[Pain therapy in small pets]. / Schmerztherapie bei kleinen Heimtieren.

Although many advances in pain therapy have been made in recent years, pain therapy is more difficult in the small domestic animal than in cats and dogs. However, there is the ethical obligation that these animals also receive adequate pain therapy. An analgesic is rarely authorized for use in small pets, with pharmacological investigations often lacking and dosages frequently only determined empirically. The small size of the animals often requires a higher dose per kilogram bodyweight compared to cats and dogs. The dosage itself is also difficult to apply in small animals, because many analgesics must be diluted before their use. In addition, frequent manipulation of small animals for analgesic administration induces stress in the patient, which can intensify the pain. In the present article, those analgesics suitable for use in the small domestic animal are described and the indications for the use of the various types of analgesics are explained. A specialized section concentrates on pain detection and algesimetry in the small domestic animal. The detection of pain is much more difficult in small domestic animals. In the last few years so-called "grimace scales" have been developed which are used to assess the facial expression of the animals.

First description of Mycobacterium heckeshornense infection in a feline immunodeficiency virus-positive cat.

A 13-year-old cat was presented to the veterinary clinic with poor condition, vomiting and a reduced appetite. A painful abdomen was diagnosed because of tension and defence reactions on palpation. Diagnostic laparotomy showed a thickening of the colon and caecal intestinal wall. Histopathological investigation of intestinal biopsies revealed focal severe granulomatous inflammation with numerous acid-fast bacilli in the tela submucosa. The complete blood count test showed a severe lymphopenia and anaemia, and the cat tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cat was euthanased and necropsied. Multifocal granulomatous nodules were present in the intestines, liver and kidneys. The gastric lymph node was markedly enlarged and showed a caseous cut surface. Histopathology revealed a systemic mycobacteriosis affecting intestine, lymph nodes, liver and kidneys. The mycobacterial strain was cultured and determined by its unique 16S rRNA gene sequence as Mycobacterium heckeshornense. This is the first reported case of M heckeshornense in a cat. It was suspected that the disseminated mycobacteriosis was supported by the FIV infection.