Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a significant burden to societies, as it affects quality of life, performance and poses a large healthcare cost. We aimed to describe the use of a single intra-articular (IA) injection of an autologous platelet therapy in the management of osteoarthritis (OA) in a naturally occurring canine model.Methods: Fifteen police working dogs with bilateral hip OA were treated with 3 ml of platelet concentrate per hip joint, produced with the V-PET kit. Response to treatment was measured by the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI, divided in pain interference score – PIS, and Pain Severity Score - PSS), Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD), Canine Orthopedic Index (COI, divided in four dimensions: function, gait, stiffness and quality of life - QOL) and the Hudson Visual Analogue Scale (HVAS). Seven different time points were considered: T0 (before treatment), T1 (after 15 days), T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 (after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 months respectively). Results from each evaluation moment were compared with T0 with a Paired Samples T-Test, and ap < 0.05 was set.Results: Significant differences were observed at T1 (p < 0.01 for HVAS, PSS, COI, Gait and QOL;p = 0.01 for PIS;p = 0.02 for Function; andp < 0.05 for Stiffness), T2 (p < 0.01 for PSS, PIS and Gait;p = 0.01 for COI;p = 0.02 for HVAS, Function and QOL; andp = 0.04 for Stiffness), T3 (p < 0.01 for HVAS, PSS, PIS, Function and Gait;p = 0.01 for COI; andp = 0.02 for QOL), T4 (p < 0.01 for PSS;p = 0.03 for PIS and Gait), T5 (p < 0.01 for COI, Function and Gait;p = 0.03 for PSS, PIS and Stiffness), T6 (p < 0.01 for PSS, Function and Gait;p = 0.04 for PIS;p < 0.05 for COI) and T7 (p < 0.01 for PSS, Function and Gait;p = 0.01 for COI; andp < 0.05 for PIS).Conclusions: Autologous platelet therapy was used without apparent harm in the subjects. A single administration produced significant improvements, which lasted several months, and therefore warrants further study.

This work describes the diagnosis and successful treatment of a 2-year-old domestic cat infected with Leishmania species and presenting fever, and ulcerative and nodular skin lesions after being treated for pyodermatitis for 1 year without clinical improvement. After anamnesis the cat was submitted to a complete clinical examination. Blood was collected for determination of haematological and biochemical parameters, detection of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline coronavirus (FCoV) and Leishmania amastigotes. Fine-needle aspiration puncture from the skin nodules was also performed. After definitive diagnosis the animal was treated and followed up over a 2 year period. The animal tested negative for FIV-specific antibodies, FeLV antigen and feline coronavirus RNA. Leishmania amastigotes in the skin nodules were confirmed by cytology and molecular diagnosis. Treatment was initiated with allopurinol, resulting in a slight clinical improvement. Thus, N-methyl-glucamine antimoniate was added and administered for 30 days, with complete closure of the ulcerative lesions in the hindlimbs requiring a surgical approach. Close monitoring of the patient in the following 24 months indicated that combined therapy was safe and clinical cure was achieved without further relapses or side effects. Considering the increasing number of feline leishmaniosis cases and the inconsistent results of most therapeutic protocols described in the literature, the use of new approaches, especially in refractory cases, is essential. Although the use of allopurinol and N-methyl-glucamine antimoniate is off-label in cats, in this case the combination treatment was followed by an extensive analytical monitoring, supporting their safety and effectiveness.

Most of surgical site infections (SSI) are caused by commensal and pathogenic agents from the patient’s microbiota, which may include antibiotic resistant strains. Pre-surgical asepsis of the skin is one of the preventive measures performed to reduce SSI incidence and also antibiotic resistance dissemination. However, in veterinary medicine there is no agreement on which biocide is the most effective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two pre-surgical skin asepsis protocols in dogs. A total of 46 animals were randomly assigned for an asepsis protocol with an aqueous solution of 7.5% povidone-iodine or with an alcoholic solution of 2% chlorhexidine. For each dog, two skin swab samples were collected at pre-asepsis and post-asepsis, for bacterial quantification by conventional techniques and isolation of methicillin-resistant species. Most samples collected at the post-asepsis did not present bacterial growth, both for the animals subjected to the povidone-iodine (74%) or to the chlorhexidine (70%) protocols. In only 9% of the cases a significant bacterial logarithmic reduction was not observed, indicating possible resistance to these agents. Also, the logarithmic reduction of the bacterial quantification from pre- and post-asepsis time, was not statistically different for povidone-iodine (6.51 ± 1.94 log10) and chlorhexidine (6.46 ± 2.62 log10) protocol. From the 39% pre-asepsis swabs which showed bacterial growth in MRSA modified chromogenic agar medium, only one isolate was identified as Staphylococcus aureus and one as S. epidermidis. False positives were mainly other staphylococci species, as well as Enterobacteriaceae. Pre-surgical skin asepsis protocols with povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine showed similar efficacy in the elimination of methicillin resistant bacteria and preventing surgical site infections in dogs undergoing surgery.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is highly prevalent in the canine population. Due to the multiple dimensions of the disease, a multimodal approach is usually favored by clinicians. To evaluate the combined treatment with intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and photobiomodulation in dogs with bilateral hip OA, thirty dogs were assigned to a PRP group (PRPG, n = 10), a photobiomodulation group (PBMTG, n = 10), or a combined therapies group (PRP+PBMTG, n = 10). The PRPG received two intra-articular administrations of platelet-rich plasma 14 days apart. The PBMTG received photobiomodulation with a therapeutic laser, with three sessions every other day in week one; two sessions in week two; a single session in week three; and one session/month on follow-up evaluation days. The PRP+PBMTG received the two combined therapies. The response to treatment was evaluated with weight-bearing distribution and the Canine Brief Pain Inventory, the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs, and the Canine Orthopedic Index. Evaluations were conducted before treatment and +8, +15, +30, +60, and +90 days after initial treatment. Normality was assessed with a Shapiro–Wilk test, and the groups’ results in each evaluation moment were compared using a Mann–Whitney U test. Animals of both sexes (male n = 19, female n = 11) were included in the sample, with a mean age of 7.8 ± 2.5 years and a body weight of 26.5 ± 4.7 kg. Joints were classified as mild (n = 6, three in PRPG, two in PBMTG, and one in PRP+PBMTG), moderate (n = 18, six in PRPG, five in PBMTG, and seven in PRP+PBMTG), and severe (n = 6, one in PRPG, three in PBMTG, and two in PRP+PBMTG). No differences were found between groups at the initial evaluation. All treatments produced clinically significant improvements compared to the assessment on treatment day. The combination of PRP and photobiomodulation produced greater, longer-lasting improvements. PRP and photobiomodulation can improve objective outcomes and client-reported outcome measures in dogs with OA. Their combined use leads to greater, longer-lasting, clinically significant improvements.

Objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the most common renal pathology diagnosed in geriatric cats, and its prevalence increases with age. The arterial resistive index (RI) is important when evaluating vascular resistance and compliance, and can be applied in the kidney (renal RI [RRI]), allowing the evaluation of its vascular haemodynamics. The present study aimed to: (1) investigate in cats with CKD the relationships between the RRI and the following parameters: age, sex, body weight, plasmatic creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, potassium, urine specific gravity, urine protein:creatinine ratio and systolic arterial pressure; and (2) evaluate the potential use of the RRI as a preliminary diagnostic tool in cats with CKD. Methods: The present study involved 24 cats of both sexes. Six were healthy cats (control group [CG]) and 18 had CKD, but did not have any concomitant diseases and were not being treated with any medications (study group [SG]). For RRI measurement we used colour Doppler ultrasound (CDUS). Results: RRI differed significantly between the CG and SG ( P <0.01) and was higher in the SG. A statistically significant correlation was only achieved between the RRI and the body weight of the patients and it was negative. A strong and positive correlation was noted between the mean RRI of both kidneys (r = 0.66). Receiver–operating curve analysis allowed us to establish an admissible cut-off for the RRI value of 0.639 for a preliminary diagnosis of CKD for both kidneys. Conclusions and relevance: No differences were found for the RRI between the left and right kidneys, suggesting that evaluation of only one kidney is sufficient to provide an estimate of the RRI value for both organs. RRI measurement, which can be achieved with CDUS, is an easy-to-use diagnostic tool that, with a cut-off value of 0.639 for both kidneys, is useful in establishing a preliminary diagnosis of CKD.