BackgroundIndoor air pollution (IAP) leads to important respiratory morbidity and mortality in humans. Companion dogs and cats share the same household environment with their owners and are exposed to IAP.HypothesisPets with respiratory disease are more commonly exposed to indoor air pollutants in their homes and to worse air quality than pets without respiratory disease.AnimalsThree hundred and forty‐eight animals (230 dogs and 118 cats) were recruited.MethodsDogs and cats attending the National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital were prospectively enrolled over a 12‐month period. Questionnaires were collected from pet owners regarding the status of signs of respiratory problem of animals and air pollutants in their homes. Clinical assessment was performed by veterinarians on all animals included in the case‐control study and the presence/absence of respiratory disease and diagnoses were recorded. Individual exposure to particulate matter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) was estimated in the domestic microenvironment of the animals.ResultsDogs with respiratory disease were more commonly exposed to incense burning than control dogs (30 versus 13%, P = .045), but household PM2.5 level was not different between dogs with and without respiratory disease [median 30.8 μg/m3, range 10.8‐214.2 versus median 38.2 μg/m3, range 5.4‐69.4, P = .57]. Signalment factors (age, body weight, and body condition score) instead of IAP factors were associated with respiratory disease in dogs using multivariable logistic regression. In contrast, household PM2.5 level was significantly higher in cats with respiratory disease than in control cats [median 38.6 μg/m3, range 17.8‐131.2 versus median 27.4 μg/m3, range 15.4‐70.0, P = .017]. Cats living in households with PM2.5 > 35 μg/m3 were more likely to have respiratory disease than those living in households with acceptable levels of PM2.5 (OR = 4.13, 95% CI 1.12‐15.27, P = .03).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThe link between IAP and respiratory disease in dogs is complicated. An unacceptable level of household PM2.5 (>35 μg/m3) is significantly associated with respiratory disease in cats. The effect of IAP on the respiratory health of companion animals warrants further attention.

Visual inspection for BWBP waveforms in real time can reliably identify stable breathing signals in client-owned cats. The obtained results were significantly different when the SVI method was used in addition to AE. In the interpretation of BWBP parameters or comparison of measurements among studies, whether an SVI methodology was applied should be considered.

Chest ultrasonography has become an indispensable tool for pulmonary specialists in human medicine, but its current use in dogs and cats is primarily for emergency. The diagnostic performances of various ultrasonographic features other than comet-tail artifacts are of limited information in veterinary literatures. Therefore, the aims of this retrospective study were to investigate ultrasonographic findings in feline and canine respiratory patients with lung parenchymal and pleural space diseases, and to assess how ultrasonographic features correspond to specific diagnoses. Sixty-five non-emergency cases with radiographically identified lung parenchymal and pleural space abnormalities were included. Medical records and ultrasound video clips were reviewed, and additional follow-up information was subsequently collected. Common findings such as comet-tail artifacts (87.7% of cases), consolidation (84.6%), and thickened/irregular pleura (69.2%) were not distinguishable for a specific diagnosis. The presence of nodular/mass-like lesion (OR = 212, p < 0.001) and consolidated lesion with heteroechogenicity (OR = 240, p < 0.001) was significantly associated with and strongly predictive of neoplasia after age, body weight and other sonographic findings were adjusted. The finding of nodular/mass-like lesion has the best diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.93) for neoplasia, with sensitivity of 91.7% and specificity of 93.6%. For predicting a diagnosis of pneumonia, although several sonographic features were found to be statistically associated with pneumonia, only a negative finding of nodular/mass-like lesion showed good diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.83, sensitivity 95.7%, specificity 71%). These findings demonstrate the value of chest ultrasonography in predicting diagnosis in non-emergency cases. The application of thoracic ultrasound in small animal respiratory patients as part of non-invasive assessment warrants further investigation.

Background Indoor air pollution (IAP) is an emerging issue for both human and veterinary patients under the concept of ‘One Health’. The association between IAP and respiratory disease in companion animals has been reported. Objectives The present study investigated the relationship between quantifiable indoor air quality and clinical characteristics of naturally acquired bronchial/lung disease in pet dogs and cats. Methods A total of 36 clinical cases (20 dogs and 16 cats) with naturally acquired bronchial/lung disease were prospectively recruited. Lower airway samples were collected and analysed, and clinical signs and the information from pulmonary function testing were examined. Indoor air quality was estimated by the average concentration of particles measuring ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5, μg/m 3 ) and volatile organic compounds (VOC, ppm) in the animals’ domestic microenvironments. Results Exposure to IAP was not found to be correlated with the severity of clinical signs, pulmonary function changes or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology in cats with bronchial/lung disease. However, a hypercellular response in canine lower airways was found to be associated with poor indoor air quality, including unacceptable indoor PM2.5 levels (>35 μg/m 3 ) or increases in VOC concentration (>1 ppm) in places most commonly frequented by the dogs in the home. Conclusions Poor indoor air quality may exacerbate airway disease in pets and should not be ignored in modern society.

A 3 -year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was evaluated because of an acute onset of intermittently increased respiratory effort, open-mouth breathing and cough. Physical examination revealed no specific findings on auscultation, but tachypnea and laboured breathing were observed. Atelectasis of the right lung was suspected because of rightward mediastinal shift observed on thoracic radiographs ( Fig 1 A ). The cranial displacement of the right diaphragmatic crus also suggested right lung volume reduction. Thoracic CT revealed an abnormally small right lung that was well-aerated without atelectasis ( Fig 1 B ). Conventional contrast-enhanced CT ( Fig 1 C ) and three-dimensional volume rendering images ( Fig 1 D ) revealed absence of the right branch of the pulmonary artery.Congenital absence of the right pulmonary artery, which embryologically originates from the right sixth aortic arch, is seldom reported in the veterinary literature. In similarly affected humans, most patients have a relatively benign clinical course and are commonly unrecognised until adulthood. The clinical signs of unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery (UAPA) can be variable, including recurrent pulmonary infection, respiratory distress on exertion, exercise intolerance, haemoptysis or other signs associated with pulmonary hypertension.The cat's respiratory signs diminished after two weeks' treatment with enrofloxacin and metronidazole, leading to the suspicion of superimposed infection. Frequent respiratory infections have been reported in 37 to 40% of human patients with UAPA.