The use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has been widely reported for reproductive imaging in humans and animals. This review aims to analyze the utility of CEUS in characterizing canine reproductive physiology and pathologies. In September 2022, a search for articles about CEUS in canine testicles, prostate, uterus, placenta, and mammary glands was conducted on PubMed and Scopus from 1990 to 2022, showing 36 total results. CEUS differentiated testicular abnormalities and neoplastic lesions, but it could not characterize tumors. In prostatic diseases, CEUS in dogs was widely studied in animal models for prostatic cancer treatment. In veterinary medicine, this diagnostic tool could distinguish prostatic adenocarcinomas. In ovaries, CEUS differentiated the follicular phases. In CEH-pyometra syndrome, it showed a different enhancement between endometrium and cysts, and highlighted angiogenesis. CEUS was shown to be safe in pregnant dogs and was able to assess normal and abnormal fetal–maternal blood flow and placental dysfunction. In normal mammary glands, CEUS showed vascularization only in diestrus, with differences between mammary glands. CEUS was not specific for neoplastic versus non-neoplastic masses and for benign tumors, except for complex carcinomas and neoplastic vascularization. Works on CEUS showed its usefulness in a wide spectrum of pathologies of this non-invasive, reliable diagnostic procedure.

The aim of this study was to assess the beneficial effects of oral supplementation of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on improving and keeping sperm quality in dogs during storage, and to investigate its effect on changes in testosterone concentrations. Forty male dogs were enrolled in the study and divided into four groups of ten dogs each: two subfertile (control and treatment) and two normofertile (control and treatment) groups. The dogs in the treatment groups received Maca in a capsule formulation (75 mg/kg), while the control groups received placebo. The spermiogram and testosterone levels were assessed at three times of the sperm cycle: 0 (T0), 31 (T31), and 62 (T62) days. Ejaculates were processed for storage at 5 °C and evaluated for total and progressive motility and membrane integrity at 3 (T3h), 24 (T24h), 48 (T48h), and 72 h (T72h) post storage. The oral supplementation of 75 mg/kg of Maca extract in dogs can improve sperm parameters and increase serum testosterone concentrations, leading to improved reproductive capacity. The semen of subjects treated with oral Maca supplementation maintained its parameters stable for a longer period when stored compared to the semen of control subjects, demonstrating the beneficial effect of the use of this extract on male fertility.

Computed tomography (CT) is an advanced imaging technique that may lead to detect “incidentalomas”, unexpected asymptomatic lesions found during unrelated examinations. Their clinical meaning and management are not clear for veterinarians, who risk unnecessary investigations that harm the patients. This study is a retrospective analysis that aims to investigate incidentalomas in CT exams and to describe their prevalence, location, types and follow-up, their correlations and associations with the species, breed, sex, and age of patients examined and with the kind and number of sites scanned. The reports of 561 CT scans performed in 512 dogs and 49 cats in a veterinary facility over six years were reviewed and compared to the clinical records of the patients. Eighty incidentalomas were found in 57 dogs and four cats. A significant positive correlation was found in dogs between age and the prevalence of incidentalomas. In dogs, the prevalence of incidentalomas was significantly higher in Boxers and in neck, thoracic, and abdominal scans. Spinal incidentalomas were the most common typologies in dogs. This study can represent a tool that allows clinicians to acquire greater awareness about incidentalomas and to carry out the evidence-based clinical management of them.

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an advanced ultrasound technique that assesses tissue stiffness by measuring shear wave speed (SWS) produced after an acoustic impulse. It includes bidimensional (2D-SWE) and focal point (pSWE) methods, allowing qualitative and quantitative analysis of tissue stiffness. This study aimed to describe the elastographic features of testicular abnormalities in dogs, supported by histological findings. Eighteen dogs with testicular abnormalities underwent B-mode ultrasound, power and color Doppler ultrasound, 2D-SWE, and pSWE before orchiectomy. Five cryptorchid testes were excluded and thirty-one testes (12 normal, 7 with leydigomas, 6 with seminomas, 1 with a round cell tumor, and 5 with orchitis) were examined. Normal testes, lesions, and adjacent healthy tissues (no evident ultrasound changes, NEUC) were sampled. Testicular abnormalities presented SWS values of 1.05–4.89 m/s (2D-SWE) and 1.35–5.31 m/s (pSWE). Significant differences were observed among normal testes, NEUC areas, and those with orchitis, leydigomas, and seminomas by both 2D-SWE and pSWE. Normal testes were significantly softer than ones with leydigomas, seminomas, and orchitis, and NEUC areas also had different SWS values compared to those with tumors and orchitis (p < 0.05). However, SWE techniques lacked specificity in differentiating between orchitis and tumors. Diagnostic accuracy of SWE techniques for testicular lesions remains challenging and requires further investigation to fully address its clinical potential.

Domperidone is used as an immunomodulatory drug for Leishmania infantum infection and disease in dogs. However, a pro-arrhythmic side effect, caused by prolonged QT intervals, is reported in humans. This pilot study evaluated the corrected QT (QTc) interval in dogs treated with domperidone for preventive or therapeutic management of leishmaniosis. The electrocardiogram and blood concentration of creatinine, urea nitrogen, sodium, potassium, and chloride were evaluated seven days before the start and on the last day of therapy in 17 dogs receiving domperidone for four weeks. In two dogs, the QTc interval was measured before and 2 h, 3 h, and 12 h after administration of the drug on the first day of treatment. After treatment, QTc measures and chloride concentrations increased significantly, although the QTc value slightly exceeded the upper reference limit only in one dog, and chloride concentrations were always normal. Creatinine concentrations significantly decreased after therapy. In the two dogs monitored at different times on the first day of treatment, QTc values were always normal. Domperidone caused a slight prolongation of QTc interval, and further studies should be made for a risk assessment in dogs with cardiac diseases, electrolytic imbalance, and in those receiving drugs increasing QT interval or competing with domperidone metabolism.