Lipid composition and biosynthesis in the gingiva of the domestic cat.

Periodontal disease in the domestic cat may assume debilitating and serious consequences; however, little is known of the biochemical composition or metabolism of feline gingiva in health or disease. In this report the chemical composition and metabolism of gingival lipids from inflamed an non-inflamed sites is presented and compared to other species with naturally occurring periodontitis. The neutral and phospholipid composition of feline gingiva was found to be distinct from that of porcine and human. As a measure of de novo lipid synthesis, the total incorporation of 14C-acetate into fractionated lipid components was determined and revealed an approximate 2 to 3 fold decrease in inflamed versus non-inflamed gingiva. The decrease in 14C-acetate incorporation appeared to result from a 2-fold increase in free acetate pools in inflamed compared to non-inflamed gingival samples, since total lipase and phospholipase activity were comparable in inflamed and non-inflamed gingiva and total lipid composition was not changed between inflamed and non-inflamed sites. These data are similar to those reported for periodontally involved human gingival tissue and suggest a common effect of periodontal inflammation on lipid metabolism in both species.

Bacteriology of periodontal disease in the cat.

Subgingival plaque samples were obtained from 32 cats showing different stages of periodontal disease. Correlations were sought between gingival index scores and the prevalence of various microbial groups, and between microbial populations found in sites designated as most-affected and least-affected within individual cats. The tendency with higher gingival index scores, and with the most-affected sites, was toward a microbial population composed to a greater extent of anaerobic Gram-negative rods. The most common organism was an anaerobic Gram-negative rod in the black-pigmented Bacteroides group that was biochemically similar to B. gingivalis but had catalase activity. The black-pigmented Bacteroides group and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius were found in increasing numbers with increasingly severe periodontal disease. Pasteurella multocida was isolated from most samples and appeared to decrease in numbers with increasing periodontal disease.

Treatment of canine nasal aspergillosis with enilconazole.

Twenty-four dogs with nasal aspergillosis were treated with enilconazole (10 mg/kg bid for 7-14 days) administered topically through tubes surgically implanted into the nasal chambers. Aspergillosis was eliminated in 19 dogs over a median follow-up period of 18 months. Another dog died, but at necropsy there was no evidence of causative fungus. Two of the four dogs that were not cured had infection of periorbital soft tissues. An additional seven dogs received 6 weeks ketoconazole (5 mg/kg bid PO) and enilconazole therapy topically. Six of these dogs were disease-free over a median follow-up period of 35 months. The seventh dog responded to repeated treatment with enilconazole. Twenty-six of the 29 dogs (90%) without extranasal aspergillosis were cured.

Apical root canal anatomy of canine teeth in cats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the apical anatomy of canine teeth in cats. SAMPLE POPULATION: 70 permanent canine teeth of cats. PROCEDURE: The teeth were extracted, cleaned, and radiographed, and the root canals were stained with India ink, then cleared in methyl salicylate. The apical root canal anatomy was studied by examining dental radiographs and microscopic measurements performed on the cleared specimens. RESULTS: Apical root canal anatomy in cats has the same "sprinkler-rose" appearance as seen in dogs. The mean length of the radiodense apex on radiographs was 2.8 +/- 1.2 mm. The mean lengths of the apical ramifications were 1.9 +/- 0.4 and 1.6 +/- 0.4 mm for upper and lower canine teeth, respectively; mean numbers of apical ramifications were 13 +/- 6 and 12 +/- 5, respectively; and mean ratios (length of ramifications/length of root) were 0.16 +/- 0.03 and 0.15 +/- 0.04, respectively. There was significant (P < 0.05) difference in the length of apical ramifications between upper and lower canine teeth and significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation between the length of the root and the length of apical ramifications for all canine teeth. CONCLUSION: Primary apical foramen is not present in mature canine teeth of cats. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There is little risk of apical penetration by files during endodontic therapy of canine teeth of cats; however, the multiple foramina require that apical instrumentation is thorough to prevent soft tissue remnants causing failure of the procedure.

Nasal aspergillosis and penicilliosis in dogs: results of treatment with thiabendazole.

Forty-seven dogs with nasal aspergillosis or penicilliosis were treated with thiabendazole (20 mg/kg orally for 6 weeks). Nasal turbinectomy was performed on 26 of the dogs. Six months or more later, 43% of the dogs were clinically normal or considerably improved; results were better in dogs not treated surgically. It was concluded that thiabendazole at a dosage of 20 mg/kg is not an effective treatment for nasal aspergillosis or penicilliosis in dogs.

Repair of pectus excavatum by percutaneous suturing and temporary external coaptation in a kitten.

Severe pectus excavatum sternal deformity in a 3-month-old kitten was repaired by use of percutaneous circumcostal and circumsternal sutures to coapt the sternal deformity to an external splint made from thermoplastic material. One year after treatment, the kitten remained free of clinical signs of the disease or complications from the repair. The technique represents a conservative method of repair of pectus excavatum deformities in immature animals.

Radiotherapy of malignant nasal tumors in 21 dogs.

The nasal cavity of 21 dogs with malignant nasal neoplasia was treated with radiation. Preirradiation surgical debulking of the tumor was done in 18 of the dogs. Three dogs were treated with L-phenylalanine mustard after radiotherapy. The range of survival times (5 to 79 months), mean survival time (25 months), median survival time (23 months), 1-year survival rate (57%), and 2-year survival rate (48%) were encouraging and suggested that the described treatment was satisfactory for malignant nasal tumors. Dogs tolerated the treatment well. Signs of nasal cavity disease such as periodic nasal discharge, periodic sneezing, and occasional nasal obstruction by mucus persisted in surviving dogs.

Exophthalmos secondary to zygomatic adenocarcinoma in a dog.

An 8-year-old Labrador Retriever developed unilateral exophthalmos over a 1-year period. Contrast radiography, surgical exploration, and histologic examination revealed the cause to be an adenocarcinoma arising from the zygomatic salivary gland or duct.

Lymphangioma in four dogs.

Lymphangioma, a rare benign tumor of lymph vessels, was diagnosed in 4 dogs. The lesions were in the nasopharynx, retroperitoneum, axilla, and medial aspect of thigh. Treatment was either surgical excision or marsupialization.

Prognostic factors and survival after radiotherapy for intranasal neoplasms in dogs: 70 cases (1974-1985).

Survival time and 31 prognostic factors were analyzed for 70 dogs undergoing radiotherapy for intranasal tumors at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania between 1974 and 1985. At the time of analysis (January 1987), 14.3% (10 of 70) of the dogs were alive. Of the remaining dogs, 34 died because of tumor recurrence, 14 died because of intercurrent disease, and 12 were lost to follow-up evaluation. Pretreatment prognostic factors that were significantly correlated with disease-free interval or long-term survival could not be identified. Notably, presence of a facial mass was not prognostically significant, suggesting that extensive disease should not preclude treatment. Median survival time of dogs with all tumor types was 16.5 months, with a 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival of 54%, 43%, and 35%, respectively. Median survival time of dogs with carcinoma was 13.5 months, with 1-year survival of 51%, 2-year survival of 37%, and 3-year survival of 31%. Orthovoltage radiation was efficacious in the treatment of canine intranasal tumors.

Oral surgery. Radical resection of maxillary and mandibular lesions.

The results obtained following both maxillectomy and mandibulectomy in animals with benign disease show that these procedures are practical. The challenge is to select those animals with malignant disease where the disease is sufficiently localized so that radical resection will be curative, or where residual disease can be controlled by adjuvant therapy. The series of cases reported in Tables 1 and 2 represent animals treated during the "developmental phase" of these procedures. With 5 years of case experience now available, the usefulness and limitations of these procedures are becoming clearer.

Periodontal disease in dogs. Etiopathogenesis, prevalence, and significance.

Periodontal disease is very common and often very severe in dogs. It is caused by accumulation of bacterial plaque, particularly Gram-negative anaerobic rods. Tissue destruction results from autodegradation induced by the continuing inflammatory response. Small dogs are particularly at risk. Prevention by retarding accumulation of plaque is the key concept.

Feline oral-dental radiographic examination and interpretation.

This article describes the technique of taking intraoral radiographs and developing film. Interpretation of oral radiographs is described. Radiation safety is reviewed. A troubleshooting section is included.

Etiopathogenesis of feline dental resorptive lesions.

There are several factors in the etiopathology of feline resorptive lesions. They may be considered as local immune-response mediating cell and humoral factors; release of biochemical components in dental and paradental tissues to attract odontoclasts; mechanical stress, including occlusal mechanism; and local and systemic calcium regulation, including remodeling of mineralized tissue and dietary intake of calcium.

Feline dental resorptive lesions. Prevalence patterns.

Surveys were carried out in cats presented for dental examination in the Netherlands (432 cats) and in the United States (78 cats). In 62% of the Dutch cats and 67% of the US cats, resorptive lesions were present. In the Dutch study, Asian Short-hair (principally Siamese) cats were most commonly involved, and male cats were more commonly affected than females. The most commonly affected teeth were the fourth maxillary premolar and the mandibular premolar and molar teeth.

Neutralisation patterns among recent British and North American feline calicivirus isolates from different clinical origins.

The neutralisation patterns of 103 recent isolates of feline calicivirus from cats with chronic stomatitis or acute feline calicivirus disease, and from cats with neither oral nor respiratory disease were compared. There were no statistically significant differences between the proportions of isolates from each clinical source neutralised by individual feline calicivirus cat antisera. Different antisera showed widely differing degrees of cross reactivity; antisera to the most widely used vaccine strain F9 being the most cross reactive, neutralising 54 per cent of all the field isolates, and antisera to a field isolate LS015 the next most cross reactive, neutralising 29 per cent of the field isolates. However, the cross reactivity of antisera to early British isolates (A4, 68/40 and 69/1112) was much reduced (overall less than 10 per cent) whereas in the early 1970s 65 per cent of 117 field isolates from clinically normal cats were neutralised by A4 antiserum, and 40 per cent by each of 68/40 and 69/1112 antisera. This suggests a change in the spectrum of antigenicity among feline calicivirus isolates over the past 15 years. However, the cross reactivity of F9 antisera appeared to be similar to that in earlier studies. The relevance of these findings to vaccination is discussed.

Prevalence of feline calicivirus, feline leukaemia virus and antibodies to FIV in cats with chronic stomatitis.

The prevalence of feline calicivirus (FCV), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies were assessed in 78 British and 18 North American household cats with chronic stomatitis and in appropriate controls. In British cats, FCV was significantly (P less than 0.005) more prevalent in both hospital (92 per cent) and general practice (79 per cent) cases compared to their controls (19 per cent in both cases). A similar difference in prevalence of FCV was noted in North American cats where 50 per cent of cases were positive compared to 0 per cent of controls (P less than 0.01). FeLV prevalence was low in all chronic stomatitis populations. A significantly higher prevalence of antibody to FIV was found in British hospital cases (81 per cent) compared with time-matched controls (16 per cent) (P less than 0.001): a similar rate was found in the general practice cases (75 per cent) for which no controls were available. In the North American sample, FIV antibody status was similar in cases (54 per cent positive) and their age, sex and breed matched controls (50 per cent). The possible role of FCV and FIV in the pathogenesis of feline chronic stomatitis is discussed.

Electronic programs and information on veterinary dentistry. Special report.

Veterinary dental materials (e.g. documents, images, continuing education courses, message boards, bibliographic search options) that are available as electronic media are described. These include materials available on the Internet or via commercial on-line services such as AOL-VIN and Compuserve-NOAH, and off-line materials such as CD-i, CD-ROM and floppy disk programs.

The history of veterinary dentistry. Part One: From the earliest record to the end of the 18th century.

Dental procedures have been performed on animals, particularly horses, since earliest recorded history. In the absence of anesthesia and an understanding of physiology and pathology, treatment often was unnecessary, inappropriate or barbaric. Progress was made very slowly.

Craniofacial development and growth in the dog.

Numerous types of veterinary orthodontic treatments are reported in papers and during meetings, however little is generally known concerning craniofacial growth in dogs. Most statements in veterinary dental publications are drawn from human-oriented studies. This makes decision making in veterinary orthodontics difficult. The purpose of this paper is to review studies of craniofacial growth performed in dogs.