Investigation of neonatal disorders in New World camelids and factors associated with death during and after hospitalization of affected crias.

Objective: To assess signalment, clinical findings, and treatments for New World camelids (NWCs) hospitalized for evaluation and treatment of neonatal disorders and investigate associations between these factors and death during and after hospitalization.

Animals: 267 NWCs ≤ 30 days of age.

Procedures: Medical records of a veterinary teaching hospital were retrospectively reviewed to identify NWCs admitted for evaluation and treatment of neonatal disorders between 2000 and 2010.

Evaluation of intramuscular injection of oxytetracycline for use as an experimental model to induce pain and assess the efficacy of pain mitigation strategies in dairy cows.

Objective: To evaluate IM injection of oxytetracycline as an experimental model to induce pain and assess the analgesic efficacy of flunixin meglumine (FM) in dairy cows.

Animals: 15 healthy nonlactating Jersey (n = 10) and Holstein (5) cows.

Procedures: In the first of 2 experiments, 5 Jerseys were administered oxytetracycline (10 mg/kg, IM), divided between the right side of the neck and left hind limb.

Combined tube cystostomy and urethrotomy for the treatment of urethral obstruction due to urolithiasis in goats.

Objective: To describe the treatment of goats with urethral obstruction secondary to urolithiasis by combining tube cystostomy and urethrotomy.

Animals: Eight male goats.

Study Design: Short case series.

Clostridial Abomasitis and Enteritis in Ruminants.

Clostridial abomasitis and enteritis are important alimentary diseases observed in all domestic ruminant species. These diseases most commonly result from overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens types A, B, C, D, and E with the associated release of bacterial exotoxins that result in necrosis of the abomasal or intestinal mucosa. Clostridium difficile may also be associated with enteritis in calves but is much less common than disease caused by C perfringens.

Temporary Rumenostomy for the Treatment of Forestomach Diseases and Enteral Nutrition.

Temporary rumenostomy is a useful procedure for the treatment, management, and support of patients with forestomach disease of various types. The rumenostomy provides a mechanism for relief of chronic rumen tympany or distention, removal of rumen contents and lavage of the rumen, removal of some rumen foreign bodies, administration of rumen fluid transfaunation, and administration of enteral nutrition or other medications. When the rumenostomy is no longer necessary, it can be allowed to close by second intention or by surgical resection.

Effects of oral powder electrolyte administration on packed cell volume, plasma chemistry parameters, and incidence of colic in horses participating in a 6-day 162-km trail ride.

This study evaluated the effects of administering oral powder electrolytes on packed cell volume (PCV), plasma chemistry parameters, and incidence of colic in horses participating on a 6-day 162-km trail ride in which water was not offered ad libitum. Twenty-three horses received grain with powder electrolytes daily while 19 control horses received grain only. Horses were ridden approximately 32 km a day at a walk or trot.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease in a yak.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) infection was diagnosed in a 3-year-old yak. The yak had signs of intermittent tremors, dysphagia, oral ulcerative lesions, hemorrhagic enteritis, tachypnea, and thrombocytopenia. Postmortem diagnostics confirmed EHDV (serotype 2) using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Evaluation of sample handling effects on serum vitamin e and cholesterol concentrations in alpacas.

Clinical cases of vitamin E deficiencies have been diagnosed in camelids and may indicate that these species are more sensitive to inadequate vitamin E in hay-based diets compared to other ruminant and equine species. In bovine, cholesterol has been reported to affect vitamin E concentrations. In order to evaluate vitamin E deficiencies in camelids, the effects of collection and storage of the blood samples prior to processing were necessary.

Infiltrative cutaneous hemangiolipoma in a goat.

An approximately 4-year-old castrated male, Saanen cross goat presented to the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for evaluation and removal of a 22 cm × 22 cm, dark red, thickened, and crusted cutaneous lesion along the left ventrolateral thorax. An initial incisional biopsy performed approximately 8 weeks earlier was suspicious for cutaneous hemangiosarcoma. Surgical excision was deemed to be the most appropriate treatment option for this goat.

Evaluation of a point-of-care glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate meter operated in various environmental conditions in prepartum and postpartum sheep.

Objective: To compare β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and glucose concentrations measured with a dual-purpose point-of-care (POC) meter designed for use in humans and a laboratory biochemical analyzer (LBA) to determine whether the POC meter would be reliable for on-farm measurement of blood glucose and BHB concentrations in sheep in various environmental conditions and nutritional states.

Animals: 36 pregnant mixed-breed ewes involved in a maternal feed restriction study.

Procedures: Blood samples were collected from each sheep at multiple points throughout gestation and lactation to allow for tracking of gradually increasing metabolic hardship.

Inadvertent transvaginal administration of sodium phosphate enemas in 2 alpaca crias.

Objective: To describe the clinical presentation and resultant metabolic disturbances following retroperitoneal administration of hyperphosphate enemas in alpaca crias.

Case Or Series Summary: Two crias presented to the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital after inadvertent transvaginal retroperitoneal hyperphosphate enema administration. The first cria developed an acute onset of neurologic signs, severe hypernatremia, and died soon after presentation.

Alimentary-associated carcinomas in five Vietnamese potbellied pigs.

Case Description: 5 Vietnamese potbellied pigs were evaluated for abdominal distress that had not responded to medical treatment (4 pigs) or a draining tract of the cranial abdomen of unknown duration (1 pig).

Clinical Findings: Clinical signs in the pigs included anorexia, vomiting, and constipation. Physical examination revealed a palpable abdominal mass in all pigs.

Prevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus infections in alpacas in the United States.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)-infected alpaca herds in the United States and investigate factors associated with seropositive herd status and, subsequently, determine the proportion of animals within seropositive alpaca herds that are persistently infected (PI) carriers for BVDV, obtain information regarding previous herd exposure to BVDV, determine titers of anti-BVDV antibodies of dams, and ascertain whether individual seropositive crias had received supplemental colostrum at birth.

Design: Prevalence study.

Animals: 63 alpaca herds with >or= 12 registered female alpacas.

Hepatic encephalopathy in two goat kids with common paternity.

Two juvenile, intact, female mixed-breed goats from a common sire were presented for periodic neurologic deficits, seizures, and a generalized loss of body condition that occurred over a 4-6-week period. On physical examination, both goats were thin, obtunded, blind, and ataxic. Laboratory diagnostics revealed increased serum bile acids (95 micromol/l; reference interval: 0-50 micromol/l) in one of the goats.

Lack of correlation between antibody titers to fibrinogen-binding protein of Streptococcus equi and persistent carriers of strangles.

Previously published studies have neither used nor reported the results of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) to measure serologic responses in natural outbreaks of strangles. The concept of using serologic responses to identify persistent carriers of Streptococcus equi has been proposed but not scientifically evaluated. The specific aims of the current study were to determine the duration and level of truncated fibrinogen-binding protein-specific (SeM allele 1) antibody production in ponies involved in a natural outbreak of strangles and to determine if test results from this serologic iELISA could predict persistent carrier status.

Pulmonary arterial pressure testing for high mountain disease in cattle.

High mountain or brisket disease is an economically costly disease of cattle raised at elevations greater than 1500 m (5000 ft). It appears that no one breed is resistant to the effects of high-altitude hypoxia. Some breeds, and pedigrees within breeds, appear to be more naturally resistant to the effects of high altitude.

Cytology in food animal practice.

Diagnostic cytology can greatly aid the clinician in determining a more refined diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan to serve the client and patient better. Sample collection is not difficult and can be done in the field as well as in a hospital setting. The collection and sample handling procedures described in this article can help the clinician to obtain diagnostically valuable samples.

Trichophytobezoar duodenal obstruction in New World camelids.

Objective: To describe clinical findings, surgical treatment, and outcome associated with trichophytobezoar duodenal obstruction in New World camelids.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: Alpacas (7) and 1 llama.

Evaluation of ovine herpesvirus type 2 infections, as detected by competitive inhibition ELISA and polymerase chain reaction assay, in dairy cattle without clinical signs of malignant catarrhal fever.

Objective: To monitor ovine herpesvirus type 2 (OvHV-2) infection status and the association between OvHV-2 infection and development of clinical signs of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) in cattle.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Animals: 30 mature adult cows and 18 cattle submitted for necropsy.

Comparison of the odds of isolation, genotypes, and in vivo production of major toxins by Clostridium perfringens obtained from the gastrointestinal tract of dairy cows with hemorrhagic bowel syndrome or left-displaced abomasum.

Objective: To compare the frequency of isolation, genotypes, and in vivo production of major lethal toxins of Clostridium perfringens in adult dairy cows affected with hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) versus left-displaced abomasum (LDA).

Design: Case-control study.

Animals: 10 adult dairy cattle with HBS (cases) and 10 adult dairy cattle with LDA matched with cases by herd of origin (controls).