C. Bonastre

Canine stage 1 periodontal disease: a latent pathology.

To evaluate the potential health issues associated with periodontal disease (PD) in dogs, 1004 teeth from 25 dogs were examined. The dogs were randomly selected, aged 2-14 years, and had at least 95% of their teeth at the first PD stage. Significant positive correlations between plaque grade (PG) and gum inflammation, gingival regression, periodontal pocket, age and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity were identified. In contrast, PG was negatively correlated to total platelet count. Altogether, these findings suggest that prevention and therapy at the first PD stages can have an important impact on the general health condition of dogs.

Acute physiological responses to castration-related pain in piglets: the effect of two local anesthetics with or without meloxicam

Methods to reduce castration-related pain in piglets are still issues of concern and interest for authorities and producers. Our objectives were to estimate the effectiveness of two protocols of local anesthesia (lidocaine and the combination of lidocaine+bupivacaine) as well as the use of meloxicam as a postoperative analgesic in alleviating castration-related pain, measured by acute physiological responses. Eight groups (15 piglets/group) were included in the study: (1) castration without anesthesia or analgesia, without meloxicam (TRAD WITHOUT), (2) castration without anesthesia or analgesia, but with meloxicam (TRAD WITH), (3) handling without meloxicam (SHAM WITHOUT), (4) handling with meloxicam (SHAM WITH), (5) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine but without meloxicam (LIDO WITHOUT), (6) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine and meloxicam (LIDO WITH), (7) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine+bupivacaine without meloxicam (LIDO+BUPI WITHOUT), (8) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine+bupivacaine and meloxicam (LIDO+BUPI WITH). Acute physiological responses measured included skin surface temperature and serum glucose and cortisol concentrations. On days 4 and 11 post-castration BW was recorded and average daily gain was calculated over this period. Furthermore, piglet mortality was recorded over the 11-day post-castration period. Administration of local anesthetic or meloxicam did not prevent the decrease in skin surface temperature associated with castration. Lidocaine reduced the increase in glucose concentration associated with castration. For castrated pigs, the joint use of lidocaine and meloxicam caused a significant decrease in cortisol concentration; the combination of intratesticular lidocaine and bupivacaine did not seem to be more effective than lidocaine alone. No effect of treatments on mortality and growth were detected.

Oral Disease and Microbiota in Free-Roaming Cats

Oral health status was evaluated in 34 free-roaming cats that were submitted to a Trap-Neuter-Return program. Only 38.2% of individual cats showed oral disease. Periodontal disease (PD) was present in 6 cats ( 17.6%). Four cats (11.8%) showed feline gingivostomatitis, and clinical evidence of feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions was detected in only 3 animals (8.8%) by probing, but radiological studies would be necessary for reliable detection. Signs of PD occurred in 31.6% of teeth; only the less severe stages of PD were present. No retention of deciduous teeth, malocclusion, tumors, or dental fractures were found. Calicivirus was detected in 50% of the cats. The most frequent bacteria found were α-hemolytic Streptococcus (23.5%), Staphylococcus (17.6%), Neisseria (15.7%), and Pasteurella (11.8%). A significant association between age and oral disease was found (P = .001). The mean of bacterial strains/genus was higher in healthy mouths than in diseased mouths (4.5 vs. 2.1). In diseased mouths, Staphylococcus was the most frequently isolated genus (23.1%), whereas α-hemolytic Streptococcus was most prevalent in healthy mouths (33.3%). A significant association was detected between Porphyromonas and fungal isolation, with a fear concordance coefficient (κ = .334; P = .016).

Inherited pathology and pet trading

RECENTLY, two miniature schnauzer dogs affected by persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS) have been referred by independent local veterinary practitioners to the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences in Zaragoza, Spain. In light of the observed malformations in the genitalia, we performed DNA sequencing and verified that both dogs were homozygous carriers of the MISRII locus mutation, identified previously in the literature to be responsible for PMDS in this breed in the USA (Wu and others 2009). PMDS has been reported in miniature schnauzers in the Netherlands (Vegter and others 2010) and in Japan (Matsuu and others 2009), but in these cases the presence of this mutation was not …