Dactylomegaly, a type of club foot (talipes) in a herd of Shorthorn cattle

Enlarged dew claws associated with syndactyly and/or deviation of the adjacent major digit are reported from 9 heifers in a herd of 800. The anomaly created a club-footed appearance.     

Serotypes of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in Australian pigs, small ruminants, poultry, and captive wild birds and animals

Serotypes of 93 Australian isolates of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae from diseased domestic animals and poultry and a variety of captive wild birds and animals were determined by double diffusion gel precipitation. Two isolates, from the faeces of a swallow were also examined. Serotypes 1a, 1b and 2 were isolated from pigs and serotypes 1a, 1b, 2, 5, 15 and 21 from sheep or goats. Erysipelas in poultry was attributed to serotypes 1b, 5, 15 and 16. In captive wild birds serotypes 1b, 5, 6, 8, 14, 21 and an isolate reactive with antiserum to strain Seehecht were associated with septicaemic deaths. Single isolates from tissues of a bilby (Macrotis lagotis), black rat (Rattus rattus), brown snake (Pseudechis australis) and a bandicoot (Isoodon macrouris) were classified as serotypes 4, 4, 7, and 10 respectively. Six isolates were not able to be typed. Serotype 1b was the most widely distributed and most common (28%), being associated with disease in pigs, sheep, poultry and wild birds. Serotypes 1a or 2 were found in a more restricted range of animals, being commonly associated with erysipelas in pigs, less commonly in sheep and infrequently in other species. From diseased pigs, 26 of 33 isolates (79%) were serotypes 1a and 1b.     

Collection of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in cats, using an endotracheal tube

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected from 12 anesthetized cats by use of an endotracheal tube and syringe adapter. The safety of the technique was evaluated by monitoring mucous membrane color, capillary refill time, pulse rate, respiratory rate, ECG, and arterial blood gas tensions and by necropsy findings. Group A consisted of 3 cats that were administered (by lavage) 4 aliquots of 20 ml of saline solution during anesthesia for placement of femoral artery catheters. Group B consisted of 4 cats that were administered a smaller total volume of saline solution (3 aliquots of 5 ml/kg of body weight) during a separate anesthetic period, other than the one for placement of catheters. Group C consisted of 5 cats administered 3 aliquots (5 ml/kg) of saline solution during a separate anesthetic period and administered supplemental oxygen for 5 to 10 minutes before and for 20 minutes after the lavage procedure. Group-A cats had a prolonged recovery period that was attributed to the lengthy anesthetic period required for placement of femoral catheters. The effect was eliminated in the cats of the other groups in which the lavage procedure itself accounted for only 5 to 10 minutes of anesthetic time. Evaluation of mucous membrane color, capillary refill time, ECG, pulse, and respiratory rate revealed no persistent abnormalities. Transient increase in pulse and respiratory rate was seen in some cats. Blood gas analysis revealed noticeable decrease in arterial oxygen pressures (Pao2) after the lavage procedure. In group-C cats, oxygen supplementation allowed the maintenance of normal or above normal Pao2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Short colon in two cats and a dog

Two cats and 1 dog were referred for evaluation of signs of large-intestinal dysfunction. In each instance, contrast radiography revealed an abnormally short, straight colon, with the cecum located in the left hemi-abdomen. Short colon did not appear to contribute specifically to the active disease processes found. The anomaly may develop owing to errors in the processes of elongation and rotation of the embryo's midgut. The clinical relevance of short colon is unknown, but the disorder may contribute to a history of chronic elimination of soft feces.     

Acute thallium toxicosis in a dog.

A Doberman Pinscher was evaluated for acute onset of gastroenteritis, characterized by anorexia, hematemesis, and hematochezia. The dog had ingested mole bait containing thallium 2 days prior to admission. Thallium toxicosis was confirmed by detection of thallium in the urine, using colorimetric analysis. The dog responded well to administration of antibiotics, fluids administered IV, warm-water enemas, and oral administration of activated charcoal slurries.     

Inconsistencies in the absorptive capacities of Schirmer tear test strips

The absorptive capacities of 4 commercially available tear test strips were determined and compared with 5-mm X 40-mm strips of #41 filter paper. Significant differences in the absorption of water over a given time interval were found in 3 of the groups tested. Major inconsistencies were found only within 1 lot of tear test strips from a single manufacturer. Tear test strips from this lot consisted of 2 distinct populations that were distinguishable by transillumination. Strips with widely spaced horizontal lines had the same absorptive capacity as the filter paper, whereas those with fine lines consistently absorbed less water. The clinical importance of this discrepancy was verified by comparing measurements of tear production in 6 normal dogs.     

Tissue distribution of bovine spongiform encephalopathy infectivity in Romney sheep up to the onset of clinical disease after oral challenge

Sixty Romney sheep of three prion protein genotypes were dosed orally at six months of age with an inoculum prepared from the brains of cattle clinically affected with BSE, and 15 sheep were left undosed as controls. They were randomly assigned within genotype to groups and were sequentially euthanased and examined postmortem at intervals of six or 12 months, depending on their predicted susceptibility. Tissue pools prepared from the three, four or five dosed animals in each group were inoculated into groups of 20 RIII mice as a bioassay for infectivity. Separate inocula were prepared from the matched control sheep killed at each time. In the ARQ/ARQ sheep killed four months after inoculation, infectivity was detected in the Peyer's patch tissue pool, and at 10 months it was detected in the spleen pool; from 16 months, infectivity was detected in a range of nervous and lymphoreticular tissues, including the spinal cord pool, distal ileum excluding Peyer's patches, liver, Peyer's patches, mesenteric and prescapular lymph nodes, spleen, tonsil and cervical thymus. No infectivity was detected in the tissue pools from the ARQ/ARR and ARR/ARR sheep killed 10 months or 22 months after infection.     

Retinoblastoma in the eye of a llama (Llama glama)

ANIMAL STUDIED: A 6-year-old, pregnant female llama experienced a 6-month history of epiphora, buphthalmos, and acute loss of vision in the left eye. The condition was unresponsive to topical antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory therapy and progressed to corneal rupture. PROCEDURES: Transpalpebral enucleation was performed and an intraorbital silicone prosthesis was implanted. The eye was fixed in formalin and processed according to routine paraffin technique. Sections of a mass were immunohistochemically prepared routinely and stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S-antigen, and rhodopsin. RESULTS: Gross, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical analysis revealed a retinal tumor consistent with a retinoblastoma. The neoplastic tissue formed Flexner-Wintersteiner and Homer-Wright rosettes, originated from the retina, and demonstrated photoreceptor differentiation with S-antigen and rhodopsin expression. Neoplastic cells were negative for GFAP. Four years after enucleation, the llama showed no signs of recurrent neoplasia. CONCLUSIONS: This report describes the diagnosis and successful treatment of the first known retinoblastoma in a llama.