BackgroundThe clinicopathologic aspects of pyelonephritis have not been reported in companion animals.Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo evaluate the prevalence of pyelonephritis diagnosed in dogs in a academic referral population, describe the clinical signs and the diagnostic test results in dogs with pyelonephritis, and identify concurrent disorders in order to determine potential risk factors for pyelonephritis.AnimalsForty‐seven dogs with a histopathologic diagnosis of pyelonephritis from the teaching hospitals of three Canadian veterinary colleges.MethodsRetrospective case series. Review of medical records and renal histologic sections.ResultsPyelonephritis was diagnosed in 0.4–1.3% of the cases at necropsy. Clinical signs included anorexia or inappetence (n = 27, 57%), lethargy (n = 24, 51%), vomiting (n = 17, 36%), and dehydration (n = 12, 25%). Thirty‐five dogs (75%) had concomitant disease(s). Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen isolated (37%). Pyelonephritis was classified as acute (n = 12, 26%), subacute (n = 9, 19%), and chronic (n = 26, 55%) disease; and mild (n = 7, 15%), moderate (n = 11, 24%), and severe (n = 28, 61%). Fever was significantly associated with histopathologically subacute pyelonephritis (P = 0.01).ConclusionsIn referral hospitals, pyelonephritis has a very low prevalence at necropsy. Nonspecific clinical presentation, concomitant diseases, and high variability in the diagnostic tests results make the antemortem diagnosis of pyelonephritis challenging. Neither the histopathologic stage nor the severity of the pyelonephritis was associated with fever, lumbar pain, or signs of a urinary tract infection (ie, lower urinary tract infection, upper urinary tract infection, or both) except for subacute pyelonephritis which was associated with fever.

Objectives Alpha(α)2-agonist administration has been documented to increase blood glucose concentrations in many species. The aim of this study was to further describe the effect of dexmedetomidine on glucose and its regulatory hormones in healthy cats. Methods A randomized crossover study using eight healthy cats with a 14 day washout period was used to assess the effect of dexmedetomidine (10 μg/kg IV) and saline on glucose, cortisol, insulin, glucagon and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations at 0, 20, 60, 120 and 180 mins post-administration. Glucose:insulin ratios were calculated for each time point. Results Within the dexmedetomidine group, significant differences ( P <0.05) were detected: increased median (range) blood glucose concentrations at 60 mins (11.55 mmol/l [5.9–16.6 mmol/l]) and 120 mins (12.0 mmol/l [6.1–13.8 mmol/l]) compared with baseline (6.05 mmol/l [4.8–13.3 mmol/l]); decreased glucagon concentrations at 120 mins (3.8 pmol/l [2.7–8.8 pmol/l]) and 180 mins (4.7 pmol/l [2.1–8.2 pmol/l]) compared with baseline (11.85 pmol/l [8.3–17.2 pmol/l]); decreased NEFA concentrations at 60 mins (0.281 mmol/l [0.041–1.357 mmol/l]) and 120 mins (0.415 mmol/l [0.035–1.356 mmol/l]) compared with baseline (0.937 mmol/l [0.677–1.482 mmol/l]); and significantly larger ( P <0.05) glucose:insulin ratios at 60 mins compared with baseline. Insulin and cortisol concentrations were not significantly changed after dexmedetomidine administration. Conclusions and relevance Feline practitioners should be aware of the endocrine effects associated with the use of α2-agonists, particularly when interpreting blood glucose concentrations. The transient effects of dexmedetomidine on glucose homeostasis are unlikely to significantly affect clinical practice.

Vaccination against infectious diseases is a cornerstone of veterinary medicine in the prevention of disease transmission, illness severity, and often death in animals. In North American equine medicine, equine vaccines protecting against tetanus, rabies, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, and West Nile are core vaccines as these have been classified as having a heightened risk of mortality, infectiousness, and endemic status. Some guidelines differ from the label of vaccines, to improve the protection of patients or to decrease the unnecessary administration to reduce potential side effects. In North America, resources for the equine practitioners are available on the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) website. Conversely, in small companion animals, peer review materials are regularly published in open access journals to guide the vaccination of dogs and cats. The aims of this review are to present how the vaccine guidelines have been established for small companion animals and horses in North America, to review the equine literature to solidify or contrast the current AAEP guidelines of core vaccines, and to suggest future research directions in the equine vaccine field considering small companion animal strategies and the current available resources in equine literature.

Case summary A 5-month-old cat was evaluated for a 3 week history of cough, nasal discharge, decreased appetite and weight loss. Musculoskeletal examination was normal and serum creatine kinase (CK) activity was within the reference interval. The cat was treated during the next 10 months for chronic, persistent pneumonia. Weakness then became apparent, the cat developed dysphagia and was euthanized. Post-mortem evaluation revealed chronic aspiration pneumonia and muscular dystrophy associated with beta (β)-sarcoglycan deficiency. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of a cat with muscular dystrophy presenting for chronic pneumonia without obvious megaesophagus, dysphagia or prominent neuromuscular signs until late in the course of the disease. The absence of gait abnormalities, marked muscle atrophy or hypertrophy and normal serum CK activity delayed the diagnosis in this cat with β-sarcoglycan deficiency.