Antemortem diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a blue-fronted Amazon parrot and a mealy Amazon parrot .

Case Description: A 28-year-old blue-fronted Amazon parrot with a 1 -week history of regurgitation-like movement of the neck and a 34-year-old mealy Amazon parrot with a 1- to 2-day history of regurgitation and crop distention were evaluated.

Clinical Findings: Full-body radiography of the blue-fronted Amazon parrot revealed a soft tissue structure in the right side of the neck, cranial to the crop. Results of cytologic examination of a fine-needle aspirate specimen of the mass were diagnostic for an epithelial sarcoma involving the esophagus.

Perioperative Mortality and Long-Term Survival in 80 Dogs and 32 Cats Undergoing Excision of Thymic Epithelial Tumors.

Objective: To examine perioperative mortality, long-term survival, causes of death, and prognostic factors for dogs and cats undergoing surgical excision of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs).

Study Design: Multi-institutional case series.

Animals: Eighty dogs and 32 cats.

STR/ort mice, a model for spontaneous osteoarthritis, exhibit elevated levels of both local and systemic inflammatory markers.

Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that currently lacks disease-modifying treatments. Development of therapeutic agents for osteoarthritis requires better understanding of the disease and cost-effective in vivo models that mimic the human disease. Here, we analyzed the joints of STR/ort mice, a model for spontaneous osteoarthritis, for levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers and measured serum cytokines to characterize the local and systemic inflammatory status of these mice.

Successful outcome of hepatectomy as treatment for liver lobe torsion in four domestic rabbits.

Case Description: 4 rabbits (1.5 to 6 years old) were evaluated at the Angell Animal Medical Center from June 2007 to March 2009 because of nonspecific clinical signs including anorexia, lethargy, and decreased fecal output.

Clinical Findings: Physical examination revealed signs of pain in the cranial portion of the abdomen, gas distention of the gastrointestinal tract, and diminished borborygmi.

A review of the pathophysiology, classification, and analysis of canine and feline cavitary effusions.

Effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid within a body cavity that can result from a variety of disease processes. This article reviews the normal production and resorption of body cavity fluid and the pathophysiology of abnormal fluid accumulation. In addition, classification schemes, differential diagnoses, and currently available diagnostic tests for evaluation of effusions are reviewed.

Increasing patient safety in veterinary transfusion medicine: an overview of pretransfusion testing.

Objectives: To review the principles and available technology for pretransfusion testing in veterinary medicine and discuss the indications and importance of test performance before RBC transfusion.

Data Sources: Current human and veterinary medical literature: original research articles and scientific reviews.

Summary: Indications for RBC transfusion in veterinary medicine include severe anemia or tissue hypoxia resulting from blood loss, decreased erythrocyte production, and hemolyzing conditions such as immune-mediated anemia and neonatal isoerythrolysis.