Mesenchymal stem cells have proven to be a promising alternative to conventional steroids to treat canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, their administration requires a washout period of immunosuppressive drugs that can lead to an exacerbation of the symptoms. Therefore, the feasibility and effects of the combined application of stem cells and prednisone in IBD-dogs without adequate response to corticosteroids was evaluated for the first time in this study over a long- term follow up. Two groups of dogs with IBD, one without treatment and another with prednisone treatment, received a single infusion of stem cells. The clinical indices, albumin and cobalamin were determined prior to the infusion and after one, three, six and 12 months. In both groups, all parameters significantly improved at each time point. In parallel, the steroid dosage was gradually reduced until it was suppressed in all patients a year after the cell therapy. Therefore, cell therapy can significantly and safely improve the disease condition in dogs with IBD receiving or not receiving prednisone. Furthermore, the steroid dosage can be significantly reduced or cancelled after the stem cell infusion. Their beneficial effects are stable over time and are long lasting.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs) exhibit anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) have been reported as novel biomarkers of the inflammatory state; however, they have never been examined in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) treated with Ad-MSCs. This study aimed to compare the clinical evolution and the changes in the NLR, PLR, and SII in dogs with CIE before and after cell therapy. Sixteen dogs with CIE were administered a single intravenous dose of Ad-MSCs. The canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index (CCECAI), NLR, PLR, and SII were assessed before treatment (T0) and at 2 (T2) and 9 (T9) months post-treatment and compared over time and with the reference values obtained from a group of healthy dogs. NLR, PLR, and SII were significantly increased at T0 compared to the reference values, decreasing significantly over time. At T9, the NLR and SII did not differ from the reference values, but PLR remained above the reference values. A correlation was observed between CCECAI and the three markers. These findings show that the clinical improvement of dogs with CIE treated with Ad-MSCs is accompanied by a normalization of the inflammatory status.

The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block causes desensitization of the abdominal wall and peritoneum. Of all the approaches proposed to perform it, the two-injection-point TAP showed the best results in terms of the area reached by the anesthetic solution. However, to date, no clinical data exist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra- and postoperative analgesic efficacy of a two-injection-point TAP block in dogs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy. A total of 26 animals were assigned to receive general inhalation anesthesia (control group), and 26 dogs were assigned to general inhalation anesthesia combined with TAP block (TAP group). The ultrasound-guided TAP block was carried out with a subcostal and cranial-to-ilium injection per hemiabdomen. The end-tidal concentration of isoflurane (EtISO) was recorded at different moments during the surgery. Postoperative pain was assessed at different time points during the first 24 h after surgery. The control group required significantly higher EtISO concentration during the ovarian resection and showed higher postoperative pain scores than the TAP group. Fewer dogs in the TAP group required intra- or postoperative rescue analgesia. TAP block can be implemented to improve postoperative pain management after laparoscopy, reducing the dosage of the systemic drugs used and, hence, their possible side effects.

Background: It has not been determined whether ileal appearance differs among dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) and different serum concentrations of cobalamin. Objective: To compare endoscopic and histologic ileal findings in dogs with CIE and different serum cobalamin concentrations and then evaluate the correlation of ileal changes to cobalamin serum concentration using updated scoring systems to assess the ileum. Animals: Sixty-eight dogs with CIE. Methods: Retrospective study. Frequency of ileal features and ileal histologic and endoscopic scores (IHS and IES) were obtained and compared among CIE dogs with severe hypocobalaminemia (SHC; 350 ng/L). The correlation of IHS and IES with cobalamin was evaluated. Results: Friability, villus atrophy, crypt dilatation, epithelial injury, and intraepithelial lymphocytes were more frequent in SHC than in NC dogs (all P ≤ .01). Median SHC-IES (2; range, 0-4) was higher than NC-IES (1; range, 0-5; P = .004). Median SHC-IHS (6; range, 3-9) was higher than HC-IHS (4; range, 1-7; P < .001) and NC-IHS (3; range, 1-8; P < .001). Cobalamin concentration correlated negatively with IES (ρ = −.34, P = .005) and IHS (ρ = −.58, P < .001). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Ileal features and involvement degree markedly differed when cobalamin was 350 ng/L in CIE dogs. With updated scales to assess the mucosa, greater ileal damage was associated with lower serum cobalamin concentration.