Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
In two dogs with hypocobalamine, cobalamine was administered by i.m. at a dose
of 500-1,000
g every 7 days until normalization of values. During follow-up, two
dogs died of extraintestinal causes, and two others without hypoalbuminemia were
euthanized at the request of the owners.
m
23.4 Discussion
The findings reported in this paper are in accordance with other authors (Jergens
et al.
1992
; German et al.
2003
). There were no effects of sex, breed, or age
predisposition on the findings. It is interesting to note that HUC has been detected
in two breeds not previously reported (West Highland White Terrier and Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel), and 77.2% of subjects belonged to pure breeds: four were
German shepherds, two of which had the same father. Regenerative anemia, leuko-
cytosis with neutrophilia, and the presence of band neutrophils were observed in
subjects at a visit after a long period from the onset of symptoms. Thrombocytosis
observed in two dogs is a common extraintestinal manifestation of IBD in humans.
In human studies, thrombocytosis is proportional to the activity of the disease and is
related to reduced half-life and increased platelet turnover (Talstad et al.
1973
). In
our cases, in dogs affected with lymphocytic enteritis presenting on histopathology,
clinical evaluation scores were higher. Thrombocytopenia is considered a random
finding in human and canine IBD, although its onset may be immunological
(Ridgway et al.
2001
). No significant differences between various assessment
criteria of disease (CCECAI, endoscopy, and histopathological examination) were
seen in hypoalbuminemic and normoalbuminemic dogs, although we examined a
small number of subjects, indicating that the laboratory findings did not relate to the
severity of clinical, endoscopic, and histological findings. Additionally, if the
endoscopic examination of lymphangiectasia is indicative of protein-loss enteritis,
the severity of endoscopic images may not correlate with hypoproteinemia. There
was a significant correlation between CCECAI and endoscopic score in accordance
with a recent study in which the subjects with small intestine disease showed
prognosis from guarded to unfavorable (Allenspach et al.
2006
). The relationship
between endoscopic and histopathological scores was significant in our cases but
was not always detectable because of variations in the subjective assessment
(endoscopist operator vs. histopathologist) and technical quality of the biopsies. In
contrast with Allenspach (2007) where hypocobalamine was considered an indicator
of negative response to immunosuppressive therapy, our dogs with low levels of
cobalamine responded to treatment, albeit with longer times. High ALT levels may
be associated with subclinical disease of the hepatobiliary system, characterized
histologically by mononuclear infiltrates in periportal vasculature and involvement
of the liver with upward departure from the gut (Marks
1998
).
Treatments for IBD involve a combination of pharmacologic and nutritional
therapies. For mild forms, management may be only dietary with the use of
novel
protein.
In moderate or severe forms, dietary management should be combined with
