Clinical analysis and nonsurgical management of 11 dogs with aural cholesteatoma.

BACKGROUND: Aural cholesteatomas, also called tympanokeratomas, are destructive and expansile growths of keratinizing epithelium that develop in the middle ear. They have been reported sporadically in dogs, and surgery is usually the recommended treatment. OBJECTIVES: To describe the common clinical, radiological and histological findings of cholesteatoma; to report on the outcome of conservative management. ANIMALS: Eleven dogs (13 ears) with cholesteatomas. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Medical records were reviewed for dogs diagnosed with cholesteatoma between 2012 and 2018. All dogs had computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) followed by trans-canal endoscopic procedure (TEP) for removal and biopsy of middle ear lesions. Dogs were then treated with in-clinic flushing initially weekly tapered to monthly, as well as at-home ear cleaning and application of topical otic steroid medication, initially daily then tapered to once or twice weekly. RESULTS: Nine dogs had a history of chronic otitis externa; head tilt or facial paralysis was present in seven and four cases, respectively. Otic examination identified a protruding nodule in seven ears. CT demonstrated soft tissue-like material in 12 bullae and expansion in seven bullae. MRI revealed minimally contrast-enhancing bulla contents in 12 ears. Post-TEP and with maintenance medical treatment, nine ears had no further signs of middle ear disease during a mean follow-up of 27.9 months. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The results suggest that otitis externa may not necessarily precede cholesteatoma in all dogs. MRI appears to be more sensitive than CT for identifying cholesteatomas. Conservative treatment of cholesteatomas could be useful before or as an alternative to surgery.

Suspected panosteitis in a crossbred calf.

A male crossbred calf developed a limp and pain upon deep pressure on the right hind limb and the right forelimb. The radiographic findings of affected limbs and pathological findings of bone biopsy were similar to those observed in canine panosteitis. This is the first case of suspected panosteitis reported in cattle.

Panostéite suspectée chez un veau de race croisée. Un veau mâle de race croisée a développé une boiterie et de la douleur à l'application d'une pression profonde sur la jambe arrière droite et la jambe avant droite. Les résultats de la radiographie des membres touchés et les résultats pathologiques d'une biopsie osseuse étaient semblables à ceux observés dans la panostéite canine. Il s'agit du premier cas de panostéite suspectée chez le bétail.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Long-term survival of a cow with cervical ectopia cordis.

This study investigated the long-term survival of a calf with cervical ectopia cordis that grew normally, became pregnant, and calved normally. The cow showed normal cardiac function and absence of peripheral circulation abnormalities. This paper documents antemortem characteristics of the affected cow.

Hyperbaric air therapy in dogs for clinical veterinary medicine: a basic study.

Hyperbaric air therapy (HBA) is a treatment in which an animal is exposed to air pressurized to about 1.3 atmosphere absolute (ATA). Although HBA has already been administered to humans in medical applications, it has not been reported in clinical veterinary medicine. Therefore, we aimed to determine a safe protocol for dogs. To elucidate oxygen dynamics during HBA, we measured partial pressure of arterial oxygen, oxygen saturation of tissue, and partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen in dogs. HBA could be performed safely with a protocol of pressurizing speed up to 0.1 ATA/min, maximum chamber pressure of up to 1.3 ATA, and pressure duration of around 45 min per treatment. Under these conditions, tissue was adequately oxygenated during and after treatment.

Insulinoma with basal ganglion involvement detected by magnetic resonance imaging in a dog.

A West Highland White Terrier was brought to our veterinary hospital with the chief complaints of seizures and staggering gait. When cephalic Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed, a symmetrical lesion was found in the basal ganglion. Suspecting a metabolic disorder, an abdominal ultrasonography was performed, and a tumor was found in the pancreas. The pancreatic tumor was surgically removed based on suspicion that it had induced the brain damage. The resected tumor was histopathologically diagnosed as an insulinoma. After removal, recurrence of neurological symptoms was not observed. MRI 3 months post-operation showed a reduction in the size of the brain lesion. Consequently, the tumor was thought to have induced the lesion in the basal ganglion, and this was verified by MRI. This case was considered to be extremely rare.

Examination of the utility of a bite block-type head immobilization device in dogs and cats.

We examined the utility of a bite block-type head immobilization device, hereafter referred to as "head immobilization device", in order to improve the ease of immobilization and accuracy when performing radiotherapy for cranial tumors in animals. The head immobilization apparatus was a rectangular-shaped bite block-type device. We examined 55 cases in 46 dogs that underwent head CT scans between June 2005 and May 2006. The head immobilization device was used for 26 cases (immobilization group) and was not used for 29 cases (control group). Head stability was maintained in the control group by placing a towel under the head. We measured the angle of rotation of the xy, yz and xz planes for each group. The angles of rotation of the xy plane for the control and immobilization groups were 3.69 +/- 2.28 (mean +/- SD) and 1.39 +/- 1.50, respectively. The t-test demonstrated that the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). These results indicate that there was reduced tilting to the left or right. We conclude that use of this head immobilization device was extremely easy and that it improved the accuracy of radiotherapy for cranial tumors in dogs and cats.

Plasma concentration of vitamin C in dogs with a portosystemic shunt.

Most mammals, including dogs, synthesize vitamin C in the liver. We measured the plasma concentration of vitamin C to assess the body vitamin C status in 15 dogs with a portosystemic shunt (PSS). The plasma biochemical parameters indicated liver abnormalities in all the dogs. In contrast, the plasma concentration of vitamin C ranged from 2.21 to 9.03 mg/L in the 15 dogs and was below the reference range (3.2 to 8.9 mg/L) in only 2 dogs. These findings suggest that vitamin C status is not impaired in dogs with PSS.