Renal adenoma in a cat

Renal adenoma, a benign tumor of epithelial origin, was diagnosed in a 10-year-old cat. Clinical signs included decreased appetite and weight loss. Nephrectomy resulted in clinical improvement. Seven months after surgery, the cat died, and pulmonary papillary adenocarcinoma was discovered. The pulmonary neoplasm differed markedly from the renal neoplasm.     

Functional thyroid gland adenoma in a dog treated with surgical excision alone

An 11-year-old male Golden Retriever presented with progressive weight loss, tachycardia, hyperthermia, polyuria and polydipsia. A freely movable mass, 4.5 x 4 cm in size, was palpated at the cranioventral cervical region. Hormonal study revealed high levels of serum thyroid hormones, and a tentative diagnosis of hyperthyroidism due to a thyroid tumor was made. The tumor was removed surgically and diagnosed histopathologically as thyroid gland adenoma. Serum thyroid hormone levels decreased after surgery with improved clinical signs. At 12 months after surgery, the dog maintained a good physical condition with no evidence of recurrence.     

Multiple cystic intestinal duplications in a cat

A 7-year-old, female European shorthair cat with a history of recurrent vomiting had a 2-cm cystic mass in the midjejunum. Cross-sectioning and histology revealed 3 separate cystic structures in the muscular layer, in addition to a regularly structured intestinal lumen. One cyst had a 3-layered wall consisting of a dysplastic mucosa, a regularly structured submucosa, and partly double-layered muscularis that sporadically contained neurons resembling a myenteric plexus. The remaining 2 cysts had similar structures except for granulation tissue lining the lumen. The lesion was diagnosed as multiple cystic duplications in the midjejunum, which is unknown to the veterinary literature to date.     

Melanotroph pituitary adenoma in a cat with diabetes mellitus

A 13-year-old male, castrated, crossbred cat was referred for insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus. The cat had a ravenous appetite and a dull coat. Basal urinary corticoid/creatinine ratios were normal. In the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test there was no suppression of the (nonelevated) plasma cortisol concentration, whereas the (nonelevated) plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration declined to low values. Basal plasma alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) concentrations were highly elevated (> 1,500 ng/liter). Computed tomography revealed a pituitary tumor originating from the pars intermedia (PI). After microsurgical transsphenoidal hypophysectomy, the clinical signs resolved and the cat no longer required insulin administration. Microscopic examination of the surgical specimen revealed a pituitary adenoma originating from the PI with infiltration into the neural lobe. The adenoma immunostained intensely positive for alpha-MSH and only weakly for ACTH. It is concluded that the ACTH-independent cortisol production was probably due to the (weak) glucocorticorticotropic effects of the extremely high plasma concentration of alpha-MSH and related peptides.     

Hyperthyroidism associated with a thyroid adenoma in a dog

Hyperthyroidism associated with thyroid adenoma was diagnosed in a dog. Typical clinical signs of hyperthyroidism were resolved with surgical excision of the adenoma. Hyperthyroidism in dogs usually is associated with thyroid carcinoma, which has a poor prognosis. This case emphasizes the importance of obtaining a histologic diagnosis of thyroid tumors in hyperthyroid dogs before giving a prognosis.     

Ectopic lingual thyroid tissue in a cat.

Ectopic thyroid tissue was identified at the base of the tongue in a 9-year-old, euthyroid, domestic shorthair cat. The lingual submucosa and the muscles were replaced by thyroid tissue, which consisted of various-sized follicles each lined by a row of cuboidal epithelium. Many follicles contained eosinophilic, periodic acid Schiff-positive, colloid material. Imunohistochemically, the epithelial cells stained positive for AE(1)/AE(3)and thyroglobulin. No calcitonin positive cells or parathyroid tissue was seen. The cat has been followed for 1018 days after surgery, is clinically well and remains euthyroid.     

Characterisation of complex karyotype changes in a canine thyroid adenoma

A 14-year-old German shepherd dog developed an alveolar adenoma of the thyroid. The cytogenetic evaluation of the tumour cells showed two ranges of chromosome numbers. Centric fusions 2/32, 5/26, 6/11, 8/11, 9/23 and 14/31 were G-band identified in this complex change of karyotype.     

Cystic ectopic lingual thyroid tissue in a male cat

CASE DESCRIPTION-A 6-year-old neutered male cat was examined because of a 4-week history of abnormal sounds while drinking and a previously noted mass at the base of the tongue. CLINICAL FINDINGS-Oral examination revealed a 1-cm-diameter midline cystic mass on the dorsal aspect of the base of the tongue at the junction of the rostral two-thirds and caudal third of the tongue. Complete blood count and serum biochemical analysis revealed no clinically relevant abnormalities, and serum total thyroxine and free thyroxine (determined by equilibrium dialysis) concentrations were within the reference range. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME-The fluid in the cystic mass was aspirated, and the remaining deflated mass was marsupialized. Histologic and immunohistochemical examination of sections of the excised mass revealed ectopic thyroid tissue. The cat recovered uneventfully from the surgery, clinical signs resolved, and the cat remained euthyroid with no recurrence of the mass as of 8 months after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE-This is the first known reported case of ectopic lingual thyroid tissue in a male cat. In humans, the most common site of ectopic thyroid tissue is at the base of the tongue and the condition is disproportionately found in females, compared with males. In humans with ectopic lingual thyroid tissue, the patient often lacks any other functional thyroid tissue. However, the cat of this report remained euthyroid after mass resection.     

Acquired immune-mediated myasthenia gravis in a cat associated with a cystic thymus

Acquired myasthenia gravis was diagnosed in a five-year-old domestic shorthair, neutered, female cat with generalised muscle weakness, tremors, dysphagia and alterations in voice. Radiographs indicated the presence of a mass in the anterior thorax. A response to edrophonium chloride, and raised levels of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies in the serum, confirmed the diagnosis and indicated an immune-mediated aetiology. Clinical remission occurred following thymectomy and the use of immunosuppressive corticosteroids. This is the first fully-documented case of acquired feline myasthenia gravis associated with the presence of a thymic abnormality in the United Kingdom. The clinical features, laboratory findings and response to treatment are compared with those reported previously in cats and other species.     

A case of cystic hydatids in the cat

This is the first report of the identification of Acuaria skrjabini Ozerska, 1926 (Nematoda: Spirurida) in New Zealand. The nematodes were recovered from the gizzard of a Cordon Bleu finch (Uraeginthus bengalus) kept as a caged bird at Waldronville. Otago. Mebendazole (Telmin), at 12S parts per million in the drinking water for 6 days, appeared to treat the infection successfully.     

Bordetella bronchiseptica in a paediatric cystic fibrosis patient: possible transmission from a household cat

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a zoonotic respiratory pathogen commonly found in domesticated farm and companion animals, including dogs and cats. Here, we report isolation of B. bronchiseptica from a sputum sample of a cystic fibrosis patient recently exposed to a kitten with an acute respiratory illness. Genetic characterization of the isolate and comparison with other isolates of human or feline origin strongly suggest that the kitten was the source of infection.