An high level of ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), due to an increased production of oxidant species and/or a decreased efficacy of antioxidant system, can lead to oxidative stress, an emerging health risk factor involved in the aging and in many diseases, including inflammatory, infectious and degenerative disorders, either in humans or in animals. In the last years some assays panels have been developed to globally evaluate the oxidative balance by means of the concomitant assessment of ROS production and antioxidant system capability. In this report, the validation trials of d-ROMs (Reactive Oxygen Metabolites- derived compounds) and BAP (Biological Antioxidant Potential) tests in canine specie are described and also the specific referral ranges are calculated in a Labrador population. The results of linearity, precision and accuracy trials show that both tests exhibit good to excellent analytical performances. The possibility of measuring oxidative stress in vivo with simple, cheap and accurate tests, d-ROMs test and BAP test, provides for the veterinarians a very suitable tool to monitor oxidative stress and to correctly choice of eventual antioxidant supplementations in diseases proven related to oxidative stress in animals and particularly in dogs. Further studies will be useful to confirm this possibility.

Earlier studies of canine lipoprotein metabolism have frequently not taken into account such variables as age, gender, lifestyle or feeding status. In the last years, many changes to lifestyle and feeding of dogs have occurred. In this study, C-tot, C-HDL, C-LDL, triglycerides and lipoprotein fractions were determined in 251 healthy dogs by means of enzymatic methods and through the electrophoretic technique. All data were analysed by multifactor anova test to determine which factors (age, gender, breed and diet) have a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) on the determined parameter and subsequently Bonferroni's test was applied where necessary. Gender, age, breed and diet can significantly affect lipid metabolism, in particular lipoproteins involved in cholesterol plasma transport; on the contrary, triglycerides are not influenced by the same factors. The most important observation about age is the high level of C-LDL in puppies under 1 year of age. The highest cholesterol concentrations are found in Rottweiler but high values of plasma cholesterol are found also in Pyrenees Mountain dog and a great level of C-LDL in Labrador. Diet has shown a great influence on lipidic metabolism: dogs fed with different high-quality dry foods had significant differences in plasma cholesterol values (C-tot, C-HDL, C-LDL,), in particular, dogs fed with a diet rich in fish and fish-by-products have shown the lowest levels of C-tot, C-HDL and C-LDL.

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In dogs with AP, hyponatraemia and azotaemia seem to be significantly associated with an increased risk of death.

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The aim of this study is to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of Steramina G u.v. (10% solution of alkyldimetylbenzylammonium chloride; Formenti Grünenthal) and Virkon-S (multipurpose system; Antec International) against Microsporum canis-infected hairs and spores. Samples were collected from a random sample of household cats and from subjects from catteries. Seventy M. canis-positive hairbrushes containing furs, keratin scales and other organic material were treated with each of the two disinfectants, using concentrations recommended by the manufacturer's instructions (2% and 1% for Steramina G u.v. and Virkon-S, respectively). Each brush remained in contact with the antifungal solution for 10 min. After this period, the brushes were air-dried, then seeded into mycobiotic agar, and incubated for up to 21 days at 28 degrees C. The disinfectants were considered effective if dermatophytes failed to grow. Steramina G u.v. was effective in 97.14% of samples and Virkon-S in 87.14%. The antifungal activity of Steramina G u.v. against M. canis was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of Virkon-S.

The involvement of histamine H3 receptors in the regulation of gastric acid secretion was investigated in the conscious dog with gastric fistula, by the use of the selective agonist (R)alpha-methylhistamine and the selective antagonist thioperamide. (R)alpha-methylhistamine (0.3-1.2 mumol/kg/h) induced a dose-related inhibition of the acid secretion induced by pentagastrin and by bombesin, maximum inhibition not exceeding 60-65%. The inhibitory effect of the H3 agonist (0.6 mumol/kg/h) was inhibited by thioperamide (0.1 mumol/kg/h), suggesting that the effect was entirely mediated by H3 receptors. Thioperamide was also able to enhance the acid response to submaximal doses of pentagastrin and bombesin. The acid secretion induced by histamine was not modified by (R)alpha-methylhistamine (0.3-1.2 mumol/kg/h) but it was significantly enhanced by thioperamide (0.1 mumol/kg/h). Neither (R)alpha-methylhistamine nor thioperamide significantly modified the increase in plasma gastrin levels induced by bombesin. In conclusion these data demonstrate that histamine H3 receptors may represent an effective mechanism for the negative control of stimulated gastric acid secretion in the dog; however, since the inhibition was mainly evident against stimuli which involve the release of histamine, a location of H3 receptors in paracrine cells of the gastric mucosa rather than in gastrin producing cells or parietal cells seems more likely.

Oxidative Stress (OS) is considered an underlying mechanism by which dysfunctional metabolism occurs in obese subjects but there are still very few studies in canine species. The purpose of this study was to evaluate simultaneously the effects of diet on body weight, oxidative and inflammatory status in a group of 12 adult dogs. The dogs were fed a maintenance diet, integrated with natural antioxidants, for a period of 6 months. At the beginning and the end of the trial, Body Condition Score (BCS) was evaluated and haematological (CBCs, Complete Blood Counts), oxidative parameters (d-ROMs, derivatives of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites; BAP, Biological Antioxidant Potential; Retinol; α-tocopherol) and inflammatory parameters (Fibrinogen; CRP, C Reactive Protein) were performed. Significant differences (p < 0.05) emerged about BCS, hematocrit (HCT), number of platelets (PLT), d-ROMs, BAP and retinol while no differences were for α-tocopherol, fibrinogen and CRP between the two periods of different diet. In this study, dogs showed an oxidative imbalance documented by the increase in d-ROMs and the reduction of BAP and retinol. Inflammatory parameters don’t change in relation to body weight like an alteration of the oxidative status could precede the onset of inflammation. The role of oxidative stress and of integration with antioxidants should be taken into special consideration in the dietary treatment in overweight dogs