Animal bite injuries are common in free-ranging cats in Taiwan, and most fatal animal bite events are presumed to be caused by dogs. However, speculation regarding animal abuse may occur when carcasses with prominent injuries are found by members of the general public. Local animal protection offices and veterinary clinicians sometimes face difficulties in convincing these individuals by identifying specific features of dog bite injuries in cat carcasses. Therefore, the present study analyzed injury patterns and distribution in 31 necropsied cats with animal bite injuries, and applied deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis for canine DNA identification in 13 cats. The main necropsy findings included puncture wounds (26 (83.9%)), linear or small, round contusions/abrasions (20 (64.5%)), lacerations/avulsions (17 (54.8%)), abdominal wall rupture/laceration (19 (61.3%)), herniation (16 (51.6%)), fractures (21 (67.7%)), broken claws (16 (51.6%)), and hair tufts on the body surface (28 (90.3%)). The most-commonly injured regions were the ventral thorax and axilla (23 (74.2%)), hind limbs (22 (71.0%)), shoulder-to-dorsal thorax (21 (67.7%)), back and flank (20 (64.5%)), abdomen (19 (61.3%)), neck (19 (61.3%)), and hip/tail/perineum (17 (54.8%)). Canine mitochondrial DNA was identified in 3 out of 11 cases (27.3%) that were sampled using wound swabs and in 4 out of 5 cases that had hair entrapped in broken claws. In conclusion, this study determined the distribution and features of dog bite injuries in cats and developed an elemental method using trace evidence for DNA identification in animal bites.

Background/Objectives: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial inflammatory disease that disrupts the ocular surface, causing tear film instability, epithelial damage, and chronic inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-exos) are promising therapeutics with immunomodulatory and regenerative properties. This study investigates the therapeutic effects of umbilical cord MSC-derived exosomes (UCMSC-exos) in a severe dry eye model, induced by a surgical resection of the infra-orbital (ILG) and extra-orbital lacrimal gland (ELG) in rats. Methods: Clinical evaluations, including tear volume measurement, slit lamp biomicroscopy, fluorescein staining, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), were performed to assess corneal neovascularization, corneal abrasion, and epithelial/stromal thickness. Histopathological analysis, immunohistochemistry, and mRNA gene expression were conducted to evaluate corneal tissue changes and inflammatory marker expression. Results: The results show that the treatment group exhibited significantly reduced corneal neovascularization compared to the control group (p = 0.030). During the first month, the Exo group also had a significantly lower corneal fluorescein staining area (p = 0.032), suggesting accelerated wound healing. SD-OCT analysis revealed that the corneal epithelial thickness in the treatment group was closer to normal levels compared to the control group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.006, respectively). UCMSC-exos treatment also modulated the expression of α-SMA and apoptosis in the cornea. Additionally, the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) were downregulated. Conclusions: These findings suggest that MSC-exosome therapy offers a novel, cell-free regenerative approach for managing severe DED, modulating inflammatory response.

Papillomaviruses (PVs) usually cause benign proliferative lesions in the stratified epithelium of various animal species. However, some high-risk types of PVs have been proven to lead to malignant transformations. In dogs, several canine papillomaviruses (CPVs) have been identified in malignant lesions and are suggested as one of the risk factors for the development of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). In the present study, the full genomes of two CPV9 strains from recurrent SCCs of Dog 1 and skin viral papilloma (viral plaque) of Dog 2 were sequenced. Alignment of the two CPV9 sequences with the genome of the reference CPV9 strain (accession no. JF800656.1) derived from a solitary pigmented plaque was performed. Compared with the reference strain, a 27 bp in-frame insertion in the E1 gene was identified in both CPV9 strains in this study. In comparison with the CPV9 strains derived from benign lesions, the CPV9 from the SCCs of Dog 1 exhibited a 328 bp deletion at the 3′ end of the E2 and spacer sequence, which encoded a truncated deduced E2 protein and a chimeric E8^E2 protein. However, there was no difference in the mRNA expression levels of viral oncoproteins of E6 and E7 between the two CPV9 cases, suggesting that the oncogenesis of CPV9 for malignant transformation might be different from that of human papillomaviruses. The roles of E2 and E8^E2 deleted CPV9 in the oncogenesis of benign and malignant lesions should be further investigated.

In dogs with acute myelopathy but showing multiple sites of spinal compression from intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) on imaging, one approach is surgical decompression of the single acute disc extrusion while ignoring other previously extruded or protruded discs. However, little is known regarding the outcomes of this approach. This study described the outcomes and investigated prognostic factors in 40 dogs with multiple sites of cervical disc extrusion or protrusion on MRI who underwent ventral slot decompression for the single acute disc. The overall recovery rate was 97.5%. The median recovery time was seven days. The number of affected discs (including disc extrusion and protrusion) and the presence and number of the affected discs causing severe spinal compression did not influence the 30-day outcome. Compared with 23 dogs with single disc extrusion treated surgically, the recovery time and outcomes were similar between the two groups. The total number of affected discs was not associated with recovery time or outcomes. In conclusion, if an acute disc could be identified, ventral slot decompression targeting the single acute disc is a viable management approach for dogs with an acute presentation but diagnosed with multiple sites of spinal cord compression from IVDD.