BackgroundIn dogs with chronic valvular heart disease (CVHD), early recognition of pulmonary edema (PE) is of paramount importance. Recent studies in dogs showed that lung ultrasound examination (LUS) is a useful technique to diagnose cardiogenic PE.ObjectivesTo describe LUS features in dogs with different stages of CVHD, and to determine its diagnostic accuracy in detecting PE using thoracic radiography as the reference standard.AnimalsSixty‐three dogs with CVHD.MethodsProspective, multicenter, cross‐sectional study. Each dog underwent physical examination, echocardiography, thoracic radiography, and LUS. The LUS findings were classified as absent, rare, numerous, or confluent B‐lines. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of LUS B‐lines to identify PE were calculated using thoracic radiography as the reference standard.ResultsDogs in stage B1 had absent or rare B‐lines in 14 of 15 cases (93.3%). Dogs in stage B2 had absent or rare B‐lines in 16 of 18 cases (88.9%). All dogs in stage C, without radiographic signs of PE, had absent or rare B‐lines. Dogs in stage C, with radiographic signs of PE, had numerous or confluent B‐lines in 18 of 20 cases (90%). Lung ultrasound examination detected PE with a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 93%, and with positive and negative predictive values of 85.7 and 95.2%, respectively.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceLung ultrasound examination showed good diagnostic accuracy to identify cardiogenic PE and might be helpful in staging dogs with CVHD. Lung ultrasound examination should be considered as a new, noninvasive diagnostic tool for clinicians managing CVHD in dogs.

A cute pancreatitis is an increasingly commonly recognized disease in dogs. However, the diagnosis of AP in dogs can be challenging as is the establishment of prognostic information. Abdominal ultrasonography is the most commonly used noninvasive imaging method for the diagnosis of AP in dogs, 1 although other diagnostic methods are available (eg, CT). 2,3 The use of AUS is also useful to rule out diseases that can mimic the clinical signs of AP or diseases potentially linked to AP (eg, duodenum foreign bodies, septic peritonitis, or biliary tract obstruction). 1,4,5 Despite veterinarians' perceptions regarding the usefulness of AUS, to the authors' knowledge, more Evaluation of diagnostic and prognostic usefulness of abdominal ultrasonography in dogs with clinical signs of acute pancreatitisEleonora Gori dvm, phd Alessio Pierini dvm, phd Ilaria Lippi dvm, phd Simonetta Citi dvm, phd

In veterinary medicine, pseudomembranous cystitis (PC) is a rare condition described only in cats. The purposes of this retrospective study were to describe ultrasound features of PC in cats and dogs, predisposing factors, comorbidities and outcomes. Cats and dogs with an ultrasonographic diagnosis of PC were included in the study. The bladder ultrasound findings that were recorded were: pseudomembranes’ characteristics, abnormalities of the bladder’s wall and content and anomalies of the pericystic peritoneal space. Ten cats and four dogs met the inclusion criteria. Four pseudomembrane adhesion patterns were described. The presence of pseudomembrane acoustic shadowing was observed in the 60% of cats. A total of 80% of the cats included were presented for urethral obstruction (UO) and/or had at least one episode of UO in the previous 2 months. Thirteen patients out of fourteen received only medical therapy, and all of them survived. PC is a rare disorder in cats and dogs and there are some ultrasonographic differences between the two species, suggesting a greater severity of the pathology in cats. Chronic cystitis and UO may have a potential role in the development of feline PC. Finally, the medical approach can be a non-invasive and effective approach for PC.

This retrospective study investigated the prevalence of different urachal anomalies (UA) in cats (n = 60) and dogs (n = 38) and their association with clinical symptoms and urinalysis alterations. Among UA, the vesicourachal diverticulum was the most prevalent UA diagnosed in both cats (96.7%) and dogs (89.5%): the intramural vesicourachal diverticulum was diagnosed in 76.7% of cats and 71.1% of dogs, followed by extramural vesicourachal diverticulum (20.0% and 18.4% respectively). In both cats and dogs, bladder wall diffuse or regional thickening was the most prevalent alteration. The most common alterations of the urinary bladder content were urolithiasis sediment in cats (33.3%) and in dogs (31.6%). Dogs with UA were more often asymptomatic (p = 0.01). No difference was found in cats. Stranguria, hematuria, and urethral obstruction were the most frequently reported clinical signs, while hematuria and leukocyturia were the most prevalent abnormalities at urinalysis. In conclusion, our study confirmed UA as uncommon, and often incidental findings, with a high prevalence of animals without clinical signs.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of contrast‐enhanced ultrasound to assess changes in renal perfusion in dogs with acute kidney injury. Materials and Methods The left kidney of each dog in two groups was examined using contrast‐enhanced ultrasound: Group A consisted of 16 healthy dogs and Group B consisted of 12 dogs with acute kidney injury. Results All dogs in Group A showed the same sequence of wash‐in and wash‐out. In Group B the distribution of contrast media showed a similar cortical phase to healthy dogs, but a faster time to maximal medullary enhancement. Group B showed increased medullary peak intensity and medullary area under the curve compared to Group A. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses showed vascular changes especially in the medulla, with more rapid medullary vascularisation and increased medullary perfusion. These results were interpreted as medullary congestion in dogs with acute kidney injury. Clinical Significance Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound represents an easy to perform, safe, and non‐invasive method to detect changes in renal perfusion in dogs with acute kidney injury.