Treatment of right dorsal ulcerative colitis in a horse

Excessive administration of phenylbutazone was associated with development of right dorsal ulcerative colitis. The clinical signs of right dorsal colitis include chronic colic and weight loss. The laboratory abnormalities include panhypoproteinemia and a high WBC count in the abdominal fluid. Medical management of the chronic colic and protein-losing enteropathy associated with the ulcerative lesions in the right dorsal colon and surgical bypass of the right dorsal colon did not result in long-term resolution of clinical signs. Resection of the ulcerated right dorsal colon through a right lateral approach at the 16th rib resulted in resolution of intestinal protein loss and colic. The results of this case suggest that surgical resection of the ulcerated right dorsal colon may be the recommended treatment for right dorsal ulcerative colitis.     

Exogenous paraoxonase‐1 during oocyte maturation improves bovine embryo development in vitro

Paraoxonase‐1 (PON1) is an enzyme found in serum and follicular fluid that protects cell membrane and circulating lipids against oxidative damage. The aims of this study were to measure the direct effects of recombinant PON1 (rPON1) on bovine oocyte maturation at the molecular level (gene expression) and to measure the carry‐over effects of PON1 on pre‐implantation embryo development in vitro. COCs were submitted to IVM with the addition of 0.0, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 mg ml^?1 of rPON1, corresponding to an average PON1 arylesterase enzyme activity of 2.2 ± 0.4, 15.5 ± 1.5, 30.2 ± 3.0 and 57.9 ± 5.0 U ml^?1, respectively. The results indicated that addition of rPON1 during IVM improved embryo development in a dose‐dependent manner as D7 embryo development was 22.2%, 29.4%, 32.2% and 37.0% for the treatment groups, respectively (p = 0.02). In conclusion, addition of PON1 enzyme during IVM exerted dose‐related positive effects on embryo development rates to blastocysts.     

Tick paralysis in dogs and cats in Australia: treatment and prevention deliverables from 100 years of research

This review of tick paralysis caused by Ixodes holocyclus in Australia addresses the question: What are the key discoveries that have enabled effective treatment and prevention of tick paralysis in dogs and cats? Critical examination of 100 years of literature reveals that arguably only three achievements have advanced treatment and prevention of tick paralysis in animals. First, the most significant treatment advance was the commercial availability of tick antiserum in the 1930s. Hyperimmune serum currently remains the only specific anti-paralysis tick therapy available to veterinarians in Australia. Second, advances in veterinary critical care have increased survival rates of the most severely affected dogs and cats. Critical care advancements have been enabled through specialised veterinary hospitals that can provide appropriate care 24 h a day, and advanced training of veterinarians, veterinary nurses and technicians. Third, perhaps that biggest advance of all in the last 100 years of research has been the commercial availability of the isooxazoline class of acaricidal preventatives in Australia specifically for I. holocyclus. This highly effective class of preventatives offers long duration of action, low cost, spot-on or oral formulations and a low rate of adverse reactions. Animal owners and veterinarians now have the most useful tool of all – a reliable preventative. This review reveals the key events in research over the last 100 years and the tortuous pathway to delivering better treatment and preventative options for this enigmatic Australian parasite.     

Computed tomographic assessment of vascular invasion and resectability of mediastinal masses in dogs and a cat

AIMS: To assess the sensitivity of non-angiographic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to determine the presence of vascular invasion of cranial mediastinal masses in dogs and a cat, and to evaluate the association between vascular invasion and peri-operative mortality.

METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 25 dogs and one cat. CT scans were completed with slices ranging from 2 to 10 mm. CT images were evaluated by a board-certifi ed radiologist blinded to previous diagnoses and surgical fi ndings. Each CT study was evaluated for vascular invasion, defi ned as disruption of the vessel wall and extension of the mass into the vessel lumen. Data retrieved from the surgery reports included surgical approach, whether vascular invasion was present, the surgeon's decision on operability, and post-operative complications.

RESULTS: Computed tomographic evaluation revealed 25/26 masses had no evidence of vascular invasion. During surgical exploration, 10/26 masses were found to invade major regional vasculature; the cranial vena cava (CVC) was the vessel most commonly invaded (7/10 animals), and 4/7 (57%) patients with invasion of the CVC were euthanised or died in the perioperative period, from surgical or disease-related problems, which was signifi cantly higher than patients without vascular invasion (p=0.045).

CONCLUSIONS: Non-angiographic contrast-enhanced CT was signifi cantly less sensitive for detecting vascular invasion of cranial mediastinal masses when compared with surgical evaluation. If the CVC was invaded by a tumour there was a signifi cant risk of death peri-operatively when compared with non-invasive cases.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Due to the signifi cantly higher mortality risk associated with invasion of the CVC, a more sensitive method than CT should be investigated to determine vascular invasion of mediastinal masses pre-operatively.     

First Established Pregnancies in Mediterranean Italian Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Following Deposition of Sexed Spermatozoa near the Utero Tubal Junction

At the time of AI following Ovsynch protocol, a total of 51 buffaloes were randomly divided in a first group (n = 30) subjected to conventional AI into the uterine body with 20 million non-sex sorted frozen-thawed spermatozoa, while a second group (n = 21) was inseminated near the utero-tubal junction (UTJ) ipsilateral to the ovary carrying the preovulatory follicle with 2.5 million live (4 million total) sex-sorted frozen-thawed spermatozoa. The semen used for flowcytometric sorting was collected and processed on a farm in Italy, and then shipped to a laboratory in Germany. Eleven buffaloes were inseminated with X-chromosome bearing spermatozoa and 10 with Y-chromosome bearing spermatozoa. Conception rates after conventional and UTJ inseminations were 43.3% (n = 13) and 42.8% (n = 9) respectively (p = 0.97). Eight of the nine foetuses obtained after insemination with sexed spermatozoa corresponded to the sex as predicted by the cell sorting procedure (five male and four female foetuses by ultrasound vs six male and three female foetuses by cell sorting). In conclusion, for the first time buffalo semen has been successfully subjected to procedures for flowcytometric sperm sorting and freezing. Low doses of sexed spermatozoa have been deposited near the UTJ giving conception rates similar to those of conventional AI with full dose.     

Severe complication after administration of formalin for treatment of progressive ethmoidal hematoma in a horse

Formalin was injected into an ethmoidal hematoma in an 18-year-old Arabian gelding. Abnormal neurologic signs were observed within minutes of the injection. The horse did not respond favorably to medical treatment of the neurologic signs and was euthanatized. Postmortem examination revealed erosion and necrosis of the ventral cribriform plate, which appeared to have allowed the injected formalin to reach the rostral portion of the frontal lobe of the brain. Endoscopy and radiography had been performed prior to euthanasia, but neither delineated the cribriform lesion. Before treating large progressive ethmoidal hematomas with formalin, it may be beneficial to perform computed tomography to assess the extent of damage caused by the lesion.     

Osteomyelitis of the pelvis caused by Rhodococcus equi in a two-year-old horse

A 2-year-old female Quarter Horse was evaluated for hind limb lameness, fever (40 degrees C [104 degrees F]), and lethargy of 2 weeks' duration. Hypoproteinemia characterized by hypoalbuminemia and hyperfibrinogenemia was detected. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed thickening of the right dorsal colon wall. Treatment was instituted for putative right dorsal coliis. Lameness evaluation localized signs of pain to the lumbar vertebrae or pelvis. Radiography performed with the horse standing and nuclear scintigraphy revealed no abnormalities. Ventrodorsal pelvic radiography revealed a focal area of bony lysis and proliferation involving the cranial portion of the pubic symphysis. Aspiration yielded purulent exudate containing Rhodococcus equi, which was susceptible to erythromycin. Treatment included surgical debridement of the abscess and oral administration of erythromycin and rifampin. The horse's hind limb lameness completely resolved within 20 days. Infections of the pubic symphysis should be considered when lameness localized to the pelvis is associated with fever and an inflammatory leukogram.