Vulval apocrine adenocarcinoma with tumour-associated eosinophilia in a cat.

A 10-year-old, spayed female, Domestic Shorthaired cat was referred for surgical removal of a mass on the left vulval fold. An impression smear revealed mixed cell inflammation, with eosinophils predominating focally, and a concurrent bacterial infection, suggesting a primarily inflammatory lesion. However, cytology of a fine-needle aspirate of the mass revealed a neoplastic epithelial cell population, confirmed on histopathology as an apocrine vulval adenocarcinoma with lymphatic invasion and marked tumour-associated tissue eosinophilia. One month after surgical excision of the mass, the cat developed inguinal metastatic lymphadenopathy and chemotherapy was initiated. The patient ultimately developed marked peripheral lymphadenomegaly and was euthanized due to concerns for overall quality of life and comfort. This case highlights that neoplasia should be a consistent differential diagnosis for eosinophilic infiltrates/inflammation. The distinct appearance of the two cytological samples in this case stresses the need for sampling of different sites of a lesion and the importance of not relying on superficial impression smears for clinical management and prognosis.

Transient Horner's syndrome and ipsilateral facial hypopigmentation in an acromelanistic cat.

Horner's syndrome (HS) occurs when the sympathetic nerve pathway is disrupted. This case report describes a cat with acromelanism that developed unilateral facial hypopigmentation concurrently with HS after an oesophagostomy tube was placed. Both the hypopigmentation and HS resolved completely following removal of the oesophagostomy tube.

Le syndrome de Horner (HS) survient lorsque la voie nerveuse sympathique est perturbée. Ce rapport de cas décrit un chat atteint d'acromélanisme qui a développé une hypopigmentation faciale unilatérale en même temps qu'une HS après la mise en place d'une sonde d'oesophagostomie. L'hypopigmentation et l'HS ont disparu complètement après le retrait de la sonde d'œsophagostomie.

El síndrome de Horner (HS) ocurre cuando se interrumpe la transmisión nerviosa a través del nervio simpático. Este caso clínico describe un gato con acromelanismo que desarrolló hipopigmentación facial unilateral al mismo tiempo que HS después de la colocación de una sonda de esofagostomía. Tanto la hipopigmentación como la HS se resolvieron por completo tras la retirada del tubo de esofagostomía.

A síndrome de Horner (SH) ocorre quando a via do nervo simpático é danificada. Este relato de caso descreve um gato com acromelanismo que desenvolveu hipopigmentação facial unilateral concomitantemente com SH após a colocação de um tubo de esofagostomia. Tanto a hipopigmentação quanto a HS se resolveram completamente após a remoção do tubo de esofagostomia.

Serum vitamin D status in sick cats with and without cholestatic liver disease.

OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D deficiency accompanies chronic cholestatic liver disease (CLD) in humans. The vitamin D status of cats with CLD is unknown. The objectives of this study were to describe serum vitamin D concentrations in cats with CLD and to determine if they correlated with indices of liver disease severity. METHODS: Thirty-six cats with CLD, defined by increases in serum bilirubin and serum alanine aminotransferase, and 23 sick cats with non-hepatobiliary diseases were prospectively enrolled. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and ionized calcium were measured. Signalment, clinical signs, comorbidities, diet history, serum bilirubin, liver enzyme activity, albumin, phosphorus, white blood cell count, prothrombin time and final hepatic cytologic/histopathologic diagnosis, when available, were recorded. RESULTS: Median serum 25(OH)D levels were similar in cats with CLD (89.5 nmol/l; range 21-112 nmol/l) and sick cats (89.0 nmol/l; range 49-115 nmol/l). Overall 12/36 (33%) cats with CLD and 4/23 (17%) sick cats had 25(OH)D levels below the lower limit of the reference interval (<65 nmol/l). Median PTH concentrations in cats with CLD were significantly higher (0.95 pmol/l; range 0-11.3 pmol/l) than in sick cats (0.70 pmol/l; range 0.5-6 pmol/l). In cats with CLD, 6/36 (17%) had high PTH levels in contrast to only 1/23 (4%) sick cats. In cats with CLD, 25(OH)D concentrations did not correlate with serum bilirubin, albumin or serum liver enzymes but were moderately negatively correlated with white blood cell count (r = - 0.402, P = 0.013). Cats with hepatic lipidosis had the highest prevalence of 25(OH)D concentrations that fell below the reference interval. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Many cats with CLD have serum 25(OH)D concentrations below the lower limit of the reference interval. Further study is warranted to determine the clinical relevance and whether supplementation would provide benefits.