Infectious dermatitis in a ball python (Python regius) colony.

Seven wild-caught ball pythons (Python regius), including six gravid females and one male, were obtained from Africa and were housed in a government animal facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Upon arrival, the snakes were found to be infested with ticks (Aponomma latus), which were manually removed. Four weeks following arrival, vesicular skin lesions began to appear on the snakes. Despite treatment of all affected female snakes with amikacin (5 mg/kg i.m., every 3 days) and cefotaxime (25 mg/kg i.m., every 3 days), the condition progressed and five of the female snakes died 7 wk after arrival. The remaining male and one female improved after an increase in environmental temperature, with ecdysis followed by healing. Physiologic stress, ectoparasites, and shipping may have predisposed the snakes to sepsis.     

Effect of different types of litter material for rearing broilers

1. Coir dust was evaluated as broiler litter in comparison with sawdust and rice husk using 135 commercial broilers. Forty-five broiler chicks were reared to 42 d on a 50 mm layer of each of these litters. 2. Birds reared on coir dust showed no difference in food consumption, body weight gain, food conversion efficiency production number and survivability in comparison to those reared on saw dust and rice husk. 3. It was concluded that coir dust is suitable as broiler litter when cheaply available.     

Retrospective study of owners' perception on home monitoring of blood glucose in diabetic dogs and cats

Home monitoring of blood glucose (HMBG) concentrations has been recommended in the monitoring of human diabetics for 3 decades. During the last number of years, it also gained popularity in long-term follow-up of diabetic cats and dogs. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the practical feasibility of and identify the major problems encountered with HMBG in diabetic pets. A standard questionnaire was filled in by owners of 9 diabetic pets monitored with HMBG. The need for more than 1 puncture to obtain a blood drop, the creation of a sufficient blood drop, the need for assistance in restraining the pet, and the resistance of the pet were the most frequently encountered problems during HMBG. The major obstacles for the owners to start with HMBG were also identified. In conclusion, HMBG is a practical and simple technique for most owners and, overall, owners were satisfied.     

Articular / epiphyseal osteochondrosis in Thoroughbred foals at 5 months of age: influences of growth of the foal and prenatal copper supplementation of the dam

AIMS: To determine the influence of copper (Cu) supplementation by injection of mares in late gestation on the frequency and severity of osteochondrosis (OC) lesions in their foals at around 160 days of age. To determine if there was any influence of the concentration of Cu in the liver, growth rate, birthweight, weight at 160 days of age, fatness, sex, or year of birth of the foal on the frequency and severity of OC lesions. To determine the influence of dam's age, and sex and birthweight of the foal on the growth rate from birth to 160 days of age, and weight at 160 days of age. METHODS: Thirty-three Thoroughbred foals, born in two consecutive years, were weighed every 2 weeks from birth. The dams had been supplemented with parenteral Cu or saline during late gestation, and the supplementation regimens were different in each year. Foals had liver biopsies harvested at birth for determination of Cu concentration. Pasture samples were collected every 4-8 weeks for analysis of concentration of Cu and zinc (Zn). At 160 days of age, articular cartilage of long bones was examined. Gross lesions were counted and scored, then sawn and radiographed, and processed for histopathology. Lesions were given radiographic scores and histopathological scores. Maximum scores for each lesion were combined to give a total OC score for each joint and each foal. The fatness of 20 foals (10 each from Years 1 and 2) at 160 days of age was determined chemically. RESULTS: Supplementation of dams with Cu had no significant effect on the concentration of Cu in the liver of foals at birth, or on the frequency or severity of lesions in articular cartilage at 160 days of age. The Cu and Zn concentrations of pasture were similar in Years 1 and 2, and were lower than current recommendations. All foals in Year 2, and 9/10 foals in Year 1 had irregularities in cartilage that was confirmed histologically to be indicative of OC. The average number of lesions per foal was 4.7 (SD 1.1) and 5.7 (SD 1.1) in Years 1 and 2, respectively. However, the severity of the lesions was considered mild, and no foals showed any clinical evidence of OC while alive. The number of lesions in the tarsocrural (TC) joint and the TC OC score at 160 days were positively associated with average daily weight gain (ADG) in the previous 4 weeks (p=0.005 and p=0.001, respectively). There was no significant effect of sex, fatness, birthweight, weight at 160 days of age, or year of birth of the foal on the frequency and severity of OC lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Many of the lesions classified as OC, using classification systems described by other authors, were likely to be normal variations of the process of endochondral ossification. Despite the high frequency of such lesions, they were considered to be of minor significance and none were clinically evident. The distribution of lesions was not typical, and most probably reflected the subtlety of the lesions. These results support the hypothesis that Cu is an over-emphasised factor in the aetiopathogenesis of OC. The relationship between subtle macroscopic lesions and lesions resulting in clinical signs of disease requires further investigation.     

Metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma and diffuse hyperplastic gastritis resembling human Menétrier's disease in a camel (Camelus ferus bactrianus)

A captive 16-year-old male camel (Camelus ferus bactrianus) was euthanized after a prolonged period of inappetence leading to cachexia. At necropsy, there was a 7 cm large, tan, firm, well-demarcated nodule in the tunica muscularis and serosa of the distal region of C3. Histologically, a gastric adenocarcinoma was diagnosed. Numerous metastases were found in the liver and the hepatic lymph nodes, in the wall of the portal vein and the aorta, in the lung, heart, and pleura parietalis. Osseous metaplasia was found within the pleural and aortic metastases. In the mucosa of the glandular region of the C3 compartment a diffuse marked hypertrophy of rugae resembling cerebral convolutions was observed. The lesion was characterized by glandular hyperplasia and stromal inflammation and oedema. These changes closely resembled Menétrier's disease described in humans. To our knowledge, this is the first report of concomitant metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric hyperplasia in a camel.     

Disease-induced alterations in plasma drug-binding proteins and their influence on drug binding percentages in dogs

Disease-induced variations of plasma albumin (ALB) and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) levels were investigated in dogs. Lower ALB (sometimes > 50% reduction) and higher AAG (sometimes > 10-fold increase) levels were observed in dogs with various diseases. Drug binding was determined at therapeutic concentrations using normal, low-ALB and high-AAG dog plasma. The binding percentages of the ALB-binding drugs decreased in low-ALB plasma, resulting in a large increase in unbound drug, particularly for naproxen (a 13-fold increase). The binding percentages of all AAG-binding drugs investigated in this study increased in high-AAG plasma, resulting in a large decrease in unbound drug, particularly for quinidine (99% decrease). The fluctuation in the unbound fraction of drugs could affect their efficacy or could cause side-effects. Veterinary clinicians should monitor the ALB and AAG levels in the plasma of patients and correct dosage regimens according to these levels, where field conditions permit this, in order to ensure the proper usage of drugs with high affinity for ALB or AAG.