Forskningsprojekter

Gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea are considered some of the most common clinical presentations in veterinary clinical practice. These clinical signs are relatively nonspecific and may be caused by a range of different disease entities. In the case of a diagnosis of chronic enteropathy, the owners and their pets are often facing a thorough diagnostic plan – sometimes time consuming – in order to reach a final diagnosis and apply the appropriate treatment.

In this study, we attempt to map if dogs with chronic gastrointestinal disease experience a reduced quality of life perceived by the dog owner and veterinarians. Likewise, we investigate if the dog-owner bond and the owner’s quality of life is effected by having a dog with chronic enteropathy. Furthermore, we investigate, if owners and veterinarians have an aligned view on quality of life in these dogs.

For further information, please contact Janne Graarup-Hansen Lyngby : e-mail: janne.lyngby@sund.ku.dk 

The aim of this study is to evaluate two new hematological parameters - NACU count and reticulated platelet number - in companion animals. The parameters will be part of the existing hematological analysis performed on the automatic hematology analyzer ADVIA 2120i (Siemens Healthineers). We hypothesize that NACU count will reflect the number of neutrophil extracellular traps in whole blood and that reticulated platelets will reflect the activity of megakaryopoisis in the patients. These new parameters will potentially increase the diagnostic knowledge gained from standard hematological analyses and help to evaluate and initiate treatments of patients.

An initial part of the project has been presented as an oral abstract at the 24th Annual congress ESVCP 2022 Belgrade, Serbia, October 2022.

For further information, please contact Anne Krogh: e-mail: akrk@sund.ku.dk 

Cancer is the number one cause of death in dogs and cats, and 8-14% of all tumors arise from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Clinical signs of GI cancer are vague (vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss) and do not differ between gastrointestinal cancer and chronic enteropathy. Extensive testing including biopsies and histopathology is often needed for a diagnosis – and this can be invasive and expensive. There is a need of reliable and non-invasive tests/biomarkers to differentiate between cancer and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Fecal and serum microRNAs show potential as biomarkers of human colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to determine if dogs and cats with GI cancer have different fecal miRNA expression patterns than dogs/cats that are either healthy or have chronic inflammatory enteropathy (previously IBD). A secondary aim was to determine if difference in expression can be used as a diagnostic biomarker to distinguish chronic inflammatory enteropathy from GI cancer.

For further information contact Janne Graarup Lyngby, E-mail: janne.lyngby@sund.ku.dk

Publications:

Janne G., Lyngby et al.: Association of fecal and serum microRNA profiles with gastrointestinal cancer and chronic inflammatory enteropathy in dogs. J Vet Intern Med.2022; 36:1989–2001 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16530