Bone plate fixation of distal radius and ulna fractures in small- and miniature-breed dogs.

Bone plate fixation was reviewed in 29 distal radial fractures of small- and miniature-breed dogs. Twenty-two fractures in 18 dogs were available for follow-up. Number of complications and return to function were evaluated. Complications occurred in 54% of the fractures. Catastrophic complications occurred in 18% of fracture repairs with follow-up, while minor complications occurred in 36%. Sixteen (89%) of 18 dogs had a successful return to function. Bone plate fixation is a successful repair method for distal radius and ulna fractures in small-breed dogs, compared to previously reported methods.     

Vaginal position and length in the bitch: relationship to spaying and urinary incontinence

A study was undertaken to determine if the vagina might be a suitable site for the measurement of intra-abdominal pressure during cystometry in the bitch. The position of the cranial vagina and vaginal length were measured radiographically and the effects of spaying and urinary incontinence on these variables were evaluated in 30 continent and 30 incontinent bitches. The study used retrograde vaginourethrograms which had been obtained from animals used in a previous study. The cranial vagina was intra-abdominal on 36 of the vaginourethrograms, being least commonly intra-abdominal in incontinent bitches (11/30). Vaginal position was related linearly to vaginal length and continence status (P < 0.01), while its length was related to bodyweight (P < 0.01). Allowing for bodyweight, neutered animals had significantly shorter vaginas than entire bitches (P < 0.01). Measurement of intra-abdominal pressure with concomitant measurement of intravesical pressure is essential if accurate assessment of detrusor pressure is to be determined during cystometry. The vagina is unlikely to be a useful location from which to measure intra-abdominal pressure since any pressure-measuring catheter inserted into it may fall outside the abdominal pressure zone. This is particularly true of neutered and/or incontinent bitches, the groups in which urodynamic investigations of urinary incontinence are most frequently indicated.     

Liver fluke infestation in New World camelids. Parasitology, pathology, clinical findings and therapy]

In Llamas and Alpacas infestation with Fasciola hepatica or Dicrocoelium dendriticum can cause liver damage, sometimes even with lethal outcome. Once infected South American Camelids (SACs) react more sensitively to these parasites than other domestic ruminants. We report here on the pathology, parasitology, clinics and therapy of this disease. Concerning Dicrocoelium dendriticum we describe own clinical results and therapeutic outcome in addition to the pathological investigation. According to anatomic corrosion casts, the bile ducts of SACs show more similarity with the equine bile system than with the bile system of domestic ruminants.     

Evaluation of scratches as an essential element in the development of avian cellulitis in broiler chickens.

Currently, the published cellulitis models do not adequately address the actual pathogenesis as seen in the commercial broiler industry. In this model, small dermal scratches were made on the skin of broiler chickens, which were then placed on litter seeded with avian cellulitis-associated Escherichia coli. The research confirms scratches are required for the induction of avian cellulitis. The research also confirms that "type I" cellulitis lesions or those previously thought to be due to hatchery-borne infections can be induced with scratches. The described methods provide a realistic model for cellulitis development that will improve the reliability of prophylactic and therapeutic-regimen efficacy testing data, thereby providing information more directly useful to the commercial broiler industry.     

Duration of action and hemodynamic properties of mivacurium chloride in dogs anesthetized with halothane.

OBJECTIVE: To describe onset and duration of neuromuscular blockade induced by mivacurium chloride and its associated hemodynamic effects at 3 dosages in healthy dogs. ANIMALS: 7 Labrador Retrievers. PROCEDURE: Anesthesia was induced with thiopental and maintained with halothane in oxygen, and dogs were mechanically ventilated to end-tidal P(CO)2 between 35 and 40 mm Hg. Core temperature, end-tidal P(CO)2, and halothane concentration were kept constant throughout the experiment. Neuromuscular function was assessed by evaluation of the train-of-four response to a supramaximal electrical stimulus of 2 Hz applied to the ulnar nerve every 10 seconds. Blood for determination of plasma cholinesterase activity was obtained prior to administration of mivacurium, a bolus of which was administered IV, using a randomized Latin-square design for dosages of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.05 mg/kg of body weight. RESULTS: All dogs had typical plasma cholinesterase activity. After administration of mivacurium, differences were not evident between groups in heart rate, systolic, mean, or diastolic blood pressure, change at any time in heart rate, systolic, mean, or diastolic blood pressure, or pH. Interval from onset to 100% neuromuscular blockade was 3.92+/-1.70, 2.42+/-0.53, and 1.63+/-0.25 minutes at dosages of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.05 mg/kg, respectively. Duration of measurable neuromuscular blockade was 33.72+/-12.73, 65.38+/-12.82, and 151.0+/-38.50 minutes, respectively. Time of onset and duration of effect differed significantly among dosages. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Mivacurium provides good hemodynamic stability at the dosages tested. In dogs, this drug has a rapid onset and long duration of effect.     

Coxsackievirus B4 myocarditis in an orangutan.

A 37-year-old female orangutan died at the zoological garden. Autopsy examination demonstrated severe coxsackievirus B4 myocarditis immunohistochemically as a cause of the death. Apoptosis of the cardiac muscle cells was observed using the TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick endo labeling method and was considered to play a role in the myocarditis. Congestion of the liver and both lungs due to cardiac failure was also observed. Coxsackievirus infection is found frequently in the Okinawan human population. The present orangutan's infection might have come from visitors who were allowed to go near the orangutan. Malignant tumors, severe suppurative infections, and intestinal parasite infections were not observed. Epstein-Barr virus DNA was detected in lymph nodes, but there was no Burkitt's lymphoma.