In this prospective study, feces of dogs with diarrhea were compared with feces of normal dogs for the presence of Clostridium difficile, C difficile toxins A and B, C perfringens, and C perfringens enterotoxin (CPE). C difficile toxins A, B, or both were present in feces of 18 of 87 (21%) dogs with diarrhea and 4 of 55 (7%) normal dogs (P 0.03), whereas CPE was present in the feces of 24 of 87 (28%) dogs with diarrhea and 3 of 55 (5%) normal dogs (P 0.01). C difficile was isolated from 2 of 87 (2%) dogs with diarrhea but was not isolated from the feces of 55 normal dogs, possibly because of poor survival of the organism in fecal samples. C perfringens was isolated from the feces of 23 of 24 (96%) CPE-positive dogs with diarrhea, 52 of 63 (83%) CPE-negative dogs with diarrhea, and 39 of 55 (71%) CPE-negative dogs with normal feces. No correlation was found between C perfringens spore number and the presence of CPE.

In this prospective study, feces of dogs with diarrhea were compared with feces of normal dogs for the presence of Clostridium difficile, C difficile toxins A and B, C perfringens, and C perfringens enterotoxin (CPE). C difficile toxins A, B, or both were present in feces of 18 of 87 (21%) dogs with diarrhea and 4 of 55 (7%) normal dogs (P ϭ 0.03), whereas CPE was present in the feces of 24 of 87 (28%) dogs with diarrhea and 3 of 55 (5%) normal dogs (P ϭ 0.01). C difficile was isolated from 2 of 87 (2%) dogs with diarrhea but was not isolated from the feces of 55 normal dogs, possibly because of poor survival of the organism in fecal samples. C perfringens was isolated from the feces of 23 of 24 (96%) CPE-positive dogs with diarrhea, 52 of 63 (83%) CPE-negative dogs with diarrhea, and 39 of 55 (71%) CPE-negative dogs with normal feces. No correlation was found between C perfringens spore number and the presence of CPE.

Magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite) is one of the most common minerals found in feline uroliths. Previous studies have shown the efficacy of acidifying calculolytic diets (inducing urine pH ,6·5), in dissolving struvite stones in cats. Recent work in our laboratory found that wet and dry test diets induce a struvite urinary relative supersaturation (RSS) , 1 and that the urine of healthy cats fed the dry test diet dissolved feline struvite stones in vitro. The objective of the present study was to demonstrate the efficacy of those test diets on naturally occurring struvite urocystoliths in cats. A total of twenty-one cats were used, of which seventeen completed the study. Of the seventeen cats, eight were fed the wet test diet and nine the dry test diet. Uroliths dissolved in a median of 18 (10-55) d. In the remaining four cats, uroliths failed to dissolve and were removed surgically. Quantitative analysis showed that these uroliths contained either calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate. The present study demonstrates that diets that induce a struvite RSS , 1 result in struvite stone dissolution in vivo.Key words: Feline: Dissolution: Struvite: Relative supersaturationIn cats, the majority of uroliths found in the bladder are composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite) or calcium oxalate (1 -3) . Surveys on the prevalence of struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths in stone laboratories worldwide indicate that the occurrence of those two stones represents approximately 95 % of submissions. Struvite and calcium oxalate are more or less equally represented, with a slight advantage to one of them depending on the country (1 -8) .The most important risk factors for struvite formation are urinary pH and urine dilution, which will affect the concentrations of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate (4) . Contributing factors to struvite uroliths in cats may include periods of inclement weather in which cats tend to remain indoors for prolonged periods of time, inactivity, and feeding of low moisture, non-acidifying dry cat foods (9) . In a retrospective case -control study, diets with high Mg, P, Ca, Cl and fibre, moderate protein and low fat content were associated with increased risk (10) . Previous studies have shown the efficacy of canned (11,12) and dry (12) urine-acidifying diets in dissolving feline struvite stones. A study in our laboratory has found that the urine of healthy cats fed a dry-extruded diet, formulated to generate a urinary struvite relative supersaturation (RSS) ,1, dissolved feline struvite uroliths in vitro (13) . Therefore, the present study was undertaken to confirm that diets inducing struvite RSS ,1 and effective in dissolving struvite stones in vitro were also effective in dissolving naturally occurring struvite stones in vivo. Materials and methodsCats were recruited from veterinary hospitals across Canada. They entered the study on the basis of clinical signs of lower urinary tract disease including, but not limited to, haematuria, stranguria, pollakiuria, inappropriate ...

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Two adult cats from the same household developed acute diarrhea. Clostridium difficile toxins were detected in the feces of both cats, whereas other recognized causes of diarrhea were not identified. Supportive medical treatment and metronidazole were administered and both cats responded well. A fecal sample obtained from 1 of the affected cats after treatment and a fecal sample obtained from a clinically normal cat in the household did not contain C difficile toxins. The role of C difficile in enteric disease in cats has not been extensively studied and is unclear; however, our findings suggest that toxigenic strains of C difficile may cause diarrhea in cats.