Case report: fibroma on the end of the tail of a cow

An unusual case of fibroma on the end of the tail of a 7-year-old cross-breed cow. The most prominent clinical findings were the size and weight of the tumour, and the tail length. The extension of the tail was apparently caused by the weight of the tumour.     

Stability of abdominal fat and meat of broilers: Effect of duration of feeding antioxidants 1

1. The α‐tocopherol (AT) content of abdominal fat and fat stability increased as a function of the duration of α‐tocopheryl acetate (ATA) feeding in broilers fed on diets containing either 40 g acidulated soyabean‐oil soapstock (ASS) or tallow/kg. A linear relationship was observed between AT content of the adipose tissue and its stability with both types of fat supplements.

2. The stabilities of carcass fat and meat of 9‐week‐old broilers fed on diets containing ASS with 300 mg ethoxyquin (EQ)/kg or diets containing tallow with 20 mg ATA/kg from weeks 5 to 9 were comparable with those obtained by feeding these antioxidants and fats throughout the growth period.

3. ATA added to a diet containing ASS, and EQ, added to a diet containing tallow did not improve meat stability despite such an effect on adipose tissue when fed for 9 weeks. The results emphasise the importance of using the dietary antioxidant appropriate to the fat supplement to improve carcass stability.     

Successful surgical treatment of mitral valve stenosis in a dog

OBJECTIVE: To report the successful surgical management (open mitral commissurotomy, OMC) of mitral stenosis (MS), incorporating heart-beating cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), in a 1-year-old dog. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical case. ANIMALS: One-year-old Cairn Terrier with MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diagnosis of MS was confirmed by means of 2-dimensional, continuous-wave and color-flow Doppler echocardiography. Surgery was performed through a left intercostal thoracotomy. CPB was initiated and the heart was kept beating. The fused commissures of the mitral valve were incised to free the cusps of the valve. RESULTS: Left intercostal thoracotomy allowed easy observation of the mitral orifice during heart-beating OMC. Persistent bleeding from the atriotomy site required a second surgical procedure after which the dog had an uneventful recovery. Echocardiography at 2 weeks and 1 year postoperatively indicated substantial improvement in left ventricular filling (pressure half-time=187 ms before surgery, 105 ms [2 weeks] and 110 ms [1 year] after surgery). Enlargement of the left atrium resolved; however, moderate mitral valve regurgitation was still present. CONCLUSIONS: MS can be successfully treated by OMC, facilitated by use of CPB. Substantial improvement in cardiac function was evident by ultrasound and Doppler examination postoperatively. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: OMC under heart-beating CPB should be considered for the treatment of MS in the dog.     

A regional evaluation of chromium tripicolinate supplementation of diets fed to reproducing sows

A cooperative research study involving 353 litters was conducted at three stations to determine the effects of graded levels of supplemental Cr from chromium tripicolinate (CrPic) on reproductive performance of sows and preweaning performance of their pigs. Primiparous and multiparous sows were fed fortified corn-soybean meal diets with supplemental levels of 0, 200, 600, or 1,000 ppb Cr (as-fed basis). Each station used at least three of the supplemental Cr levels, with two of those levels being 0 and 200 ppb. Station effects were observed for sow gestation weight gain, lactation weight change, lactation feed intake, litter size at birth and weaning, and pig weight at birth and weaning (P = 0.001 to 0.087). Supplemental Cr increased the number of pigs born live per litter (9.49, 9.82, 10.94, and 10.07; quadratic, P = 0.05) and sow lactation weight change (-0.2, 0.8, -4.1, and -3.9 kg; linear, P = 0.01) but decreased individual birth weight of total pigs born (1.61, 1.57, 1.47, and 1.56 kg; quadratic, P = 0.10). Tissues were obtained from a subset of sows from one station after they had completed three parities on the study. The content of Cr in the adrenal gland (16.4, 20.0, 34.0, and 48.4 ppb), kidney (35.8, 56.4, 132.6, and 176.0 ppb), and liver (22.8, 37.4, 87.6, and 92.2 ppb) was increased linearly (P = 0.001 to 0.005) by increasing CrPic supplementation. The results suggest that the supplementation level that maximizes the biological response is above that currently allowed. Additionally, supplementation of Cr at 1,000 ppb (five times currently permitted supplementation levels) was not detrimental to sow performance, even when fed continuously for three parities. There may be merit to continued research to evaluate higher supplementation rates.     

Thoracic high-resolution computed tomography in the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma

Three dogs were presented for investigation of recurrent pyrexia of unknown origin, chronic vomiting and respiratory distress, respectively. One dog was markedly underweight and the other two were cachexic. Physical examination and initial diagnostic tests failed to establish the underlying cause of the presenting signs. Thoracic radiographs were within normal limits for the age of the dog. In each case there was a high index of suspicion for an occult neoplastic process in view of the profound unexplained weight loss present. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the thorax was performed. The lung fields were divided into three zones for analysis and a novel classification scheme was used to describe the HRCT findings in each zone. Postmortem examination and histopathology confirmed the presence of an infiltrating metastatic carcinoma in all three cases. The HRCT changes correlated closely with the pathological findings. The authors conclude that HRCT of the lung should be considered for pulmonary metastatic screening in the dog and introduce a classification system for HRCT findings, based on terminology used in human medicine.