Canine obesity – an overview

Canine patients are generally regarded as being clinically obese when their body weight is at least 15% above ideal. The incidence of obesity in dogs is thought to be in the range of 20–40% of the general population and, since obesity is known to predispose or exacerbate a range of serious medical conditions, its importance cannot be overstated. Management of obesity through dietary restriction and increased exercise is often difficult to achieve and dependent upon owner compliance. Until recently there has been no authorized therapeutic medication available for weight reduction in dogs, and drugs used in people have proved unsuitable. However, with the development of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitors for canine use, such as dirlotapide, the veterinarian has a novel method with which to augment traditional weight control programmes. This approach has the additional advantage that weight loss is achieved without dietary restriction or change in exercise regimen, providing encouragement for the owner to comply with subsequent dietary and exercise recommendations, thereby increasing the likelihood for long-term success.     

Canine parvovirus: a cause of chronic myocardial fibrosis and adolescent congestive heart failure

Members of three litters of pups infected with canine parvovirus are compared in relation to the time of clinical presentation, clinical, biochemical, electrocardiographical, radiographical and histological findings. Affected pups under 2 months of age showed no clinical signs of myocarditis whereas adolescent pups (over 5 months of age) showed congestive heart failure. Possible reasons for this age difference are discussed.     

两种开胸术法建立犬右心衰模型的对比

通过4例胸骨正中手术通路和8例左胸侧壁手术通路,连接心电极导线至犬右心室,并与起搏器连接,维持高频率起搏3周,构建实验性心衰模型,观察两种开胸术的切口愈合情况、以及起搏前后临床表现。结果表明,通过开胸术给犬安装、连接快频率右心室起搏器,成功构建犬右心室心衰病理模型。左胸侧壁手术通路比胸骨正中手术通路更适合。     

Attempts at surgical correction of unusual colonic fistulae in the horse

Two incidents of penetrating wounds into the abdominal cavity of horses are presented. In both events these had resulted in penetraton of the intestinal tract. Both animals had received only minimal veterinary attention in the acute stage and had survived with the formation of intestinal fistulae.

Attempts at surgical repair resulted in failure in one animal and in closure of the fistula in the second with some subsequent cosmetic defect.

     

0–7–21 Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Canine Oral Melanoma

Eighteen dogs with malignant melanoma of the oral cavity were treated with high-dose per fraction (0–7–21) radiation therapy. Eight hundred cGy was administered on days 0, 7, and 21 for a total dose of 2,400 cGy in 3 weeks. Of 17 dogs evaluated, 9 (53%) had a complete remission and 5 (30%) achieved a partial remission with an overall response rate of 83%. Local failure occurred in 2 of the 9 dogs where a complete response was initially observed. One dog died of intercurrent disease, and one died of metastatic disease without evidence of local recurrence. Five dogs are alive and free of disease 9 to nineteen months from the initiation of therapy. The 0–7–21 protocol was well-tolerated, and acute radiation reactions were low-grade and limited to the skin. The results of this study demonstrate that oral melanomas in dogs are responsive to radiation. 0–7–21 radiation therapy offers a viable alternative to radical excision, especially when tumor volume or location would require cosmetically or functionally debilitating surgery.     

Lesions of right heart failure and ascites in broiler chickens

A naturally occurring cardiomyopathy in broiler chickens from a single Ontario farm was studied in order to define the morphologic changes. Gross and histologic features of affected birds were compared with those in age-matched control penmates. Body weight and weight and volume of individual cardiac chambers were measured. Histologic sections of 18 different tissues were examined, and lesions observed were scored subjectively. Affected birds were stunted and had marked right ventricular dilation and hypertrophy, atrial hypertrophy, ascites, pulmonary congestion and edema, and hepatic capsular fibrosis. Microscopic changes in the heart of affected birds were mild and did not suggest a specific cause of heart failure. Lungs had marked hypertrophy of parabronchial smooth muscle and collapse and apparent loss of associated air capillaries. Other histologic changes observed were thought to be the result of passive congestion of viscera caused by right heart failure and chronic debility. Although the specific etiology of this condition could not be determined, it was felt that this syndrome was unlikely to have been the result of any of the commonly recognized causes of congestive heart failure and ascites in broilers.     

Post-Partum Involution of the Canine Uterus – Gross Anatomical and Histological Features

We aimed to study the normal puerperium in the bitch. Ovariohysterectomy was performed in nine bitches, each at a different day after normal whelping; their genital tract was subject to gross anatomical examination, as well as to histological examination and electron microscopy scanning. Corpora albicans were evenly distributed in the left and right ovaries and placental sites were evenly distributed among left and right uterine horns. Placental sites were initially of dark green to grey colour, later becoming dark brown; their length and height progressively decreased. Height of the myometrium and diameter of the uterine glands progressively decreased. Trophoblast-like cells were consistently observed at the placental sites and on the surface of the interplacental areas, at all time points where hysterectomy had been performed. It is suggested that involution of the canine genital tract can last up to 3 months and is slow. Continuous (up to D84 post-partum) presence of prominent placental sites should be considered a normal feature of canine uterine post-partum involution.     

Surgical correction of an aberrant right subclavian artery in a dog

A diagnosis of an aberrant right subclavian artery was made in a 3-month-old Boston terrier. Surgical correction was performed after confirming adequate collateral circulation. Reports of surgical correction and evaluation of the perioperative thoracic limb blood pressure are rare in dogs.     

Intra-laryngeal foreign body as an unusual cause of dyspnoea in a dog

Severe dyspnoea in a young puppy was relieved by the removal of a small piece of smokeless fuel from the infraglottic cavity of the larynx by ventral laryngotomy.     

Ventral Decompression of the Canine Spinal Cord Using the 3–M Perforator

The use of an air powered automatic trephine (3-M Perforator) for performing ventral decompression of the canine spinal cord was evaluated based on its use in 5 experimental dogs. The problems of hemorrhage and spinal cord trauma encountered in this study are discussed and indicate little practical application of the instrument in decompression from the ventral approach.     

Amelioration of caudal thoracic syringohydromyelia following surgical management of an adjacent arachnoid cyst

A nine-year-old male, neutered, pug was presented for investigation of progressive ambulatory paraparesis and pelvic limb ataxia of three months' duration. Magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of caudal thoracic syringohydromyelia with an adjacent intradural arachnoid cyst. The cyst was marsupialised following dorsal laminectomy. Neurological status had improved 10 weeks following surgery when repeat magnetic resonance imaging revealed reduced spinal cord compression both as a result of resolution of the cyst and reduction in size of the syringohydromyelia. At 17 months following surgery, the dog showed further improvements in neurological status, exhibiting mild pelvic limb ataxia and proprioceptive deficits. Improved cerebrospinal fluid flow following surgery may have played a role in the improvement in both conditions. The presence of syringohydromyelia in this context does not preclude a favourable clinical outcome following surgical management.     

Resection of Pulmonary Metastases in Canine Osteosarcoma: 36 Cases (1983–1992)

Thirty-six dogs underwent pulmonary metastatectomy for osteosarcoma. All patients had been treated for histologically confirmed osteosarcoma of the appendicular skeleton. Treatment for the primary tumor consisted of amputation or a limb sparing procedure in conjunction with adjuvant chemotherapy, local radiation therapy, or both.
Significant factors in determining prognosis included the disease-free interval (DFI) between treatment of the primary tumor and development of pulmonary metastases and the number of metastatic nodules present at surgery. Dogs that developed pulmonary metastases 300 days or more after diagnosis of the primary tumor had a median DFI of 128 days after metastatectomy. Dogs that developed pulmonary metastases fewer than 300 days after diagnosis had a median DFI of 58 days. Dogs with one or two metastatic nodules removed had a median DFI of 95 days, whereas dogs with three or more nodules removed had a median DFI of 53 days. The results of this study indicate that prognostic variables exist for dogs with metastatic pulmonary osteosarcoma and can help predict survival after metastatectomy. These variables are similar to the prognostic variables that have been determined for human patients undergoing pulmonary metastatectomy because of osteosarcoma. Though a controversial procedure, pulmonary metastatectomy seems to be a valid treatment option for selected dogs with metastatic pulmonary osteosarcoma.     

Open surgical correction combined with an external splint for correction of a non-compliant pectus excavatum in a cat

A 4-month-old domestic shorthair female cat weighing 1.3 kg was presented for evaluation of respiratory distress. The animal showed evident dyspnoea with exercise intolerance and a marked concave deformation of the sternum. After measurements of the fronto-sagittal and vertebral indexes, the pectus was classified as moderate and surgery was elected. Surgical correction was performed using an open approach to the sternum with osteotomy of the last sternebra and costochondral junctions of the eighth and ninth ribs bilaterally. A silicone based, U-shape external splint was manufactured and used to stabilise the sternum. Immediate and 5-week postsurgical radiographs revealed a decreased concavity of the sternum and an increase thoracic height at the level of the last sternebra. Postoperative results suggest that this technique could be an effective and economical option for cats with pectus excavatum with a non-compliant sternum.