Spinal cord injury (SCI) involves nerve damage and often leads to motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. In the present study, we have designed a clinical protocol to assess the feasibility of systemic delivery of allogenic canine bone marrow tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium (BMMSC CM) to dogs with SCI. Four client-owned dogs with chronic SCI lasting more than six months underwent neurological and clinical evaluation, MRI imaging and blood tests before being enrolled in this study. All dogs received four intravenous infusions with canine allogenic BMMSC CM within one month. Between the infusions the dogs received comprehensive physiotherapy, which continued for three additional months. No adverse effects or complications were observed during the one, three and six months follow-up periods. Neither blood chemistry panel nor hematology profile showed any significant changes. All dogs were clinically improved as assessed using Olby locomotor scales after one, three and six months of BMMSC CM treatment. Furthermore, goniometric measurements revealed partial improvement in the range of joint motion. Bladder function improved in two disabled dogs. We conclude that multiple delivery of allogenic cell-derived conditioned medium to dogs with chronic SCI is feasible, and it might be clinically beneficial in combination with physiotherapy.

Dental plaque bacteria are one of the main factors responsible for the development of a periodontal disease, which is the most common infectious disease in dogs. The aim of this study was to identify the presence of periodontal disease-related bacteria in the dental plaque of dogs. Plaque samples were taken from dogs with and without periodontal disease. Samples were analyzed for the presence of Porphyromonas gulae, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola using a PCR technique amplifying 16S rRNA genes of P. gulae and T. forsythia and flaB2 genes of Treponema species, including T. denticola. The presence of T. forsythia was confirmed in all samples. P. gulae was detected in all dogs with periodontal disease and in 71.43% of dogs without periodontal disease. Treponema spp. were detected in 64.29% of the samples. Based on Sanger sequencing and Basic Local Alignment Search Tool algorithm, Treponema spp. were identified as T. denticola and Treponema putidum. T. denticola was present in 28.57% of dogs with periodontal disease, while T. putidum was present in 42.86% of dogs with periodontal disease and in 57.14% of dogs without periodontal disease. T. putidum was positively correlated with both P. gulae and T. forsythia, suggesting that it may be involved in the development of periodontal disease.

Dogs are the most popular pets worldwide; however, close contact with people increases the risk of transmission of different zoonotic parasites. This study aims to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in dogs in Slovakia. A total of 495 faecal samples collected from pet, shelter, guard, working (police), and hunting dogs, as well as dogs from segregated Roma settlements between 2016 and 2021, were examined using flotation and molecular methods. Eggs of intestinal helminths were detected in 134 (27.1%) samples. Microscopically, six different species/genera/families, namely, Toxocara canis (14.7%), Toxascaris leonina (1.6%), Trichuris vulpis (6.3%), Capillaria spp. (1.4%), Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp. (8.3%), and taeniid eggs (4.0%), were recorded. Molecular analyses revealed infection with Echinococcus multilocularis in 2.2% of dogs and 0.4% of the animals were infected with Taenia hydatigena. The results showed a correlation between the occurrence of intestinal helminths and the availability of veterinary care, as dogs from Roma settlements and shelter dogs were the most often infected (66.7% and 39.2%, respectively). On the other hand, working animals were in the best health condition, with only 2.5% being positive. The relatively frequent occurrence of zoonotic species points to the constant need for preventive measures and regular deworming of dogs.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common health problem affecting dogs. The disease is more prevalent in small breeds and brachycephalic breeds compared to large breeds, and incidence increases with advancing age. In first stage it affects only the gingival tissue and causes gingivitis. It later develops into periodontitis which involves changes in other periodontium tissues. Main etiological agents of periodontal disease are pathogenic bacteria of dental biofilm, and products of their metabolism. In human, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia play a key role in the etiology of periodontal disease. Also, there are many other candidates as human periodontal pathogens, including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, Eikenella corrodens, Capnocytophaga gingivalis, Eubacterium nodatum and Campylobacter rectus. Since periodontal diseases in dogs are similar to human diseases in terms of disease progression and clinical manifestation, we can assume their common etiology. This chapter is focused on review about canine dental biofilm and about members of biofilm as potential causative agent of canine periodontal disease.

Dental diseases are a persistent problem, not only in humans, but very often in companion animals as well. Aetiological agents of these diseases are the dental plaque bacteria. In the present study, we focused on identifying cultivable bacteria living in the dental plaque of dogs, specifically dogs suffering from the early stages of periodontal disease. Canine oral bacteria pose a risk to humans that get bitten by the dog, but they also have a zoonotic potential. Dental plaque samples were taken from five dogs of small breeds. Samples were cultured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions on several types of microbiological agars. All obtained and selected bacterial colonies were identified by PCR with universal primers for the 16S rRNA gene and the sequences of the 16S rRNA gene were compared with the sequences available in the GenBank database using BLASTn analysis. A total of 75 bacteria belonging to five phyla, predominantly to Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, were identified. The most frequent species was Pasteurella canis which was detected in all samples. In addition, representatives of the genera Actinomyces , Bacillus , Bacteroides , Corynebacterium , Frederiksenia , Fusobacterium , Haemophilus , Lactobacillus , Leucobacter , Neisseria , Ottowia , Porphyromonas , Pseudomonas , Staphylococcus , Stenotrophomonas and Streptococcus were detected in the samples. In the present study, a broad spectrum of bacteria in dental plaque samples, including canine periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gulae or Porphyromonas macacae were identified. In addition, highly pathogenic bacteria, specifically Actinomyces hordeovulneris , Bacillus circulans , and Bacteroides pyogenes , which pose a serious risk to human health, were detected in samples.

Serum and urinary uromodulin are evaluated as potential biomarkers of kidney disease. The aim of our research was to select a more appropriate form of uromodulin for the diagnosis of early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We also focused on the influence of age and gender in one breed on uromodulin and on the possible interbreed differences. Serum uromodulin had the lowest values in dogs younger than 2 years but no effect of gender, breed, or CKD was observed. Urinary uromodulin indexed to urinary creatinine was significantly reduced in dogs in stage 2 of CKD (p = 0.003) in contrast to uromodulin converted to urine specific gravity. Urinary uromodulin with both corrections was significantly lower in Belgian shepherds compared to German shepherds (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0054) but was not influenced by gender or age. In stage 1 of CKD, urinary uromodulin correlated with kidney disease markers SDMA (p = 0.0424, p = 0.0214) and UPC (p = 0.0050, p = 0.0024). Urinary uromodulin appears to be more associated with CKD than serum uromodulin. Further studies with a larger number of patients are needed for the suitability of urinary uromodulin as a marker of early-stage disease.