Emma J. O'NEill

Objective: Diet is an integral component of the management of chronic enteropathy in dogs. The role of insect‐based diets in this disease remains unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an insect‐based ( Hermetia illucens ) diet in dogs with presumed food‐responsive enteropathy. Methods: Twenty‐seven client‐owned dogs with evidence of chronic enteropathy, in which diet was required as sole management, were enrolled onto this prospective, uncontrolled diet trial. Canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index, faecal score, body condition score and body weight (kg) were recorded pre‐enrolment (T ₀ ). Dogs were exclusively fed insect diet and reassessed at 14 (T ₁ ), 30 (T ₂ ) and 90 (T ₃ ) days. Dogs remained in the study if responding and exited the study at various times for additional investigations or alternative treatment(s) if not responding. Comparisons were made within responders over time and between responders and non‐responders at T ₀ . Data are expressed as median (range). Results: Twenty‐seven dogs were recruited; seven cases were withdrawn, leaving 20 dogs for analysis. Fourteen/20 dogs (70%) were classified as responders with a decrease in median faecal score from 6.25 (5 to 7) at T ₀ to 2 (2 to 5) at T ₁ and a median decrease in canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index from 8 (5 to 14) at T ₀ to 1 (0 to 5) at T ₁ . All responders had adequate control at day 90 (T ₃ ), with a median faecal score of 2 (2 to 5) and a median canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index of 0 (0 to 3). Clinical Significance: Insect diet improved clinical signs in 70% of chronic enteropathy dogs and could represent another dietary option in the management of this disease.

Phaeohyphomycosis is an opportunistic mycosis caused by dematiaceous fungi, typically affecting the cutaneous or subcutaneous tissues of the facial region and distal extremities in cats. This report documents a case of Cladophialophora boppii infection in a cat. A 7-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was presented with a chronic, pigmented nasal lesion, non-productive sneezing, and stertor. Computed tomography, rhinoscopy, and tissue sampling were performed. Fungal culture and molecular sequencing confirmed the diagnosis. Oral itraconazole treatment failed to arrest progression, necessitating delayed nasal planectomy. Despite transient remission, disease recurred, requiring repeat surgical debridement, and prolonged antifungal treatment. Clinical resolution was ultimately achieved, with marked improvement in the cat’s quality of life. Identification of a novel species of phaeohyphomycosis in a cat emphasizes the need for increased awareness of emerging fungal pathogens that can precipitate considerable morbidity, particularly in the absence of prompt aggressive intervention.

Metacognitive skills are key transversal skills, strongly linked to academic achievement and essential for effective lifelong learning. They are widely recognized to underpin many of the core competencies required for effective social and professional participation, including core competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-awareness, highlighted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as key to Education for Sustainable Development. Digital learning technologies and virtual learning environments increasingly form a core strategic dimension of teaching and learning within Higher Education, however effectively harnessing them to enhance student learning remains challenging. This paper presents the Metacognition Design Framework, an evidence-based learning design that scaffolds the development of metacognitive skills in students through blended learning. It draws on the tools available within the virtual learning environment to provide a unique, and potentially powerful, opportunity to extend ‘metacognitive influence’ on student activity and learning outside standard class times with realistic levels of staff input. The design provides clarity for planning accessible learning interventions, their linkage with appropriate technology, and for guiding how face-to-face and online, or fully online, components interrelate. It also delivers an effective conduit to convey information in a practical format that readily permits adaptation to local contexts. Overall, it offers a practical way to re-frame educators as designers, increasing educator design capacity and the effective deployment of technology to enhance learning, at the same time targeting a learning outcome with high potential impact.

Background: Ultrasound-determined gallbladder wall thickness is widely used to aid in the diagnosis of gallbladder disease, but no reference values supported by published measurement data are available in dogs. Hypothesis/Objective: Establish normal thickness of the gallbladder wall in dogs. Animals: Fifty-three dogs presented to a referral hospital and required abdominal ultrasound examination for reasons unrelated to primary hepatobiliary disease. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study recruiting dogs requiring abdominal ultrasound examination. A standard sequence of gallbladder wall images was recorded for later review. Inclusion criteria were normal ultrasonographic hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and small intestinal findings. Exclusion was determined by 2 European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM)-certified veterinary internists blinded to gallbladder wall thickness data. Dogs were excluded if they had inadequate medical records, a previous history of hepatobiliary, gastrointestinal, or pancreatic disease likely to impact the biliary system (eg, chronic vomiting, nausea, jaundice, diarrhea), unexplained increases in liver enzyme activities, hypoalbuminemia, or ascites. Gallbladder wall thickness was determined by 2 European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging (ECVDI)-certified veterinary radiologists working together to generate a consensus for each dog. The final output was the maximum normal wall thickness for this population of dogs. Results: The upper limit for gallbladder wall thickness in 53 fasted (8 hours) dogs <40 kg was 1.30 mm (90% confidence interval, 1.19-1.41). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Normal gallbladder wall thickness in dogs is lower than previously reported. Additional studies are required to determine potential effects of body weight and the optimal cut-off to distinguish between healthy and diseased gallbladders.

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Background Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis are rarely reported, poorly characterized diseases in the dog. Objectives To characterize the clinical features of these conditions. Animals Twenty‐seven client‐owned dogs with bacterial cholangitis, cholecystitis, or both. Methods Multicenter, retrospective cases series of dogs with bacterial cholangitis, cholecystitis, or both, presenting January 2000 to June 2011 to 4 Veterinary Schools in Ireland/United Kingdom. Interrogation of hospital databases identified all cases with the inclusion criteria; histopathologically confirmed cholangitis or cholecystitis and bile culture/cytology results supporting a bacterial etiology. Results Twenty‐seven dogs met the inclusion criteria with approximately 460 hepatitis cases documented over the same study period. Typical clinical pathology findings were increases in liver enzyme activities (25/26), hyperbilirubinemia (20/26), and an inflammatory leukogram (21/24). Ultrasound findings, although nonspecific, aided decision‐making in 25/26 cases. The most frequent hepatobiliary bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli (n = 17; 16 cases), Enterococcus spp. (n = 8; 6 cases), and Clostridium spp. (n = 5; 5 cases). Antimicrobial resistance was an important feature of aerobic isolates; 10/16 E. coli isolates resistant to 3 or more antimicrobial classes. Biliary tract rupture complicated nearly one third of cases, associated with significant mortality (4/8). Discharged dogs had a guarded to fair prognosis; 17/18 alive at 2 months, although 5/10 re‐evaluated had persistent liver enzyme elevation 2–12 months later. Conclusion and Clinical Significance Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis occur more frequently than suggested by current literature and should be considered in dogs presenting with jaundice and fever, abdominal pain, or an inflammatory leukogram or with ultrasonographic evidence of gallbladder abnormalities.

Background: Widespread use of flow cytometry for immunophenotyping in clinical veterinary medicine is limited by cost and requirement for considerable laboratory space, staff time, and expertise. The Guava EasyCyte Plus (Guava Technologies, Hayward, CA, US) is the first, personal, bench-top flow cytometer designed to address these limitations. Objective: The aim of this study was to adapt the immunohistochemical protocol used for immunophenotyping of canine lymphoma to the personal flow cytometer for rapid, effective and user-friendly application to the diagnosis and prognosis of canine lymphoma and to demonstrate its practicality for widespread veterinary application. Performance of the personal flow cytometer for immunophenotyping T and B lymphocytes in blood and lymph nodes from normal dogs and dogs with lymphoproliferative disease, was assessed using only two monoclonal antibodies (against CD3 and CD21), and by comparison with analysis using two conventional flow cytometers. Methods: 26 dogs with lymphoproliferative disease (23 with lymphoma, 3 with lymphocytic leukaemia) were studied along with 15 controls (2 non-lymphoma lymph nodes and 13 non-leukemic bloods. Lymphocytes were immunostained with fluorescent-labeled, monoclonal antibodies against CD3 and CD21. To assess the effectiveness of the personal flow cytometer in discrimination between T and B cell immunophenotypes, T and B cell counts for half the samples (14 blood and 11 lymph node) were also determined using the same method and conventional flow cytometers (FACSCalibur, Cyan Dako). To assess the effectiveness of the personal flow cytometer in discriminating between leukocyte types, lymphocyte differential counts were determined for 21 blood samples and compared with those from automated hematology analyzers (CELL-DYN 3500, n=11 and ADVIA 2120, n=10). Quality and sub-cellular distribution of immunostaining was assessed using fluorescence microscopy. Results: The protocol for immunophenotyping took 2 to 3 hours to complete from the point of receipt of sample to reporting of immunophenotype. The personal flow cytometer differential lymphocyte counts correlated highly (n=20; r=0.97, p<0.0001) with those of automated haematology analyzers. The personal flow cytometer counts consistently, but mildly, underestimated the percentages of lymphocytes in the samples (mean bias of -5.3%.). The personal flow cytometer immunophenotype counts were indistinguishable from those of conventional flow cytometers for both peripheral blood samples (n=13; r=0.95; p<0.0001; bias of -1.1%) and lymph node aspirates (n=11,r=0.98; p<0.001; bias of 1%). All but one leukemic and one lymphomatous lymph node sample, out of 26 samples of dogs with lymphoproliferative disease analyzed, could be immunophenotyped as either B or T cells. Conclusions: We conclude that use of only 2 monoclonal antibodies is sufficient for immunophenotyping most cases of canine lymphoma by flow cytometry and enables rapid immunophenotyping. The personal flow cytometer may be as effectively used for immunophenotyping canine lymphoma as conventional flow cytometers. However, the personal flow cytometer is more accessible and user-friendly, and requires lower sample volumes.

A twenty-month-old Jack Russell terrier was presented with a four-day history of thrombocytopenia, echymotic inguinal haemorrhages, coughing and reduced exercise tolerance. Clinical examination revealed several petechial haemorrhages on the gingivae and small echymotic haemorrhages in the inguinal region, along with mild bilateral epistaxis. Haematology confirmed a platelet count of 1.0 × 10/L. Thoracic radiographs revealed a wide-spread mixed alveolar-interstitial lung pattern, apparent throughout the entire lungfield, but particularly marked within the left lung lobes. A presumptive diagnosis of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia was made and the dog was treated with vincristine and immunosuppressive doses of prednisolone. Initially anaemia developed following gastrointestinal haemorrhage; however, after symptomatic treatment the dog showed a marked clinical improvement. Evaluation for an underlying cause of the disease revealed Angiostrongylus vasorum L1 larvae on faecal analysis and treatment with fenbendazole was commenced. The dog made a full clinical recovery with all treatment was withdrawn within five weeks of diagnosis. This is the second report of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia associated with Angiostrongylus vasorum infection and it is the first to be successfully managed. The report highlights that Angiostrongylus vasorum should be considered in young dogs presented with thrombocytopenia.