Background: Although prednisone and metronidazole are commonly used to treat canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), no randomized-controlled trials have been performed.Hypothesis: Combination drug therapy with prednisone and metronidazole will be more effective than prednisone alone for treatment of canine IBD. Reduction in disease severity will be accompanied by decreased canine IBD activity index (CIBDAI) scores and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations.Animals: Fifty-four pet dogs diagnosed with IBD of varying severity. Methods: Dogs were randomized to receive oral prednisone (1 mg/kg; n 5 25) or prednisone and metronidazole (10 mg/kg; n 5 29) twice daily for 21 days. Clinical (CIBDAI) scores and serum CRP were determined at diagnosis and after 21 days of drug therapy. The primary efficacy measure was remission at 21 days, defined as a 75% or greater reduction in baseline CIBDAI score.Results: Differences between treatments in the rate of remission (both exceeding 80%) or the magnitude of its change over time were not observed. CRP concentrations in prednisone-treated dogs were increased because of many dogs having active disease. Both treatments reduced CRP in comparison with pretreatment concentrations. An interaction between CIBDAI and CRP was identified in 42 of 54 dogs (78%), whereas 8 of 54 dogs (15%) showed disagreement between these indices.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Prednisone is as effective as combined treatment with prednisone and metronidazole for induction therapy of canine IBD. CRP may be normal or increased in dogs with IBD and may be useful in assessing the response of individual dogs to treatment along with changes in the CIBDAI.

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Low albumin to globulin ratio has been found previously to have a high positive predictive value for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats with clinical signs highly suggestive of the disease. However, FIP can have a more vague clinical presentation. This retrospective study found that the positive predictive value of an albumin:globulin (A:G) ratio of <0.8 and <0.6 was only 12.5% and 25%, respectively, in a group of 100 cats with one or more clinical signs consistent with FIP. The negative predictive value was 100% and 99% for an A:G ratio of <0.8 and A:G<0.6%, respectively. Therefore, when the prevalence of FIP is low, the A:G ratio is useful to rule out FIP but is not helpful in making a positive diagnosis of FIP.

A 4-month-old, 3.8 kg, intact male Boston Terrier was presented to the Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (ISU VTH) for a 2-month history of progressive gait abnormalities and regurgitation. A mild right thoracic limb lameness initially was observed 48 hours after vaccination a and progressed to bilateral thoracic limb stiffness over 5 days. At this time, appetite was normal without vomiting or regurgitation. Treatment with prednisolone was initiated at 2.5 mg (1 mg/kg) PO q24h for a presumed vaccine reaction.There was no improvement in clinical signs over the next 4 days, and the dog again was examined by the referring veterinarian. In addition to the stiff thoracic limb gait, decreased appetite, vomiting or regurgitation, and weight loss were now reported. Physical examination revealed stertor and mildly enlarged submandibular lymph nodes. Thoracic auscultation was normal. A CBC (reference ranges are for adult dogs) showed a mildly regenerative anemia (29.3%; reference range, 37-55%; corrected reticulocyte count, 1.4%), decreased hemoglobin (9.6 g/dL; reference range, 12-18 g/dL), and thrombocytosis (695 Â 10 9 /L; reference range, 175-500 Â 10 9 /L). Serum chemistry abnormalities (all reference ranges are for adult dogs) included increased alanine aminotransferase activity (ALT, 381 U/L; reference range, 8-75 U/L) and hypochloremia (103 mEq/L; reference range, 105-119 mEq/L). Serum creatine kinase (CK) activity was not measured. Thoracic radiographs (lateral and ventrodorsal views) showed mild air distension of the thoracic esophagus resulting in mild ventral deviation of the cranial thoracic trachea.Serum chemistry was evaluated 3 weeks later and showed persistently increased ALT activity (255 U/L; reference range, 4-125 U/L), hyperglycemia (144 mg/dL; reference range, 67-139 mg/dL), hyperphosphatemia (9.3 mg/dL; reference range, 2.7-8.0 mg/dL), and hypercalcemia (12.8 mg/dL; reference range, 7.7-11.0 mg/dL). Serum creatinine concentration was decreased (o0.20 mg/dL; reference range, 0.3-1.2 mg/dL). Serum CK and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were both increased above the detectable range of the analyzer. Over the next month, the puppy was examined for continued frequent vomiting or regurgitation of both food and water. The dog was referred to the ISU VTH.On presentation to the internal medicine service, the dog had a stiff, stilted gait consisting of bilateral thoracic limb abduction without ataxia. Nonpainful, nonfirm enlargement of the parotid and submandibular salivary glands was also noted. Increased referred upper airway noise and generalized symmetrical muscle hypertrophy, more pronounced in the muscles of the thoracic limbs (pectorals, supraspinatus, biceps, and triceps), were noted. The remainder of the physical examination was within normal limits. With the exception of the stilted gait and muscle hypertrophy, the neurologic assessment (including level of consciousness, cranial nerves, conscious proprioception, and spinal reflexes) was normal. Spinal hyperpathia was not...

Disseminated aspergillosis is uncommon in dogs and often associated with Aspergillus terreus. A case of disseminated disease in an English springer spaniel is reported from which Aspergillus alabamensis was recovered by culture and identified by molecular means suggesting a potential role for this agent as a primary pathogen of dogs.