OBJECTIVE Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a global disease and an improved diagnostic approach to this orthopedic condition is needed, with an emphasis on inexpensive and minimally invasive techniques. This research aimed to determine the differentiating potential of selected biochemical markers in serum between healthy dogs and dogs with hip dysplasia in a breed-specific study that involved the Tornjak dog population. ANIMALS 99 Tornjak dogs radiographically categorized (Federation Cynologique Internationale procedure and scoring scheme) between December 2019 and April 2021, as having no sign of hip dysplasia or near normal hip joints (nondysplastic group; n = 51) vs mild, moderate, or severe hip dysplasia (dysplastic group; 48). METHODS Serum concentrations and enzyme activity of the biochemical markers hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen II C-terminal propeptide (PIICP), and metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) were compared among adult dogs with or without radiographic hip dysplasia. Statistical tests used to examine the differentiating potential of biochemical markers in Tornjak dog groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test, logistic regression, and receiving operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. RESULTS Tornjak dogs with radiographic CHD had significantly lower serum concentrations of HA and higher concentrations of PIICP and MMP9 activity compared to dogs with radiographically normal hips (P < .05). Selected biochemical markers could distinguish dogs with radiographic CHD from those without CHD with high sensitivity and specificity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE These data suggest that the diagnostic technique of measuring serum concentrations of HA, PIICP, and MMP9 activity has a selective ability to distinguish dogs with dysplastic from dogs with normal hips.

The infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus in cats and dogs raised issue of human-to-animal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic pets in close contacts with their owners. Our study was designed to research this in the framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Using ELISA, AFIAS fluorescent immunoassay, RT-qPCR and WGS on Nanopore MinION platform with ARTIC Network Amplicon sequencing protocol for SARS-CoV-2, we showed that three out of thirteen dogs and one out of five cats from the households with confirmed human cases of COVID-19 in Bosnia-Herzegovina were infected with SARS-CoV-2. The high viral RNA load was detected in samples collected from a 4-year-old male Havanese (Ct = 12.52), a 6-year-old German Shepherd (Ct = 21.36) and a 9-year-old female American Staffordshire terrier (Ct = 25.74). The antibody response in dogs and one cat was observed. The viral genetic sequences from dogs were identical to the sequences detected in the owners suggesting the human-to-animal transmission of the virus. These findings, especially the low initial Ct values detected, from the public health perspective additionally stress the need for precautionary measures to protect both humans and animals.

The exposure of the body to stress, regardless of whether it comes from physical, chemical or emotional stimuli from the environment, causes an inadequate adaptation of the organisms which can contribute to the development of various diseases. Abnormally high blood concentrations of cortisol, known as stress hormone, lead to the development of a hormonal disorder called hyperadrenocorticism or Cushing’s syndrome. In the majority of cases, Cushing’s syndrome is diagnosed when symptoms are apparent, and screening endocrinological test confirms the existence either of increased cortisol production or decreased sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to negative glucocorticoid feedback. In our research, we examined a total of 23 male and 7 female dogs that were suspected to have Cushing’s syndrome, based on history and clinical signs. A total of 15 male and 5 female dogs were positive for Cushing’s syndrome (HAC group), whereas the remaining dogs were used to form non-HAC group. Using the apparatus IDEXX “Vet Test 8008”, the following biochemical parameters were determined: glucose, urea, creatinine, phosphorus, calcium, total protein, albumin, globulin, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, cholesterol, and amylase. Regarding haematological parameters, the following parameters were investigated: erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, erythrocyte indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW), white blood cell count, haemoglobin and haematocrit, using “Laser cite vet lab Station” (IDEXX). No significant differences in haematological and biochemical blood parameters were noticed between the HAC and the non-HAC group of dogs. However, dogs suffering from Cushing’s syndrome had a higher value in the number of erythrocytes compared to the control group. The finding that has to be payed attention to is the difference in platelet count between the control group of dogs and dogs suffering from Cushing’s syndrome.

There are only a few reported cases of abdominal ectopic pregnancy and consequential foetal mummification in dogs. The majority of the described cases indicate that this condition may exist for a prolonged period of time without any manifestation of illness. Therefore, sudden signs of abdominal distension, abdominal pain, episodes of epileptiform seizures, dark diarrhoea and lethargy, as were observed in the present case, are not likely to be considered as symptoms of an abdominal ectopic pregnancy. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an eight-year long abdominal pregnancy in an ovariohysterectomised bitch. We present the clinical, laboratory, radiological and intraoperative findings, and the medical and surgical therapy for an abdominal ectopic pregnancy in a 14 year old Miniature Pinscher bitch, ovariohysterectomised eight years previously.

Abstract The presence of M. pachydermatis was investigated in 192 skin and ear samples originated from 50 dogs with atopic dermatitis. Correlation of M. pachydermatis isolation with age, sex, breed, living condition, onset of symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD), intradermal test (IDT) results and sampling site was analyzed. M. pachydermatis was isolated from 49 samples (29 from the ears and 20 from skin). Greater number of isolates was noted in purebred dogs (29.8%) compared to the cross breeds (8.1%) (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in the number of isolates between ear and skin samples (29.6% and 21.3%, respectively). Yeast isolation was more frequently noted from ear than from skin samples in dogs over 3 years of age, and in dogs with autumn and winter onset of symptoms. Out of 29 isolates from the ears, 28 (98.5%) originated from purebred dog samples (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference noted considering the otitis presence. However, this yeast was more commonly isolated from purebred dogs in a group without otitis (p<0.05). More frequent isolation was noted from leg and paw samples than from groin and hip samples in male dogs; while in dogs over 3 years of age, more frequent isolation was noted from ear samples than from groin and hip samples (p=0.05). In dogs with positive IDT to house dust and house dust mite, M. pachydermatis was more present in leg and paw than in groin and hip samples (p<0.05). Key words: dogs, atopic dermatitis, Malassezia pachydermatis

Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD), also known as grease, scratches or mud fever, represents variety of skin inflammatory conditions of the pastern region, all classified under this term. Therefore, it is rather considered a specific syndrome than a single disease diagnosis, with three main forms described. EPD has multiple potential etiologies (parasite (mite) infestation, bacterial infection, dermatophytosis, photosensitization, vasculitis, vaccinia, pemphigus foliaceus and primary irritant contact dermatitis), which are usually preconditioned with poor environmental conditions, particularly increased humidity and unappropriated hygiene. EPD has never been formally investigated in any area of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a preliminary investigation of the presence of EPD in the population of randomly selected horses in BiH. The research iincluded 40 horses of both genders and varied breeds and ages. EPD was detected in 12.5% of the examined horses with dominant presence in Arabian horses. Keywords: horse, equine pastern dermatitis, mud fever

In the present study modern technology of DNA extraction and automatic genotyping was applied in Bosnian and Herzegovinian autochthonous horse breed by using 17-Plex horse genotyping kit. The study was aimed at investigating usefulness of the 17-plex STR Kit for Bosnian mountain horse genotyping and establishing highly useful microsatellite markers system for genetic diversity studies in Bosnian mountain horse breed. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood collected from 22 unrelated Bosnian mountain horse specimens. A total of 95 alleles were detected. Average number of detected alleles per locus was 5.588, varying from 3 (HTG7) to 10 (ASB17). Average effective number of alleles was 3.603, fluctuating from 1.789 (HMS7) to 5.728 (HMS2). The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.136 (HMS3) to 0.909 (ASB2) with a mean of 0.631. The results indicate that the studied population originates from the appropriate number of parent generations. The mean expected heterozygosity was 0.690, varying from 0.441 (HMS7) to 0.853 (ASB17) indicating high genetic variability within Bosnian mountain horse population. The PIC values ranged from 0.409 (HMS7) to 0.837 (ASB17) with a mean of 0.643, suggesting that 94.12% markers were quite informative in terms of their suitability for genetic diversity studies .The most polymorphic locus was HMS2 and the least polymorphic locus was HMS7. The inbreeding coefficient ranged from -0.030 (HMS7) to 0.807 (HMS3) with a mean of 0.077. Inbreeding coefficient values indicated no shortage of heterozygotes in Bosnian mountain horses. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p<0,05) was found in three loci (HTG10, HMS3 and ASB17). The applied set of 17 microsatellite markers proved to be sufficiently specific for use in genotyping of Bosnian mountain horse. Considering the values of HO, HEand PIC over 0.6, five microsatellite markers system (HTG4, AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, HMS2) is considered to be highly useful for genetic diversity studies in Bosnian mountain horse breed.

Abstract Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common skin disease and numerous factors participate in forming clinical features of this disease. Intradermal tests (IDT) enabled determination of allergen(s) involved in CAD. Allergens that can be related with CAD are numerous and depend on geographical region. The purpose of this study was to identify the most frequent allergen(s) associated with CAD to which dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD) most often react with hypersensitive reaction. IDT were performed with 15 allergens on fifty dogs with clinical signs of AD. Mixed breed (n= 10), Pekingese (n= 9), Labrador Retriever (n= 6) and American Staffordshire Terriers (n= 5) were the most common breeds among 50 tested dogs. The majority of dogs showed clinical signs of AD at age of less than three years. Clinical signs appeared seasonally in the spring and summer. Pruritus was present in 74% cases. Polysensitization was noted in 96% of tested dogs, while 4% of tested dogs were negative to used allergens. The highest percentage of allergen positive reactions was to house dust (78%,) and house dust mite (68%) (p<0.01, respectively). Key words: dogs, atopic dermatitis, allergens, IDT

Pojam eutanazija potice od grckih rijeci ‘eu’ (dobro) i ‘thanatos’ (smrt) te je doslovni prijevod “dobra smrt” (Tasker, 2018). Danas, konstantan napredak u tehnologiji i medicini znatno povecava mogucnosti produženja života nasih pacijenata, međutim, istovremeno može dovesti do teskih etickih dilema koje se odnose na ono sto je najbolje za životinju i vlasnike (Knesl i sar., 2017).

The aim of the present study was to investigate values of hematological and some biochemical parameters of autochthonous Bosnian mountain horse breed by revealing the differences related to age and gender. These horses are adapted to specific environmental and climatic conditions in the region and their blood parameters might differ from other horse breeds. Blood samples were collected on stud farm “Borike” from 30 clinically healthy adult horses of both gender (16 females and 14 males), aged between two and twenty-three years. Horses were grouped in three age classes: young mature horses (2-6 years, n=10), middle age horses (7-14 years, n=10) and old horses (>14 years, n=10). A total of eleven hematological and twelve biochemical parameters were analyzed. Gender significantly affected LYM (p=0.009), EOS (p=0.016), UREA (p=0.018), P (p=0.028), TBIL (p=0.048) and AMYL (p=0.033) levels. Values of UREA, TBIL and AMYL were significantly higher in males, while values of LYM, EOS and P were significantly higher in females. Age significantly affected GLU (p=0.019) and UREA (p=0.001) levels. Values of GLU were significantly lower in middle age horses than in old horses while values of UREA were significantly lower in young mature horses than in middle age and old horses. UREA was the only parameter affected by both age and gender. Results obtained in the present study showed that gender had much more powerful effect on the investigated parameters in clinically healthy adult Bosnian mountain horses then did the age.