BackgroundA multi-centre field trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of afoxolaner based chewables (NexGard® or NexGard Spectra®) for the treatment of generalised demodicosis caused by Demodex canis in dogs under field conditions in France, Italy and Poland.MethodsClient-owned dogs, diagnosed positive for Demodex mites by pre-treatment skin scrapings and presenting clinical signs of generalised demodicosis were included. Dogs were orally treated with afoxolaner three times at monthly intervals. Of the 50 dogs enrolled, 48 completed the whole study. Efficacy of the treatments was assessed monthly by Demodex mite counts and physical examination with special regard to the severity and extension of skin lesions.ResultsTreatments were well tolerated in all dogs and resulted in a rapid reduction of mites, with all post-treatment mite counts significantly lower than baseline. The number of mites was reduced by 87.6%, 96.5% and 98.1% on Days 28, 56 and 84, respectively. In addition, the skin lesion severity and extent scores as well as the pruritus were all significantly lower at all post-treatment visits compared to the pre-treatment assessment.ConclusionsThis clinical field study demonstrated that monthly administrations of afoxolaner in NexGard® or NexGard Spectra®, offered a convenient and reliable solution for the treatment of canine generalised demodicosis.

Apart from the HH equation, the acid-base balance of an organism is also described by the Stewart model, which assumes that the proper insight into the ABB of the organism is given by an analysis of: pCO 2 , the difference of concentrations of strong cations and anions in the blood serum -SID, and the total concentration of nonvolatile weak acids -Acid total. The notion of an anion gap (AG), or the apparent lack of ions, is closely related to the acid-base balance described according to the HH equation. Its value mainly consists of negatively charged proteins, phosphates, and sulphates in blood. In the human medicine, a modified anion gap is used, which, including the concentration of the protein buffer of blood, is, in fact, the combination of the apparent lack of ions derived from the classic model and the Stewart model. In brachycephalic dogs, respiratory acidosis often occurs, which is caused by an overgrowth of the soft palate, making it impossible for a free air flow and causing an increase in pCO 2 -carbonic acid anhydride The aim of the present paper was an attempt to answer the question whether, in the case of systemic respiratory acidosis, changes in the concentration of buffering ions can also be seen. The study was carried out on 60 adult dogs of boxer breed in which, on the basis of the results of endoscopic examination, a strong overgrowth of the soft palate requiring a surgical correction was found. For each dog, the value of the anion gap before and after the palate . The values of AG calculated for the dogs before and after the procedure fell within the limits of the reference values and did not differ significantly whereas the values of AG m calculated for the dogs before and after the procedure differed from each other significantly. Conclusions: 1) On the basis of the values of AG m obtained it should be stated that in spite of finding respiratory acidosis in the examined dogs, changes in ion concentration can also be seen, which, according to the Stewart theory, compensate metabolic ABB disorders 2) In spite of the fact that all the values used for calculation of AG m were within the limits of reference values, the values of AG m in dogs before and after the soft palate correction procedure differed from each other significantly, which proves high sensitivity and usefulness of the AG m calculation as a diagnostic method.

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most frequent allergic diseases in dogs. There are many methods of treating its symptoms but specific immunotherapy has recently gained high popularity. Before the application of specific immunotherapy, it is necessary to identify the allergens provoking the reaction of hypersensitivity in the selected animal. This raises a question about the method of allergen identification the medical practitioner decides to use in order to obtain the most credible result. The authors of the present study decided to compare the results of intradermal allergic tests and the results of an IgE screening test carried out using the Fc ε RIα receptor method. The aim of the study was to compare the results of both tests directed to dust and storage mites. The study proves that in case of the IgE screening tests (for a group of allergens), the sensitivity is quite high (85 to 90.69%) but the specificity of these tests is insufficient (25 to 50%). In case of antibodies for the selected mites the sensitivity and specificity was too low (65.1 to 89.4% for the sensitivity, with only 14.2 to 33.3% for the specificity). Only in case of D. petronyssinus the results were higher with the sensitivity calculated at 65.1% and the specificity at 80%. The IgE screening test carried out using the Fc ε RIα receptor method is reliable only in case of screening test for mites and the intradermal allergic test remains the gold standard for allergy testing.

The aim of the study was to estimate the usefulness of measuring the thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb s ) concentration in dogs' serum in order to assess thyroid functioning. The study was performed on 383 dogs. The animals were divided into two groups: group A (n = 308) consisted of dogs with hypothyroidism and group B (n = 75) consisted of dogs with euthyreosis. TgAb s was determined in both groups. The reaction to the TgAb s in group A was strongly positive in 32% of dogs, weakly positive in 33% of dogs, and negative in 35% of dogs. The TgAb s were observed in 32% of the dogs from group B, in which 8% of the animals had strongly positive reaction (++) and 24% -slightly positive (+). The correlation between the concentration of total and free fraction of the thyroxin and the level of the TgAb s were observed in group A. The tendency to positive reaction to the antibodies (++) in dogs with lower concentrations of total thyroxine and free thyroxine was observed. It was noted that the presence of the TgAb s was common in dogs with hypothyroidism. However, it could be also found in the animals with euthyreosis.

This study aimed to assess the biophysical parameters of the skin in Polish Konik horses (Polish primitive horses). According to the authors, this is the first assessment performed on such a wide scale in this group of animals. The evaluation carried out is innovative both with regards to the breed of the animals and the wide scope of the physicochemical skin assessment. The study group comprised mares, stallions and geldings, and the evaluations concerned transepidermal water loss, corneometry, pH, skin temperature assessment and mexametry. These parameters were assessed in five skin regions: the lips, the right ear, the prosternum, the right side of the neck and the chest. The measurements were taken after spreading the hair apart, with the use of a Multiprobe Adapter System (MPA®) and dedicated probes (Courage + Khazaka electronic GmbH, Cologne, Germany). The measurements revealed statistically significant differences in the values of transepidermal water loss in the lips in mares compared with stallions (P = 0.023) and also in stallions compared with geldings (P = 0.009). Corneometry showed significantly higher results in the neck region in mares compared with stallions (P = 0.037) and the prosternum areas in mares and geldings compared with stallions (P = 0.037 and P = 0.018). Skin pH measurement on the right side of the neck rendered significantly higher values in stallions than in mares (P = 0.037). In geldings, the skin temperature was significantly higher than in stallions (P = 0.049). Once the appropriate physicochemical values for specific animal species and breeds are determined, non-invasive methods of skin examination in many diseases and also methods of evaluation of the efficacy and/or adverse effects of applied medications can be established.

The aim of the study was to analyse the influence of enrofloxacin and pradofloxacin administered orally for 14 days on the ECG in dogs. The ECG was performed before and after a 14 day period of quinolone administration. There was an increase in the QTc and the TpTe interval in the group treated with quinolones. QTc was prolonged by 24 ms (p=0.001). The TpTe interval was shortened, on average, by 6.55 ms (p=0.048). In the group treated with enrofloxacin, QTc was prolonged by 16.27 ms (p=0.006) and the TpTe interval was shortened by 9.64 ms (p=0.050), the TpTe/QT index was reduced by 0.034 (p=0.050) on average. In dogs treated with pradofloxacin, QTc was prolonged by 21.55 ms (p=0.012) on average. The results suggest that a prolonged administration of quinolones can increase the risk of arrhythmias. Furthermore, different generations of these drugs increase this risk to various degrees. The study proved that second generation quinolones, such as enrofloxacin, significantly change the phase of depolarization and repolarization of the ventricles, at the same time increasing the risk of ventricular arrythmia. Pradofloxacin does not change the TpTe and TpTe/QT values, so it is safer in use.

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Background Chronic wounds constitute a significant medical and social problem. Chronic wound treatment may be supported by various techniques, such as negative pressure therapy, phototherapy or stem cells therapy, yet most of those supporting therapies need more evidence to be used for standard wound care. Current study covers the use of sonicated Antlerogenic Stem Cells (ASC) extract on chronic wounds. Methods Study was performed on 20 dermatological patients with venous leg ulcers, divided into two groups – treated with and without ASC extract respectively. The area and circumference of the wounds during the follow-up visits were measured on the wound imprint. Dynamics of wound healing was determined and compared between control and study group; statistics includes changes in absolute values (wound area, circumference), as well as relative (percentage of wound decrease, circumference/area ratio) and their change in time. For the purpose of Ki-67 immunohistochemical staining, sections were sampled from the wound edge at distinct check-points during therapy. Results of both groups were compared with Student test or Mann-Whitney test, depending on results distribution. Results Besides Ki-67 expression, all tested wound healing parameters (including relative and absolute wound decrease and changes in circumference/area ratio) were statistically significant more favorable in experimental group. Conclusion ASC extract significantly supported standard chronic wound treatment. Due to small population of study the results should be considered preliminary, yet promising for further research.