PPV and PVI predicted fluid responsiveness more accurately than CVP and may be useful to guide fluid administration in mechanically ventilated isoflurane-anesthetized dogs after premedication with acepromazine.

compromised gut health and dysbiosis in people with heart failure has received a great deal of attention over the last decade. Whether dogs with heart failure have a similar dysbiosis pattern to what is described in people is currently unknown. We hypothesised that dogs with congestive heart failure have quantifiable dysbiosis compared to healthy dogs that are similar in sex and age. A total of 50 dogs (15 healthy dogs and 35 dogs with congestive heart failure) were prospectively recruited, and their faecal gut microbiome was assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing (Illumina MiSeq platform). There was no significant change in the microbial diversity and richness in dogs with congestive heart failure. However, there was an increase in abundance of proteobacteria in the congestive heart failure group (p = 0.014), particularly due to an increase in the family Enterobacteriaceae (p = 0.002) and Escherichia coli (p = 0.033). We conclude that dogs with congestive heart failure have dysbiosis, and we show additional trends in our data suggesting that dogs may have a similar pattern to that described in people. the results of this study provide useful preliminary information and raise the possibility that dogs represent a clinically relevant animal model of dysbiosis in people with heart failure. The gut microbiota is a consortium of microorganisms in the digestive tract 1. In addition to contributing to digestion, these organisms function as an endocrine organ through the production of bioactive metabolites and modulate the immune system through the translocation of immunomodulatory bacterial products across the intestinal wall 1. In people, alteration in the microbiota, also known as dysbiosis, is recognised in diseases including chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, heart failure and obesity, suggesting involvement of the microbiota in their pathophysiology and progression 1-8. Similar changes in the microbiota have been identified for some of these diseases in veterinary medicine, but not for heart failure to date 9-13. The contribution of the gut microbiota in the development and maintenance of heart failure known as the "gut-hypothesis" details impaired gut health in heart failure patients, resulting in dysbiosis and bacterial translocation across the oedematous mucosal layer 14-16. This results in immune-stimulation via endotoxins, contributing to a chronic inflammatory state, malnutrition and cachexia. While this has been the focus for evaluation of novel therapies in people with advanced heart failure, no such research has been described in veterinary medicine 1,16,17. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common cardiac presentation in dogs, with typical signs comprising severe respiratory distress, due to pulmonary oedema or pleural effusion or abdominal distension due to ascites. Medical management is successful in many cases, but dogs with CHF, particularly those with right sided congestive heart failure (RCHF), are often euthanised due to progressive inappetence and severe cachexia, even when their h...

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in humans, independent of secondary risk factors such as thrombogenic disorders. In dogs, SCD is described in a number of heart diseases, but an association between AF and SCD is unreported.Hypothesis: (a) A higher proportion of dogs with AF will experience SCD, and (b) SCD will be associated with complex ventricular arrhythmias.Animals: One-hundred forty-two dogs with AF, and 127 dogs without AF.Methods: Retrospective, multicenter, case-control study. Dogs included in the AF group were compared to a control group of dogs in sinus rhythm, matched for echocardiographic diagnosis. Descriptive statistics were used to identify proportions of each group suffering SCD, compared using chi-squared testing. Risk factors for SCD in dogs with AF were evaluated at the univariable and multivariable level using binary logistic regression. Significance was P < .05.Results: A significantly higher proportion of dogs with AF suffered SCD than dogs in the control group (14.8% vs 5.5%; P = .01). Younger age at diagnosis, larger left atrial size, and a history of syncope all were independent predictors of SCD in dogs with AF (χ 2 , 16.3; P = .04).

Background: Whether anemic cats and dogs with increased left heart dimensions are at higher risk of transfusion-associated circulatory overload, and the effect of blood transfusion on left heart dimensions in naturally occurring anemia is unknown. Hypothesis/objectives: To evaluate the effect of blood transfusion on left heart dimensions in clinically relevant anemia. Animals: Twenty dogs and 20 cats presenting to a university veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: In this prospective observational study, anemic dogs and cats requiring blood transfusion were included. Packed cell volume (PCV), total solids, and echocardiography were performed before and within 24 hours of blood transfusion. Signalment, bodyweight, disease process, transfusion duration and volume, and prior treatments were recorded. Nonparametric statistics were reported as median [range].

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