Salmonellosis in Dogs
Salmonellosis is an infection found in dogs caused by the Salmonella bacteria. It often leads to disorders, including gastroenteritis, spontaneous abortions, and septicemia. This bacterial disease is also zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans.

NOTE: Salmonellosis affects both dogs cats, so the following content is applicable to cats as well.

Symptoms and Types
The severity of the disease will often determine the signs and symptoms that are overtly present in the dog. Symptoms commonly seen in dogs with salmonellosis include:

• Fever
• Shock
• Lethargy
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Anorexia
• Weight loss
• Dehydration
• Skin disease
• Mucus in stool
• Abnormally fast heart rate
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Abnormal vaginal discharge
• Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion

Chronic forms of salmonellosis may exhibit some of these same symptoms; however, they will be more severe. These include symptoms:

• Fever
• Weight loss
• Loss of blood
• Non-intestinal infections
• Diarrhea that comes and goes with no logical explanation, which may last up to three or four weeks, or longer

Causes
There are more than 2,000 different types of Salmonella, a Gram-negative enterobacteria. Typically, a host animal carrying the disease will have two or more different microorganisms or types of Salmonellae bacteria that cause this disease.

Risk factors include the contaminated dog treats and food items, a dog's age with younger and older animals most at risk due to their underdeveloped and/or compromised immune systems. Similarly, dogs with weak immune systems or immature gastrointestinal tracts are at risk.

Dogs receiving antibiotic therapy are also at risk because the healthy bacteria that line the digestive tract (or florae), may become imbalanced, increasing the risk of salmonellosis.

Diagnosis
To confirm a diagnosis of salmonellosis, your veterinarian will examine your dog for different physical and pathological findings.

Unfortunately, a dog infected with the bacteria will typically not show any clinical symptoms. However, some dogs do have gastroenteritis, a disease affecting the gastrointestinal system that presents with an inability to eat, general poor health and fatigue, depression, and a chronic fever that may stay as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Other diagnostic features include:

• Acute vomiting and diarrhea
• Low albumin
• Low platelet levels
• Non-regenerative anemia
• Abnormally low white blood cell count
• Electrolyte imbalances, which may include sodium and potassium imbalances

Your veterinarian may want to also rule out other conditions that can result in similar symptoms, including parasites, dietary-induced stress (including allergy or food intolerances), drug or toxin-induced stresses, and diseases like viral gastroenteritis or bacterial gastroenteritis caused by E. Coli or other common bacteria.

Diagnostic procedures typically involve collecting urine and fecal samples for laboratory analysis. Your veterinarian may also find it helpful to conduct blood cultures.

Treatment
Outpatient treatment is often possible in uncomplicated cases. However, if a dog hassepsis, a blood infection, or a severe case of salmonellosis, inpatient care may be necessary, especially for puppies that have developed severe dehydration as a result of the infection.

Treatment may include rehydrating your dog, helping it to overcome severe weight and fluid loss, and replacing lost electrolytes. In severe cases of salmonellosis, plasma or blood transfusions may be necessary to help replace fluids and serum albumin.

They are a few antimicrobials available to your veterinarian that may be used for treating dogs with salmonellosis. Glucocorticoids, a form of adrenal or steroidhormone, may also help to prevent shock in dogs with severe salmonellosis.

Living and Management
Your veterinarian may order a 48-hour food restriction as part of your pet's care. In some cases, dog owners need to be separated from their pets during the acute stage of the disease because of the zoonosis of salmonellosis. Strict attention to hygiene is essential for preventing further spread of disease, which is often shed in the infected dog's stool.

It is important to provide your dog a nutritionally-balanced diet. Avoid giving your dog raw or undercooked meat, as this is a risk factor for salmonellosis. If possible, avoid animal pounds and shelters, as overcrowding may also promote the spread of disease.

Von Willebrand's Disease in Dogs

Von Willebrand’s disease (vWD) is a blood disease caused by a deficiency of von Willebrand Factor (vWF), an adhesive glycoprotein in the blood required for normalplatelet binding (i.e., clotting) at the sites of small blood vessel injuries. In addition, vWF is a carrier protein for coagulation Factor VIII (necessary for blood to clot). A lack of vWF impairs platelet stickiness and clumping. Similar to hemophilia in humans, this condition can lead to excessive bleeding following an injury, due to the lack of clotting.


VWF is an autosomal (non-sex-linked) trait, which both males and females express and transmit genetically and with equal frequency. The expression pattern of the severe forms (Types 2 and 3 vWD) is recessive while the milder form (Type 1 vWD) appears to be recessive or incompletely dominant. This is the most common hereditary blood clotting disorder in dogs, occurring with more frequency in some breeds, including German shepherds, Doberman pinschers, Standard poodles, Shetland sheepdogs, and Golden retrievers.

Symptoms and Types

• Spontaneous hemorrhage from mucosal surfaces:
  • Nosebleeds
  • Blood in the feces (black or bright red blood)
  • Bloody urine
  • Bleeding from the gums
  • Bleeding from the vagina (excessively)
• Bruising of skin
• Prolonged bleeding after surgery or trauma
• Blood loss anemia if there is prolonged bleeding

Causes

• Hereditary vWD is caused by mutations that impair vWF synthesis, release, or stability.

Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your dog, taking into account the background history of your dog's health and onset of symptoms. A blood chemical profile will be performed, with a complete blood count, a urinalysis, and an electrolyte panel. If there has been blood loss, a regenerative anemia will be seen on the complete blood count. Typically, the platelet count will be normal (unless your dog has experienced recent, massive bleeding), and coagulation tests will show normal results.

A clinical diagnosis of von Willebrand disease is based on a specific measurement of plasma vWF concentration bound to the antigen (vWF:Ag). The length of time that it takes for platelets to plug a small injury will be measured, with a test called the buccal mucosa bleeding time (BMBT). The BMBT test, along with the platelet function analyzer (PFA 100), are point-of-care screening tests where the endpoints are prolonged in patients with platelet clumping defects and vWF deficiency. Prolongation is nonspecific, and may accompany numerous severe disorders of the blood.

Treatment
Transfusion of fresh whole blood, fresh plasma, fresh frozen plasma, and cryoprecipitate will supply vWF to the blood. Component therapy (fresh frozen plasma or cryoprecipitate) is best for surgical prophylaxis (prevention) and nonanemic patients, to prevent red cell sensitization and volume overload. Patients with severe vWD may require repeated transfusion to control or prevent hemorrhage. If a dog lacking vWF requires surgery, a pre-operative transfusion should be given just before the procedure.

Living and Management
Most dogs with mild to moderate vWD will continue to have a good quality of life, requiring minimal or no special treatment. Dogs with more severe forms will require transfusion for surgery, and should be transfused if supportive care fails to control a spontaneous bleeding episode. Most of these dogs can be maintained comfortably, but their activities will need to be monitored and limited. If your dog has von Willebrand Disease and it has an episode of prolonged bleeding, call your veterinarian and take it to a veterinary clinic immediately for emergency treatment.

Collie Eye Anomaly in Dogs 
Collie eye anomaly, also referred to as collie eye defect, is an inherited congenital condition. The chromosomes that determine the development of the eyes are mutated, so that the choroid (the collection of blood vessels that absorb scattered light and nourish the retina) is underdeveloped. The mutation can also result in other defects in the eye with more severe consequences, such as retinal detachment. When this mutation does occur, it is always in both eyes, although it might be more severe in one eye than the other. Approximately 70 to 97 percent of rough and smooth collies in the United States and Great Britain are affected, and approximately 68 percent of rough collies in Sweden are affected. Border Collies are also affected, but at a much lower two to three percent. It is also seen in Australian Shepherds, Shetland Sheepdogs, Lancashire Heelers, and other herding dogs.

Symptoms and Types
While a veterinarian can determine through genetic analysis whether your dog has this defect, there may be no symptoms, until the onset of blindness signals you to the problem. There are stages of this disease, some more obvious that others, that lead up to the final outcome. Some associated conditions that may occur with this defect are microphthalmia, where the eyeballs are noticeably smaller than normal; enophthalmia, where the eyeballs are abnormally sunken in their sockets; anterior corneal stromal mineralization -- that is, the connective tissue of the cornea (the transparent coat at the front of the eye) has become mineralized, and shows as a cloud over the eyes; and an effect that is less obvious on inspection, retinal folds, where two layers of the retina do not form together properly.

Causes
The cause of collie eye anomaly is a defect in chromosome 37. It only occurs in animals that have a parent, or parents, that carry the genetic mutation. The parents may not be affected by the mutation, and may therefore not have been diagnosed with the abnormality, but offspring can be affected, especially when both parents carry the mutation. It is also suspected that other genes may be involved, which would explain why the disorder is severe in some collies and so mild that it causes no symptoms in another.

Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will conduct a thorough examination of the eyes to determine the extent of the defect. This can be done when your dog is still a puppy, ans is recommended. Retinal detachment is most common in the first year, and can be prevented or minimized if it is caught early on. Consult with your veterinarian about your dog’s vision. If the disease is diagnosed, it will not be expected to worsen initially unless there is a coloboma -- a hole in the lens, choroid, retina, iris, or optic disc. A coloboma may be small and have very little effect on vision, or it can be a larger hole that takes away too much of the eye structure and leads to partial or full blindness, or to retinal detachment. A coloboma, if found, will need to be carefully monitored by your veterinarian. Some patients with a minor defect may develop pigment across the affected area but will appear normal. For this reason, early examination of your collie(or herd dog) in the first six to eight weeks of life is highly recommended.

Treatment
This condition cannot be reversed. However, for certain defects such as a coloboma, surgery can sometimes be employed to minimize the effects of the disorder. Laser surgery is one method your veterinarian may suggest. Cryosurgery, which utilizes extreme cold to destroy unwanted cell or tissue, is another option for preventing retinal detachment or further deterioration. In some cases, surgery may even be used to help reattach the retina.

Living and Management 
If there is a coloboma, your dog should be monitored carefully during the first year of life for signs of retinal detachment; after a year, retinal detachments rarely occur.

Prevention
As to prevention, there is no way to prevent the occurrence once pregnancy has taken place. The only way to eliminate the trait is to not breed dogs that have the chromosomal defect. At the same time, breeding minimally affected dogs to other minimally affected or carrier dogs may result in minimally affected offspring. However, any level of severity can be produced by such breedings. Breeding of more severely affected dogs is highly likely to produce severely affected offspring.

One study looked at 8,204 rough collies in Sweden over an eight year period (76 percent of all collies registered in Sweden) and found that breeders tended to select against dogs with colobomas but continued to breed dogs with the defective chromosome. From 1989 to 1997, the strategy resulted in a significant increase in the occurrence of the defective chromosome, going from 54 to 68 percent, and the prevalence of colobomas increased as well, rising from 8.3 percent to 8.5 percent. Another side effect is that litter size significantly decreased when at least one of the parents was affected with a coloboma.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Dogs
The aorta is the main artery that feeds oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to the body. The pulmonary (lung) artery travels from the right side of the heart to the lungs, carrying deoxygenated blood to be oxygenated. Once the blood has been oxygenated by the lungs, it then returns to the left side of the hearty through the pulmonary veins to be pumped out into the body by the aorta.

In the womb, the fetus’ descending aorta is connected to the pulmonary artery by the ductus arteriosus blood vessel, allowing blood to flow directly from the right side of the heart to the aorta, without stopping for oxygen in the lungs. This is because the fetus gets its oxygen from the mother's bloodstream and does not yet need to have its own blood oxygenated.

Normally at birth, this connection is no longer patent (open). Once a newborn has begun to breath on its own, the pulmonary artery opens to allow blood to flow from the right side heart into the lungs to be oxygenated, and the ductus arteriosus closes. But in patent ductus arteriosis (PDA) the connection remains patent. Consequently, blood is shunted (diverted) in abnormal patterns in the heart. PDA allows blood to flow from the aorta into the pulmonary artery, and then to the lungs.

If the shunt is moderate to large, it can cause left-sided congestive heart failurefrom blood volume overload on the left side of the heart. Less frequently, a large-diameter PDA will cause injury to the blood vessels in the lungs, from the excess amount of blood flowing into he lungs. High blood pressure in the lungs, and reversal of the shunt so that the blood goes from right to left (pulmonary artery to the aorta), as well as the typical PDA shunt direction of left to right (aorta to pulmonary artery) can be expected.

This atypical right to left shunting of a PDA can cause the aorta to carry blood that is low in oxygen, sending a signal to the body to produce more red blood cells (since they carry oxygen), making the blood too thick.

Symptoms and Types

• Respiratory (breathing) distress:
  • Coughing
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Increased breathing rate
• Right to left shunting PDA:
  • Hind legs are weak during exercise
  • Blood is thicker than normal, causing:
    • Arrhythmias (irregular heart beat)
    • Right to left blood clot
    • Pink, or bluish gums, and bluish skin around the anus or vulva
• Possibly left-sided congestive heart failure
• Rapid, irregular heart beat
• Stunted growth

Causes

• Genetic predisposition (i.e., birth defect)

DiagnosisYour veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your dog, including a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, a urinalysis and an electrolyte panel. You will need to give a thorough history of your pet's health leading up to the onset of symptoms. The level of oxygen in your pet's blood may also be tested, with samples taken from different locations for comparison.

Visualization of the heart, using radiograph and ultrasound imaging, is very instrumental for an accurate diagnosis of PDA. Often what will be seen in an X-ray is left heart enlargement; right to left (“reversed”) PDA will show a heart of normal size on an X-ray.

Treatment
The dog may be given oxygen therapy, nitrates, and cage rest. When your pet has regained stability, it will be scheduled for surgery as soon as possible. It is safe to perform this operation on puppies as young as seven to eight weeks of age, but pets with right to left shunting PDA should never have surgical correction.

Living and Management
Dogs with a normal left to right PDA shunt can be treated normally after they have been allowed two weeks to recover from their surgical correction.

Prevention
Because this trait is genetically transmitted, dogs that have had a PDA should not be bred. The best way to avoid this is to have your pet spayed or neutered, and to make sure that you know your dog's hereditary history.