Results of a retrospective study of 22 dogs with signs of dysuria and/or stranguria in which a diagnosis of idiopathic detrusor-urethral dyssynergia was made are presented. The diagnosis was based on the exclusion of detectable pathological conditions which could also cause urine outflow obstruction. The affected cases were 22 middle-aged male dogs (mean age 4.9 years) of large and giant breeds (mean bodyweight 36.7 kg). Nine dogs had had periodic clinical signs for longer than one year, one for seven months and eight for two to five weeks, while in four dogs signs had begun four to five days before referral. All dogs received the alpha-sympatholytic agent prazosin as an initial treatment and in 11 it remained the only therapy. There was a good effect in seven and a moderate response in the other four dogs. In one dog, prazosin was ineffective and was replaced by diazepam, which markedly reduced the signs. Three other dogs required frequent catheterisation and antibiotics were administered. These dogs responded favourably. Another three dogs with evidence of impaired bladder contractility were also treated with the parasympathomimetic agent carbachol. One did not improve and was euthanased. Four dogs developed bladder paralysis and severe infectious cystitis. Only one of these could be managed satisfactorily by long-term administration of prazosin, carbachol and antibiotics, and the others had to be euthanased.

A transpelvic sling procedure, with or without additional colposuspension, can be useful in the management of dogs with refractory urinary incontinence. The procedure is not beneficial if it does not increase urethral pressure close to, or within, the normal range.

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Xanthine calculi were found in a 7-month-old male Cavalier King Charles spaniel with urethral obstruction and renal insufficiency. Because the only two other reported cases of naturally occurring xanthine urolithiasis concerned a Cavalier King Charles and a King Charles spaniel the urine of the littermates and parents of the patient were also examined for xanthinuria. Semi-quantitative analysis revealed high urine concentrations of hypoxanthine and xanthine in the patient and his female littermate. Quantitative analysis by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the urine samples from the family of this Cavalier King Charles spaniel and nine control dogs revealed that hypoxanthine and xanthine excretion was 30 and 60 times higher in the affected patient and the female littermate than in the others dogs. The pattern of xanthinuria, which is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme xanthine oxidase, in the relation diagram of this family of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels was consistent with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.

Abstract:Background: Reticulocyte hemoglobin content provided by the Siemens ADVIA (CHr) is an established marker of iron deficiency. The IDEXX ProCyte Dx hematology analyzer now provides a similar variable, reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (RET-He). Objectives: The objective was to evaluate RET-He and its diagnostic utility in dogs, and to calculate a cutoff value for diagnosing iron-deficient erythropoiesis (IDE). Furthermore, the prevalence of RET-He values below this cutoff value was established. Methods: One hundred and seventy-one CBCs of healthy dogs were used to establish a RI. Stability of RET-He was evaluated by repeated measurements over 48 hours (n = 10). The 25-run coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated, and correlation and bias between measurements of RET-He and CHr were assessed (n = 190). A cutoff value for diagnosing IDE was calculated. The utility of RET-He in the detection of IDE was evaluated in 123 dogs. The prevalence of low RET-He values was assessed retrospectively in a multicenter study (2012)(2013)(2014) under participation of 7 veterinary clinics. Results: Reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent with an RI of 22.2 to 28.6 pg was statistically stable over 48 hours (P = .10). The CV was 1.8%. A fair correlation (q = 0.74) between RET-He and CHr with a small bias of À0.6 pg was found. The cutoff value for diagnosing IDE was 20.9 pg (sensitivity: 85%; specificity: 99%).