Ectopic ureter in a male cat

A male cat with persistent urinary incontinence is described. Definitive diagnosis of unilateral ectopic ureter was obtained by intravenous urography, after which surgical re-implantation of the ureter into the bladder was performed. The literature on ureteral ectopia in cats is discussed.     

Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses

Background

The risk of injuries is of major concern when keeping horses in groups and there is a need for a system to record external injuries in a standardised and simple way. The objective of this study, therefore, was to develop and validate a system for injury recording in horses and to test its reliability and feasibility under field conditions.

Methods

Injuries were classified into five categories according to severity. The scoring system was tested for intra- and inter-observer agreement as well as agreement with a ''golden standard'' (diagnosis established by a veterinarian). The scoring was done by 43 agricultural students who classified 40 photographs presented to them twice in a random order, 10 days apart. Attribute agreement analysis was performed using Kendall''s coefficient of concordance (Kendall''s W), Kendall''s correlation coefficient (Kendall''s τ) and Fleiss'' kappa. The system was also tested on a sample of 100 horses kept in groups where injury location was recorded as well.

Results

Intra-observer agreement showed Kendall''s W ranging from 0.94 to 0.99 and 86% of observers had kappa values above 0.66 (substantial agreement). Inter-observer agreement had an overall Kendall''s W of 0.91 and the mean kappa value was 0.59 (moderate). Agreement for all observers versus the ''golden standard'' had Kendall''s τ of 0.88 and the mean kappa value was 0.66 (substantial). The system was easy to use for trained persons under field conditions. Injuries of the more serious categories were not found in the field trial.

Conclusion

The proposed injury scoring system is easy to learn and use also for people without a veterinary education, it shows high reliability, and it is clinically useful. The injury scoring system could be a valuable tool in future clinical and epidemiological studies.     

The effects of polyester (terylene) fibre implants on normal equine superficial digital flexor tendon

AIM: To determine the effect of polyester (terylene) fibre implants on normal equine superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendon structure. METHODS: Normal forelimb SDF tendons (n=24) of 12 horses were divided into unoperated, sham-operated, and implanted (terylene fibre implant) groups. Horses were assessed for lameness and ultrasonographic changes to SDF tendons at intervals up to 48 weeks post-operatively. After euthanasia, SDF tendons were collected for histological and ultrastructural examination. Histological sections were examined for alcian blue staining intensity, cellularity, fibril bundle alignment, fascicle separation and crimp morphology. Mass-average diameters (MADs) of collagen fibrils were calculated from electron micrographs and compared between treatment groups. RESULTS: Insertion of terylene fibre implants resulted in short-term (8 weeks) lameness in implanted limbs. Ultrasonographically, the implants could be detected in 50% of implanted tendons, but were associated with tendon swelling and the presence of hypoechoic core lesions in 7/8 implanted limbs. There were significant alterations in alcian blue staining, cellularity and crimp morphology in the central fascicles of sham-operated and implanted tendons, and alteration in fibril alignment in the central fascicles of implanted tendons. Unoperated tendons remained histologically normal. MADs of collagen fibrils did not differ between sham-operated, implanted and unoperated limbs. CONCLUSIONS: Both the sham procedure and the insertion of terylene fibre implants led to alterations in tendon structure that persisted for up to 48 weeks. Persistence of disorganised connective tissue at the proximal and distal ends of the terylene fibre implants may predispose implanted tendons to continued risk of injury. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It is unlikely that terylene fibre implants offer any advantage over standard non-surgical treatments for mild to moderate cases of SDF tendonitis in the horse.     

Impact of Growth Factors on In Vitro Development of Caprine Oocytes at Pre-antral Stage

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of various growth factors such as the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) either individually or in association, in the presence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on the in vitro growth and viability of caprine oocytes at pre-antral stage. Pre-antral follicles were disassociated enzymatically and mechanically from pre-pubertal caprine ovaries after the animals were anaesthetically ovariectomized. Caprine pre-antral follicles in group 1, 2, 3 and 4 were cultured in growth culture medium, growth culture medium + EGF, growth culture medium + IGF-I and growth culture medium + IGF-I + EGF, respectively, for 9 days. The results indicated that EGF (50 mg/l) increased the survival rate of oocytes, but decreased the growth rate of oocytes; IGF-I (100 mg/l) effectively maintained the survival of oocytes and stimulated their growth; IGF-I (100 mg/l) and EGF (50 mg/l) in combination produced a higher effect on both the survival and the growth rate of oocytes than IGF-I or EGF alone. Conclusively, the growth factors can effectively maintain the survival of caprine oocytes from pre-antral follicles and regulate their growth in culture. EGF and IGF-I in association could synergically meliorate the culture system of caprine pre-antral follicles.     

Pulmonary Mycobacterium bovis infection in a dog

AIM: To describe the clinical course of a dog infected with Mycobacterium bovis causing a granulomatous pneumonia. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The dog initially presented with a persistent cough, inappetence and weight loss. Clinical findings included a fever, dyspnoea and tachypnoea, with haematological evidence of a mild neutrophilia and hypoalbuminaemia. Radiographs of the chest demonstrated a concomitant pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and a consolidated area within the left caudal lung lobe. An exploratory thoracotomy revealed this to be a ruptured granulomatous lesion. Subsequent histopathological, microbiological and genetic studies identified M. bovis as the causal agent. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Mycobacterium bovis infections should be included in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary disease and pleural effusions in dogs living in regions of New Zealand known to have a high incidence of mycobacterial infection in wildlife and farm animals.     

Oxygenation and plasma endothelin‐1 concentrations in healthy horses recovering from isoflurane anaesthesia administered with or without pulse‐delivered inhaled nitric oxide

ObjectiveTo assess oxygenation, ventilation‐perfusion (V/Q) matching and plasma endothelin (ET‐1) concentrations in healthy horses recovering from isoflurane anaesthesia administered with or without pulse‐delivered inhaled nitric oxide (iNO).Study DesignProspective experimental trial.AnimalsHealthy adult Standardbred horses.MethodsHorses were anaesthetized with isoflurane in oxygen and placed in lateral recumbency. Six control (C group) horses were anaesthetized without iNO delivery and six horses received pulse‐delivered iNO (NO group). After 2.5 hours of anaesthesia isoflurane and iNO were abruptly discontinued, inhaled oxygen was reduced from 100% to approximately 30%, and the horses were moved to the recovery stall. At intervals during a 30‐minute period following the discontinuation of anaesthesia, arterial and mixed venous blood gas values, shunt fraction (Qs/Qt), plasma ET‐1 concentration, pulse rate and respiratory rate were measured or calculated. Repeated measures anova and a Bonferroni post hoc test was used to analyze data with significance set at p <0.05.ResultsAt all time points in the recovery period, NO horses maintained better arterial oxygenation (oxygen partial pressure: NO 13.2 ± 2.7–11.1 ± 2.7 versus C 6.7 ± 1.1–7.1 ± 1.1 kPa) and better V/Q matching (Qs/Qt NO 0.23 ± 0.05–0.14 ± 0.06 versus C 0.48 ± 0.03–0.32 ± 0.08%) than C horses. Mixed venous oxygenation was higher in NO for 25 minutes following the discontinuation of anaesthesia (NO 6.3 ± 0.2–4.5 ± 0.07 versus C 4.7 ± 0.6–3.7 ± 0.3 kPa). In both groups of horses arterial oxygenation remained fairly stable; venous oxygenation declined over this time period in the NO group but still remained higher than venous oxygen in the C group. ET‐1 concentrations were higher at most time points in C than NO. Changes in other parameters were either minor or absent.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceDelivery of iNO to healthy horses during anaesthesia results in better arterial and venous oxygenation and V/Q matching (as determined by lower Qs/Qt) and lower ET‐1 concentrations throughout a 30‐minute anaesthetic recovery period.     

Effects of Superovulation with oFSH and Norgestomet/GnRH‐Controlled Release of the LH Surge on Hormone Concentrations,and Yield of Oocytes and Embryos at Specific Developmental Stages

The objective of this study was to evaluate a new superovulation procedure with oFSH after temporary suppression of the endogenous LH surge by norgestomet followed by administration of GnRH, to collect bovine oocytes and embryos at specific developmental stages. Since 1999, our research group applies this superovulation procedure with controlled release of the endogenous LH surge. The objective of this study is to verify if this procedure is reliable for collection of oocytes and embryos at specific time points of development and if it produces a sufficient number of both oocytes and embryos of good quality. This procedure was validated regarding to hormonal characteristics, superovulatory response and both oocyte and embryo yield at different times of in vivo development. The results demonstrate that the procedure used to control the occurrence of the pre‐ovulatory LH surge was effective in 92% of the animals (n = 238) and even in 99% of the animals the oocytes and embryos were collected at the intended stage of development. The superovulatory response and both oocyte, embryo yield and quality were similar to the average yield in Europe reported by Association Européenne de transfert embryonnaire (AETE). In conclusion, this superovulation procedure provides a valid tool to collect oocytes and embryos at specific time points of development.     

Cardiorespiratory,sedative and antinociceptive effects of dexmedetomidine alone or in combination with methadone,morphine or tramadol in dogs

ObjectiveTo evaluate the cardiorespiratory, sedative and antinociceptive effects of dexmedetomidine alone or in combination with methadone, morphine or tramadol in dogs.Study designExperimental, blinded, randomized, crossover study.AnimalsSix mixed breed dogs (two males and four females) weighing 10 ± 4 kg.MethodsThe animals were randomly divided into four treatments: D (10 μg kg^?1 of dexmedetomidine), DM (dexmedetomidine 10 μg kg^?1 and methadone 0.5 mg kg^?1); DMO (dexmedetomidine 10 μg kg^?1 and morphine 0.5 mg kg^?1), and DT (dexmedetomidine 10 μg kg^?1 and tramadol 2 mg kg^?1). The combinations were administered intramuscularly in all treatments. The variables evaluated were heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (f_R), rectal temperature (RT), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), sedation scale and pedal withdrawal reflex. These variables were measured at T0 (immediately before the administration of the protocol) and every 15 minutes thereafter until T105.ResultsA decrease in HR and f_R occurred in all the treatments compared with T0, but no significant difference was observed between the treatments. The RT decreased from T45 onward in all the treatments. The SAP did not show a difference between the treatments, but in the DT treatment, the SAP was lower at T30 and T45 compared with T0. The D treatment had lower scores of sedation at T15 to T75 compared with the other treatments, and the DMO and DM treatments showed higher scores at T60 and T75 compared with DT.Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe treatments with morphine and methadone added to the dexmedetomidine showed higher sedation scores than the control treatment and the treatment with tramadol added to the dexmedetomidine showed no relevant differences in any of the variables evaluated in the study.