We talk to Prof. Wiesław Bogdanowicz from the PAS Institute of Zoology about the origins, abilities and intelligence of feral dogs.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most frequent allergic disease in dogs. AD can be treated using allergenspecific immunotherapy as well as symptomatic antipruritic treatment including the use of lokivetmab - caninized anti-interleukine-31 antibody.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of lokivetmab over 12 weeks of treatment. Studies have been carried out in 89 dogs. In all affected animals, the severity of lesions was assessed using the CADESI 04 and the pruritus was assessed using the VAS.

After the first dose of lokivetmab, both CADESI 04 and VAS statistical decreased by 4 weeks from 40.48 to 20.31, and from 7.42 to 2.48, respectively (p = 0.0000001) maintained significantly decresed values during the whole treatment period (CADESI 04 15.64, 15.07 after 8 and 12 weeks, respectively, PVAS 2.03, 1.95 after 8 and 12 weeks, respectively).

Lokivetmab leads to a significant reduction of CADESI 04 and pruritus, within four weeks and maximum effect is achived after the second dose.

The aim of the study was to assess the physiological stiffness of the normal canine jejunal mucosa based on shear wave elastography. The study was carried out on 60 dogs. In all the animals studied, the abdominal ultrasound was carried out using the SuperSonic Imagine Aixplorer system. The site of the jejunal elastography was determined using standard ultrasonography and all the measurements were carried out thrice. The stiffness of the area examined was determined during each measurement. Mean values were calculated based on the results obtained. The normal stiffness of the jejunal mucosa ranged from 1.305 kPa to 9.319 kPa (mean 5.31 ± 2.04 kPa). Based on our findings, we determined the range of normal values of the jejunal mucosal stiffness in healthy dogs. In addition, shear wave elastography was found to be safe and easy to perform. Moreover, it did not require anaesthesia or patient immobilisation for long periods.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and anti-obesity effects of the Korean red ginseng extract in dogs. To this end, we fed healthy beagles a Korean red ginseng diet and/or snack for 8 weeks. The dogs were submitted to a thorough physical examination, complete blood count, serum biochemistry analysis, analysis of adipose tissue activity, and body fat-con- tent analysis by computed tomography (CT). At the end of the study period, the dogs that were fed the ginseng extract-diet/snack showed a significant decrease in body weight, body condition score and leptin levels relative to the baseline value. The CT findings revealed a decrease in body fat content in dogs fed the ginseng extract diet but not in those fed the ginseng-extract snack. The results of blood analysis did not show any meaningful changes in any of the dogs. All dogs tolerated the diet/snack well, and there were no adverse events. Our results suggest that the Korean red ginseng extract diet can potentially serve as an anti-obesity diet for reducing fat mass in dogs.

Several human studies have reported that capsaicin has anti-pruritic effects. Moreover, sever- al concentrations of topical capsaicin have been used to alleviate itch. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-pruritic effect of capsaicin against histamine-induced pruritus compared with that of topical steroid or vehicle in 15 healthy beagles. Fifteen dogs were divided into three groups (n = 5 each), and treated topically with one of the following on the left side of the neck: capsaicin, positive control (steroid), or negative control (vehicle). Each treatment was performed twice daily for 8 days. All dogs were injected with histamine intradermally before treatment and on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th days of the treatment to evoke itch. Pruritus, wheal, and erythema intensity were assessed at each evaluation; cutaneous temperature was also recorded. On the final day, skin biopsy was conducted for histopathological evaluation for all dogs. The severity of pruritus was lesser in the capsaicin-treated group compared with the negative control group on day 8 (p<0.05). In the capsaicin and steroid groups, wheal size, erythema index, and cutaneous temperature also decreased compared with pretreatment. Histopathological evaluation showed that the capsaicin-treated group had a higher number of inflammatory cells in the dermis com- pared to the vehicle control group; however, the steroid-treated group showed less severe inflam- matory reactions than the vehicle control group. These results suggest that capsaicin cannot reduce inflammation but may play a helpful role in reducing pruritus in dogs.

The aim of this study was to establish reference values for 2D and M-mode measurements in Dachshunds. Basic echocardiographic data, including M-mode, 2D and spectral Doppler measurements, was collected, analyzed and compared between 41 healthy Dachshunds and 50 other healthy dogs of similar weight. Echocardiographic reference intervals were prepared for Dachshunds. Dachshunds had a smaller left ventricular diameter in diastole and systole and a thicker septum than other dog breeds. Male Dachshunds had larger diastolic and systolic left ventricular diameter than females. Reference intervals for 2D and M-mode measurements in healthy Dachshunds differ from other dogs of similar weight and should be used for this breed to assess chamber enlargement.

Animals kept outside their natural environment often suffer from boredom. They don’t hunt or have a chance to conduct their mating rituals, and their natural tendency for physical activity is limited by space. These deficiencies affect their psychological well-being. But when it comes to dogs, we can help them by exploiting their excellent sense of smell.

Studies in human medicine have shown that in addition to affecting the reproductive system, the hormone estrogen also has cardioprotective effects. The present study hypothesized that ovariohysterectomized (OVH) dogs would have a higher incidence of cardiac dysfunction and impairment of lipid profiles compared to intact female dogs. Thirty healthy female dogs were divided into two groups, 15 intact female dogs and 15 OVH dogs. All the dogs underwent a physical examination, including investigation of physical parameters, blood collection for lipid profile measurement, thoracic radiography, electrocardiography and echocardiography. Physical examination parameters, electrocardiographic parameters, heart size and cardiac function in OVH dogs were not different when compared to intact female dogs. However, in the OVH dogs, triglyceride and very-low-density lipoprotein levels were increased, while high-density lipoprotein was significantly decreased compared to the intact female dogs (P<0.05). Differences between the groups in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein did not reach statistical signi- ficance. We concluded that estrogen deprivation in dogs can induce lipid profile impairment but not cardiac performance impairment 1 year after an ovariohysterectomy.

Canine babesiosis is a tickborne, protozoal, haemoparasitic disease. Babesia organisms are frequently classified as either large (B. canis) or small (B. gibsoni). The aim of this study was an attempt to detect B. gibsoni DNA in blood samples taken from dogs suspected of suffering from tick-borne diseases. 216 samples were tested using PCR, of which, in 99 of them B. canis DNA was detected, whereas in 3 of them B. gibsoni was detected. Positive PCR results for B. gibsoni were confirmed using a Qube MDx real-time analyzer. The results indicate that infections with this B. gibsoni should be taken into account and included in the differential diagnosis of vector-borne diseases in dogs in Poland, and that the accurate identification of the species of parasite causing the infection is crucial for developing the correct treatment regimen and prognosis.

The aim of this study was to obtain reference values for diastolic cardiac function parameters in healthy dogs and to ascertain if significant differences exist between dogs of various age, weight and sex. The study was performed on 82 healthy dogs of different age and breed. Eleven param- eters were analyzed: peak velocity during early diastolic filling, acceleration time of early diastol- ic filling, deceleration time of early diastolic filling, total time of early diastolic filling, peak veloc- ity during late diastolic filling, acceleration time of late diastolic filling, deceleration time of late diastolic filling, total time of late diastolic filling, total time of early and late diastolic filling, ratio of peak velocities during early and late diastolic filling, isovolumetric relaxation time. The Dop- pler measurements used for general assessment of diastolic function in healthy dogs were signifi- cantly influenced by body weight, heart rate and age. No significant differences were found be- tween males and females. This study described the value of non-invasive echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function in healthy dogs.

In individual dogs, despite good quality of raw sperm, some parameters are significantly changed after thawing, which cannot be predicted. We therefore investigated whether motility parameters objectively obtained by CASA, membrane integrity (MI), cell morphology or a combination are suitable to improve the prediction of bad post-thaw quality. For this purpose 250 sperm analysis protocols from 141 healthy stud dogs, all patients introduced for sperm cryopreservation, were evaluated and a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) -analysis performed. The sperm was routinely collected, analysed, and frozen by using a modified Uppsala system. After thawing, data were routinely examined by using CASA, fluorescent microscopy for membrane integrity (MI) and Hancock’s fixation for evaluation of cell morphology. Samples were sorted by post-thaw progressive motility (P) in good (P > / = 50%, n=135) and bad freezers (P<50%, n=115). Among bad freezers, 73.9% showed in addition post-thaw total morphological abberations of >40% and/or MI <50%.

Bad freezers were significantly older than good freezers (p<0.05). Progressive motility (P), velocity curvilinear (VCL), mean coefficient (STR), and linear coefficient (LIN) were potential predictors for post-thaw sperm quality since specifity was best (85.8%) and sensitivity (75.4 %) and accuracy (80.4 %) good. For these objectively measured raw sperm parameters, cut-off values were calculated allowing prediction of bad post-thaw results with high accuracy: P = 83.1 % VCL = 161.3 µm/sec, STR = 0.83 %, and LIN = 0.48 %. Raw sperm samples with values below these cut off values will have below average post-thaw quality with a probability of 85.8%. We conclude that VCL, P, STR and LIN are potential predictors of the outcome of sperm cryopreservation, when combined.

The lumbosacral region of the spine is the most susceptible to pathology in large breed dogs. The most common pathologies of this segment include intervertebral disc disease, distortion of vertebrae, narrowing of the lumbosacral canal and congenital defects of the spine. The aim of this study is to develop a mathematical model describing the height of each lumbosacral vertebra in the dog in relation to the position of the vertebra. For the mathematical analysis we used the results of two measurements for each lumbar vertebra. The first measurement was made from the top of the spinous process to the center of the spinal cord. The second measurement was made from the center of the body of one vertebra to the center of the body of the next one. It is possible to determine an approximate mathematical model that would be uniform for the entire species and would connect the height of the lumbar vertebrae with their location for every breed of the domestic dog. Despite the considerable differences in the constitutional type (small, medium and large breeds), the morphology of the lumbosacral region of the spine exhibits similar proportions. Therefore, it is possible to assess an anomaly of this spinal region objectively. These findings suggest that it is possible to determine an approximate mathematical model that would be uniform for the entire species. The present study was carried out as part of a larger project. This particular work is a pilot study.