Racing Performance in 72 Racehorses Treated with Prosthetic Laryngoplasty for Laryngeal Hemiplegia

The purpose of this study was to compare racing performance before and after prosthetic laryngoplasty for treatment of laryngeal hemiplegia in inexperienced (horses without at least one start before surgery) and experienced (horses with at least one start before surgery) Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racehorses. Medical records of 54 Thoroughbred and 18 Quarter Horse racehorses or horses intended for racing treated with prosthetic laryngoplasty and unilateral ventriculectomy for laryngeal hemiplegia were reviewed. Signalment, age at the time of surgery, resting endoscopic grade of laryngeal function, surgical procedure, and type of suture were recorded. Median performance index (PI), earnings, distance, and Beyer speed figure (BSF) per start for three races before and after surgery were compared, and factors associated with improved postsurgical performance were evaluated. Seventy-three percent of horses that had not raced before surgery and 84% of horses that competed in at least one race before surgery were able to return to racing after surgery. Fifty-nine percent and 27% of Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, respectively, were able to improve their PI after surgery. Sixty-two percent and 20% of Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, respectively, significantly increased their distance after surgery. Additionally, 61% and 66% of racehorses were able to increase their earnings and BSF after surgery, respectively. Horses treated with laryngoplasty and unilateral ventriculectomy have a good prognosis for return to racing. Inexperienced racehorses have a better prognosis for improvement after surgery than do experienced racehorses. Thoroughbred racehorses have a better success rate than Quarter Horse racehorses.     

Intestinal sclerosis with pseudo-obstruction in three dogs

Intestinal sclerosis causing chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction was diagnosed in 3 dogs. The pseudo-obstruction was characterized by vomiting and weight loss of 2 weeks' to 3 months' duration. A patent intestinal lumen was determined by contrast radiography and verified at surgery. Intestinal biopsy revealed diffuse atrophy, fibrosis, and mononuclear cell infiltration of the tunica muscularis. Each dog was euthanatized because of a progressive, deteriorating clinical course.     

Evaluation of a regimen using a progesterone releasing intravaginal device (CIDR) and PMSG as a treatment for post partum anoestrus in dairy cattle

Anoestrous dairy cows in seasonally calving herds in the Macalister Irrigation District of Gippsland, Victoria were treated at the start of the mating period with a progesterone releasing intravaginal device (CIDR). The CIDR was inserted for 7 days and 400 IU of PMSG was injected intramuscularly at removal. There was no clinically useful difference among cows receiving the CIDR, a placebo and untreated cows in the interval from treatment to either first oestrus or conception, the conception rate to first service or percent pregnant by the end of mating. Analyses of data from 2-year-old cows, older cattle, cows calved at least 45 days or cows calved at least 55 days and cows treated 3 weeks after the start of mating did not show improved reproductive performance following treatment with the CIDR.     

Long-term lack of transmission of Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) in a chronically infected Swedish weaner pig producing herd

A cohort of 53 swine seronegative to Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) was monitored in a 1 year study of a chronically infected commercial Swedish weaner pig producing herd. Serum samples were acquired from all 134 adult swine and analyzed by enzyme-linked immmunosorbent assay (ELISA). Animals testing negative, along with introduced replacement gilts, were followed serologically every second month. Movements of animals were recorded for 319 days and exposure to seropositive animals was calculated for each seronegative pig in the cohort. The accumulated daily pig contact between the 53 ADV-non-infected swine and 43 infected swine was 35 660 days and the median number of days in contact for the non-infected swine with infected was 222. Despite the frequent contact with seropositive pigs, no seronegative animals seroconverted during the first 11 months of observation. Forty-six of 53 pigs seroconverted after a clinical outbreak during the twelfth month of observation.     

Diagnosis and treatment of a cerebral infarct in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

A 29-yr-old chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) presented after an acute onset of right facial and forearm paresis that progressed to paralysis within 24 hr, with subsequent development of right leg paresis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head revealed an abnormal region of increased signal intensity in the left frontal, parietal, and temporal cerebral hemispheres, corresponding to the vascular territory of the middle cerebral artery, with resultant compression of the left lateral ventricle. The findings were consistent with a cerebral infarct (stroke). MRI is the most sensitive test for early detection of cerebral changes due to ischemia and was essential in obtaining a diagnosis in this case. The chimpanzee responded well to treatment with long-term anticoagulant aspirin and a short, tapered course of prednisone and regained full gross motor function.     

Trombiculosis in a cat.

Trombiculosis (dermatitis caused by trombiculid mites) in a Domestic Shorthair cat was characterized by diffuse thickening and crusting of the skin of the abdomen and limbs and by multiple papules on the face, ears, and sides of the trunk. Skin biopsy revealed acanthosis and hyperkeratosis involving the epidermis and hair follicles, mites in epidermal tunnels, and edema of the dermis, with infiltration of eosinophils and mast cells. Mites from skin scrapings were identified as Walchia americana. The cat was treated systemically with a broad-spectrum antibiotic and topically with a carbaryl and pyrethrin powder preparation. The lesions were resolved within 2 months.     

The uptake of metabolites of permethrin by plants grown in soil treated with [14C]permethrin

Sugar beet, wheat, lettuce and cotton were grown in soil treated with [¹⁴C]permethrin, the crops being sown at intervals of 30, 60 and 120 days after treatment of the soil. The uptake of radioactive residues into these crops was measured. Low radioactive residues (up to 0.86 μg g^?1) were detected in the mature plants sown 30 days after soil treatment, and this uptake declined significantly as the interval between soil treatment and sowing increased. Metabolites derived from the acid moiety of the permethrin molecule were shown to constitute the greater part of the residue transferring from the soil to the crops. (1RS)-cis- and (1RS)-trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)- 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid and 3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-1-methylcyclopropane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid were identified as the major acidic metabolites. The latter compound is a metabolite of permethrin which has not previously been identified in soil or plants.     

Pharmacokinetics of carfentanil and naltrexone in domestic goats (Capra hircus).

Using a crossover study design, the pharmacokinetics of carfentanil and naltrexone after i.v., i.m., and s.c. administration were determined in eight domestic goats (Capra hircus). Serial blood samples were taken up to 120 hr after carfentanil administration, and the plasma drug concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. All goats were immobilized with 40 microg/kg carfentanil i.m., although the resulting neurologic effects varied considerably. Plasma profiles showed rapid carfentanil absorption and a simple biphasic decline for 12-48 hr. Naltrexone given at 100 mg naltrexone/mg carfentanil 30 min after carfentanil administration produced rapid reversal of immobilization after all routes of administration. Variable fluctuations in the naltrexone plasma concentrations during the first 2.5-3.5 hr were observed, followed by a more consistent biphasic decline. The time to standing was significantly shorter after i.v. compared with s.c. naltrexone, although the time difference (1 min) had little clinical relevance. No statistically significant differences between the naltrexone pharmacokinetic parameters measured for the three routes of naltrexone administration were identified, although the recoveries after i.m. administration were, subjectively, the smoothest. The carfentanil half-life did not differ significantly in the goats given naltrexone by different routes. Although it is currently recommended that the naltrexone dose be divided into s.c. and i.v. portions, this practice does not appear to offer any benefit.     

Temporal-spatial epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in Mongolia, 2000 – 2002

Prior to 2000, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) had not been observed in Mongolia since 1973; however, between April 2000 and July 2002, Mongolia reported 44 FMD outbreaks that affected cattle, sheep, goats, and camels. The objectives of this study were to describe the distributions of the 44 reported FMD outbreaks in Mongolia and to assess their spatial clustering and directions of movement. Official reports were collected to obtain the number and species of animals both affected and at risk, and the date and geographical coordinates of each outbreak. Significant global and local spatial clusters of reported FMD outbreaks were identified. Disease spread during the second epidemic moved 76° northeast and the spread of the disease during the third epidemic moved 110° northwest. FMD outbreaks were clustered intensely close to other FMD-positive counties. These findings can be used in the future to help plan prevention and control measures in high risk areas.