Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Non-core vaccines are those which we as a profession have determined are not recommended for all dogs or cats. Vaccination, in general, has the benefit of potentially lessening the prevalence or severity of disease, ensuring that patients are examined on a regular basis, increasing practice revenue, and potentially saving clients money in the long-run.
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Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
For most diagnostic tests, the 'titer' is the minimum dilution of a substance that is required to yield a positive result. For example, for detection of anti-Leptospira sp. Antibodies, the titer is the dilution of serum which still causes microbes to crosslink.
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Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Dogs with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) usually present with platelet counts low enough to be considered life-threatening, although overt signs of bleeding are uncommon. Owners usually only note anorexia or lethargy, although in some cases epistaxis, cutaneous bruising/petecchi?/echymoses, or oral bleeding may be noted.
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Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Nontraumatic inflammatory joint disease is a relatively common, but under-recognized, cause of fever and morbidity in dogs. In one review of 66 dogs referred for fever of unknown origin to a veterinary teaching hospital, approximately 8% were diagnosed with immune-mediated polyarthritis.
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Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
In human medicine, fever of unknown origin (FUO) is defined as pyrexia of greater than two to three weeks duration (i.e. sufficient time for self-limiting infections to resolve) during which repeat physical examinations and standard diagnostic testing have failed to reveal an underlying cause.
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Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Glucocorticoids are the most commonly used drugs for immunosuppression of dogs and cats with immune-mediated diseases because they induce rapid, non-specific inhibition of the immune system by reducing inflammation-associated gene transcription, inhibiting intracellular signaling pathways, down-regulating cell membrane expression of adhesion proteins, and slowing cell proliferation.
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Nov 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia is one of the most common reasons for referral to veterinary internists. The most common presenting complaint is that the patient is inadequately responding to appropriate imunosuppression.
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Apr 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
There is no question that glucocorticoids (GCs) remain the mainstay of immunosuppressive therapy in small animal medicine. However other drugs are available that can be used in conjunction with GCs in order to provide synergistic immunosuppression and thus allow lower GC dosage, more specifically target certain arms of the immune system, and provide proven superior immunosuppression to GCs in a few diseases.
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Apr 1, 2010
By:
Barrak Pressler, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Nephrotic syndrome is an uncommon to rare complication of protein-losing nephropathies. Diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome requires the concurrent presence of proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, third-space accumulation of fluid, (such as ascites) and hyperlipidemia; when present, this diagnosis is pathognomonic for glomerular disease.
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