Background: There is a need for a clinically useful, quantitative index for measurement of disease activity in cats with chronic enteropathy (CE).Objective: To develop a numerical activity index that is of practical value to clinicians treating CE in cats. Animals: Eighty-two cats with CE. Methods: Retrospective case review of 59 cats diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prospective validation study of 23 cats having either IBD or food-responsive enteropathy (FRE). Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify which combination of clinical and laboratory variables were best associated with intestinal inflammation of IBD. This combination of variables was expressed in a score that was used as an activity index for the prospective assessment of disease activity and of the effect of treatment in cats with IBD or FRE.Results: The combination of gastrointestinal signs, endoscopic abnormalities, serum total protein, serum alanine transaminase/alkaline phosphatase activity, and serum phosphorous concentration had the best correlation with histopathologic inflammation and comprise the feline chronic enteropathy activity index (FCEAI). Positive treatment responses in cats with CE were accompanied by significant (P o .05) reductions in FCEAI scores after treatment.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The FCEAI is a simple numerical measure of inflammatory activity in cats with CE. The scoring index can be reliably used in the initial assessment of disease severity for both IBD and FRE and as a measure of clinical response to treatment for these disorders.

Background: Although prednisone and metronidazole are commonly used to treat canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), no randomized-controlled trials have been performed.Hypothesis: Combination drug therapy with prednisone and metronidazole will be more effective than prednisone alone for treatment of canine IBD. Reduction in disease severity will be accompanied by decreased canine IBD activity index (CIBDAI) scores and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations.Animals: Fifty-four pet dogs diagnosed with IBD of varying severity. Methods: Dogs were randomized to receive oral prednisone (1 mg/kg; n 5 25) or prednisone and metronidazole (10 mg/kg; n 5 29) twice daily for 21 days. Clinical (CIBDAI) scores and serum CRP were determined at diagnosis and after 21 days of drug therapy. The primary efficacy measure was remission at 21 days, defined as a 75% or greater reduction in baseline CIBDAI score.Results: Differences between treatments in the rate of remission (both exceeding 80%) or the magnitude of its change over time were not observed. CRP concentrations in prednisone-treated dogs were increased because of many dogs having active disease. Both treatments reduced CRP in comparison with pretreatment concentrations. An interaction between CIBDAI and CRP was identified in 42 of 54 dogs (78%), whereas 8 of 54 dogs (15%) showed disagreement between these indices.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Prednisone is as effective as combined treatment with prednisone and metronidazole for induction therapy of canine IBD. CRP may be normal or increased in dogs with IBD and may be useful in assessing the response of individual dogs to treatment along with changes in the CIBDAI.

Background:The results of studies examining the role of Helicobacter spp. in the pathogenesis of canine and feline gastritis are inconclusive. Furthermore, data evaluating the effectiveness of medical therapy for eradication of Helicobacter infection are limited.Aim: To detect Helicobacter spp. in mucosal biopsies of dogs and cats diagnosed with gastritis, with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).Animals: Three dogs and 2 cats with signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease. Methods: Dogs and cats infected with Helicobacter spp. were treated with triple antimicrobial therapy and fed an elimination diet for 21 days. Helicobacter spp. status in endoscopic (3 dogs, 1 cat) or surgical biopsies (1 cat) of gastric mucosa was compared pre-and posttreatment in each animal by histology, FISH analysis, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Results: Gastritis of varying severity with intraglandular spiral bacteria was observed in all animals. Pretreatment diagnostic tests confirmed the presence of mucosal Helicobacter spp. in all animals by FISH and histopathology and in 4/5 animals by PCR. Rapid resolution of vomiting episodes was observed in all animals. Gastric biopsies performed after triple therapy revealed clearance of visible Helicobacter spp. by histopathology and negative FISH analysis, as well as PCR in all animals.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Application of FISH to routine biopsy specimens enabled rapid and specific identification of Helicobacter spp. within the gastric mucosa of dogs and cats. Although medical therapy was useful in resolution of clinical signs and clearance of visible Helicobacter spp. in gastric biopsies, gastric inflammation persisted.

A six-year-old male castrated domestic long hair feline presented for evaluation of a progressive cutaneous nodular dermatosis and an acute onset of dyspnoea. The patient had an initial skin biopsy performed with a tentative diagnosis of mycobacteriosis; however, acid-fast stains were negative. Thoracic radiographs revealed multifocal, large pulmonary nodules. Aerobic bacterial, fungal and mycobacterial cultures, as well as Histoplasma and Cryptococcus antigen tests, were all negative. Re-evaluation of the biopsy provided a diagnosis of feline progressive dendritic cell histiocytosis. The samples revealed a focally marked to diffuse coalescing superficial to deep perivascular and periadnexal infiltrates of numerous moderately large histiocytic cells. Unfortunately, there is no successful treatment for this disease and the patient was humanely euthanased.

This study investigated changes in locus of control occurring among participants in a workshop designed to eliminate self-defeating behaviors. Experimental (n = 18) and control (n = 18) groups were composed of male and female university students. An analysis of covariance indicated that the treatment group moved significantly more than the control group (p less than .001) on the Rotter I-E Scale, and movement was in the anticipated direction, toward greater internal control. The increased internal control was maintained in a follow-up administration of the I-E Scale four months later. It was concluded that the workshop brought relatively stable changes toward greater perceived internal control. Implications were discussed.