World Small Animal Veterinary Association Research Articles

2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats - compiled by the Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).

2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats - compiled by the Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).

Evaluation of Ki-67, goblet cell and MUC2 mucin RNA expression in dogs with lymphoplasmacytic and granulomatous colitis

Intestinal mucus barrier disruption may occur with chronic inflammatory enteropathies. The lack of studies evaluating mucus health in dogs with chronic colitis arises from inherent challenges with assessment of the intestinal mucus layer. It is therefore unknown if reduced goblet cell (GBC) numbers and/or mucin 2 (MUC2) expression, which are responsible for mucus production and secretion, correlate with inflammation severity in dogs with granulomatous colitis (GC) or lymphocytic-plasmacytic colitis (LPC). It is undetermined if Ki-67 immunoreactivity, which has been evaluated in dogs with small intestinal inflammation, similarly correlates to histologic severity in GC and LPC. Study objectives included comparing Ki-67 immunoreactivity, GBC population and MUC2 expression in dogs with GC, LPC and non-inflamed colon; and exploring the use of ribonucleic acid (RNAscope®) in-situ hybridization (ISH) to evaluate MUC2 expression in canine colon. Formalin-fixed endoscopic colonic biopsies were obtained from 48 dogs over an eight-year period. A blinded pathologist reviewed all biopsies. Dogs were classified into the GC (n=19), LPC (n=19) or no colitis (NC) (n=10) group based on final histopathological diagnosis. Ki-67 immunohistochemistry, Alcian-Blue/PAS staining to highlight GBCs, and RNAscope® ISH using customized canine MUC2-targeted probes were performed. At least five microscopic fields per dog were selected to measure Ki-67 labelling index (KI67%), GBC staining percentage (GBC%) and MUC2 expression (MUC2%) using image analysis software. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used to determine associations between World Small Animal Veterinary Association histologic score (WHS) and measured variables. Linear regression models were used to compare relationships between WHS with KI67%, GBC%, and MUC2%; and between GBC% and MUC2%. Median WHS was highest in dogs with GC. Median KI67% normalised to WHS was highest in the NC group (6.69%; range, 1.70–23.60%). Median GBC% did not correlate with colonic inflammation overall. Median MUC2% normalised to WHS in the NC group (10.02%; range, 3.05–39.09%) was two- and three-fold higher than in the GC and LPC groups respectively. With increased colonic inflammation, despite minimal changes in GBC% overall, MUC2 expression markedly declined in the LPC group (-27.4%; 95%-CI, −49.8, 5.9%) and mildly declined in the GC and NC groups. Granulomatous colitis and LPC likely involve different pathways regulating MUC2 expression. Decreased MUC2 gene expression is observed in dogs with chronic colitis compared to dogs without colonic signs. Changes in MUC2 expression appear influenced by GBC activity rather than quantity in GC and LPC.

Abstracts of the 48th World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress and the 28th FECAVA Eurocongress, September 27-29, 2023, Lisbon, Portugal.

Abstracts of the 48th World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress and the 28th FECAVA Eurocongress, September 27-29, 2023, Lisbon, Portugal.

The 2023 World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA): List of essential medicines for cats and dogs.

The 2023 World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA): List of essential medicines for cats and dogs.

Pre-illness dietary risk factors in dogs with chronic enteropathy.

Dietary factors have been extensively studied as potential triggers of inflammatory bowel disease in humans. Scant literature exists regarding diet as a pre-illness risk factor in dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE). To evaluate possible pre-illness dietary risk factors in dogs with CE. Ninety-five client-owned dogs; 48 with CE (25 presumptive and 23 confirmed) and 47 without a history of signs of gastrointestinal disease. Retrospective case-control questionnaire-based study at a veterinary referral teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Diet history was obtained relating to the onset of initial presenting signs for all dogs. The main diet consumed underwent ingredient analysis and caloric distribution calculation using a guaranteed analysis convertor software. Length of time the main diet was fed and adherence to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Nutrition Committee guidelines was also recorded. The frequency of the main diet containing no carbohydrate was greater for controls (5/47 dogs, 11%) vs the combined presumptive and confirmed CE dogs (0/48 dogs, 0%; P = .05). Fewer dogs with confirmed CE were fed a main diet containing red meat as the primary protein source (2/23 dogs, 9%) vs controls (15/47 dogs, 32%; P = .03). A main diet moisture percentage of ≤14% as fed was significantly associated with confirmed CE in logistic regression analysis (OR 5.71 [95% CI: 1.18-27.69]; P = .03). The presence of dietary carbohydrate, protein source, and dietary moisture content, or factors related to moisture content such as preservatives, might play a role as potential pre-illness dietary risk factors in dogs with CE.

WSAVA news

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is a global association of associations and has a mission to advance the health and welfare of companion animals worldwide through its educated, committed and collaborative global community of veterinary peers.

Основные лекарственные средства для кошек и собак в российской ветеринарной практике

In Russia, as in other countries around the world, the number of companion animals is increasing and the demand for veterinary services consequently. Increasing demand leads to the emergence of new services and goods, including medicines. The number of medicines used to treat small animals runs into the thousands. However, not all medicines are widely used in veterinary practice. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), following the approach of the World Health Organisation, has introduced the practice of defining essential medicines to identify the most important medicines in veterinary medicine. This enables veterinarians to achieve an optimal level of expertise in the pharmacotherapy of the most common and important diseases of dogs and cats through self-education, and assists regulatory authorities in monitoring the supply of essential medicines to the veterinary industry, including the implementation of import substitution work, assist veterinary clinic managers in compiling a list of medicines that must be available, contribute to the quality of veterinary education, in particular by improving the quality of teaching the subject “Veterinary Pharmacology”. As part of the study, two lists of essential and complementary medicines for cats and dogs used in Russian veterinary practice were compiled with with the help of experts from the veterinary industry. The lists are divided into sections reflecting the main areas of veterinary pharmacotherapy.

Whole blood and plasma taurine reference intervals in adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and correlations between taurine concentration, diet and mitral valve disease.

To determine breed-specific reference intervals for whole blood (WB) and plasma taurine concentrations in adult, overtly healthy Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs) and determine whether taurine concentrations differ across preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) stages or between CKCSs eating diets that meet World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) nutritional guidelines versus other diets. 200 privately owned CKCSs. Clinically healthy adult CKCSs were recruited prospectively. Diet and supplement history was collected. Dogs were staged by echocardiography using MMVD consensus guidelines. Taurine concentrations were measured in deproteinized lithium heparin WB and plasma samples with the postcolumn ninhydrin derivatization method on a dedicated amino acid analyzer. There were 12 stage A (6%), 150 stage B1 (75%), and 38 stage B2 (19%) CKCSs. Seventy-eight dogs (39%) were reported by their owners to be eating diets meeting WSAVA nutritional guidelines; 116 (58%) were not. Taurine concentrations in plasma (P = .444) and WB (P = .073) were not significantly different across MMVD stages or between CKCSs eating diets meeting WSAVA nutritional guidelines versus other diets (P = .345 and P = .527, respectively). Reference intervals for WB taurine (152 to 373 µM) and plasma taurine (51 to 217 µM) concentrations in CKCSs were generated. In CKCSs, taurine concentrations do not differ significantly based on preclinical MMVD stage, nor do they differ significantly based on consumption of a diet that does or does not meet WSAVA nutritional guidelines.

WSAVA update

A strong veterinary association is the cornerstone of a dynamic and collaborative veterinary community. This, in turn, benefits not just its members but also the wider population and the companion animals that share their lives. This core belief of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) underpins one of its most successful projects, its ‘One Care Initiative’.

Two-Shots of Immunization Effectively Induce Protective IgG against Canine Parvo-Viral Infection

Regardless of good hygiene and management, a significant number of dogs are lost every year due to deadly attack of parvo virus. The immunization schedules recommended by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) do not have exclusive suggestions on dogs living in Bangladesh. The WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) suggested that vaccination recommendations that apply to a developed country may not be appropriate for a developing country. Due to inadequate sero-monitoring, emergence and re-emergence of Parvo viral infection following immunization is a common event. Therefore, the current study is designed to establish a definite guideline for Parvo viral immunization in dogs. We immunized group of dogs with commercially available parvo virus vaccine Nobivac Dog®, and a second dose was injected 14-days following the initial dose. Sera samples were collected before starting injections and 7-day following 1st and 2nd dose of vaccinations. We performed Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to detect protective serum IgG titer against the canine parvo virus type 2 antigen. Demographic data of the participated animals was compared to the status of antibody titer. Findings of this study revealed that two-shots of immunizations with a booster injection of 2-3 weeks apart from the primary immunization is essential to develop positive titer. The purebred female dogs of older than three-months had higher IgG when compared to local, crossbred, male and younger dogs. The results will provide valuable information to establish National Guidelines for Immunizations in Dogs of Bangladesh for effective prevention and control of this deadly disease.

2022 WSAVA guidelines for the recognition, assessment and treatment of pain

AbstractAnimal sentience refers to the capacity of animals to feel both positive and negative emotions including that of pain. As veterinary health professionals, we have a medical and ethical duty to mitigate suffering from pain to the best of our ability. In 2014, the first Global Pain Council World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain was published and remains to this day one of the most relevant and widespread documents of its kind. The 2022 WSAVA Global Pain Management Guidelines evolves from the first document with updated scientific information reflecting major advances in veterinary pain medicine in the last decade. This document is designed to provide the user with easy‐to‐implement, core fundamentals on the successful recognition and treatment of pain in the day‐to‐day small animal clinical practice setting. It provides basic and practical information with an extensive reference list to guide those who want to further their knowledge on pain management. The 2022 WSAVA Global Pain Management Guidelines should be easily implemented regardless of practice setting and/or location for the promotion and advance of pain management and animal welfare.

WSAVA news

BSAVA members are also members of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), an association which BSAVA helped to found and which works to enhance standards of clinical care for companion animals globally.

WSAVA update

Richard (Rich) Casey MBA was recently appointed Executive Director of global veterinary association, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), of which BSAVA is a member. The WSAVA represents more than 200,000 veterinarians through 115 member associations, and works to support the companion animal veterinary profession globally and to enhance standards of clinical care for companion animals.

WSAVA update

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) works to advance the health and welfare of companion animals through raising standards of veterinary care around the world. Its members, including BSAVA, share a passion for working together to deliver ever higher standards of care and speaking with one global voice on key issues affecting the veterinary profession and the welfare of the animals in our care. Read on to find out more about what the WSAVA has been up to this year.

Nutritional consulting in regular veterinary practices in Belgium and the Netherlands

BackgroundIncreased interest in nutrition by dog and cat owners stresses the importance of providing tailored nutritional guidance for each patient by veterinarians. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has provided guidelines to help veterinarians implement this in every‐day patient care, by screening patients for the presence of nutritional risk factors, establishing tailored nutritional plans and providing adequate patient follow‐up tools.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the use of nutritional assessments in companion animal practices, and to investigate differences between Dutch and Belgian veterinarians.MethodsA survey was conducted among Dutch and Belgian veterinarians. Of the 423 respondents, 53% were from Belgium, and 47% were from the Netherlands.ResultsOnly 21% had prior knowledge of the WSAVA nutritional assessment guidelines. General trends in the usage of nutritional assessments were similar in the examined countries. Aside from weighing, diet evaluation by collecting dietary information and body condition or muscle condition scoring were used infrequently, mostly due to insufficient knowledge of the methods. Nutritional recommendations were often made as part of a treatment plan, and were mostly made by veterinarians, but in Dutch practices also by veterinary nurses.ConclusionDespite the fact that nutritional recommendations are a regular part of treatment plans, nutritional risk factors may be missed due to a lack of completely performed nutritional assessments. It remains important to promote the benefits of regular nutritional assessments to veterinarians, which will improve patients’ health.

Concordance of the Histopathologic Diagnosis of Concurrent Duodenal and Ileal Biopsy Specimens in Dogs.

Simple SummaryCanine chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) is a gastrointestinal (GI) inflammatory condition that requires histopathology of intestinal biopsies for definitive diagnosis. This can be performed endoscopically or surgically; with the former being more common as it is less invasive. In recent years, research has identified that different types of inflammatory disease and histologic severity can exist at different locations within the GI tract, known as discordance. There is a lack of understanding of the clinical impact of lesion oversight in dogs with discordant biopsies between locations. Therefore, current recommendations are to procure endoscopic biopsies from both the upper intestinal (stomach and duodenum) and lower small intestinal tract (ileum) when possible. The rate of discordance between different GI locations has not been assessed in dogs with non-inflammatory enteropathies, i.e., neoplastic etiology, nor compared between endoscopic and surgically collected biopsy specimens. Here, we report that the rate of discordance between the duodenum and ileum in CIE is similar between endoscopic biopsy and surgical biopsy specimens and confirm that discordance between upper and lower GI biopsies exist for small-cell lymphoma. There were no clinicopathologic variables that were correlated with discordance. We conclude that for all dogs with chronic GI signs, concurrent duodenal and ileal biopsies should be performed.Histopathologic discordance between gastrointestinal (GI) locations in canine chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) has prompted recommendations to biopsy both the duodenum and ileum, while further evaluation is required for non-CIE. We aimed to determine the concordance of histopathologic diagnosis between duodenal and ileal endoscopic or full-thickness biopsy specimens for all dogs with CIE and GI neoplasia and to assess the association between histopathologic discordance between GI locations with clinicopathologic variables. Seventy-nine dogs were eligible, with endoscopic (74) or full-thickness (5) biopsy specimens. Clinicopathological data were recorded for all dogs. Concordance of histopathologic diagnosis was retrospectively assessed for concurrent duodenal and ileal biopsy specimens by a single board-certified veterinary pathologist using the modified World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Gastrointestinal Standardization Group guidelines. Sixty-seven dogs were diagnosed with CIE and 5 with enteric-associated T-cell lymphoma-2 (EATL-2). Concordance of histologic diagnosis between duodenal and ileal sites was similar between endoscopic (73.0%) and full-thickness (80.0%) biopsy groups. For the CIE cases, lymphoplasmacytic enteritis had the highest concordance (73.0%) and eosinophilic enteritis the least (16.7%). Of the 5 neoplastic cases, 5/5 (100%) were present at the duodenum but only 3/5 (60%) in the ileum. No clinicopathologic variables demonstrated a statistically significant association with discordance. We conclude that the level of discordance necessitates concurrent biopsy of both duodenum and ileum in all dogs with chronic GI signs. The rate of EATL-2 was lower than rates reported for cats.

Histopathological frequency of caninehepatobiliary disease in the United Kingdom.

Canine hepatobiliary disease is common; however, data determining disease frequency and breed predispositions are lacking. The primary objective was to identify the frequency of different hepatobiliary disease in a United Kingdom population of dogs and consequently determine breeds at both an increased and decreased risk of hepatobiliary disease. Anonymised histopathology reports from a commercial veterinary diagnostic laboratory, which were submitted between August 2013 and February 2018, were analysed. Data were retrospectively categorised into hepatobiliary diseases according to World Small Animal Veterinary Association Standards and the breed, age and genders recorded. Cases with incomplete data or no definitive diagnosis were excluded. Breed predisposition was calculated using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals against a United Kingdom-based control population of micro-chipped dogs. Histopathology results from 4584 cases met inclusion criteria. The most frequent histological diagnoses were reactive hepatitis (n=770); chronic hepatitis (n=735) and reversible hepatocellular injury (n=589). A number of breeds were shown to be at an increased or decreased risk of individual liver diseases. This is the first study to document the histopathological frequency of hepatobiliary diseases in a large cohort of dogs in the United Kingdom, as well as novel possible breed and age predispositions. Despite multivariable analysis not being performed to account for confounding factors, this information hopes to inform and support future investigations for hepatic disease in particular breeds and potential predispositions.

Correlation of minimally invasive imaging techniques to assess intestinal mucosal perfusion with established markers of chronic inflammatory enteropathy in dogs.

BackgroundMinimally invasive diagnostic imaging techniques to detect intestinal inflammation in dogs are lacking. Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and endoscopic narrow band imaging‐like endoscopy (Storz Professional Image Enhancement System [SPIES]) might allow quantification of intestinal mucosal perfusion and microvessel density in chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) of dogs.Hypothesis/ObjectivesMarkers of mucosal perfusion as determined by CEUS and SPIES endoscopy are potentially useful diagnostic markers to help characterize CIE and correlate with histological inflammation type and severity.AnimalsThirty client‐owned dogs diagnosed with CIE at a referral hospital were prospectively enrolled.Materials and MethodsData from CEUS, SPIES, and white light (WL) endoscopy were correlated with World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) endoscopy and histology scores and vessel density as determined by immunohistochemistry for von Willebrand factor (vWF). Automated linear modeling was used to determine predictors of endoscopic and histologic severity.ResultsDuodenal histology correlated with SPIES data (area percentage value, rho = 0.424, P = .04). White light endoscopy parameters correlated with SPIES parameters in the duodenum. Colonic histology correlated positively with CEUS, whereas colonic CEUS parameters correlated inversely with vWF expression. Several duodenal parameters combined predicted duodenal histology scores to a level of 73.4%. For the colon, 2 parameters contributed more than others to 73.1%.Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceMinimally invasive CEUS and SPIES appear feasible to assess intestinal perfusion in CIE. Use of SPIES endoscopy may be promising for assessing small intestinal inflammation, whereas CEUS could be used to assess colonic perfusion and inflammation. Both techniques need to be investigated further for their clinical utility.

Blood taurine concentrations in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

To determine whether blood taurine concentrations in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) were lower than the reference interval (200 to 350 nmol/mL) or the cutoff used to indicate taurine deficiency (< 150 nmol/mL). 18 dogs with clinical or presumptive subclinical EPI with residual blood samples available for taurine concentration analysis. Dogs were classified as having clinical EPI if they had a serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity concentration of < 2.0 μg/L and presumptive subclinical EPI if they had a concentration of 2.0 to 5.0 μg/L. Archived, frozen blood samples stored in EDTA were submitted for measurement of taurine concentration with an automated high-performance liquid chromatography amino acid analyzer. Medical record data were examined for associations with blood taurine concentration. None of the 18 dogs had a blood taurine concentration < 150 nmol/mL. Two dogs had a concentration < 200 nmol/mL. No clinical signs, physical examination findings, or serum biochemical abnormalities were associated with blood taurine concentration. Eleven of the 17 dogs for which diet histories were available were not receiving a diet that met recommendations of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Nutrition Committee. A low blood taurine concentration was noted in a small subset of dogs with EPI. Additional research is needed to determine whether EPI was the primary cause of this low concentration. Findings suggested the importance of obtaining complete diet histories and ensuring dietary requirements are sufficiently met in dogs with EPI. (Am J Vet Res 2020;81:958-963).

WSAVA news

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Vaccination Guidelines Group is a team of experts from around the world and, during 2021, it will mark 15 years of providing evidence-based scientific advice to the global veterinary profession on optimum vaccination practice for dogs and cats.