Partial Right Ventriculectomy Using the Incised Patch Technique to Treat Double Chambered Right Ventricle and Chylothorax in a Cat

Objective— To report successful surgical treatment of double chambered right ventricle (DCRV) in a cat.
Study Design— Clinical report.
Animals— Cat with DCRV.
Methods— DCRV was diagnosed in a 5-month-old male Maine Coon cat using echocardiography and angiocardiography. At 2 years, despite medical therapy, chylothorax developed. A section of the right ventricular free wall that spanned the fibromuscular obstruction was excised under total venous inflow occlusion (TVIO) using the incised pericardial patch technique.
Results— Short-term recovery was complicated by return of chylothorax but this resolved after thoracocentesis and diuretic therapy. Three years after surgery, the cat is free of clinical signs and no longer on any medical therapy.
Conclusions— Partial right ventriculectomy can be performed under TVIO through an incised pericardial patch.
Clinical Relevance— DCRV in cat can be successfully treated by partial right ventriculectomy performed under TVIO through an incised pericardial patch.     

Antimicrobial use in the Australian pig industry: results of a national survey

Objective   To describe how various antimicrobials are used in commercial pig herds in Australia and for what disease conditions.
Procedure   Managers of large pig herds (> 200 sows) across Australia and their veterinarians participated in an internet-based survey in 2006. Questions were asked about herd management, the occurrence of bacterial diseases and the type and frequency of antimicrobial use. An antimicrobial usage index for each herd was derived as a summary of the risk of selection for antimicrobial resistance. Relationships between responses were explored with univariate and multivariate analysis.
Results   Responses were received for 197 herds estimated to represent at least 51% of all large pig herds in Australia. Most piggeries relied on drugs of low importance in human medicine (e.g. tetracyclines, penicillins and sulfonamides). For the two drugs of high importance in human medicine that can be legally prescribed to pigs in Australia, ceftiofur use was reported in 25% of herds and virginiamycin in none. Infections attributed to Lawsonia , Mycoplasma and Escherichia coli motivated the most use of antimicrobials. No useful association was found between management factors and the antimicrobial use index.
Conclusion   Most antimicrobial use in the Australian pig industry is based on drugs of low importance to public health. Enhanced control of E. coli infections without reliance on antimicrobials would further reduce the risk of selecting for antimicrobial resistance relevant to public health. The amount of variation in the usage index between herds suggests that antimicrobial use should be constantly reviewed on a herd by herd basis.     

Malignant melanoma in a grey horse: case presentation and review of equine melanoma treatment options

A 15 year-old grey Thoroughbred gelding presented for investigation of chronic weight loss and recent onset of respiratory difficulty. Clinical examination confirmed tachypnoea with increased respiratory effort. Thoracic ultrasound examination detected pleural effusion. The dyspnoea was related to the large volume of pleural effusion and, following post-mortem examination, to the presence of a large mediastinal mass. Multiple pigmented masses, likely melanomas, were detected peri-anally. Thoracic radiography, cytological examination of the pleural fluid and a fine needle aspirate of a thoracic mass led to a presumptive diagnosis of malignant melanoma and this was confirmed at post mortem examination. Further metastatic spread to the central nervous system and right guttural pouch was also identified. In conclusion this case manifests the potential malignant behaviour of equine melanomas, and a review of proposed therapies for melanoma treatment highlights the therapeutic options and current areas of research.     

Comparison of diazepam–ketamine and thiopentone for induction of anaesthesia in healthy dogs

Objective To compare the anaesthetic and cardiopulmonary effects of a diazepam–ketamine combination with thiopentone for induction of anaesthesia in dogs. Animal population Twenty healthy dogs of various breeds weighing between 3.8 and 42.6 kg undergoing major orthopaedic or soft tissue surgery. Materials and methods Pre‐anaesthetic medication in all cases was intramuscular acepromazine and methadone given 30 minutes before induction of anaesthesia. Each animal was then randomly assigned to receive either thiopentone or diazepam and ketamine. Quality of conditions for, and time to tracheal intubation were recorded. Anaesthesia was maintained with halothane in oxygen and nitrous oxide. Heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, end tidal carbon dioxide tensions and oxygen saturation were recorded at 10 minute intervals throughout surgery. The quality of recovery from anaesthesia was assessed. Results The quality of induction in both groups was satisfactory. The total mean time (± SD) to tracheal intubation (162 ± 84 seconds) was significantly longer in dogs receiving diazepam and ketamine compared to dogs receiving thiopentone (62 ± 28 seconds). Heart rate, systolic blood pressure and end tidal carbon dioxide concentration were not significantly different between groups. Respiratory rate was significantly higher in the diazepam–ketamine group between 0 and 30 minutes. The quality of recovery was similar in each group. Conclusions There appear to be fewer differences between the induction agents examined in this study than was previously believed. No pressor, or other cardiovascular stimulating effects were detected in the dogs that received diazepam and ketamine. Clinical relevance The absence of obvious differences between groups suggests that pre‐anaesthetic medication, inhaled anaesthetics and the physiological effects of surgery itself probably had a greater effect on the variables studied than the induction agent used. Further studies are required to determine whether diazepam and ketamine offers significant advantages over other induction agents in the unhealthy dog.     

The use of toltrazuril for the prevention of coccidiosis in piglets before weaning

SUMMARY: To determine the efficacy of toltrazuril as a prophylactic treatment for coccidiosis in piglets caused by Isospora suis (I suis) , a single 1.0 mL dose of toltrazuril was administered orally to 1056 piglets between 3 and 6 days of age, in 5 piggeries. Prophylactic treatment of piglets reduced the occurrence of coccidiosis in litters from 71% to 22%. The number of antibacterial treatments given and the number of piglets affected per litter were also significantly reduced, resulting in some improvement in growth rates to weaning. The severity of diarrhoea was significantly reduced, as was the amount of oocyst excretion. The number of days that piglets excreted oocysts in the faeces was reduced from 4.9 days to 2.5 days. The detection of J suis in piglets with diarrhoea was reduced from 84% in the untreated piglets to 6% in the piglets given the prophylactic treatment.     

Studies into the possible protozoan aetiology of swimbladder inflammation in carp fry

Abstract. Laboratory examinations of pond-reared common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., revealed a close correlation between the prevalence of swimbladder inflammation (SBI), renal sphaerosporosis and infection by C-blood-protozoan among the carp fry. In impression smears as well as light and electron microscopic preparations we detected developmental stages of intercellular protozoa, mainly in the loose fibrous tissue of the swimbladder. The parasites multiplied by internal budding so that 20–46 secondary cells were formed in each primary cell and two tertiary cells were formed in each secondary cell. The final stage of development was a unit consisting of a secondary cell enclosing two tertiary cells, i.e. a so-called triple formation, which bore a close resemblance to the early sporogonic stages of the renal sphaerosporan Sphaerospora angulata Fujita, 1912. Certain morphological similarities and the frequent simultaneous presence of the swimbladder protozoan, C-bloodprotozoan, and S. angulata in hosts with clinical SBI have led us to postulate that the former two parasites could represent the hitherto unknown presporogonic stages of S. angulata. In view of the pathological changes caused by the parasites in the hosts with clinical SBI, and negative bacteriological and virological findings we have postulated that the swimbladder protozoan is the primary cause of SBI in carp fry.