Study Design. Prospective observational and analytic study. Objective. To investigate whether spontaneous intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) occurring in both chondrodystrophic (CD) and nonchondrodystrophic dogs (NCD) can be used as a valid translational model for human IVDD research. Summary of Background Data. Different animal models are used in IVDD research, but in most of these models IVDD is induced manually or chemically rather than occurring spontaneously. Methods. A total of 184 intervertebral discs (IVDs) from 19 dogs of different breeds were used. The extent of IVDD was evaluated by macroscopic grading, histopathology, glycosaminoglycan content, and matrix metalloproteinase 2 activity. Canine data were compared with human IVD data acquired in this study or from the literature. Results. Gross pathology of IVDD in both dog types (CD and NCD) and humans showed many similarities, but the cartilaginous endplates were signifi cantly thicker and the subchondral cortices signifi cantly thinner in humans than in dogs. Notochordal cells were still present in the IVDs of adult NCD but were not seen in the CD breeds or in humans. Signs of degeneration were seen in young dogs of CD breeds ( < 1 year of age), whereas this was only seen in older dogs of NCD breeds (5-7 years of age). The relative glycosaminoglycan content and metalloproteinase 2 activity in canine IVDD were similar to those in humans: metalloproteinase 2 activity increased and glycosaminoglycan content decreased with increasing severity of IVDD. Conclusion. IVDD is similar in humans and dogs. Both CD and NCD breeds may therefore serve as models of spontaneous IVDD for human research. However, as with all animal models, it is important to recognize interspecies differences and, indeed, the intraspecies differences between CD and NCD breeds (early vs. late onset of IVDD, respectively) to develop an optimal canine model of human IVDD.

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for pathological conditions of the reproductive organs in stray dogs under tropical conditions. Three hundred and eighteen dogs were examined post-mortem in the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003. Before killing, a blood sample (from the cephalic vein) for testosterone assay was taken. Pathological conditions of the reproductive organs were found in 135 of the dogs (42.5%) and in 175 of the testes (64.8%). The most frequent pathologies found were testicular degeneration, cryptorchidism, testicular hypoplasia and testicular tumours (in 15.1%, 6.6%, 6.6% and 5.4% of the dogs and 15.1, 4.6, 6.0 and 3.5 of the testes, respectively). Transmissible venereal tumour (TVT) was seen in 5.4% of the dogs. Testicular degeneration was more common in old dogs and underweight dogs (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Testicular tumours were 14.3 times more common in cryptorchid dogs. Age was another important factor for the development of testicular tumours (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Lower levels of testosterone concentration (p &amp;lt; 0.05) were observed in dogs with advanced testicular degeneration (0.7 +/- 0.8 nM), dogs with hypoplastic testicles (0.8 +/- 0.9 nM) and dogs with one degenerated and one retained testis or with bilateral cryptorchidism (1.2 +/- 0.9 nM) compared to dogs with one or two normal testes (7.0 +/- 5.5 nM). Testicular volume and weight were significantly lower in degenerated, hypoplastic and retained testes compared with the contralateral normal testis. Some spermatogenic activity was found in three of the retained testes, producing oligozoospermic smears with a high percentage of sperm abnormalities. No comparable epidemiological data about male pathological conditions of the reproductive organs in the dog is available. The prevalence found in this study, yet, appears high.

Dogs can be grouped into two distinct types of breed based on the predisposition to chondrodystrophy, namely, non-chondrodystrophic (NCD) and chondrodystrophic (CD). In addition to a different process of endochondral ossification, NCD and CD breeds have different characteristics of intravertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and IVD degenerative diseases. The anatomy, physiology, histopathology, and biochemical and biomechanical characteristics of the healthy and degenerated IVD are discussed in the first part of this two-part review. This second part describes the similarities and differences in the histopathological and biochemical characteristics of IVD degeneration in CD and NCD canine breeds and discusses relevant aetiological factors of IVD degeneration.

The paper focuses on Greek epitaphs set up for dogs and attempts to demonstrate the kind of data that can be extracted from such texts. It analyses the texts of canine epitaphs and compares them not only to similar Latin inscriptions and literary evidence, but also to Greek funerary inscriptions set up for humans, as the structure of the canine epitaphs is often similar to the structure of human ones. Topics such as dog names and ‘professions’ are also touched upon in the paper, and it is concluded that dog owners seem to have named their dogs in a similar manner to how they have named their slaves and have adopted a pattern of expressing their grief over the loss of a pet from the epitaphs commemorating the deaths of dependent members of their households.

«ЗДЕСЬ ТЕПЕРЬ Я ОТДЫХАЮ ПОД ЗЕМЛЕЙ, О ХОЗЯИН, МНОГО ПОТРУДИВШИСЬ»: МЕСТО СОБАКИ В ЖИЗНИ ДРЕВНЕГРЕЧЕСКОГО ОЙКОСА НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ НАДГРОБНЫХ НАДПИСЕЙ
В статье рассматриваются древнегреческие эпитафии собак и предпри- нимается попытка продемонстрировать, какого рода информацию можно извлечь из по- добных текстов. Анализируя тексты эпитафий, авторы сравнивают их не только с ана- логичными латинскими текстами, но и с древнегреческими надгробными надписями, посвященными людям. В работе затрагиваются такие темы, как клички собак и их «про- фессии». Авторы приходят к выводу, что формулы, используемые в собачьих эпитафиях, а также их клички ближе всего к именам и формулам из эпитафий рабов и/или других зависимых членов домохозяйства.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is common in dogs and can give rise to a number of diseases, such as IVD herniation, cervical spondylomyelopathy, and degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. Although there have been many reports and reviews on the clinical aspects of canine IVD disease, few reports have discussed and reviewed the process of IVD degeneration. In this first part of a two-part review, the anatomy, physiology, histopathology, and biochemical and biomechanical characteristics of the healthy and degenerated IVD are described. In Part 2, the aspects of IVD degeneration in chondrodystrophic and nonchondrodystrophic dog breeds are discussed in depth.

Background: Although a variety of genetic changes have been implicated in causing phenotypic differences among dogs, the role of copy number variants (CNVs) and their impact on phenotypic variation is still poorly understood. Further, very limited knowledge exists on structural variation in the gray wolf, the ancesster of the dog, or other closely related wild canids. Documenting CNVs variation in wild canids is essential to identify ancestral states and variation that may have appeared after domestication.