Hematometra secondary to anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity.

An adult, intact female Australian shepherd presented for frank vaginal bleeding of unknown duration. The only coagulation profile abnormality upon presentation was mild prolongation of the partial thromboplastin time (PTT). The uterus was removed at surgery and contained a large amount of coagulated blood. Clotting profiles were markedly abnormal 48 hours postoperatively. Serum analysis was positive for brodifacoum, an anticoagulant rodenticide. Preoperative coagulation was most likely normalized by vitamin K1 therapy administered prior to presentation. The only manifestation of anticoagulant rodenticide was hematometra. Rodenticide intoxication should be considered in the differential diagnosis list of hematometra or metrorrhagia.

Efficacy of parathyroid gland autotransplantation in maintaining serum calcium concentrations after bilateral thyroparathyroidectomy in cats.

Bilateral thyroidectomy is a commonly indicated treatment for feline hyperthyroidism. The most common postoperative complication is hypocalcemia due to disruption of the parathyroid glands. When parathyroid gland disruption is obvious, many authors suggest autotransplantation (AT) of the glands. This technique never has been supported by a scientific study which monitored postoperative calcium or parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations. Cats in this study each underwent bilateral thyroidectomy and parathyroid AT to mimic a clinical situation. Serum calcium concentrations normalized much quicker than concentrations in previously reported cats undergoing bilateral thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. Parathyroid AT greatly reduces morbidity in the parathyroidectomized cat.

Gingival vascular hamartoma with associated paraneoplastic hyperglycemia in a kitten.

A 4-month-old domestic shorthair cat was examined because of a maxillary gingival mass that had regrown following excisional biopsy. The kitten also had a history of persistently high blood glucose concentrations, despite 2 weeks of insulin treatment. Radiography revealed maxillary alveolar bone lysis and displacement of multiple teeth. Partial maxillectomy was performed to remove the mass, which histologically was a gingival vascular hamartoma. Hyperglycemia permanently resolved < 24 hours after mass removal. On the basis of the temporal relationship between mass removal and resolution of hyperglycemia, as well as the lack of evidence of any concurrent disease, hyperglycemia in this cat was considered to be a paraneoplastic syndrome.

Prognostic factors in dogs with osteosarcomas of the flat or irregular bones.

The medical records of 45 dogs with histopathologically confirmed osteosarcomas arising from flat or irregular bones were reviewed. Thirty-five percent of the dogs eventually developed metastases. Telangectatic tumors and tumors arising from the rib and scapula had the highest prevalence of metastases. Survival times were short, with an overall median survival time of 120 days. Anatomic site, body weight, and completeness of surgical excision were found to be prognostic factors. Dogs with mandibular osteosarcomas in this study had shorter survival times than those times recently reported. 21 Local recurrence was the most common cause of death or euthanasia in this population of dogs.