A pulmonary granular cell tumour with associated hypertrophic osteopathy in a horse

Abstract Extract A 15-year-old pony mare developed firm irregular bony swellings on all four legs. These were most severe around the carpal and fetlock joints of the forelegs, restricting both flexion and extension. Over about 6 months the horse had periodic bouts of coughing. She showed moderate weight loss and a depressed demeanour.     

Veterinary students and their reported academic and personal experiences during the first year of veterinary school

Veterinary students completed an online survey regarding personal and academic concerns they experienced during their first year of veterinary school. Quantitative results showed a high degree of stress and anxiety among the study participants as well as concerns about time management and study skills. Quantitative analysis using chi-square tests revealed significant associations between concerns about study skills and the independent variables of relationship status and time since obtaining an undergraduate degree. Results of a thematic analysis undertaken with the qualitative data provide further insight into first-year experiences, indicating concerns about the intensity of the program and especially about time commitment, the amount of information students were expected to learn, and the amount of material they were expected to memorize. Another theme revealed that students did not feel academically prepared for some of their first-year courses, which led to their not liking those courses for which they lacked appropriate groundwork. Other themes highlighted the students' desire for more clinically relevant experiences during their first year as well as surprises regarding the maturity level of classmates and the level of support offered by professors. Given the results of this study, suggestions for counselors and others who work with veterinary students are provided.     

Potential for reintroduction of lake sturgeon in five northern Lake Michigan tributaries: a habitat suitability perspective

• 1. Conservation and rehabilitation efforts for lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens throughout the Great Lakes include the re‐establishment of self‐sustaining stocks in systems where they have been extirpated.
• 2. Information on the suitability of potential lake sturgeon habitat in tributaries is important for determining their capacity to support lake sturgeon stocking and to develop system‐specific rehabilitation strategies.
• 3. Geo‐referenced habitat information characterizing substrate composition, water depth, and stream gradient were applied to a life‐stage specific lake sturgeon habitat suitability index in a geographic information system to produce spatially explicit models of life‐stage specific habitat characteristics in five northern Lake Michigan tributaries from which lake sturgeon have been extirpated.
• 4. Habitat models indicated that high quality lake sturgeon spawning and staging habitat comprised 0 to 23% and 0 to 9% of the available habitat, respectively, whereas high quality juvenile lake sturgeon habitat was relatively ubiquitous throughout each river and comprised 39 to 99%.
• 5. Comparison of these data to lake sturgeon habitat availability in Lake Michigan tributaries currently supporting populations indicated that spawning and staging habitats may limit the ability of these systems to support spawning. Efforts to re‐establish lake sturgeon populations in these systems should consider the creation of spawning and staging habitat to increase reproductive and recruitment potential prior to the initiation of stocking efforts.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative trial of the canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus and canine adenovirus type 2 fractions of two commercially available modified live vaccines

The results of vaccinating two groups of puppies with commercial vaccines, both of which claimed to provide adequate protection with a final vaccination at 10 weeks of age, were compared. Groups of 19 and 20 puppies with similar titres of maternally derived antibodies against canine parvovirus (cpv), canine distemper virus (cdv) and canine adenovirus type 2 (cav-2) at four weeks of age were vaccinated at six and 10 weeks of age and their responses to each vaccination were measured by comparing the titres against cpv, cdv and cav-2 in the serum samples taken immediately before the vaccination and four weeks later. After the vaccination at six weeks of age, all 19 of the puppies in group 1 had responded to cpv and cdv, and 14 had responded to cav-2; in group 2, 17 of the 20 had responded to cpv, 19 to cdv and 15 to cav-2. In both groups the puppies that did not respond to the first vaccination had responded serologically to cpv, cdv and cav-2 at 10 weeks of age.     

A Case of Successful Pregnancy in a Ewe with Uterus Didelphys

Uterus didelphys is a rare congenital abnormality of the reproductive tract. Although it occurs in various species, there are no published reports describing pregnancy outcome in association with this abnormality. Herein we describe a case of successful unilateral singleton pregnancy in a ewe incidentally found to have uterus didelphys during the course of a biomedical research study. The pregnancy was established using assisted reproductive techniques and interrupted in late gestation, at which point the abnormality was identified. Serial ultrasound assessment of foetal biometry revealed a normal foetal growth trajectory. Despite a 45% reduction in placentome number, total placentome weight was near normal secondary to compensatory placentome growth and development. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of normal foetal growth in an animal with uterus didelphys and illustrates the ability of the ovine placenta to adapt to a reduced number of placentomes and maintain foetal nutrient supply.     

Using urea dilution to standardise components of pleural and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids in the dog

AIM: To develop a technique to estimate the volume of epithelial lining fluid (ELF) obtained during bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and pleural lavage (PL) in the dog, using the urea dilution method.

METHODS: BAL and PL fluids were obtained by saline lavage of pulmonary and pleural cavities of nine clinically healthy mixed-breed dogs immediately after euthanasia. Cell counts in the BAL and PL fluids were measured using standard techniques. The concentration of ELF in each lavage fluid was calculated from the relative concentration of urea in plasma and in each type of lavage fluid. Cell counts in ELF were then calculated.

RESULTS: There were substantially higher cell counts in ELF compared to BAL or PF fluid. However, nucleated cell counts in ELF could not be predicted from cell counts in BAL or PL fluid.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These results suggest that accurate assessment of cellular or non-cellular components in lavage fluids should include a calculation of the proportion of ELF recovered, using a method such as urea dilution.