Feline struvite crystalluria: a comparison of some commercially available dry cat diets in New Zealand

Thirteen adult cats were each fed consecutively five test diets: firstly a complete canned diet, and then four commercially available dry cat diets (New Formula Biscats, Cat Chow, Go-Cat and Whiskettes) for 7,13, 5, 4 and 4 weeks respectively. Urine samples were tested for pH and presence of struvite crystals. Body weight was recorded weekly. Urine pH was ranked from acid to alkaline as follows: Whiskettes (pH 5.8), canned diet (pH 5.9), Biscats (pH 6.1), Cat Chow (pH 6.45) and Go-Cat (pH 6.5). The pH of urine when cats were fed Whiskettes, Biscats and canned diet was not significantly different. Biscats produced a urine pH significantly higher than Whiskettes but, in each case, these three diets produced a significantly lower urine pH than Cat Chow and Go-Cat. Struvite crystals occurred spontaneously in 9% of urine samples from cats when fed Whiskettes and Biscats, 71% when fed Cat Chow and 38% when fed Go-Cat: spontaneous struvite was not seen in any cat fed CX9. Haematuria was seen in 2.9% (2/69) urine samples from cats fed Cat Chow. One tom cat had a blocked urethra after 24 days on Go-Cat. No abnormalities were observed in any cat when fed canned diet, Biscats or Whiskettes. It was concluded that of the four dry cat diets tested only Biscats and Whiskettes produce urine with an acceptably low rate of spontaneous struvite crystalluria.     

Vitamin E, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acids in clinically normal grower (9-16 weeks old) pigs and their feed: their relationship to the vitamin E/selenium deficiency ("VESD") syndrome

Vitamin E, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were determined in feed used at three piggeries over.a four week period and compared with corresponding concentrations in clinically normal grower pigs at slaughter. Mean values were vitamin E: 59 IU/kg (feed), 6 micromol/kg (liver), 1.7 micromol/l (serum); and selenium: 310 microg/kg (feed), 5200 nmol/kg (liver), 1700 nmol/l (blood). Alpha-tocopherol accounted for 80% of the mean vitamin E activity in the feed and over 95% that in the liver and serum. The mean ratio of PUFA to total fatty acid (FA) in the feed (38%) was similar to that in the serum (36%) and liver (39%), but the ratio of peroxidisable PUFA (PPUFA) to FA increased from 1.7% in the feed to 4.2% in the serum and 10.8% in the liver. The ratio of alpha-tocopherol (mmol) to PPUFA (mol) in the liver varied from 0.16 to 0.48. The relationship of these data to the VESD syndrome is discussed in the light of other published data.     

Acquired hydrocephalus and hydromyelia in a cat with feline infectious peritonitis: A case report and brief review

A one-year-old domestic long-haired cat was referred to the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine because of acute onset of paraparesis and hyperesthesia associated with trauma. Myelography and cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed severe hydromyelia and myelitis, respectively. The definitive diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis was made by histological examination at necropsy. Lesions were confined exclusively to the brain and spinal cord. Partial occlusion of the third and fourth ventricles with pyogranulomatous debris caused hydrocephalus and subsequent hydromyelia. The hydromyelia may have been the primary means of compensation for the hydrocephalus, thus masking subclinical disease.     

A study of periodontal disease in sheep over a twelve month period

Sheep affected by broken mouth periodontal disease (P.D.) were examined over a twelve month period for different clinical parameters. It is suggested that P.D. in sheep is an episodic phenomenon similar to human P.D., and that only a few animals with signs of P.D. may undergo clinically significant destruction over a yearly period. No single parameter could reliably predict future deterioration in other parameters.     

An outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)

Thirteen (54%) of 24 Père David's deer (Eluphurus duvidianus) imported from England died of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) within a year of arrival at Invermay Agricultural Centre. The duration of clinical illness was from one to approximately 33 days, and the most common clinical signs were depression, a hunched stance and diarrhoea. On post-mortem examination, most deer showed recent localised haemorrhages, often into the large intestine. In all deer there was histological vasculitis especially in the brain.