A seven‐month‐old entire male dobermann presented with acute onset neck pain and left thoracic limb lameness. The dog had a similar episode eight weeks before presentation that responded to meloxicam. A cervical spinal epidural abscess secondary to Staphylococcus pseudintermedius bacteraemia was diagnosed following investigations, including MRI of the cervical vertebral column and blood cultures. Treatment with cephalexin, gabapentin and meloxicam was started. The dog was doing clinically well one month later. A control MRI and radiographs of the cervical vertebral column showed evidence of discospondylitis and resolution of the primary lesion, therefore the treatment course with cephalexin was continued. Three months after initial presentation the clinical signs had resolved, radiographs showed improvement of the discospondylitis and antibiotics were stopped. Seven months later the dog continued doing well with no relapse.

Objectives: To assess the utility of the Idexx ProCyte Dx® haematology analyser for assessing total nucleated cell count and differential cell counts in canine cerebrospinal fluid.Materials and MethOds: Seventy-three client-owned dogs undergoing investigations for pyrexia and/or neurological signs were prospectively included. Cerebrospinal fluid samples were assessed using an Idexx ProCyte Dx® analyser and the results were compared to those obtained with the external laboratory reference standard.results: The Idexx ProCyte Dx® performed with good sensitivity (92.6%) and moderate specificity (67.4%) for total nucleated cell count when compared to the reference standard. Qualitative assessment of the Idexx ProCyte Dx® scatter plots, and quantitative assessment of differential cell counts where available, appeared to correlate well with the external laboratory manual differential cell counts, with a good-to-high agreement in 25 of 26 samples (96.2%).clinical significance: The Idexx ProCyte Dx® analyser performed well in determining the total nucleated cell count and differential cell counts in canine cerebrospinal fluid when compared to a reference standard of external laboratory analysis, except for cell counts higher than ~1000/μL. As the Idexx ProCyte Dx® currently only provides a cell count in 10 cells/μL increments, software modification may improve agreement between the two methods. As in human medicine, automated methods may prove useful in the future for cerebrospinal fluid analysis in addition to manual assessment, particularly in an emergency setting.

Canine infective endocarditis is defined as an infection of the endocardium, commonly involving one or more heart valves and leading to proliferative (vegetative) or erosive lesions. Prerequisites for development of infective endocarditis include endocardial damage, formation of a sterile vegetative lesion or coagulum, presence of bacteraemia and microorganism adherence to the coagulum. Predisposing factors include any that may facilitate meeting the prerequisites, including congenital heart disease, extra-oral infections and immunosuppression, amongst others. Large, male, middle-aged and purebred dogs may be overrepresented, in particular Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Boxers and German Shepherd Dogs. Typically caused by bacteria, the most common isolates include Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Gram-negative rods (particularly Escherichia coli) and Bartonella spp. Blood culture can have low sensitivity, with up to 70% of cultures being negative. Bartonella spp. are increasingly being recognised as a cause of culture-negative aortic infective endocarditis. The preferred method of diagnosis in vivo is echocardiography, with a reported sensitivity of 87.5%. The prognosis is guarded despite appropriate treatment, and some negative prognostic factors have been identified.

Immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia is a relatively common condition in dogs, and uncommonly encountered in cats. Prompt and appropriate recognition is paramount to optimal management and improved health outcomes. Currently, no single test has been proven to be definitively diagnostic for immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia. Therefore, a logical and thorough approach is key to achieving an accurate diagnosis.

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