Urolithiasis in the horse — A review of 13 cases

The presenting signs, treatment and postoperative progress of 13 horses with vesical and urethral calculi are reviewed. Single, discrete stones were present in 10 animals in which the results of treatment were generally good. In three horses with sabulous cystic deposits, urolithiasis was associated with bladder paralysis and the response to treatment was poor.     

Jaundice disease in the farmed catfish hybrid, Clarias macrocephalus (Gunther) ×C. gariepinus (Burchell), in Thailand

Abstract. In recent years, jaundice disease in farmed hybrid catfish in Thailand has caused high levels of mortalities. Affected fish are lethargic and anorexic and show yellow pigmentation of the skin and gills. Internally, the spleen, kidney and gall bladder are enlarged, and the spleen, kidney, liver and body fat are a pale yellow colour. Most fish contain a yellow ascitic fluid in their abdomen. Histological examination of tissues from diseased fish revealed heavy deposits of haemosiderin and ceroid in the spleen, kidney and liver. Haematological measurements showed that haematocrit values, RBC count, haemoglobin concentration, MCH and MCHC were significantly decreased in affected fish while MCV, total bilirubin and direct reacting bilirubin were significantly increased. The results indicate that the fish are suffering from a haemolytic anaemia associated with lipoid liver degeneration. The disease is thought to be due to the feeding of rancid chicken viscera.     

Bacteria associated with internal breakdown of onion bulbs and their possible role in disease expression

Bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas. Erwinia. Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Escherichia were isolated from internal swollen leaf bases of naturally infected onion bulbs and were pathogenic to onion tissue on reinoculation. In pathogenicity tests, inoculation of slices from symptomless bulbs with one bacterium or with a sterile needle often resulted in isolation of P. aeruginosa, Serratia marcesvens and Bacillus cereus. It is postulated that the bacteria isolated form part of the endophytic microflora of an onion bulb, and that they may become opportunistic pathogens when changes in host physiology are triggered by high temperatures at bulb maturity.     

Functional islet cell tumour in the dog

A 7½-year-old male Pointer had episodes of disorientation, ataxia and collapse due to persistent hypoglycaemia. A solitary islet cell tumour was removed surgically from the tail of the pancreas. Hyperglycaemia and glycosuria persisted for 6 days after pancreatic resection but thereafter recovery was uneventful and blood glucose levels were in the normal range 3 months later. The literature on the clinical aspects of canine islet cell tumours is summarized.
Résumé. Un pointer, mâle, âgé de 7 ans ½ avait des épisodes de désorientation, d'ataxie et de collapsus dûs à une hyperglycémie persistante. On a fait l'ablation d'une tumeur solitaire des îlots de Langerhans de la queue du pancréas. L'hyperglycémie et la glycosurie ont persisté pendant 6 jours après resection pancréatique, mais après cela, la guérison s'était déroulée sans incidents et les taux de glycémie étaient de nature normale 3 mois plus tard. On a fait le résumé des exposés sur les aspects cliniques des tumeurs des îlots de Langerhans chez le clien.
Zusammenfassung. Ein 7½ Jahr alter Pointer hatte Episoden von Disorientierheit, Ataxie und Kollaps, die einer anhaltenden Hyperglykämie zuzuschreiben waren. Ein einzelner Langerhansschen Inselzellentumor wurde chirurgisch von der Cauda pancreatis entfernt. Hyperglykämie und Glykosurie hielten für 6 Tage nach pankreatischer Resektion an, aber danach war die Genesung ohne besondere Ereignisse und Blutzuckerspiegel waren 3 Monate später im normalen Bereich. Die Literatur über klinische Aspekte von Hunde-Inselzellen Tumore wurde zusammengefasst.     

Oesophageal diverticulum formation in the dog

This paper briefly reviews previously recorded cases of (epiphrenic) oesophageal diverticula in the dog and describes the clinical and radiological findings in, nine further cases. Four of the nine cases also had a broncho–oesophageal fistula; clinical and histological evidence is presented to suggest that the lesions were congenital in at least five animals.     

Outcomes of thoracic surgery in dogs and cats

Summary: Records of 146 dogs and 41 cats that underwent thoracic surgery at The University of Sydney Veterinary Teaching Hospital were reviewed for age, sex, breed, disease, operation date, periods of pre- and post-operative hospitalisation, use of surgical drains and outcome. Animals were assigned to 16 disease categories, the most common being patent ductus arteriosus, traumatic diaphragmatic hernia and oesophageal foreign body in dogs and traumatic diaphragmatic hernia in cats. Differences were observed between disease categories in all the criteria examined. There were almost equal numbers of male (72) and female (74) dogs, the median (range) age was 2.0 (0.2 to 14.0) years, the median pre-operative stay was 1 (0 to 14) days, the median post-operative stay was 4 (0 to 28) days and the overall survival to discharge rate was 78%.
There were 24 male and 15 female cats (sex not recorded in 2 cats). The median (range) age was 3 (0.1 to 12) years, pre-operative stay 1 (0 to 6) days, post-operative stay 5 (0 to 15) days and the overall survival to discharge rate was 85%. Causes of post-operative deaths among animals in the most common categories are recorded and discussed.     

Low quality of evidence for glucosamine‐based nutraceuticals in equine joint disease: Review of in vivo studies

Nutraceuticals are increasingly applied to the management of equine arthritis and joint disease, particularly those based upon glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate. While the first report of using glucosamine in horses appeared more than 25 years ago, it was not until 1992 that isolated studies began to be reported. Since that time, 15 in vivo papers have been published in the equine literature, usually on products already commercially available and often seeking evidence for efficacy. These studies demonstrate an encouraging trend to manufacturers of these products investing in research, but most do not meet a quality standard that provides sufficient confidence in the results reported. This review discusses the entirety of published in vivo research on glucosamine‐based nutraceuticals (GBN) for horses, including that on Cosequin, Cortaflex, Synequin, Sasha's EQ, Myristol, chondroitin sulphate, glucosamine sulphate and glucosamine hydrochloride; and considers experimental limitations of this research along with their impact on interpretation of results. A quality score was calculated for each paper according to preset quality criteria. A minimum quality standard of 60% was set as the threshold for confidence in interpretation of results. Of the 15 papers reviewed, only 3 met the minimum quality standard. Experimental limitations of each research paper are discussed. It is concluded that the quality of studies in this area is generally low, prohibiting meaningful interpretation of the reported results. New high quality research on GBN for horses is needed and recommendations for future research are discussed.