Background In dogs with protein‐losing enteropathy (PLE), data on the clinical characteristics of food‐responsive PLE (FR‐PLE) remain scarce. Objective To determine the clinical characteristics of FR‐PLE in dogs responsive to ultralow‐fat diet (ULFD) management. Animals Thirty‐three dogs diagnosed with PLE based on standard diagnostic criteria. Methods Retrospective review of medical records. Clinical findings were compared between dogs with FR‐PLE (FR‐PLE group) and those with immunosuppressant‐responsive PLE (IR‐PLE) or nonresponsive PLE (NR‐PLE) (IR/NR‐PLE group). The area under the curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the ability of factors to differentiate the FR‐PLE and IR/NR‐PLE groups. Survival time was compared between the FR‐PLE and IR/NR‐PLE groups. Results Twenty‐three dogs responded to ULFD management and were diagnosed with FR‐PLE. The canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index (CCECAI) was significantly lower in the FR‐PLE group than in the IR/NR‐PLE group (P < .001). The AUC of CCECAI for differentiating the FR‐PLE group was 0.935 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.845‐1.000) with an optimal cutoff value of 8 (sensitivity, 0.826; specificity, 0.889). Survival times were significantly longer in the FR‐PLE group (median, not reached) than in the IR/NR‐PLE group (median, 432 days; P < .001). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Dogs that respond to ULFD management and are diagnosed with FR‐PLE are expected to have a favorable prognosis. Clinical scores, specifically the CCECAI, could be useful for differentiating FR‐PLE from IR‐PLE or NR‐PLE.

Background Lymphocytic‐plasmacytic enteritis is the common form of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs. In human IBD, disturbances of amino acid metabolism have been demonstrated to be involved in the pathophysiology of IBD. Therefore, plasma amino acid profile might represent a novel marker of human IBD. Objectives To determine the plasma amino acid profiles of dogs with IBD and its usefulness as a novel marker of IBD in dogs. Animals Fasting blood plasma was obtained from 10 dogs with IBD and 12 healthy dogs. Methods All IBD dogs were prospectively included in this study, and heparinized blood samples were collected. The plasma concentrations of 21 amino acids were determined using the ninhydrin method. The relationships among the plasma amino acid concentrations and plasma C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentration, canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index (CCECAI), and overall World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) score were investigated. Results Median concentration (nmol/mL) of methionine [46.2; range, 30.0‐59.3], proline [119.4; range, 76.7‐189.2], serine [115.1; range, 61.4‐155.9], and tryptophan [17.4; range, 11.9‐56.3]) were significantly lower than in control dogs [62.6; range, 51.0‐83.6, 199.1; range, 132.5‐376.7, 164.3; range, 124.7‐222.9, and 68.3; range, 35.7‐94.8, respectively]. A negative correlation was identified between the plasma serine concentration and CCECAI (r _s = −.67, P = .03), but there were no correlations between plasma amino acid concentrations and CRP concentration or overall WSAVA score. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Plasma serine concentration might represent a novel maker of IBD in dogs.

Background Two‐dimensional shear wave elastography (2D‐SWE) can noninvasively evaluate hepatic elastic modulus as shear wave velocity (SWV). Additionally, it may predict the presence of clinical relevant hepatic fibrosis (≥F2) in dogs with hepatic disease. Objectives To investigate whether SWV measured by 2D‐SWE can differentiate between dogs with (≥F2) and without (F0‐1) clinically relevant hepatic fibrosis. Animals Twenty‐eight client‐owned dogs with hepatic disease and 8 normal healthy Beagle dogs were enrolled. Methods In this cross‐sectional prospective study, SWVs were measured using 2D‐SWE in all dogs. Hepatic fibrosis stages and necroinflammatory activity grades were histopathologically evaluated using a histological scoring scheme that was adapted from the Ishak schema used in human medicine. Results Median SWVs were significantly higher in dogs with clinically relevant hepatic fibrosis (2.04 m/s; range, 1.81‐2.26 m/s) than in healthy dogs (1.51 m/s; range, 1.44‐1.66 m/s; P = .007), and dogs without clinically relevant hepatic fibrosis (1.56 m/s; range, 1.37‐1.67 m/s; P < .001). However, no significant difference was found in the SWVs between dogs without clinically relevant hepatic fibrosis and healthy dogs (P = .99). Furthermore, median SWVs were not significantly different among dogs with necroinflammatory activity, those without necroinflammatory activity, and healthy dogs (Kruskal‐Wallis test, P = .12). Conclusions and Clinical Importance The 2D‐SWE may be useful for predicting the presence of hepatic fibrosis in dogs with hepatic disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate repeatability and reproducibility of right ventricular Tei index (RTX) values derived from dual pulsed-wave Doppler, conventional pulsed-wave Doppler, and tissue Doppler echocardiography and to investigate relationships and repeatability among the 3 methods in healthy dogs. ANIMALS 6 healthy adult Beagles. PROCEDURE Echocardiography was performed on each dog on different days for 2 weeks (3 times/d) by 2 echocardiographers. Intraobserver within- and between-day and interobserver coefficients of variation (CVs) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for RTXs derived from dual pulse-waved Doppler (RTX_DPD), conventional pulsed-wave Doppler (RTX_PD), and tissue Doppler (RTX_TD) methods were determined. Degrees of agreement among RTX values derived from the 3 methods were assessed by modified Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS Least squares mean (95% confidence interval) RTX_td was 0.50 (0.46 to 0.54), which was significantly higher than that for RTX_DPD (0.27 [0.23 to 0.31]) and RTX_PD (0.25 [0.21 to 0.29]). Agreement between RTX_DPD and RTX_PD was good (bias [mean difference], 0.04 [95% confidence interval, −0.03 to 0.10]). The RTX_dpd had high within-day (CV, 6.1; ICC, 0.77) and interobserver (CV, 3.5; ICC, 0.83) repeatability, but between-day repeatability was not high. The RTX_td had high within-day repeatability (CV, 6.0; ICC, 0.80), but between-day and interobserver repeatability were not high. Within-day, between-day, and interobserver repeatability of RTX_PD were not high. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE RTX_dpd measurement was a repeatable and reproducible method of cardiac evaluation in healthy dogs. The RTX_TD values were significantly higher than the RTX_DPD and RTX_PD values; therefore, RTX values derived from different echocardiographic methods should be interpreted with caution.