Background Babesia canis infection induces a marked acute phase response (APR) that might be associated with alteration in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and disease prognosis. Hypothesis Dogs with B. canis‐induced APR develop dyslipidemia with altered lipoprotein concentration and morphology. Animals Twenty‐nine client‐owned dogs with acute B. canis infection and 10 clinically healthy control dogs. Methods Observational cross‐sectional study. Serum amyloid A (SAA) was measured using ELISA. Cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides were determined biochemically. Lipoproteins were separated using agarose gel electrophoresis. Lipoprotein diameter was assessed by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis; correlation with ApoA‐1 (radioimmunoassay) and SAA was determined. Results Dogs with B. canis infection had a marked APR (median SAA, 168.3 μg/mL; range, 98.1‐716.2 μg/mL) compared with controls (3.2 μg/mL, 2.0‐4.2 μg/mL) (P < .001). Dogs with B. canis infection had significantly lower median cholesterol (4.79 mmol/L, 1.89‐7.64 mmol/L versus 6.15 mmol/L, 4.2‐7.4 mmol/L) (P = .02), phospholipid (4.64 mmol/L, 2.6‐6.6 mmol/L versus 5.72 mmol/L, 4.68‐7.0 mmol/L) (P = .02), and α‐lipoproteins (77.5%, 27.7%‐93.5% versus 89.2%, 75.1%‐93.5%) (P = .04), and higher ApoA‐1 (1.36 U, 0.8‐2.56 U versus 0.95 U, 0.73‐1.54 U) concentrations (P = .02). Serum amyloid A correlated with high‐density lipoproteins (HDLs) diameter (rho = .43; P = .03) and ApoA‐1 (rho = .63, P < .001). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Major changes associated with B. canis‐induced APR in dogs are related to concentration, composition, and morphology of HDL particles pointing to an altered reverse cholesterol transport. Parallel ApoA‐1 and SAA concentration increase is a unique still unexplained pathophysiological finding.

The aim of the study was to point out the importance of recognizing non-accidental injuries (NAI) and to highlight the importance of reporting such cases, as well as prosecuting the perpetrators, in order to detect potentially existing violence or prevent future violence in society. A total of 338 dogs and 54 cats were submitted for necropsy. Out of 338 dogs examined, 175 (51.8%) died due to non-natural cause of death, 122 from natural causes (36.1%), and 35 (10.3%) due to accidental injuries, and in 6 cases (1.8%) the cause and manner of death were undetermined due to advanced post-mortal changes. Out of 54 examined cats, 21 died due to non-natural causes (38.9%) and the same number of cats died due to natural causes. The prevalence of accidental injuries resulting in death were 20.4% (n = 11) and in 1.8% (n = 1) the manner of death remained indeterminate. The high number of animals confirmed to have died from unnatural causes in this study highlights the need for greater involvement from the police, prosecution, and society as a whole to reduce the number of violent animal deaths in the future.

In September 2018, a four-month-old dog with fever and petechial bleeding came to the internal clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade. On hematology analysis, thrombocytopenia and mild anemia were observed. Examination of the blood smear revealed platelet inclusions. The commercial serology test was positive for Anaplasma spp. The dog was treated with doxycycline for 14 days, and after 48 hours from the beginning of the treatment, the symptoms subsided. PCR analysis and sequencing confirmed infection with A. platys .

Homocysteine (Hcy) was investigated as the biomarker of cardiac, renal, and gastrointestinal disorders in dogs. Data about low Hcy concentrations in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome raised a hypothesis that Hcy in dogs is a negative acute-phase reactant. This survey compared Hcy concentrations, serum amyloid A (SAA), and the routine laboratory parameters between healthy (HD, N=6) and dogs with inflammation of different extent: mild ( dirofilariosis (DIR), N=31), moderate (babesiosis (BAB), N=12), and severe (pyometra (PYO), N=8). The BAB and PYO groups had lower Hcy er than HD. Also, the levels in the PYO group were below those in the DIRO group. SAA had the inverse pattern. Across the groups, Hcy and SAA levels correlated negatively (ρ = -0.502, P<0.001). Hcy and SAA correlated with the erythrocyte count, hematocrit, hemoglobin and mean cellular hemoglobin concentrations, and neutrophil count, with correlations being positive for Hcy and negative for SAA. Among all dogs, hemoglobin was the only independent predictor of Hcy concentration. Hcy levels in canine infections, decreased as acute-phase reaction (APR) intensified. Also, they were related with the hematology changes accompanying the APR. Further studies will establish the clinical potential of these alterations.