Mortality from North American crotalid envenomation is generally rare and is influenced by several variables, including the amount of venom injected, the size and species of snake, the size of the victim, the location of the bite, time elapsed until treatment, and the therapy initiated. Mortality rates range from 1% to 30%.
Background
French Bulldogs develop a form of granulomatous colitis (GC) with histopathological resemblance to GC of Boxer dogs (GCB). GCB is associated with mucosally invasive Escherichia coli whose eradication correlates with clinical remission.
Hypothesis/Objectives
To characterize the clinical and histopathological features, presence or absence of invasive colonic bacteria, and response to fluoroquinolones in French Bulldogs with GC.
Animals
A total of 6 French Bulldogs with a histological diagnosis of GC.
Methods
Retrospective study of medical records. Bacterial colonization was evaluated using 16S rRNA probes for eubacteria and E. coli. Biopsy specimens from 3 dogs were cultured for bacteria. Clinical response to fluoroquinolone antimicrobials was determined.
Results
All dogs were ≤1 year of age with hematochezia that was refractory to empirical therapy. Clinicopathologic and fecal analysis did not reveal abnormalities. Abdominal ultrasound revealed patchy thickening of the colon in 4/5 dogs and regional lymphadenopathy in 5/5. Colonoscopic abnormalities included irregularly thickened and ulcerated mucosa, hyperemia, and overt bleeding in 4/6 cases. Multifocal accumulations of PAS‐positive macrophages and intramucosal E. coli were present in colonic biopsies of all 6 dogs. Administration of enrofloxacin (5/6) or marbofloxacin (1/6) at 4.4–10 mg/kg (median 10 mg/kg) PO q24h for 6–10 weeks was associated with clinical improvement within 5–14 days. All dogs remained in remission over a 3–30 month follow‐up period.
Conclusions
Granulomatous colitis in young French Bulldogs is associated with the presence of invasive E. coli and closely parallels GCB. Treatment with fluoroquinolone antimicrobials can induce lasting clinical remission.
Endoscopic-assisted argon plasma coagulation treatment is a novel treatment for dogs with colonic vascular ectasia and provided long-term resolution of clinical signs for the dog of this report. In human patients, complications associated with endoscopic-assisted argon plasma coagulation treatment include colonic perforation, which also occurred in the dog of this report.
A hypocoagulable TEG tracing, particularly a decreased G value and MA, is associated with an increased mortality in crotaline snake envenomation. G and MA also demonstrate a significant increase over treatment time.
Westerdykella spp are filamentous hyphal organisms from the family Sporomiaceae and had not previously been reported to cause infections in dogs. Fungal PCR assay and antifungal susceptibility testing may be useful for a patient with a suspected fungal infection that does not respond to empirical treatment or when traditional culture methods for fungal identification are unsuccessful. Westerdykella spp should be considered as a possible etiologic agent when systemic mycosis is diagnosed.
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