Use of an intragastric balloon for management of obesity in a dog.

While various bariatric surgeries are commonplace in obesity medicine for humans, these techniques have not been commonly used in veterinary medicine. A technique used in humans consists in endoscopically placing an intragastric balloon. The intragastric balloon takes volume in the stomach causing a feeling of satiety and reducing food intake. A 57.6 kg, 9-year-old neutered female Labrador dog with chronic hypothyroidism was presented for overweight management. Combined levothyroxine treatment and dietary management with specific alimentation for obesity had failed to control overweight. An intragastric balloon was placed endoscopically in the stomach to allow the reduction of the gastric capacity and resulted in effective weight loss. The dog weight decreased to 40.9 kg at the time of intragastric balloon removal 198 days after placement. Further research including a larger sample size and long term follow-up is required to establish safety and effectiveness of this procedure.

Molineus torulosus (Nematoda, Trichostrongylina, Molineoidea) a parasite of Neotropical primates: new morphological and histological data.

Molineus torulosus (Molin, 1861) parasite of Cebus spp. from South America is redescribed in Cebus apella and C. olivecaeus (new host) from French Guyana with emphasis on the synlophe. During the maturation process, the larvae dwelt in the cysts carved alongside the external part of the small intestine. The turn-out of the mature worms and the laid eggs depended on the tissular organisation of cyst walls as the inflammatory process waned and fibrosis progressed to seal the cystic lumen. Adult worms entwine themselves in the cysts, live there permanently as their presence has never been evidenced in the intestinal lumen. They copulated, laid eggs, degenerated and died once entrapped by the fibrotic process. Laid eggs released in the intestinal lumen through a narrow channel ensured the continuation of the developmental cycle. However, erratic migration was possible via the vascular channels surrounding the cysts.