Thirty-one dogs with patellar luxation (grades 2 and 3) were categorized into three groups. Group 1 (G.1; n = 12) had sodium hyaluronate (SHA) intra-articularly injected into the stifle joint that received surgery. Group 2 (G.2; n = 10) received SHA twice: first after surgery and then 1 week later. Group 3 (G.3; n = 9) served as a control, without injection. Blood was collected before injection and then once a week for 4 weeks after injection for evaluation of chondroitin sulfate (CS-WF6) and hyaluronan (HA). The results revealed significantly (p < 0.05) improved clinical scores by the end of week 4 in G.1 and G.2 relative to G.3; however, there was no significant difference between G.1 and G.2. There was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in serum CS-WF6 levels beginning at week 2 in G.1 and G.2. At weeks 3 and 4, serum HA in G.1 and G.2 differed from that in G.3 (p < 0.05). No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in serum biomarkers between G.1 and G.2. In conclusion, intra-articular injection with SHA after joint surgery may improve homeostasis of the joint, retarding the process of OA.

SummaryThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of diacerein (DAR) and DAR combined with chondroitin sulfate (CS) for treatment of canine hip osteoarthritis (OA) in a 6-month clinical trial. Client-owned dogs included in the study consisted of 27 males and 25 females, aged 59.43±17.05 months old and weighing 17.63±5.19 kg. The dogs were randomly divided into five groups: DAR50 (administration of DAR 50 mg daily); DAR100 (DAR 100 mg daily); DAR50/CS (DAR 50 mg + CS 525 mg daily); DAR100/CS (DAR 100 mg + CS 525 mg daily); and CS (CS 525 mg daily). Dogs were re-examined monthly for 6 months after initiation of treatment. The assessment protocol included clinical scores and radiographic findings. Blood samples were collected three times (pre-treatment, and after 3 and 6 months) for evaluation of the serum biomarker, CS-WF6. Dogs treated with DAR showed statistically significant improvements (P<0.05) in lameness, joint mobility, pain on palpation, weight-bearing, and overall clinical score at 3, 6, 5, 4, and 4 months, respectively, after the start of treatment. Side effects, including diarrhea and dark-colored urine, were found in all groups receiving DAR. After the 3 rd month, the level of serum CS-WF6 in the CS group was significantly elevated (P<0.05), while the other four groups showed a significant decrease (P<0.05). The results showed that DAR 50 or 100 mg had a similarly positive therapeutic effect on dogs with osteoarthritis. The use of DAR alone or in combination with CS resulted in decreased degradation of OA cartilage.

A 12-year-old, spayed Yorkshire Terrier dog with a history of progressive abdominal distension was diagnosed with an ovarian sex-cord stromal tumor. Microscopically, the residual ovarian tissue sample was composed of 2 different tumor cell populations: a luteal-like cell and Sertoli cell components. These cells were notably immunopositive for vimentin, inhibin-α and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). On the basis of all findings, the tumor was diagnosed as luteoma and Sertoli cell tumor of the ovary developing from the ovarian remnant tissue.

To assess signalment and outcome for dogs surgically treated for non-flattened femoral sulcus medial patellar luxation with combined soft tissue reconstruction techniques, cranial sartorius desmotomy, medial retinacular fascia release, patellar antirotational suture, and fascia lata overlapping, medical records from January 2006 to December 2015 were reviewed. Information obtained from medical records of cases in the study population included breed, age, sex, weight, type of patellar luxation (unilateral or bilateral), grade of patellar luxation, lameness score record, time of last followup, and time of luxation recurrent. The data were analyzed to determine factors influencing outcomes. Twenty-three dogs from 133 presented recurrent patellar luxation. A total of 12 from the 23 recurrent patellar luxation dogs were bilateral (52%) and 11 (48%) were unilateral. The time of recurrence after surgery varied from 1 month to 79 months. From the medical records as on the day of the study, it was found that the longest time that there was no recurrence in dogs was 10 years. It was found that, among the many factors, only grade 4 patellar luxation was a risk factor of considerable recurrence rate (OR=12.44, P=0.02). These results suggest that the combined four soft tissue reconstruction techniques demonstrated excellent outcome in the treatment of medial patellar luxation (with non-flattened femoral sulcus) in small breed dogs. At the same time, it can be stated that bone reconstruction technique is not always necessary. Keywords ÖzetDüzleşmemiş femoral sulkus medial patella lukzasyonu kombine yumuşak doku rekonstrüksiyon teknikleri olan, kranial sartorius desmotomi, medial retinakular fasyanın serbestleştirilmesi, patella antirotasyonal dikiş ve fasia lata üstüste getirme ile tedavi edilen köpeklerin durumlarını ve elde edilen sonuçları değerlendirmek amacıyla, Ocak 2006 ile Aralık 2015 tarihleri arasındaki hasta raporları gözden geçirildi. Çalışmadaki olguların raporlarından elde edilen bilgiler ırk, yaş, cinsiyet, ağırlık, patella lukzasyon tipi (unilateral veya bilateral), patella lukzasyon derecesi, topallık skoru, son takip zamanı ve lukzasyon tekrarlama zamanı bilgilerini içerdi. Sonuçları etkileyen faktörleri belirlemek amacıyla veriler analiz edildi. Toplam 133 köpekten 23'ünde tekrarlayan patella lukzasyonu bulunmaktaydı. Bu olguların 12'si (%52) bilateral ve 11'i (%48) unilateral karakterdeydi. Operasyon sonrası tekrarlama zamanı 1 ay ile 79 ay arasında değişti. Çalışmanın yapıldığı zaman itibariyle tekrarlama görülmeyen en uzun zaman 10 yıl olarak belirlendi. Birçok faktör arasından sadece 4. derece patella lukzasyonu tekrarlama oranı (OR=12.44, P=0.02) için risk faktörü oluşturmaktaydı. Bu sonuçlar kombine olarak dört yumuşak doku rekonstrüksiyon tekniğinin küçük cüsseli köpeklerde medial patella lukzasyon (düzleşmemiş femoral sulkuslu) tedavisinde mükemmel sonuç gösterdiğini belirtmektedir. Ayrıca, kemik rekonstrüksiyon tekniğinin her zaman gerekli olmadığı söylenebilir.