES: CCL and synovium specimens were obtained from stifle joints of juvenile (15 joints; 12 dogs) and adult (25 joints; 22 dogs) dogs with intact CCLs and dogs with CCL rupture (rCCL; 19 joints; 19 dogs). Vascular density and degenerative changes of the CCL core region and severity of synovitis were semiquantitatively evaluated. Relationships were analyzed by use of a random effects model to account for correlated specimens. RESULTS: Mean ± SD modified Bonar scores (scale, 0 to 9) of adults (4.85 ± 0.44) and dogs with rCCL (5.69 ± 0.49) were significantly higher than scores of juveniles (1.13 ± 0.55). Vascularity scores (scale, 0 to 3) were significantly higher for juveniles (3.00 ± 0.24) than for adults (1.53 ± 0.27) and dogs with rCCL (0.78 ± 0.23). Synovitis scores were not significantly different among groups. There was a significant negative relationship between modified Bonar scores and vascularity scores for juveniles and adults and for adults and dogs with rCCL when controlling for age, but there was not a significant relationship between modified Bonar scores and synovitis scores. There was a significant relationship between modified Bonar scores and body weight of adults. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Poor blood supply to the core region could be an important underlying condition for spontaneous degeneration of the CCL in at-risk dogs.

OBJECTIVE To comprehensively characterize cardiac structure and function, from infancy to adulthood, in male and female wild-born captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) living in sanctuaries. ANIMALS 290 wild-born captive chimpanzees. PROCEDURES Physical and echocardiographic examinations were performed on anesthetized chimpanzees in 3 sanctuaries in Africa between October 2013 and May 2017. Results were evaluated across age groups and between sexes, and potential differences were assessed with multiple 1-way independent Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS Results indicated that left ventricular diastolic and systolic function declined at a younger age in males than in females. Although differences in right ventricular diastolic function were not identified among age groups, right ventricular systolic function was lower in adult chimpanzees (> 12 years old), compared with subadult (8 to 12 years old) and juvenile (5 to 7 years old) chimpanzees. In addition, male subadult and adult chimpanzees had larger cardiac wall dimensions and chamber volumes than did their female counterparts. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the present study provided useful reference intervals for cardiac structure and function in captive chimpanzees categorized on the basis of age and sex; however, further research is warranted to examine isolated and combined impacts of blood pressure, age, body weight, and anesthetic agents on cardiac structure and function in chimpanzees.