Preventive medicine success: thymoma removal in an African spot-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis).

During a preventive medicine examination on a 13-yr-old intact female African spot-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis), radiographs were obtained and a cranial thoracic mass was noted. Cytology from an ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirate was suggestive of a thymoma. Surgical removal was performed and this diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology. At a recheck examination 6 mo postsurgery, there was no evidence of recurrence. This case highlights the value of a comprehensive preventive medicine program that resulted in the early detection of a subclinical thymoma and its successful removal.

Successful transabdominal subxiphoid pericardiostomy to relieve chronic pericardial effusion in a Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelli).

A 46-yr-old female Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelli) was first diagnosed with pericardial effusion in July 2006. Pericardiocentesis performed in January 2007 only provided short-term relief. In May 2007, a pericardial-peritoneal window was created using a transabdominal subxiphoid pericardiostomy technique, providing immediate and long-term relief. Seven months later, the orangutan was euthanized due to worsening heart failure, and no pericardial effusion was present. Transabdominal subxiphoid pericardiostomy offers a straightforward surgical approach that can provide significant relief in cases of chronic pericardial effusion in great apes.

Mycobacterial infection in a fairy bluebird (Irena ract puella): a diagnostic conundrum.

An adult male, wild-caught fairy bluebird (Irena puella) was evaluated after diagnosis of hepatic mycobacterial disease in a bird sharing the same quarantine space. Initial results did not reveal leukocytosis or acid-fast organisms in a liver biopsy. However, Mycobacterium avium was found in the liver via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After euthanasia, acid-fast stains remained negative in the liver, although PCR was positive and M. avium complex (identified by high-performance liquid chromatography) was isolated from the liver. PCR could offer a relatively sensitive and rapid diagnostic test in the investigation of mycobacterial disease in avian patients.

Standing sedation in African elephants (Loxodonta africana) using detomidine-butorphanol combinations.

Standing sedation was provided for 14 clinical procedures in three African elephants (Loxodonta africana) managed by combined protected and modified-protected contact and trained through operant conditioning. An initial hand-injection of detomidine hydrochloride and butorphanol tartrate at a ratio of 1:1 on a microg:microg basis was administered intramuscularly, with a dosage range of 50-70 mg (12.9-19.7 microg/kg) for each drug. The initial injection resulted in adequate sedation for initiation and completion of eight procedures, whereas supplemental doses were required for the remaining procedures. The dosage range for the supplemental injections of each drug was 4.0-7.3 microg/kg. Initial effect was noted within 3.0-25 min (mean = 11.6 min, SD +/- 5.9 min), with maximal effect occurring at 25-30 min for those procedures not requiring supplementation. In all but one procedure, this effect was maintained until the end of the procedure, which ranged from 47 to 98 min (mean = 74.7 min, SD +/- 18.8 min). No cardiac or respiratory depression was appreciated. Recovery after administration of reversal agents was rapid and complete, ranging from 2 to 20 min (mean = 9.0 min, SD +/- 7.0 min). On the basis of the authors' experience, recommended dosage ranges for reversal agents would be intravenous yohimbine (73.4-98.5 microg/kg), intravenous naltrexone (48.9-98.5 microg/kg), and intramuscular naltrexone (73.4-98.5 microg/kg). Approximately one-third to one-half of the total naltrexone dose should be administered intravenously. Mild adverse side effects limited to the gastrointestinal tract were observed in association with five procedures including abdominal distention with or without transient anorexia. Administration of reversal agents, encouraging exercise and water consumption, and administration of flunixin meglumine were helpful in the resolution of signs. In addition to gastrointestinal signs, slight ataxia was observed before initiation of surgical stimulation during one procedure in which 19.7 microg/kg of each drug was administered. On the basis of the procedures that did not require supplementation to initiate treatment and taking into consideration the potential for ataxia at higher doses, a starting dosage range of 14.7-16.2 microg/kg of both detomidine and butorphanol in a ratio of 1:1 on a microg:microg basis administered i.m. simultaneously is recommended.

Pharmacokinetics of piperacillan after intramuscular injection in red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and great horned owls (Bubo virginianus).

This study characterized and compared the pharmacokinetics of piperacillin after single 100 mg/kg i.m. injections in nine red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and five great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) over 48 hr by a modified agar well diffusion microbial inhibition assay. The mean maximum plasma piperacillin concentrations were 204 microg/ml and 221 microg/ml for the hawks and owls, respectively, and times of maximum concentrations were 15 min and 30 min, respectively. The calculated mean terminal elimination half-lives were 77 min in the hawks and 118 min in the owls. Area-under-the-curve values were 218 +/- 52 microg x hr/ml in the hawks and 444 +/- 104 microg x hr/ml in the owls. On the basis of the most common minimal inhibitory concentration (90%) for various bacterial isolates from clinical samples of 8 microg/ml, analysis of the data suggests that the maximum dosing interval for piperacillin at 100 mg/kg in medium sized raptors should be 4-6 hr.