Intraperitoneal Circulation and Drainage in the Dog

The patterns of dispersion and drainage of a low viscosity, oil-based contrast medium within the peritoneal cavity were examined in 12 normal dogs. Intraperitoneal injection of contrast medium was cranial or caudal and drainage was by the sump-Penrose or open peritoneal method. Radiographs were made over a 96 hour period, before and after peritoneal drainage was established. Each dog was euthanatized and necropsied. The contrast medium was dispersed throughout the peritoneal cavity 15 to 30 minutes after cranial injection and 1 to 2 hours after caudal injection. Most of the contrast medium drained within 6 hours after open peritoneal drainage and within 24 to 48 hours after sump-Penrose drainage. At necropsy, there was complete encasement of all sump-Penrose drains and partial occlusion of all open peritoneal incisions by omentum adhered to the abdominal wound edges. Peritonitis was not grossly evident, but all dogs showed histologic evidence of an acute inflammatory reaction associated with the drain or wound edge.     

Gastroesophageal reflux and hiatus hernia associated with laryngeal paralysis in a dog

Gastro-oesophageal reflux together with sliding hiatus hernia is reported in a dog, associated with laryngeal paralysis. Diagnosis was made following endoscopy and fluoroscopy. Surgical treatment of the laryngeal paralysis resulted in complete remission of clinical signs.     

Prevalence of leukemic blood and bone marrow in dogs with multicentric lymphoma

Multicentric lymphoma was diagnosed in 53 dogs. A study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of leukemic involvement in blood samples, bone marrow aspirates, and bone marrow core biopsy specimens at the time of initial diagnosis. Data indicated that 57% (30/53) of the dogs were leukemic when all materials were considered relative to the presence of cellular atypia or immaturity and abnormal tissue distribution. In the 30 leukemic dogs, detection was made in the specimens with the following frequency: 15 in blood (50%), 18 in bone marrow aspirates (60%), and 29 in bone marrow core biopsy specimens (97%). Five cases (17%) were only detected by core biopsy examination, even when dogs with bone marrow lymphocytosis of greater than 15% of nucleated cells were considered leukemic. Nondiffuse histologic colonization patterns accounted for the lack of correlation between the type of bone marrow specimens. Clinical staging for treatment response and prognosis was best determined by evaluation of concurrently obtained blood samples, bone marrow aspirates, and bone marrow core biopsy specimens.     

Studies on the Health of Beech Trees in Surrey, England: Relationship between Winter Canopy Assessment by Roloff's Method and Twig Analysis

Trees and saplings of all sizes (total 229) were studied atthree amenity sites in Surrey representing mixed woodland, beechhigh forest and open parkland. Roloff's winter assessment ofthe twig pattern of growth demonstrated an underlying differencebetween the sites, which was consistent with an associationbetween greater deterioration and more exposure to climate extremesand pollutants. Trees showed deterioration with age but prematureageing was seen in 35–50-year-old parkland trees. Withinthe woodland the more exposed trees had worse scores. Quantitative twig analysis was carried out on twigs from theupper canopy of 19 trees and saplings. In the most severelysuppressed trees yearly growth declined from the 1976 drought.Subsidiary shoot development was markedly reduced in such treesand there were high numbers of distorted and acute angled shoots.The latter two characteristics increased with age with younghealthy trees having very few of these types of shoots, buttwo 35-year-old trees in open parkland showed premature ageingwith larger numbers of such shoots. Twig analysis defined categories of twig pattern according toage and deterioration levels. There was generally good correlationbetween these categories and the Roloff twig canopy score beforeanalysis or with canopy scores of similar sized neighbours.Objective criteria suggested for future studies were: (1) measurementof annual primary shoot growth; (2) total secondary shoot lengthrelative to a standard primary shoot length; (3) mean numberof subsidiary shoots per year; and (4) proportion of shootsgrowing at 40° or less.     

Injection and sampling methods for drug residue study in calf muscle

Eight calves, weighing 50-150 kg, were given intramuscularly 5 ml of ampicillin (ABPC) aqueous suspensions (200 mg potency/ml) in their right and left gluteal and femoral regions. All calves were sacrificed one hour later to confirm the location of injected drug. The drug was found in a muscle layer when injected with a needle 15 mm long to the following positions, 1. the midpoint between the central position of the gluteal region (CG) and the tuber coxae (M-CTc), 2. the midpoint between CG and the tuber ossis ischii (M-CTo), 3. the central position of M. semimembranaceus in the femoral region (CF). Seven calves, weighing 130-150 kg, were given intramuscularly 5 ml of ABPC suspensions at M-CTo and CF and sacrificed one hour (4 calves) and 3 days (3 calves) later. ABPC diffused along the long axis of the muscle fibers but not to the radial direction. ABPC was detected only in the injected muscle layer even after 3 days indicating that the drug did not diffuse to the neighboring muscles. In the injected muscle layer, concentration of ABPC was remarkably different from part to part. From these results, sampling of the injected muscle for the drug residue study was proposed as follows: 1. isolate about 100 g of muscle just under the stick point marked on the skin considering the direction of drug diffusion, and 2. isolate separately about 200 g of the surrounding muscle to confirm if the sampling is appropriate.     

Probenecid effect on cefuroxime pharmacokinetics in calves

Cefuroxime pharmacokinetics were studied in unweaned calves. The antibiotic was administered at 10 mg/kg to six calves i.v., to 12 calves i.m. and to ten of the previous 12 calves i.m. at 10 mg/kg together with probenecid at 40 mg/kg. Intramuscular doses of cefuroxime alone at 20 mg/kg were given to seven calves; to five of these calves cefuroxime was also given together with probenecid at 40 mg/kg and at 80 mg/kg. The serum concentration-time data were analyzed using statistical moment theory (SMT). The elimination half-life (t1/2) was 69.2 min (harmonic mean) after i.v. and 64.8 min and 64.9 min following i.m. administration of the lower and higher dose, respectively. Co-administration of probenecid did not affect the t1/2. The mean residence time (MRT) was 80.9 +/- 23.5 min (mean +/- SD) after i.v. and 117.8 +/- 9.3 min and 117.7 +/- 5.4 min after i.m. administration of cefuroxime at 10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. The MRTi.m. following administration of cefuroxime at 10 mg/kg together with probenecid at 40 mg/kg was 140.0 +/- 8.8 min. The MRTi.m. values were 132.8 +/- 2.3 min and 150.8 +/- 5.1 min after cefuroxime was given at 20 mg/kg together with probenecid at 40 mg/kg or 80 mg/kg, respectively. The total body clearance (ClT) was 3.56 +/- 1.11 ml/min/kg and the volume of distribution at steady state (Vd(ss] 0.270 +/- 0.051 l/kg. The MIC90 values of cefuroxime were 16 micrograms/ml for E. coli and Salmonella isolates, 0.5 microgram/ml for Pasteurella multocida and 2.0 micrograms/ml for P. haemolytica.