Botulism in a dog--first confirmed case in New Zealand

During an outbreak of suspected botulism in waterfowl on Hamilton Lake an eight year old entire male dog was admitted to a Hamilton veterinary clinic. The dog was unable to stand upon admission and showed a partial lower motor neuron dysfunction characteristic of botulism. Treatment consisted of antibiotics and intensive supportive therapy. Complications resulted in the dog being destroyed ten days after commencement of treatment. Analysis of a serum sample taken antemortem, confirmed the presence of Clostridium botulinum type C toxin.     

Disseminated panniculitis in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) due to Mycobacterium chelonae infection

A 14-year-old female bottlenose dolphin was diagnosed with mycobacterial panniculitis based on punch biopsy specimens. The necropsy revealed numerous pyogranulomas in the blubber, as well as marked acute multifocal necrosuppurative pneumonia and lymphadenitis. In addition, the animal had marked scoliosis, which had first been noted clinically in the dolphin at about 1 mo of age. The animal had been treated with low-dose dexamethasone for approximately the last 19 mo to reduce perceived discomfort from spondyloarthritis and with the progestational agent altrogenest for approximately 8 yr to prevent pregnancy. Acid-fast positive bacilli were detected in the dermis but not in lung or lymph nodes. Mycobacterium chelonae was isolated from pooled skin, lung, and peripheral lymph-node tissue. Mycobacterial infection may be considered as a differential diagnosis in bottlenose dolphins with generalized cutaneous inflammation, particularly if chronic steroid and progesterone treatments were administered, both of which may have an immunomodulatory effect.     

Effects of replacing fishmeal with black soldier fly larval meal in the diets of grower-finishing guinea fowls reared under tropical conditions

The study was conducted with the view to determine the impact of replacing fishmeal with black soldier fly larval meal (BSFLM) on growing guinea fowls. BSFLM replaced fishmeal (3% in the control diet) in the ratios of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% to produce six dietary treatments, which were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. Two hundred and forty-eight-week old guinea fowls with mean live weight of 273.2?±?10.9 g were tagged, weighted, and randomly assigned to 24 (6?×?4) floor pens; each pen was treated as a replicate. Feed and water were provided ad libitum during the entire period, which lasted 10 weeks. Feed consumption differed among the treatment groups (P?=?0.0072) with the 100% fishmeal diets recording the lowest. Daily gain was significantly (P?=?0.009) higher for birds fed high BSFLM diets compared to the control (100% fishmeal diet). The inclusion of BSFLM in the diets elicited positive linear effect on weight gains of the guinea fowls (R²?=?0.91) with increasing concentration resulting in higher live weight gains. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) also differed between treatments (P?<?0.05) but similar for the 100% fishmeal (control) and 100% BSFLM diets. Organ and haematopoitic integrity were equally assured regardless of levels of the protein sources fed to the birds. Generally, meats from birds fed 60 to 100% BSFLM and from hens were more acceptable. A study to evaluate the economics of utilising BSFLM in guinea fowl production is recommended.     

Long term use of hydraulic artificial urethral sphincters in nine dogs from New Zealand with urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence

AIMS: To report on the long-term outcomes of hydraulic artificial urethral sphincter (HAUS) placement for the correction of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) in New Zealand dogs.

METHODS: Retrospective data were obtained from cases of dogs which had a HAUS placed after failed medical and/or surgical management of USMI between August 2012 and November 2016. Owner assessment of urinary incontinence was evaluated by an online survey in May 2017 using a visual analogue scale (0 being normal, 100 being severely affected) for the frequency, volume and severity of any straining to urinate, immediately prior to the placement of the HAUS and at the time of the survey. The number of days between surgery and the completion of survey were recorded.

RESULTS: Seven females and two male dogs, which were all desexed except for one female, were eligible for inclusion in the study. The period of follow-up following HAUS placement ranged from 206–1,685 days. Following HAUS placement, frequency and volume of urinary incontinence decreased for six dogs and were practically unchanged for three dogs. The median frequency score decreased from 70 to 13 and the volume score decreased from 73 to 12. There was no consistent change in the perceived degree of straining to urinate. Complications occurred in three dogs; one required repositioning of a dislodged injection port, one required management for haematuria and a hypoplastic bladder, and one required surgical removal of fibrous tissue around the HAUS cuff.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVENCE: HAUS placement was an effective method for the treatment of persistent USMI in most dogs and provided good clinical results based on owner assessment. The technique was associated with few complications and allowed successful long-term control of urinary incontinence without the need for medical management.