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.     

Cellophane banding for the gradual attenuation of single extrahepatic portosystemic shunts in eleven dogs

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and short term effects of a cellophane banding technique for progressive attenuation of canine single extrahepatic portosystemic shunts.
Design A prospective trial of 11 dogs with single congenital extrahepatic shunts.
Procedure Rectal ammonia tolerance testing and routine biochemical tests were performed preoperatively on all dogs. In seven dogs, preoperative abdominal Doppler ultrasonography was also performed. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a single extrahepatic portocaval shunt in each animal, which was attenuated using a cellophane band with an internal diameter of 2 to 3 mm. The abdomen was closed routinely. Follow-up biochemical analysis and abdominal Doppler ultrasonography or splenoportography were performed postoperatively.
Results The shunt was not amenable to total ligation in 11 dogs, based upon reported criteria. All dogs recovered uneventfully from surgery without evidence of portal hypertension, and showed clinical improvement thereafter. Shunt occlusion was deemed to have occurred in 10 dogs based on resolution of biochemical and/or sonographic abnormalities. One dog continued to have sonographic evidence of portosystemic shunting when evaluated 3 weeks after surgery, despite normal ammonia tolerance, but was lost to subsequent follow-up. Two dogs, in which 3 mm cellophane bands were placed, experienced delayed shunt occlusion.
Conclusion Cellophane banding is simple to perform, and causes progressive attenuation of single extrahepatic shunts in dogs. Further work is needed to determine the maximum diameter of a cellophane band which will produce total attenuation, and the long-term safety and reliability of the treatment.     

Towards Ethically Improved Animal Experimentation in the Study of Animal Reproduction

The ethics of animal-based research is a continuing area of debate, but ethical research protocols do not prevent scientific progress. In this paper, we argue that our current knowledge of the factors that affect reproductive processes provides researchers with a solid foundation upon which they can conduct more ethical research and simultaneously produce data of higher quality. We support this argument by showing how a deep understanding of the genetics, nutrition and temperament of our experimental animals can improve compliance with two of the '3 Rs', reduction and refinement, simply by offering better control over the variance in our experimental model. The outcome is a better experimental design, on both ethical and scientific grounds.     

Bovine ovarian stem cells differentiate into germ cells and oocyte‐like structures after culture in vitro

Stem cells have been isolated from ovaries, and their ability to differentiate into oocytes in vitro has been demonstrated for mice and human, but not for bovine species. The aims of this study were to isolate germline stem cells from bovine ovaries and to evaluate the effects of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) 2 and 4, and follicular fluid on the differentiation of these stem cells into oocyte‐like structures. The ovarian stem cells were isolated and cultured in α‐MEM⁺ supplemented with BMP2, BMP4 or follicular fluid. On days 0 and 14, cells were evaluated for their morphological appearance, viability, expression of alkaline phosphatase and for markers of germ cell formation (VASA and DAZL) and oocyte development (GDF9, ZPA and SCP3) by qPCR. Levels of mRNA were analysed using ANOVA and Bonferroni test (p < .05). The results showed that at day 0, ovarian stem cells expressed specific markers of pluripotency (OCT4, SOX). In addition, these cells were positive for alkaline phosphatase, which is a marker commonly used to identify primordial germ cells (PGCs). After the period of differentiation, cells had morphological features that resemble PGCs and oocyte‐like cells (OLCs). An increase, ranging from five to 14 times, in the expression of VASA was observed in cells cultured in medium supplemented with BMPs and follicular fluid, while the increase in DAZL expression ranged from four to six times. In addition, OLCs had an increase in expression of mRNAs for GDF9, ZPA and SCP3 that ranged from two to eight times. In conclusion, OLCs can be differentiated in vitro from ovarian stem cells and BMPs and follicular fluid are effective in stimulating the expression of mRNAs for germ cell and oocyte markers.     

Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Danish horses

Background

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum are able to infect horses. However, the extend to which Danish horses are infected and seroconvert due to these two bacteria is unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum in Danish horses.

Methods

A total of 390 blood samples collected from all major regions of Denmark and with a geographical distribution corresponding to the density of the Danish horse population were analyzed. All samples were examined for the presence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum by the use of the SNAP^®4DX ^® ELISA test.

Results

Overall, 29.0% of the horses were seropositive for B. burgdorferi sensu lato whereas 22.3% were seropositive for A. phagocytophilum.

Conclusions

Antibodies against B burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum are commonly found among Danish horses thus showing that Danish horses are frequently infected by these organisms.     

Effects of intracerebroventricular corticotropin-releasing hormone and intravenous morphine on cortisol, prolactin and growth hormone secretion in sheep.

It has previously been demonstrated that naloxone and morphine modify the adrenocortical and pituitary responses of sheep to stress. Since CRH acts within the brain to co-ordinate the stress response, the present experiment was conducted to determine whether morphine has similar effects in sheep given oCRH centrally. Plasma concentrations of cortisol, prolactin and growth hormone were measured in blood samples collected at 10 min intervals from sheep (N = 5) over a 3-hr period. Intravenous injections of saline vehicle or morphine sulphate (0.4 mg/kg) were given after 40 min and intracerebroventricular injections of oCRH (0, 5 or 20 micrograms) were administered after 60 min. Sustained, dose-related, increases in cortisol were induced by oCRH and, in agreement with findings in stressed sheep, these responses were reduced by pretreatment with morphine. Prolactin levels appeared to increase after morphine but oCRH, on its own, did not increase prolactin secretion in this study. There was no change in growth hormone concentrations after oCRH whereas morphine transiently stimulated release.