Examination of the origin of increased equine serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations

Serum alkaline phosphatase activity was found to be increased in 32.6% of equine samples analyzed at the Ontario Veterinary College over an 18 month period. An attempt was made using sensitivity to L-phenylalanine and heat to identify the origin of increased serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes present in 44 clinical cases. No difference in sensitivity to either procedure was observed for serum alkaline phosphatase from groups of foals and horses representing different clinical problems. Alkaline phosphatase of osseous tissue origin appeared to be the major source of activity for each group of animals reported.     

Cervical intervertebral disc protrusion in two horses

Two horses with ataxia of all four limbs were found to have cervical intervertebral disc protrusion. Severe pelvic limb ataxia, proprioceptive deficits and spasticity were present in both horses with similar but less severe signs in the thoracic limbs. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis was within normal limits. Metrizamide myelography allowed definitive diagnosis in one case when a compression of the spinal cord was demonstrated at the level of the second intervertebral space. In the second case, an intervertebral disc protrusion between cervical vertebrae 6 and 7 was found at necropsy. Fiber degeneration with poor myelin staining characterized the spinal cords histologically.     

Nodular panniculitis in a female toy poodle

A four month old female toy Poodle showing multiple nodules 2 to 3 cm in diameter, some of which had ruptured over the neck and trunk area, was diagnosed as having nodular panniculitis. The animal had been treated with a course of chloramphenicol and ampicillin for one month with no response. The diagnosis was based on history, clinical signs, laboratory data and dramatic response to the addition of corticosteroid to the antibiotic therapy.     

Effects of breed, diet and sex on the alkaline phosphatase activity in walls of the bovine rumen and abomasum

Alkaline phosphatase (APase) activity in tissue samples, with adherent bacteria, was measured from two sites in the rumen and from two sites in the abomasum of 57 yearling Angus and Hereford bulls and heifers fed a high or a low energy diet. In the rumen, APase activity was higher at the caudoventral blind sac than at the dorsal sac in animals of both breeds fed the high energy diet and in Angus bulls fed the low energy diet, but the reverse was observed in Hereford bulls fed the low-energy diet (P less than .01). In the abomasum, APase levels were higher for bulls than heifers (P less than .01) and higher at the fundic than at the pyloric region (P less than .01). Morphological studies also showed that rumen samples from animals fed a high energy diet exhibited a more widely distributed APase activity and an increase in the digestive recycling of epithelial cells that produced some "pitting" of the tissue. The higher APase activity of the epithelial tissue of animals fed the high energy diet may be explained by the greater rate of cell death and renewal indicated by the higher mitotic index reported by other researchers who have studied the cell cycle of the rumen epithelium in ruminants fed high and low energy diets.     

Chronic malignant catarrhal fever: a case in a sika deer (Cervus nippon)

A condition resembling chronic malignant catarrhal fever was seen in a 9-month-old pet sika hind (Cervus nippon). From an initial acute depression, pyrexia, and anorexia, the condition progressed to include hypopyon, keratitis, lethargy, loss of condition, sloughing of one hoof and eventually death after seven weeks. There were multiple, 5 to 8mm diameter dark-red nodules throughout the mesenteries and mediastinum, along abdominal organ ligaments, and about the uterus and kidneys. Histopathology showed the nodules to be organising vascular thrombi. Concurrent perivascular mononuclear infiltrations and intravascular thrombi in many tissues confirmed that the condition was malignant catarrhal fever.     

Formalin and footrot in sheep

Changes in formalin concentration were measured over time in uncontaminated solutions and solutions heavily contaminated by mud, faeces, wool or straw. Shallow plastic trays containing 1.11 of a 9% aqueous solution of formalin were exposed for 6 days (trial 1) or 8 days (trial 2) to windy autumn weather. Evaporation of solution volumes was high (47-73%). Concentration generally increased over time: by 13-31% in trial 1 and by 61-162% in trial 2. These figures represent actual increases in percentage formalin of up to 3.0% in trial 1 and up to 7.6% in trial 2. Exposure to mud, sheep faeces or wool did not affect the increase in concentration but there was no increase in the presence of straw. As exposure to excessively concentrated formalin solutions produces hyperaemia, cracking of interdigital skin and lameness in sheep it is recommended that footbath solutions should be diluted to 2-S%, prepared on the day of use and discarded daily whether contaminated or not. Addition of formalin or water to existing solutions of unknown strength should be avoided.