Septic fibrinous pericarditis in 4 horses in Saskatchewan following an outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in 2017.

In the summer of 2017, 4 horses were diagnosed with septic fibrinous pericarditis at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon. This case series occurred after a significant outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in the province during that spring. Three horses were immediately euthanized, and treatment was attempted in 1 mare.

Investigation of a outbreak in a commercial alpaca farm in Saskatchewan.

An outbreak of enterocolitis and sudden deaths occurred in an alpaca herd in Saskatchewan (mortality rate: 18.6%). was isolated from the intestine, liver, and spleen of the index case, the kidney of a second case, and the feces of affected animals.

Oral sarcoid in a cat.

A 10-month-old, domestic shorthaired, spayed female cat was presented to the Veterinary Medical Centre, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, for evaluation of an oral mucosal mass. Histopathology and polymerase chain reaction with sequencing allowed for a definitive diagnosis of bovine papillomavirus type-14-associated oral sarcoid. The mass resolved spontaneously following incisional biopsy and was still grossly absent 10 months later.

Thyroid pathology in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculata) from a reclaimed mine site on the athabasca oil sands.

Information on naturally occurring thyroid disease in wild animals in general and in small mammals specifically is extremely limited. In the present field-based work, we investigated the structure and function of thyroid glands of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculata) studied as sentinels of ecosystem sustainability on reclaimed areas post-mining on the oil sands of northeastern Alberta, because of their greater sensitivity to contaminants relative to meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) on the same sites. Extraction of bitumen in the oil sands of northeastern Alberta, results in the release of contaminants including polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), metals, and metalloids to the environment that have a measurable biological cost to wildlife living in the affected areas.