Sequential opportunistic infections in two German Shepherd dogs.

Two German Shepherd dogs with sequential opportunistic infections are described. The first was a 2-year-old male with cryptococcal rhinitis that spread to involve the optic nerves and brain. It was successfully treated with combination therapy utilising amphotericin B administered for 2 years, but the dog developed a disseminated Aspergillus deflectus infection 5 years later and was euthanased. The second case was a 4-year-old male that presented for a severe, deep-seated infection of the right antebrachium, with gradual extension to contiguous tissues. Neosartorya fischeri (anamorph; Aspergillus fischerianus) was isolated in pure culture and detected in histological sections. The infection was refractory to itraconazole, but resolved after amputation of the affected limb. Five months later, the dog developed a localised cutaneous lesion on the proximal pelvic limb, from which Pythium insidiosum was isolated and then visualised in tissue sections, together with a structure thought to be grass seed. This lesion was treated by wide surgical resection, although it was reported that the dog died of disseminated disease some months later. These cases provide further circumstantial evidence that young adult German Shepherd dogs have a predilection to developing invasive infections with fungi and other saprophytic pathogens.

Multi-centre assessment of mycotic rhinosinusitis in dogs: a retrospective study of initial treatment success (1998 to 2008).

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively review the first treatment response of dogs with mycotic rhinosinusitis to commonly utilised treatment techniques. METHODS: Medical records of dogs treated for mycotic rhinosinusitis were obtained retrospectively via a manual review of the clinical databases of six veterinary referral centres for the period of January 1998 to June 2008, and first treatment outcome was evaluated. Historical and clinicopathological findings were also reviewed to evaluate their impact on treatment success or failure. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in first treatment outcome between treatment groups (P=0.21). When all topical treatments were considered together (n=85), 39 dogs (45.8%) had a successful first treatment. Initial treatment success was associated with a younger age (56.3 versus 75.8 months; P=0.02) and was 2.7 times more likely in dogs with unilateral disease, although this was not significant (P=0.07). Adjunctive therapy with systemic antifungal agents was associated with treatment failure (P< or =0.01). Fifty-nine dogs (69.4%) responded successfully following multiple treatments. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Treatment of mycotic rhinosinusitis remains challenging, and multiple treatments are frequently required for adequate treatment. Reasons for first treatment failure are likely multifactorial in origin, making it difficult to predict those dogs that are likely to have a superior prognosis, regardless of the treatment type used.

Systemic absorption of amitriptyline and buspirone after oral and transdermal administration to healthy cats.

A prospective study was performed to determine the relative availability of buspirone and amitriptyline after oral and transdermal routes of administration in 6 adult cats. For topical administration, drugs were compounded in a transdermal organogel containing pluronic and lecithin (PLO). Using a crossover design, each cat received a single dose of amitriptyline (5 mg) and buspirone (2.5 mg) by the transdermal and oral route of administration with at least a 2-week washout interval between drug treatments. Blood samples were obtained at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 hours after drug administration for determination of plasma drug concentrations. Plasma concentrations of immunoreactive amitriptyline and buspirone were determined using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. Systemic absorption of amitriptyline and buspirone administered by the transdermal route was poor compared with the oral route of administration. Until supporting pharmacokinetic data are available, veterinarians and cat owners should not rely on the transdermal route of administration for treating cats with amitriptyline or buspirone.

Angiotrophic intravascular lymphosarcoma presenting as bi-cavity effusion in a dog.

A 9-year-old German Shepherd cross was presented with a history of dyspnoea, decreased activity, episodic collapse and abdominal distention. Cytological examination of thoracic and abdominal fluid demonstrated neoplastic cells, either round or mesenchymal in nature. The dog was found to have a mass in the heart-base region. Exploratory thoracotomy was performed to identify the exact nature of the mass histologically, and to determine if it was the source of neoplastic cells seen in the effusions. Histological diagnosis of the mass was mesothelioma. Postoperatively the dog developed thrombocytopenia, probably immune-mediated, which was treated with prednisone therapy. The dog developed signs of respiratory distress shortly before discharge and, due to its deteriorating condition, was euthanased. A necropsy was performed and tissues were collected for histological examination. The histological diagnosis was angiotropic intravascular lymphosarcoma. Diagnosis of mesothelioma was not confirmed.

Skin-fold advancement flaps for closing large proximal limb and trunk defects in dogs and cats.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of skin-fold advancement flaps for covering large skin defects in dogs and cats. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical study. ANIMALS: Eight client-owned animals: 6 dogs and 2 cats. METHODS: Six dogs and 2 cats underwent reconstruction of soft-tissue wounds resulting from traumatic, neoplastic, or infectious lesions. Skin-fold flaps were created by division of the medial and lateral attachment to the proximal limb or the dorsal and ventral attachment to the trunk, enabling closure of adjacent defects on the trunk or proximal limb, respectively. RESULTS: Skin-fold flaps proved effective for closing defects in all animals. Necrosis of a portion of the flap occurred in 2 dogs due to technical errors, but the resultant defects remained amenable to primary closure. All wounds ultimately healed primarily, without major complications. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The skin-fold advancement flap is a versatile technique that lends itself to use in a variety of locations, depending on which attachments are divided. The clinical results are comparable with those reported for axial pattern and subdermal plexus flaps.

Aplasia of the gallbladder in a dog.

A young, female Maltese dog was presented with intermittent vomiting of bile. Biochemical evidence of persistent mild hepatopathy had been present for 11 months. Exploratory celiotomy was performed. Absence of the gallbladder with malformation of the quadrate lobe of the liver was identified. There was histological evidence of bile duct proliferation and portal fibrosis.

Peripheral vestibular disease associated with cryptococcosis in three cats.

Peripheral vestibular disease referable to otitis media/interna was the main reason for presentation in three cats with cryptococcosis. In two cats, Cryptococcus neoformans var neoformans was isolated from the tympanic bulla. In the remaining cat, otitis media/interna was considered to be secondary to occlusion of the auditory tube by a nasopharyngeal granuloma associated with a C neoformans var gattii infection. This report emphasises the importance of maintaining an index of suspicion for a fungal aetiology in cats with signs of otitis media/interna, particularly in countries with a high prevalence of cryptococcosis. The presence of C neoformans may be overlooked with potentially fatal consequences where only standard methods for bacterial isolation are used to examine samples obtained from the middle ear.

Concurrent Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection and salmonellosis in a kitten.

A 14-week-old kitten had a history of vomiting, diarrhoea and pyrexia, all of which resolved without treatment. Three weeks later the kitten developed a violent non-productive dry cough. Thoracic radiographs revealed pneumothorax and nodular alveolar disease. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus larvae and intracellular Gram-negative bacilli were seen in bronchial wash fluid and pleural exudate, and Salmonella Typhimurium was cultured from both fluids but not from faeces. Therapy included unilateral closed-tube thoracostomy, enrofloxacin and fenbendazole. Historical signs were compatible with gastrointestinal salmonellosis and secondary broncho-pneumonia. Seeding of the lungs with salmonellae may have occurred as a result of migration of A abstrusus from a gastro-intestinal tract residually infected or colonised by S Typhimurium. Alternatively, the development of lungworm infection in the cat may have activated quiescent S Typhimurium pulmonary granulomata from bacteraemia secondary to gastro-intestinal salmonellosis. Two years after diagnosis the cat was reportedly in good health.

Intrathoracic tracheal rupture.

This paper reports five new cases of intrathoracic tracheal rupture in cats, and summarizes these cases in conjunction with 11 cases from the literature. Most cats had no obvious respiratory signs at the time of injury, and in half of them the tracheal rupture was the only injury. The interval from trauma to onset of dyspnoea ranged from 1 to 28 days (median 12.5 days). Radiographic findings include loss of continuity of the trachea, often with a gas-filled diverticulum present between separated tracheal rings. With careful attention to surgical technique and anaesthetic management the prognosis for these cats is excellent. All eight of the cats reported in the last 14 years having surgical correction survived and returned to normal. The surgical anatomy, approach and tracheal anastomosis technique is described and recommendations for anaesthetic management are made.

Myotonia associated with hyperadrenocorticism in two dogs.

Two dogs developed a disabling gait abnormality characterised by stiffness. The abnormality was consistent with a diagnosis of myotonia secondary to hyperadrenocorticism. The first dog had iatrogenic hyperadrenocorticism, and its signs improved substantially after corticosteroid administration was gradually withdrawn. The second had pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism, but myotonic signs progressed despite effective mitotane therapy. Procainamide administration reduced the myotonic stiffness in the second case.

Surgical management of multiple congenital intrahepatic shunts in two dogs: case report.

OBJECTIVE: To present details of an unusual type of portosystemic shunt and its surgical management in two dogs. ANIMALS: Two young dogs that had a tentative diagnosis of a portosystemic shunt on the basis of clinical signs and serum biochemical abnormalities. Abdominal ultrasonography and contrast portography demonstrated multiple intrahepatic shunts. In both cases, the multiple shunts arose from a single branch of the portal vein. OUTCOME: It was possible to locate and attenuate flow through the shunts via a transportal venotomy under conditions of hepatic vascular occlusion. Clinical and biochemical abnormalities resolved after surgery in both dogs. Postoperative sonography revealed complete obliteration of the shunt plexus in one of the dogs.

Lafora's disease in an epileptic Basset hound.

A 6-year-old Basset hound developed a progressive central nervous system disease culminating in epileptic seizures. Histologically, Lafora bodies were found in neurones of the middle and deeper cerebral cortex and midbrain, in Purkinje cells and their processes, and in glial cells of the molecular layer of the cerebellum. Many were also observed free in the neuropil. The ultrastructural and histochemical characteristics of the bodies were similar to those described in previous human and canine cases of Lafora's disease.