 editorial team is counting down our Top 20 news stories and articles of the year, from January 1, 2024, to November 15, 2024. Rank was determined by measurable audience interest and engagement.

A spotlight is shining on 1 article each day through New Year’s Eve, when the No. 1 dvm360 story of the year will be shared. The following article is No. 12 on this list:

First torsemide drug for dogs received conditional approval

The FDA has issued a conditional approval for the first torsemide drug for dogs (UpCard-CA1; Vetoquinol). This drug is intended to be used alongside concurrent medications including pimobendan, spironolactone, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. This therapy combination will help manage pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs seen in dogs with congestive heart failure caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).

MMVD is an abnormality in the heart valve or muscle that prevents the valve from closing properly and should be diagnosed by a veterinarian through thorough physical and cardiac evaluations.

 This abnormality affects the heart's ability to pump blood efficiently and can lead to an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly). If left untreated, MMVD can progress to congestive heart failure, causing fluid buildup in the chest and abdomen. MMVD is prevalent across various dog breeds, with a higher occurrence in smaller breeds such as Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Yorkshire terriers, and dachshunds. 

At the 2023 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) forum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, third year cardiology resident at Texas A&M University, Tess Sykes, DVM 

 on the link between cardiac complications including MMVD in Borzoi dogs. The data she presented suggests that this breed can still be prone to develop dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), ventricular arrhythmias, and myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).

The FDA allows drugs treating serious or life-threatening diseases in animals to be marketed after demonstrating safety and manufacturing standard before receiving full approval. The organization allows recognized the difficulty this disease poses for gathering effective studies as it would be time consuming and difficult to gather a large data pool.

 Therefore, the FDA has deemed UPCard-CA1 has met the necessary requirements for expanded conditional approval.

For more information on this story, including product vial size and dosage, continue reading the full article: 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/first-torsemide-drug-for-dogs-received-conditional-approval

Articles

dvm360 is counting down the Top 20 news stories and articles from 2024 with this series of spotlights

2024 veterinary news in review: #12

Coming Soon: Inside the Clinic Canine Lymphoma Treatment—Never a One Size Fits All

This CE will discuss how Laverdia CA-1 (verdinexor tabs) fit into treatment of dogs with lymphoma. We will discuss the mechanism of action, dosing, adverse events and efficacy of this novel agent. Finally discussing why Laverdia CA-1 should be utilized in the primary care setting.

Understanding the data behind its conditional approval and how this impacts its current usage

 Seeing where this drug is valuable in the primary care setting

Videos

Luna the puppy from North Pole, Alaska, ingested a bag of Christmas candy and the head of a chocolate Santa Claus (Image courtesy of Pet Poison Helpline) 

Historically, puppies will eat anything they can find. This proved to be true to Jacob Harvison from North Pole, Alaska, after a quick errand would almost result in an emergency room trip for his puppy Luna.

"We had just finished dinner, and my grandma gave us a bunch of candy," Harvison explained, in an organizational release.

 "I had to run out for a few minutes, so I left the bag on my bed. While I was gone, my dog Luna was able to break out of her cage and get into the candy. There were wrappers everywhere. She ate an entire package of SpongeBob Giant Krabby Patties Holiday Sliders gummy candy."

Along with the gummy candies, Harvison reported that Luna also helped herself to the head of a chocolate Santa Clause, a bold move for living so close to the big man himself.

 However, jokes aside, Harvison realized some of the candies he suspected Luna to have ingested could be toxic, so he called his local veterinary clinic. The clinic recommended to call Pet Poison Helpline.

According to the release, the experts at Pet Poison Helpline consulted with Harvison to determine the items Luna consumed and the quantity.

 Because she ate Santa’s head, the team shared that chocolate contain methylxanthines, especially theobromine and caffeine, and when ingested can cause abnormal heart rhythm, diarrhea, elevated heart rate, hyperactivity, seizures, tremors, and potentially death.

 Chocolate products can also contain other toxic materials, including raisins, coffee beans, macadamia nuts, or xylitol

"The holiday season is the busiest time of year at Pet Poison Helpline," said Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline.

 "We receive more calls involving chocolate than any other potential toxin, though it isn't usually in the shape of Santa Claus."

After speaking with Harvison, the team recommended he keep Luna at home, explained the symptoms to be on the lookout for, and cal back if any fure issues or concerns arise. Harvison explained that the call provided him peace of mind because he knows his pet would be okay, and it saved time and expenses of taking her to an emergency room.

"Thinking of a dog eating SpongeBob Giant Krabby Patties Holiday Sliders may be amusing, but it can still cause significant concerns. While the specific ingredients in these gummy treats were not a toxic concern, ingesting a large number of gummy candies can create a fluid shift into the gastrointestinal tract which can then lead to electrolyte abnormalities such as hypernatremia,” explained Schmid.

Pet Posion Helpline shared that among its calls regarding cholocate, 95% involve canine patients.

North Pole Nightmare Before Christmas. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. December 18, 2024. Accessed December 18, 2024. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-pole-nightmare-before-christmas-302334201.html

Chocolate. Pet Poison Helpline. March 3, 2020. Accessed December 18, 2024. https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/chocolate/

Luna the puppy helped herself to some of her owners Christmas treats, including the head of a chocolate Santa Claus 

Alaskan puppy steals holiday treats

Craig A Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), talks about mast cell tumors, sharing a bit about cytological grading, treatment options, common misconceptions, and more 

New insights on mast cell tumors

What are some controversies or misconceptions about mast cell tumors (MCTs)? In a preconference interview, Craig A Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), talked about his lecture “Controversies in Oncology: Mast Cell Tumors,” presented at the Fetch dvm360 conference in 

. In the interview, Clifford discussed various aspects of mast cell tumors, including grading, prognosis with multiple MCTs, subcutaneous MCTs, and the new treatment for MCT in dogs: Stelfonta.

Below is a partial transcript. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Craig A Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology): 

The goal of this lecture is to look at a variety of different things associated with mast cell tumors that are either considered controversial or things that we don't have a perfect answer for. Perfect example would be now we have the ability to do grading, which traditionally was only through taking a piece of the tumor tissue. We can actually do it through cytology. The parameters that are looked at can be seen under [histopathology] and can be seen cytologically. So for select cases where maybe it's a challenging tumor in a tough location, and the primary care doctor, you know, doesn't know ‘how aggressive should I be’? Well, if we do cytologic grading first and the cytologic grading suggest it's a low-grade tumor, well now the primary care doctor can look at it and be like, ‘I just need to do a marginal surgery.’ If, say, it's between the digits, ‘I don't have to take a digit. I can do a really close surgery, barely get it all out, but that's probably enough.’ While, conversely, if it turns out it's [a] more aggressive tumor, well, that's when we have to have very good margins. So just going in and trying to pull it out—not going to be enough, we probably need to take a digit. So that's one that they either may want to downsize first or potentially refer.

This article was originally published by 

The CDC has confirmed the first severe human case of 

 in the US, involving a patient from Louisiana with a history of exposure to backyard poultry. This marks the first documented severe H5N1 infection in the country and follows global patterns of severe illness associated with poultry contact.

The patient is the first such case in the US to be severe enough for the person to be hospitalized. Thus far, all previous patients in confirmed cases have had mild symptoms not requiring hospitalization. The case was confirmed by the CDC on December 13, and the Louisiana Department of Health has not released additional information about the patient, citing privacy concerns.

UN, WHO address public health concern over avian flu transmission to humans

The patient’s infection was identified as the D11 genotype of the virus, which is commonly found in wild birds and has previously been linked to severe cases in regions like Canada and Washington state. Unlike the B313 strain, which has caused milder symptoms in dairy workers exposed to infected cattle, the D11 genotype appears to be more serious.

Genetic testing is ongoing to assess whether any mutations indicate increased danger or potential human-to-human spread, but no other related cases have been reported so far. The CDC continues to assess the risk as low to the public. It is important to note that although the D11 genotype appears to be more virulent, there has been no person-to-person transmission of the virus detected.

Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, director of the NIH's ational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), recently 

about mutations and human-top human transmission. “The virus would still likely need to acquire additional mutations to acquire the ability to spread effectively among humans,” Marrazzo said.

With this first severe case, the US now has 61 confirmed human cases of H5N1. Last week there were 58 cases, with the overwhelming majority of cases confirmed in California. California Governor Gavin Newsom recently declared 

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on California’s testing and monitoring system—the largest in the nation—we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus,” Newsom said in a statement.

In California, there have been 34 human exposure incidents in the state overall and all but 1 of the cases have been linked to commercial agriculture and related operations. The one outstanding case was classified as having an unknown source. These figures reflect the overall exposure risk in the state tied to agricultural and animal operations.

The proclamation follows the detection of additional 

. While the risk to the public remains low, the declaration aims to provide state and local agencies with the resources and flexibility needed to respond swiftly and effectively.

For the Louisiana case, it has been determined that the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. This is the first case of avian infleunza in the US that has been linked to exposure to a backyard flock. A sporadic case of severe H5N1 bird flu illness in a person is not unexpected; avian influenza infection has previously been associated with severe human illness in other countries during 2024 and prior years, including illness resulting in death.

CDC Confirms First Severe Case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the United States. CDC press release. December 18, 2024. Accessed December 19, 2024.


https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/m1218-h5n1-flu.html

Governor Newsom takes proactive action to strengthen robust state response to Bird Flu. Published December 18, 2024. Accessed December 18, 2024. 

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/12/18/governor-newsom-takes-proactive-action-to-strengthen-robust-state-response-to-bird-flu/

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation. CDC. Updated December 17, 2024. Accessed December 18, 2024. 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/index.htm

The CDC has reported a case in Louisiana where the patient is hospitalized and had a history of exposure to backyard poultry

The first severe human case of avian influenza in the US is confirmed

A spotlight is shining on 1 article each day through New Year’s Eve, when the No. 1 

 story of the year will be shared. The following article is No. 13 on this list:

written by By Jayme Hoffberg DVM, DACVECC, Board Certified Criticalist

Anaphylaxis is more than just an everyday allergic reaction and being prepared to recognize and treat these pets in a timely manner is crucial. Anaphylaxis is the systemic, immediate hypersensitivity reaction that is mostly caused by the Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated immunologic release of mediators from mast cells and basophils. The best way to differentiate an anaphylactic reaction from other simpler Type I hypersensitivity reactions is to characterize it as systemic hypersensitivity reaction involving at least 2 organ systems (dermatologic, respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal (GI)).

Anecdotally, it would seem we are seeing more severe, life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in the last 5 years, which may also be due to our improved recognition of the disease. These are often some of the most severely and acutely ill patients we see in practice, and without timely and accurate identification and intervention, mortality can be very high.

There are numerous causes of allergic and anaphylactic reactions including insect bites and stings, vaccines, or other drugs though many of our patients will have an unknown trigger. In this article we are going to focus on IgE mediated type I hypersensitivity.

Our 2 main “bad boys” of anaphylaxis are the mast cell and the basophil. Both release histamine and mast cells will also release heparin. These 2 mediators are stored in granules preformed so there is prompt degranulation and release from the cells. This occurs when an antigen (an allergen) attaches to an IgE antibody on the surface of the cells. The release of these granules occurs within seconds to minutes. Then within 5-30 minutes there is downstream activation of the arachidonic acid cascade which releases prostaglandin, leukotrienes, and platelet activating factor. About 2-6 hours post stimulation, there is release of cytokines and chemokines such as interleukins and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFalpha).

For information on this story, including identification of canine anaphylaxis and references, continue reading the full article: 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/navigating-canine-anaphylaxis