Janet Steiss

• DVM, PhD, PT
• Professor at Auburn University, College of Veterinary Medicine

To establish a protocol to collect temporal-spatial gait analysis variables by use of a portable walkway system in Labrador Retrievers at a walk and to determine reference values. 56 healthy Labrador Retrievers. 6 passes across the walkway (3 passes in each direction) were recorded. Inclusion criteria for a pass were that the dog was at a walk (vel...

To determine whether Labrador Retrievers participating in field trials develop respiratory alkalosis and hypocapnia primarily in conditions of high ambient temperatures. 16 Labrador Retrievers. At each of 5 field trials, 5 to 10 dogs were monitored during a test (retrieval of birds over a variable distance on land [1,076 to 2,200 m]; 36 assessments...

On wk −1, 24 healthy mixed breed kennel dogs were screened by physical examination, complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and plasma cortisol measurement. Dogs were tested to ensure they barked at an unfamiliar dog. Dogs were randomly assigned to control, electronic bark collar or lemon spray bark collar groups (n = 8 per group). On wk 0 (accli...

In this study we evaluate the applicability of nonlinear mathematical techniques to describe and define normal dog gait. A commercially available walkway 2-dimensional motion analysis system was utilized to acquire kinematic data from healthy dogs. The kinematic data of the center of pressure (COP) of the dog during walking were analyzed. The abili...

The purpose of this article is to review the use of cold, heat, therapeutic ultrasound, and electrical stimulation in small animal rehabilitation. The material in this article is a compilation from the veterinary and hu-man literature. Additional information is needed on how to adapt the techniques used in human beings to small animals and then to...

Ultrasonography was performed on sciatic, tibial and/or peroneal nerves and interosseous muscles in 7 dogs using a ultrasound machine with a 7.5 MHz linear array transducer. A tibial nerve was transected near the distal aspect of the bellies of the gastroenemius muscle. Serial neurologic examinations, electromyography, and ultrasonography were perf...

Ten healthy Labrador Retrievers (4 females and 6 males aged 3-6.5 years [mean, 4.5 years]) training with a professional trainer were studied. The dogs were in training during the entire study. Dogs were monitored within 5 minutes after retrieving birds on land and in water on 2 consecutive days during training and on 2 consecutive days at the Atlan...

Low-temperature thermoplastic (LTT) materials are used for fabricating orthotic devices in human medicine. The versatility of LTTs makes them potentially useful in veterinary practice. After being heated in water at 150°F to 175°F, LTTs can be molded directly Onto a patient's skin or haircoat to help heal variety of wounds and orthopedic injuries....

Muscle disorders associated with physical exertion in human athletes include delayed-onset muscle soreness, muscle strain, muscle tears, rhabdomyolysis, and acute and chronic compartment syndromes. Given that the structure of muscle is similar among different species, it is reasonable to expect that dogs experience the same phenomena. This article...

Research has indicated that results of blood tests for retired greyhounds may fall outside the established normal ranges for the general canine population and that specific parameters for retired greyhounds may need to be established. Based on the study discussed in this article, the authors determined that hemoglobin, creatinine, sodium, total car...

A condition colloquially referred to as "limber tail" and "cold tail" is familiar to people working with hunting dogs, primarily Pointers and Labrador Retrievers. The typical case consists of an adult dog that suddenly develops a flaccid tail. The tail either hangs down from the tail base or is held out horizontally for several inches from the tail...

To determine the effect of interday variation on vertical ground reaction force variables in dogs. 52 clinically normal Greyhounds of either sex weighing between 22 and 35 kg. Dogs were led at a trot across a floor-mounted force platform to determine vertical ground reaction force variables (peak [PFz] and impulse [IFz]) from hind limbs. Data were...

To determine effect of coat during ultrasound treatment and to establish a protocol to achieve adequate thermal effects. 9 healthy adult dogs. A standardized area was treated on the semitendinosus muscle of sedated dogs. Needle thermistors were inserted in the biceps femoris muscle to depths of 5 and 10 cm and in the ultrasound gel in the treatment...

To evaluate effects of treatment with a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on healing of open and sutured wounds, clinicopathologic variables, and CNS activity of dogs. 12 adult female Beagles. Open and sutured wounds were created in the skin of the trunk of the dogs. Dogs were divided into 2 groups. One group received PEMF treatment and 1 group s...

To measure ground reaction force variables during lameness resulting from impaired tibial nerve function and to determine whether these variables changed significantly as recovery progressed. 11 healthy Greyhounds of either sex, weighing between 22 and 39 kg. On 3 consecutive days before surgery, ground reaction forces were measured by force platfo...

To evaluate analgesic effects after epidural administration of medetomidine to cows, compared with effects of lidocaine hydrochloride and 0.9% NaCl solution. 6 adult beef cows. 3 treatments were administered to each cow, with a 1-week interval between subsequent treatments. Treatments consisted of 5 ml of physiologic saline (0.9% NaCl) solution; 0....

To determine effect of dog selection and habituation on vertical ground reaction force variables. 133 Greyhounds of either sex, weighing between 22 and 39 kg. Vertical ground reaction force variables (peak [PFz] and impulse [IFz]) for hind limbs were studied in dogs at 3 levels of habituation. Dogs of group 1 (n = 81) did not have prior experience...

Four, commercially available ceruminolytic agents and physiological saline were screened for ototoxic and inflammatory reactions on the middle ear mucosae of guinea pigs (n = 38) and dogs (n = 24). Each solution was injected transtympanically in anesthetized animals. The effects were assessed by brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) tests to e...

To determine which electrodiagnostic tests yield abnormal findings in cats with GM1 gangliosidosis, and to determine the approximate age of onset of electrodiagnostic abnormalities. Cats (28 to 335 days old) affected with GM1 gangliosidosis (n = 11) and unaffected controls (n = 14). Cats were grouped by age: group 1, < or = 90 days, group 2, 91 to...

Clinical and morphologic features of a progressive polyneuropathy in young mature Alaskan Malamutes are described. Clinical signs included progressive paraparesis, synchronous pelvic limb gait, exercise intolerance, hyperesthesia, hypore-flexia, muscle atrophy, and tetraplegia. Electromyographic testing revealed diffuse fibrillation potentials and...

Over the past several years, we have accumulated data on a spontaneous demyelinating peripheral neuropathy that is not well identified in domestic animals. This disorder occurs in dogs and cats of either sex and does not appear breed-related. Onset of signs is usually insidious and the course is typically chronic, sometimes relapsing, and often slo...

A histochemical and morphometric study of fiber types in a variety of skeletal muscles of healthy young adult cats was undertaken to provide normative data not available previously. Using a standardized system of nomenclature, fiber types 1, 2A, 2B, and 2C were identified in most cat muscles on the basis of myosin ATPase staining at pH 4.45. Type-2...

Mean conduction velocity of sensory axons of the dorsal penile nerves of clinically normal bulls was determined by recording action potentials evoked by cutaneous stimulation. Locations of stimulating and recording electrodes were standardized. Overall mean +/- SD conduction velocity was 55.1 +/- 5.1 m/s. Mean +/- SD velocity recorded from the dist...

Abnormal brain stem auditory-evoked responses (BAER) were recorded on 14 dogs with brain lesions confirmed by necropsy (n = 13) or magnetic resonance imaging and surgical biopsy (n = 1). Lesions included brain stem or cerebellar tumors (6 dogs), brain stem trauma (1 dog), forebrain tumors (3 dogs), hydrocephalus (2 dogs), granulomatous meningoencep...

The purpose of this study was to simultaneously evaluate in rats the effects of vitamin E depletion on tissue alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) concentrations, electrophysiologic measurements and histopathology. Rats (21-day-old male Wistar) were fed either vitamin E-deficient or supplemented (control) diets (n = 6/group) for 10, 16, and 61 weeks. At thes...

Clinical, morphologic, and morphometric findings are reported in 14 young Dalmatians with laryngeal paralysis. Neurologic signs, including megaesophagus, were observed in 13 of 14 dogs. Electromyographic abnormalities included fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves in laryngeal, esophageal, facial, and distal appendicular muscles. Neuroge...

The effects of dietary vitamin E levels on tissue alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) concentrations in different parts of the nervous system are largely unknown. Therefore, we measured the alpha-T contents of nervous and other tissues obtained from beagle dogs fed for two years a vitamin E-deficient diet (-E, 0.05 +/- 0.02 mg vitamin E/kg diet, n = 2), a v...

After removal of 1 metatarsal pad and formation of a granulation tissue bed, free segmental 6- × 8-mm grafts from digital pads were sutured into recessed same-size recipient sites in the granulation tissue. In 5 dogs, the grafted area had been denervated by excision of a segment of the tibial nerve at the level of the tarsus. The grafted area was n...

To assess the relationship between tissue alpha-tocopherol depletion and histopathologic or functional changes in nervous tissue, a longitudinal study of male 1-year-old beagle dogs, two fed a vitamin E-deficient diet (0.05 +/- 0.02 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg;--E dogs) and two fed a vitamin E-supplemented diet (114 +/- 14 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg; +E dog...

The plasma and lipoprotein transport ofRRR andall rac-α-tocopherols, labeled with different amounts of deuterium [2R,4′R,8′R-α-[5-C2H3]tocopheryl acetate (d 3RRR-α-tocopheryl acetate] and 2RS, 4′RS, 8′RS-α-[5,7-(C2H3)2]tocopheryl acetate (d 5all rac-α-tocopheryl acetate), was studied in adult beagle dogs that had been fed a vitamin E-deficient (−E;...

Plasma alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) concentrations, erythrocyte osmotic fragility and detergent sensitivity were measured at 8 week intervals in two 1-year-old male beagle dogs fed a vitamin E-deficient diet (< 0.08 mg per kg alpha-T) and in two control beagles fed the same diet supplemented with vitamin E (> 90 mg per kg alpha-T). Beginning at 24 we...

Laryngeal hemiplegia was induced in 4 ponies via a left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy. Reinnervation of the denervated left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle was then attempted using a muscle pedicle graft from the right cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle. In 3 ponies there was no return of abductor function and failure of graft survival. In the fo...

Electromyography (EMG) was used to detect myotonic discharges in Quarter Horse breeding stock and to follow the results of mating horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP). The studies were performed on two brood mare farms. A total of six breeding stock showed myotonic discharges and 15 were nonmyotonic. Myotonic discharges were seen in fi...

Brain stem auditory-evoked responses were recorded in 9 male and 11 female clinically normal mature dogs, weighing between 2 and 36 kg. Mean wave latency for the entire group of dogs, using 60-dB hearing level click stimuli at 11/s for waves I to VII was: 1.41, 2.21, 2.85, 3.31, 3.71, 5.12, and 6.46 ms, respectively. The mean interpeak latency for...

Spinal-evoked potentials were recorded from 2 litters of clinically normal mixed-breed dogs between 35 and 300 days of age. Summated responses to tibial nerve stimulation were recorded from percutaneous needle electrodes placed at L7-S1, L4-5, T13-L1, C7-T1, and the cisterna cerebellomedullaris. The ulnar nerve was stimulated with recordings at C7-...

During 1986 and 1987, electroencephalographic examinations were done on 8 dogs with intracranial mass lesions confirmed by computerized tomography, biopsy, necropsy, or a combination of these techniques. Tumor types included 1 astrocytoma, 1 undifferentiated glioma, 2 mixed gliomas, 2 meningiomas, 1 choroid plexus papilloma, and 1 cholesterol granu...

Dysfunction of both ischiatic nerves was detected in a 5-year-old spayed Labrador Retriever with radiographic evidence of severe bilateral hip dysplasia. Marked hyperflexion of the hip and stifle was evident when the dog walked. Results of electromyography confirmed the ischiatic nerve involvement. At staged operations, both ischiatic nerves were f...

Six dogs with laryngeal paralysis had clinical, electrophysiologic, and pathologic evidence of a more generalized polyneuropathy. Three of the dogs were young Dalmatians, one was a young Bouvier des Flandres, and two were older, large-breed dogs. The results of this study suggest that laryngeal paralysis in dogs may frequently be one clinical sign...

Electroacupuncture was used to treat lameness in horses and ponies with chronic laminitis (n = 10) or navicular disease (n = 10). A clinical trial was conducted with random allocation of equal numbers of animals to control and treatment groups. Acupuncture was performed three times per week for four consecutive weeks. The degree of lameness was ass...

Five litters of suckling rats were given either dexamethasone (DEX), 1 mg/kg, subcutaneously, three times daily (n = 4/litter) or vehicle control (n = 4/litter) from day 3 through day 7 after birth. Rats were weighed weekly and were weaned on day 30. On day 60, rats were killed and the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were removed f...

To establish normal histologic and histochemical data and to determine reference values for fiber type proportions (percentages, mean fiber diameters, atrophy and hypertrophy factors, and variability coefficients), a histochemical study was carried out on intrinsic muscles of the larynx (cricothyroid, cricoarytenoid lateralis, cricoarytenoid dorsal...

Morphologic and morphometric studies were performed on the vagus nerve and its major branch, the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN): (1) to determine normal histologic data in myelinated fibers of clinically normal young adult dogs, (2) to establish reference values for mean fiber diameter in the vagus nerve and in the proximal and distal portions of...

In 25 adult dogs of various breeds, recurrent laryngeal nerve fibers were electrically stimulated at 2 points along their extralaryngeal course. Evoked compound muscle action potentials were recorded in the ipsilateral intrinsic laryngeal muscles, using a percutaneous needle electrode. Latencies, amplitudes, and durations were measured. Latencies w...

A questionnaire on the techniques being used to record electroencephalograms, spinal evoked potentials and brainstem auditory evoked potentials was mailed to 34 neurologists at veterinary colleges and board certified veterinary neurologists in private practice in the United States and Canada. Nineteen replies (56%) were returned. A summary of the q...

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was administered once orally to adult female mongrel dogs at 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 or 125 mg/kg of body weight (n = 4 per group). Clinical neurological examinations, electromyography (EMG) and motor nerve conduction velocity measurements were carried out before exposure, and on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 post-ex...

Two dogs with diffuse, subclinical polyneuropathy associated with insulinoma are reported. Seizures were the dominant sign of central nervous system disease. One dog had clinical signs of facial nerve paralysis. Lesions in selected appendicular and cranial nerves included a mixture of demyelination, remyelination, and axonal degeneration. The incid...

A spayed female five year old Great Dane dog was diagnosed as having a chronic, progressive, symmetrical distal polyneuropathy and concurrent hypothyroidism. Axonal degeneration and segmental demyelination were evident in teased nerve fiber preparations. Clinical signs included hindlimb weakness and muscle atrophy of the head and distal limbs. Diag...

A technique for measuring motor nerve conduction velocities (NCV) in sheep was developed using 15 clinically normal ewes. Mean +/- SD values were determined for the radial (76.3 +/- 12.5 m/s), peroneal (103.9 +/- 12.7 m/s), and tibial (98.6 +/- 13.1 m/s) nerves. The recording needle electrode was located in the extensor carpi radialis, tibialis cra...

Minced skeletal muscle autografts were carried out in 96 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 150 to 175 g. Starting the day of surgery, dexamethasone (DEX) was administered parenterally, 3 X/day, at one of the following doses: 0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, or 1.0 mg/kg. Separate groups received each dosage for either 7 or 21 days (N = 8 to 16 per group). On d...

A three year old Quarter Horse stallion was presented with a one year history of episodes of generalized muscle tremors and stiffness, and spasm of the muscles of facial expression, lasting 10-15 minutes. Between attacks, the horse was either normal or had a localized muscle tremor in the flank region. Episodes appeared unrelated to exercise. The m...

Electromyographic examinations were performed at various times over a 40 week period in four mature dogs receiving chronic oral low doses of lead acetate and a control dog receiving sodium acetate. Blood lead levels in the four dogs were elevated (mean values 1.15, 2.18, 1.13 and 1.72 mumol/liter). No clinical signs of lead intoxication were presen...

A 12-year-old female Irish Setter was examined because of recurrent episodes of hindlimb weakness. The dog was not ataxic, but had generalized muscular atrophy, decreased patellar reflexes, and slow proprioception. Blood glucose content was low (32 mg/dl) and the amended insulin-glucose ratio was high (9,600). Electromyographic studies showed evide...

A force plate system for measurement of the vertical component of the force applied by a horse's limb on ground contact was modified. The modifications included use of steel supporting posts for improved durability and an additional strain gauge on each arm of the Wheatstone bridge for increased sensitivity and temperature compensation. Data from c...

Peripheral nerves of three mature dogs with chronic spontaneous diabetes mellitus were examined using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The principal pathologic findings in single-teased fibers were remyelination and axonal regeneration. It is suggested that these changes which occurred in distal plantar nerves but not in more proximal tibia...

An electrodiagnostic analysis was conducted on 5 dogs with spontaneously occurring diabetes mellitus that were maintained for a long-term study on canine diabetes. Abnormal electromyographic findings consisted of fibrillation potentials, positive sharp waves, and fasciculation potentials in the limb muscles of most dogs. The mean values (± sd ) for...

Electromyography, with the aid of telemetry, was used to examine muscles of 4 young and 4 adult pigs from a genetic line highly susceptible to malignant hyperthermia (MH) and 4 young pigs (controls) from a line with no history of susceptibility to MH. In the young pigs, the intercostales, vastus lateralis, triceps brachii, biceps femoris, and gastr...

In the horse, a syndrome of hirsutism, hyperglycemia, glucosuria, polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, and progressive debilitation has been recognized. Most often the syndrome has been associated with adenomas of the pars intermedia of the pituitary and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia or nodular hyperplasia involving primarily the zona fasciculata. Pre...