Rationale Methamphetamine (mAMPH) administration in animals can lead to a variety of cognitive and behavioral deficits. We previously reported non-acute reversal learning impairments after a single-day administration of mAMPH, providing evidence of this drug’s selective effects on inhibitory control. Effortful decision-making (i.e., how much effort to invest in rewards) is an aspect of cognition that has not yet been explored after mAMPH. Objectives Given that frontostriatal circuitry mediating this type of choice is vulnerable to the effects of mAMPH, we tested the hypothesis that mAMPH may also affect decision-making involving effort, another form of cognitive flexibility. Methods We examined the non-acute effects of an experimenter-administered single day of mAMPH on effort discounting. In this task, rats previously treated with mAMPH or saline (SAL) could select a high reward at the cost of climbing over a tall barrier or a low reward with no barrier impeding its procurement. Results Following treatment, mAMPH rats were more work-averse than SAL rats. A control task showed there were no treatment group differences when the high and low rewards involved equal work: all rats chose the high reward preferentially. There were no significant treatment group differences in [125I]RTI-55 binding to dopamine and serotonin transporters (DAT, SERT) in any of the regions assayed; however, there were significant correlations of accumbens DAT and cingulate SERT with post-treatment performance. Conclusions These findings suggest that even modest dose mAMPH exposure has long-lasting effects on effortful decision-making and may do so through influences on forebrain monoaminergic systems.

Background Urine cultures are frequently recommended to rule out infection as a postrenal cause of proteinuria. Objective Identify characteristics associated with bacterial growth in urine in proteinuric dogs. Animals Four hundred and fifty‐one dogs admitted to a teaching hospital between January 2008 and January 2018 with urine protein‐to‐creatinine ratios (UPCs) >0.5. Methods Retrospective study included dogs with a UPC, urinalysis, and quantitative urine culture (QUC) performed within a 72‐hour period by searching electronic records. Dogs with recent antimicrobial therapy, urine collected by methods other than cystocentesis, or UPC ≤0.5 were excluded. Signalment, comorbidities, serum BUN and creatinine concentrations, urinalysis findings, and QUC results were recorded. The association between these characteristics and presence of bacterial growth in urine was assessed by univariable and multivariable analysis. Results Thirty of four hundred fifty‐one dogs (6.7%) had bacterial growth in urine. Of these, 18 (60.0%) had active urine sediment. Bacterial growth in urine was associated with pyuria (odd ratio [OR] 25.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.9‐79.6, P < .001), bacteriuria (OR 11.1, 95% CI 3.2‐39.1, P < .001), and lower urinary tract disease (OR 6.7, 95% CI 1.9‐23.0; P = .0028). If QUC was prompted based on these criteria, 8/451 (1.8%) of proteinuric dogs would have had undetected bacterial growth. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The proportion of proteinuric dogs with both inactive urine sediment and bacterial growth in urine was low, suggesting that QUC might not be necessary in the evaluation of all proteinuric dogs. An active urine sediment or lower urinary tract disease should prompt QUC for proteinuric dogs.