BackgroundIntestinal lymphangiectasia (IL), a type of protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), is a dilatation of lymphatic vessels within the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary fat restriction previously has been proposed as an effective treatment for dogs with PLE, but limited objective clinical data are available on the efficacy of this treatment.Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo investigate the clinical efficacy of dietary fat restriction in dogs with IL that were unresponsive to prednisolone treatment or showed relapse of clinical signs and hypoalbuminemia when the prednisolone dosage was decreased.AnimalsTwenty-four dogs with IL.MethodsRetrospective study. Body weight, clinical activity score, and hematologic and biochemical variables were compared before and 1 and 2 months after treatment. Furthermore, the data were compared between the group fed only an ultra low-fat (ULF) diet and the group fed ULF and a low-fat (LF) diet.ResultsNineteen of 24 (79%) dogs responded satisfactorily to dietary fat restriction, and the prednisolone dosage could be decreased. Clinical activity score was significantly decreased after dietary treatment compared with before treatment. In addition, albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration were significantly increased after dietary fat restriction. At 2 months posttreatment, the ALB concentrations in the ULF group were significantly higher than that of the ULF + LF group.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceDietary fat restriction appears to be an effective treatment in dogs with IL that are unresponsive to prednisolone treatment or that have recurrent clinical signs and hypoalbuminemia when the dosage of prednisolone is decreased.

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Various naturally developing tumors in dogs often have inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, which may be 1 of the multiple step-wise genetic changes during tumorigenesis. This study indicates that p53 gene can be a target for gene therapy for tumors in dogs.

ABSTRACT. Plasma thymidine kinase (TK) activity was evaluated as a plasma marker for canine lymphoma and leukemia. A tentative "cutoff" value was set at 6.0 U/l as the upper level of plasma TK based on the mean + 2SD of plasma TK activity in 13 clinically healthy dogs. The levels of plasma TK activity in all of the 20 dogs with lymphoma and leukemia were higher than the cut-off value, whereas those in dogs with lymphoma decreased in parallel with the reduction of the tumor mass after chemotherapy. These findings suggested that estimation of plasma TK activity can be used as a plasma marker for lymphoma and leukemia in the dog. -KEY WORDS: canine, lymphoma, thymidine kinase (TK).