Comparative study on the sedative effects of morphine, methadone, butorphanol or tramadol, in combination with acepromazine, in dogs

To compare the effects of morphine (MOR), methadone (MET), butorphanol (BUT) and tramadol (TRA), in combination with acepromazine, on sedation, cardiorespiratory variables, body temperature and incidence of emesis in dogs.Prospective randomized, blinded, experimental trial.Six adult mixed-breed male dogs weighing 12.0 +/- 4.3 kg.Dogs received intravenous administration (IV) of acepromazine (0.05 mg kg(-1)) and 15 minutes later, one of four opioids was randomly administered IV in a cross-over design, with at least 1-week intervals. Dogs then received MOR 0.5 mg kg(-1); MET 0.5 mg kg(-1); BUT 0.15 mg kg(-1); or TRA 2.0 mg kg(-1). Indirect systolic arterial pressure (SAP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (f(R)), rectal temperature, pedal withdrawal reflex and sedation were evaluated at regular intervals for 90 minutes.Acepromazine administration decreased SAP, HR and temperature and produced mild sedation. All opioids further decreased temperature and MOR, BUT and TRA were associated with further decreases in HR. Tramadol decreased SAP whereas BUT decreased f(R) compared with values before opioid administration. Retching was observed in five of six dogs and vomiting occurred in one dog in MOR, but not in any dog in the remaining treatments. Sedation scores were greater in MET followed by MOR and BUT. Tramadol was associated with minor changes in sedation produced by acepromazine alone.When used with acepromazine, MET appears to provide better sedation than MOR, BUT and TRA. If vomiting is to be avoided, MET, BUT and TRA may be better options than MOR.

Effects of methadone, alone or in combination with acepromazine or xylazine, on sedation and physiologic values in dogs

Objective To evaluate the effects of methadone, administered alone or in combination with acepromazine or xylazine, on sedation and on physiologic values in dogs.Study design Randomized cross-over design.Animals Six adult healthy mixed-breed dogs weighing 13.5 +/- 4.9 kg.Methods Dogs were injected intramuscularly with physiologic saline (Control), or methadone (0.5mg kg(-1)) or acepromazine (0.1 mg kg(-1)) or xylazine (1.0 mg kg(-1)), or acepromazine (0.05 mg kg(-1)) plus methadone (0.5 mg kg(-1)) or xylazine (0.5 mg kg(-1)) plus methadone (0.5 mg kg(-1)) in a randomized cross-over design, with at least 1-week intervals. Sedation, pulse rate, indirect systolic arterial pressure, respiratory rate (RR), body temperature and pedal withdrawal reflex were evaluated before and at 15-minute intervals for 90 minutes after treatment.Results Sedation was greater in dogs receiving xylazine alone, xylazine plus methadone and acepromazine plus methadone. Peak sedative effect occurred within 30 minutes of treatment administration. Pulse rate was lower in dogs that received xylazine either alone or with methadone during most of the study. Systolic arterial pressure decreased only in dogs receiving acepromazine alone. When methadone was administered alone, RR was higher than in other treatments during most of the study and a high prevalence of panting was observed. In all treatments body temperature decreased, this effect being more pronounced in dogs receiving methadone alone or in combination with acepromazine. Pedal withdrawal reflex was absent in four dogs receiving methadone plus xylazine but not in any dog in the remaining treatments.Conclusions Methadone alone produces mild sedation and a high prevalence of panting. Greater sedation was achieved when methadone was used in combination with acepromazine or xylazine. The combination xylazine-methadone appears to result in better analgesia than xylazine administered alone. Both combinations of methadone/sedative were considered effective for premedication in dogs.

Kinematic analysis of Labrador Retrievers and Rottweilers trotting on a treadmill

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Postoperative analgesic effects of intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous or oral transmucosal buprenorphine administered to cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Electroacupuncture analgesia in dogs: is there a difference between uni- and bi-lateral stimulation?

Objective To compare the analgesic effect of uni- and bi-lateral electroacupuncture (EA) in response to thermal and mechanical nociceptive stimuli and to investigate the cardiorespiratory, endocrine, and behavioral changes in dogs submitted to EA.Study design Prospective, randomized cross-over experimental study.Animals Eight adult, clinically healthy, cross-breed dogs, weighing 13 +/- 4 kg.Methods Dogs underwent electrostimulation at false acupoints (T-false); bilateral EA at acupoints, stomach 36, gall bladder 34 and spleen 6 (T-EA/bil); unilateral EA at the same points (T-EA/uni) or were untreated (T-control). All animals received acepromazine (0.05 mg kg(-1)) IV; and heart rate, pulse oximetry, indirect arterial blood pressure, respiratory rate, PECO2, rectal temperature, and plasma cortisol concentration were measured before, during, and after EA. Analgesia was tested using thoracic and abdominal cutaneous thermal and mechanical stimuli, and an interdigital thermal stimulus. Behavior was classified as calm or restless. Analysis of variance for repeated measures followed by Tukey's test was used for analysis of the data.Results There were no cardiorespiratory differences among the treatments. The cutaneous pain threshold was higher after EA, compared with false points. The latency period was shorter and analgesia was more intense in T-EA/bil than T-EA/uni, when both were compared with T-false and T-control. Six out of eight animals treated with EA were calm during treatment, and 5/8 and 4/8 of the T-false and T-control animals, respectively, were restless. Latency to interdigital thermal stimulation increased in T-EA/bil compared with the others. There was no difference in plasma cortisol concentrations among the treatments.Conclusions Bilateral EA produced a shorter latency period, a greater intensity, and longer duration of analgesia than unilateral stimulation, without stimulating a stress response.Clinical relevance Bilateral EA produces a better analgesic effect than unilateral EA.

Effect of intravenous propofol and remifentanil on heart rate, blood pressure and nociceptive response in acepromazine premedicated dogs

ObjectiveTo investigate the cardiorespiratory, nociceptive and endocrine effects of the combination of propofol and remifentanil, in dogs sedated with acepromazine.Study designProspective randomized, blinded, cross-over experimental trial.AnimalsTwelve healthy adult female cross-breed dogs, mean weight 18.4 +/- 2.3 kg.MethodsDogs were sedated with intravenous (IV) acepromazine (0.05 mg kg-1) followed by induction of anesthesia with IV propofol (5 mg kg-1). Anesthesia was maintained with IV propofol (0.2 mg kg-1 minute-1) and remifentanil, infused as follows: R1, 0.125 mu g kg-1 minute-1; R2, 0.25 mu g kg-1 minute-1; and R3, 0.5 mu g kg-1 minute-1. The same dogs were administered each dose of remifentanil at 1-week intervals. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (f(R)), end tidal CO(2) (Pe'CO(2)), arterial hemoglobin O(2) saturation, blood gases, and rectal temperature were measured before induction, and 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 minutes after beginning the infusion. Nociceptive response was investigated by electrical stimulus (50 V, 5 Hz and 10 ms). Blood samples were collected for plasma cortisol measurements. Statistical analysis was performed by anova (p < 0.05).ResultsIn all treatments, HR decreased during anesthesia with increasing doses of remifentanil, and increased significantly immediately after the end of infusion. MAP remained stable during anesthesia (72-98 mmHg). Antinociception was proportional to the remifentanil infusion dose, and was considered satisfactory only with R2 and R3. Plasma cortisol concentration decreased during anesthesia in all treatments. Recovery was smooth and fast in all dogs.Conclusions and clinical relevanceInfusion of 0.25-0.5 mu g kg-1 minute-1 remifentanil combined with 0.2 mg kg-1 minute-1 propofol produced little effect on arterial blood pressure and led to a good recovery. The analgesia produced was sufficient to control the nociceptive response applied by electrical stimulation, suggesting that it may be appropriate for performing surgery.

Acute bacterial cystitis does not cause deoxyribonucleic acid damage detectable by the alkaline comet assay in urothelial cells of dogs

Considering the high incidence of dogs with acute bacterial cystitis (BC) and the relationship among inflammation, genotoxicity, and carcinogenesis, we conducted a case-control study comparing the frequency of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) lesions assessed by the comet assay between disease-free animals (13 males and 13 females) and cytology-confirmed cases of acute BC (12 males and 12 females), which was mainly caused by Staphylococcus sp. (40%) and Escherichia coli (35%). The results show no increase in DNA damage in cells obtained by bladder washings and no influence of age, sex, and breed due to acute BC. In conclusion, DNA damage was seemingly not associated with the infection by specific bacteria.

Mel e açúcar mascavo na cicatrização de feridas

O estudo teve como objetivo comparar a eficácia do mel e do açúcar mascavo na cicatrização de feridas induzidas cirurgicamente na pele de cobaias, para avaliar o tempo de cicatrização, as variações macroscópicas e microscópicas do tecido cicatricial, a contração das feridas e o grau de contaminação. Quinze cobaias da raça Abissínia, machos inteiros, de seis meses de idade e pesando entre 500 a 850 gramas, foram divididas em três grupos com cinco animais cada, nos quais foram induzidas, cirurgicamente, três feridas em cada animal com dimensão de 1,5cm² e distância entre elas de 1,5cm, na região dorsal. A ferida F1 foi tratada diariamente com mel, a ferida F2 com solução salina 0,9% (controle) e a ferida F3 com o açúcar mascavo. A eutanásia foi realizada no Grupo 1 ao sétimo dia após a cirurgia, no Grupo 2 ao décimo quarto dia e no Grupo 3 no vigésimo primeiro dia após a cirurgia, sendo as biópsias encaminhadas para avaliação histopatológica. Foram também realizados swabs das feridas em todos os grupos no terceiro e sétimo dias após a cirurgia e as amostras enviadas para a cultura e isolamento bacteriano. Concluiu-se que as feridas tratadas com o mel cicatrizaram mais rápido em relação às tratadas com o açúcar mascavo, demonstrando a maior propriedade cicatrizante do mel em relação ao açúcar mascavo.

Estudo epidemiológico das dermatofitoses em cães e gatos atendidos no serviço de dermatologia da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da UNESP - Botucatu

The objective of this study was to assess the medical records of the patients whose mycological culture of the hair in Sabouraud Dextrose Agar supplemented with chloramphenicol and cycloheximide was positive for dermathophytes, and review the cases of dermatophytosis. One hundred and thirty six medical records of patients (114 dogs and 22 cats) with dermatophytosis attended in a period of 54 months in the Veterinary Hospital of the UNESP - Botucatu were evaluated. Results obtained in this analysis have shown that the majority of the cultures were positive for Mycrosporum canis. There was no statistical difference between genders, but the number of defined breed dogs presenting dermatophytosis was higher than mongrel dogs. Among feline cases, however, there were a higher number of mongrel cats. The majority of the people and animals in contact with the patients did not report skin lesions. 32,5% of the dogs presented middle intensity itchiness, while in cats itchiness was absent in 77,3% of cases. 69,3% of the animals did not present clinical signs other than dermatological. Mean ages were 4 years in dogs and 3 years in cats. There was no statistical effect of season in the occurrence of dermatophytosis. Among animals submitted to Wood lamp evaluation, 40,9% of the dogs and 33,3% of the cats were positive for dermatophytes. Most dogs had generalized lesions, while the majority of cats presented focal lesions. The most common lesions observed were: alopecia, crusts and erythema.

Canine Subcutaneous Mast Cell Tumors: Cellular Proliferation and KIT Expression as Prognostic Indices

Molecular assays are widely used to prognosticate canine cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCT). There is limited information about these prognostic assays used on MCT that arise in the subcutis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the utility of KIT immunohistochemical labeling pattern, c-KIT mutational status (presence of internal tandem duplications in exon 11), and proliferation markers-including mitotic index, Ki67, and argyrophilic nucleolar organizing regions (AgNOR)-as independent prognostic markers for local recurrence and/or metastasis in canine subcutaneous MCT. A case-control design was used to analyze 60 subcutaneous MCT from 60 dogs, consisting of 24 dogs with subsequent local recurrence and 12 dogs with metastasis, as compared to dogs matched by breed, age, and sex with subcutaneous MCT that did not experience these events. Mitotic index, Ki67, the combination of Ki67 and AgNOR, and KIT cellular localization pattern were significantly associated with local recurrence and metastasis, thereby demonstrating their prognostic value for subcutaneous MCT. No internal tandem duplication mutations were detected in exon 11 of c-KIT in any tumors. Because c-KIT mutations have been demonstrated in only 20 to 30% of cutaneous MCT and primarily in tumors of higher grade, the number of subcutaneous MCT analyzed in this study may be insufficient to draw conclusions on the role c-KIT mutations in these tumors.

Epidemiology, clinical signs, histopathology and molecular characterization of canine leproid granuloma: a retrospective study of cases from Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Malignant mammary tumor in female dogs: environmental contaminants

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Incidência das dermatopatias auto-imunes em cães e gatos e estudo retrospectivo de 40 casos de lupus eritematoso discóide atendidos no serviço de dermatologia da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da UNESP – Botucatu

The objectives of this study were to do a survey of the autoimmune skin diseases and update the records regarding the occurrence of discoid lupus erythematosus in canine and feline populations attended at the Dermatology Service of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of UNESP - Botucatu, including species, gender, breed, age, location and characteristic of the lesions. Results have shown that the order of occurrence, regarding the number of cases of autoimmune skin diseases in the animals attended by the Dermatology Service in the period from 1988 to 2007 was: discoid lupus erythematosus, pemphigus folliaceus, uveo-dermatologic syndrome, pemphigus vulgaris, systemic lupus erythematosus, necrolytic migratory erythema, multiforme erythema and plasmacytic pododermatitis. All the animals with discoid lupus erythematosus were dogs and most of them were mongrel females. More frequently breeds affected by discoid lupus erythematosus were german shepherd and akita and the mean age was 56 months. Most lesions were located in nasal planum, narines and periocular area and were characterized by crusting, depigmentation and erythema.

Facial paralysis associated to hypothyroidism in a dog

The hypothyroidism is the most commonly endocrinopathy in dogs, that occurs preferentially in middle-aged pure breed. The clinical signs associated with hypothyroidism are variable, many times non-specific, including metabolical, dermatological or cardiovascular. The main laboratorial findings are non-regenerative anemia and hypercholesterolemia. Hyponatremia, increase on alanine transferase and alkaline phosphatase activity also can be observed in a lower frequency. There are some reports of peripheral neuropathies caused by hypothyroidism, but the pathophysiology of this process is still unknown. There are specific diagnostic tests that can be used to help diagnose hypothyroidism, and those should be aligned together with the animal's clinical symptoms. The thyroxine stimulating hormone, and free and total thyroxine concentrations are the most used tests. A Pit Bull dog, female, over weighted, was treated presenting left facial paralysis. Thyroid function tests confirmed hypothyroidism. The animal was treated with hormonal replacement and there was improvement in clinical signs in 40 days, confirming that hypothyroidism was facial paralysis' cause.

Toxoplasmose em ovinos e caprinos: estudo soroepidemiológico em duas regiões do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil

Com o objetivo de comparar variáveis epidemiológicas na toxoplasmose em ovinos e caprinos, amostras de soro de animais de propriedades localizadas em duas regiões do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil, foram testadas pela reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI) para detecção de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii. Dos 173 soros ovinos testados, em 35,3% foram encontrados resultados positivos, enquanto 40,4% dos 213 soros caprinos foram positivos à RIFI. em ovinos, associações significativas foram encontradas para sexo e raça, mas não para região, tipo de manejo ou falha reprodutiva. Os resultados da RIFI para os caprinos foram significativamente associados ao sexo, raça, região, tipo de manejo e de exploração, mas não com a ocorrência de falhas reprodutivas.