Acute kidney injury in cats following subcutaneous administration of meloxicam
Matthew Wun and others, Veterinary Specialist Services, Underwood, Queensland
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a valuable treatment for pain and inflammation in feline patients. However, kidney damage has been identified as a potential consequence of using Cox-1 and Cox-2 NSAIDs. The authors examined the medical records of cats which developed acute kidney injury following subcutaneous administration of meloxicam. They found 18 cases where kidney damage occurred following the use of injectable meloxicam for surgery-related analgesia. They urge colleagues to avoid using the injectable agent in cats, particularly if the patient may be dehydrated or hypotensive.
However, these findings were challenged in a subsequent letter to the editor, signed by Wendy Goodwin of the University of Queensland and others. They argue that while kidney injury in cats following NSAID administration has been an issue in the past, adherence to contemporary clinical guidelines will minimise risks from using these agents.
Australian Veterinary Journal, 101, 90-98; 411-412; 413-416
Pseudomembranous cystitis in cats with presumed or confirmed mineralisation
Olivier Labelle and others, University of Montreal, Quebec
Pseudomembranous cystitis is a rare clinical condition wherein false membranes consisting of a layer of exudate (containing necrotic cells, blood, inflammatory cells, etc) form on a haemorrhagic and ulcerated bladder mucosal surface. The condition has been associated in male cats with urethral obstruction. The authors describe the clinical findings in 26 cats, all of which were male, 21 of which had been diagnosed with urethral obstruction. There was acoustic shadowing on ultrasound examination of 10 cats, which was suggestive of mineralisation. Frequent negative urine culture suggests that the condition has a different aetiology to encrusting cystitis related to urease-positive bacteria. Outcomes were generally good with 20 cats surviving to discharge.
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 37, 1806-1814
Exudative glomerulonephritis associated with canine acute leptospirosis
Monika Hilbe and others, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Suppurative interstitial nephritis and tubular necrosis are the typical kidney pathologies seen in dogs with leptospirosis. Glomerular changes are occasionally present but are usually discrete and non-specific. However, over the past few years, there have been many cases reported of marked glomerular changes in canine leptospirosis cases in Switzerland. The authors examined the records from 50 cases of dogs with exudative glomerulonephritis. All cases showed signs suggestive of leptospirosis and the diagnosis was confirmed in 37 dogs. Leptospirosis should therefore be considered as a potential cause of exudative glomerulonephritis. The pathogenesis of this condition remains unclear, but these findings suggest that a geographically specific serovar may be involved.
Nightly nitrofurantoin in treating recurrent urinary tract infections in dogs
Murray and others, University of Minnesota, St Paul
Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in dogs are uncommon but they do pose a frustrating challenge for practitioners. Nitrofurantoin is recommended as a first-line therapy for acute, uncomplicated bacterial cystitis in women and has been used as a thrice-daily treatment for bacterial cystitis involving multidrug resistant pathogens in veterinary patients. The authors examined its safety and efficacy as a daily prophylactic treatment in dogs with recurrent bladder infections. Although the numbers involved were small (13 cases), this study did show that nightly treatment with nitrofurantoin was well tolerated and may be efficacious as a prophylactic treatment for recurrent UTIs in dogs. Infection with nitrofurantoin-resistant Proteus species was a common cause of treatment failure in this group.
Journal of Small Animal Practice, 64, 477-484
Biological variation in urine and serum analytes in healthy dogs
Anna Selin and others, University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Biochemical analysis of urine is considered a useful diagnostic tool for distinguishing between different forms of kidney disease. However, there is little published data on the natural biological variation in these analytes in healthy dogs. The authors took blood and urine samples from 13 dogs once weekly for eight weeks. Subject variation for most of the urine parameters examined ranged from 12.6 percent to 35.9 percent but there was greater variation for some analytes such as urinary sodium and the urinary sodium/creatinine ratio. Their results demonstrate substantial variation in serum and urine analytes in healthy dogs and indicate those areas where laboratory results should be interpreted with caution.
Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 52, 461-474
Multifactorial causes of anaemia in dogs with chronic kidney disease
Sofia Borin-Crivellenti and others, Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil
Anaemia is a common finding in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is an almost universal feature in advanced-stage disease. Erythropoietic hypo-proliferation appears to be the main cause of the anaemia but evidence from human and canine patients suggests that other factors may also be involved. The authors compared bone marrow cytology and serum biochemistry of 24 dogs with CKD and eight healthy animals. Their results suggest that increased parathyroid hormone and tumour necrosis factor-⍺ levels may contribute to the blood cell changes seen in dogs with CKD-related anaemia. Gastrointestinal blood loss was a contributory factor to anaemia at all stages of the disease.
American Journal of Veterinary Research, 84, 1-6
Urolithiasis in dogs with persistent portosystemic shunts following surgery
Nienke Burger and others, Ghent University, Belgium
Ammonium urate uroliths are a common finding in dogs with portosystemic shunts. There is little data on the effects of successful surgical treatment for these vascular anomalies on the persistence or development of uroliths. Also, it is not known whether unsuccessful surgical interventions, leading to the development of multiple acquired portosystemic shunts (MAPSS), will influence the presence of these uroliths. The authors examined 25 client-owned dogs, 19 of which had successful attenuation procedures and six of which had developed MAPSS. Their findings show that dogs that develop multiple anomalies following surgery are at greater risk of urolithiasis and that existing uroliths do dissolve if the initial surgical treatment is successful.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261, 1337-1344
Ectopic kidney with a renal artery originating from an internal iliac bifurcation
Hana Moserova and others, University of Brno, Czech Republic
Ectopic kidneys have been associated with a broad range of pathologies in human patients, such as a predisposition to hydronephrosis, infection and renal calculi. In dogs, these abnormalities are usually an incidental finding with no apparent clinical significance. The authors identified an ectopic kidney with an aberrant vascular structure in an 18-month-old Akita presented for a routine spay. They conducted ultrasound and CT examinations of the dog and describe a simple unilateral left-sided ectopic kidney with an abnormal left renal artery and an early division of the right-sided renal artery. They suggest that an ectopic kidney is a clinically relevant differential diagnosis in cases of secondary renal displacement or an abdominal mass.
