Hypercalcaemia in a dog with primary hypothyroidism.

A 7-year-old female beagle was evaluated for symptomatic hypercalcaemia and primary hypothyroidism. Clinical findings were typical for hypothyroidism. Plasma parathyroid hormone was low and obvious causes for the hypercalcaemia were ruled out by means of abdominal ultrasonography, ultrasonography of the parathyroid glands, survey thoracic radiographs, and fine needle aspirate cytology of the spleen, liver, and peripheral lymph nodes.

Successful resolution of oesophageal spirocercosis in 20 dogs following daily treatment with oral doramectin.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a daily oral dose of doramectin in dogs with spirocercosis. Twenty naturally infected dogs were treated with 0.5 mg/kg doramectin administered orally once daily for 42 days.

Changes in the serum urea: creatinine ratio in dogs with babesiosis, haemolytic anaemia, and experimental haemoglobinaemia.

The purpose of this study was to determine serum urea and creatinine concentrations, the derived urea : creatinine (UC) ratios, haemoglobin concentrations and glomerular filtration rates (GFR) in dogs with haemolytic anaemia and those with experimentally induced anaemia and/or haemoglobinaemia. There were 25 dogs with babesiosis (group 1), 13 control animals (group 2), six dogs with induced haemoglobinaemia and anaemia (group 3), six with induced haemoglobinaemia (group 4), and 14 with immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA) (group 5). The median serum urea concentration was 11.

An anatomical and clinical review of cricopharyngeal achalasia in the dog.

Cricopharyngeal achalasia is a rare cause of dysphagia in the dog. However it must be differentiated from other causes of dysphagia as it is treatable with surgery. It is a disruption of the cricopharyngeal phase of the oropharyngeal phase of deglutition.

A retrospective study of chronic nasal disease in 75 dogs.

Chronic nasal disease is a common problem in dogs. To determine the aetiology, a retrospective study in 75 dogs with persistent and chronic nasal disease was done. All dogs were evaluated by means of survey nasal radiographs, antegrade and retrograde rhinoscopy, bacterial and fungal cultures, and histopathology.

Myotonia congenita in a Jack Russell terrier.

A 4-month-old male Jack Russell terrier was evaluated for non-painful muscle spasms and collapse associated with exercise and activity. Clinical examination revealed well-defined, non-painful hypertrophic muscles of the fore and hind limbs and exercise and excitement induced hindquarter bunny-hopping gait, which improved with activity but worsened with resting and with any sudden changes in direction of movement. Neurological examination and routine laboratory testing showed no abnormalities.

Lymphoma in 3 related Rottweilers from a single household.

Over a period of approximately 1 year, 2 sibling Rottweilers and their dam in the same household developed stage IV and stage III lymphoma, respectively. All 3 initially responded to doxorubicin chemotherapy but relapsed after approximately 3 months and were subsequently euthanased. As no obvious environmental trigger could be identified in these dogs, it is speculated that an underlying genetic predisposition could have played a role in the development of lymphoma in these related dogs.

Anaerobic bacterial pericardial effusion in a cat.

A 9-year-old male cat was presented for evaluation of chronic weight loss and was subsequently diagnosed with pericardial effusion. The effusion was quantified as a septic exudate caused by the anaerobic bacterium Peptostreptococcus. Antibiotic therapy resulted in complete resolution of the pericardial effusion.

The elevated serum urea:creatinine ratio in canine babesiosis in South Africa is not of renal origin.

Pigmented serum, usually due to free haemoglobin and/or bilirubin, is a common finding in dogs with babesiosis, resulting in interference with all biochemical tests that rely on photochemistry. This is particularly true of urea and creatinine determinations, complicating the diagnosis of acute renal failure, which is a serious complication of babesiosis. A disproportionately raised serum urea concentration of unknown origin occurs in severely anaemic canine babesiosis patients and gives rise to an increased serum urea:creatinine ratio.

Ipsilateral vascularised ulnar transposition autograft for limb-sparing surgery of the distal radius in 2 dogs with osteosarcoma.

Canine osteosarcoma is the most commonly diagnosed primary bone tumour in the dog, affecting mainly large and giant breed dogs with the predilection site being the metaphysis of long bones, specifically the distal radius, proximal humerus, distal femur and proximal tibia and fibula. Treatment options are either palliative or curative intent therapy, the latter limb amputation or limb-sparing surgery together with chemotherapy. This article describes the use of an ipsilateral vascularised ulnar transposition autograft as well as chemotherapy in 2 dogs with osteosarcoma of the distal radius.

Phylogenetic analysis of "Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis" isolates from pet cats in the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa, with analysis of risk factors for infection.

Two hemotropic mycoplasmas have been recognized in cats, Mycoplasma haemofelis and "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum." We recently described a third feline hemoplasma species, designated "Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis," in a Swiss cat with hemolytic anemia. This isolate induced anemia after experimental transmission to two specific-pathogen-free cats and analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed its close relationship to rodent hemotropic mycoplasmas.

Nephro-cutaneous fistula in a dog.

Nephro-cutaneous fistula, although reported in humans, has not been reported in the dog. In humans the majority of cases develop in patients with a history of previous renal surgery, renal trauma, renal tumours, or chronic urinary tract infection with abscess formation. The dog in this report developed a nephro-cutaneous fistula secondary to a traumatic induced renal abscess with formation of a draining sinus tract to the exterior of the body.

Cardiac involvement in canine babesiosis.

Cardiac dysfunction in canine babesiosis has traditionally been regarded as a rare complication, with the majority of lesions reported as incidental findings at post-mortem examination. Recent studies have, however, demonstrated cardiac lesions in canine babesiosis. Cardiac troponins, especially troponin I, are sensitive markers of myocardial injury in canine babesiosis, and the magnitude of elevation of plasma troponin I concentrations appears to be proportional to the severity of the disease.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia in a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a diverse group of inherited structural and functional abnormalities of the respiratory and other cilia, which results in recurrent respiratory tract infections. Primary ciliary dyskinesia was diagnosed in a 14-week old Staffordshire bull terrier that had a history of respiratory disease from 7 weeks of age. Pneumonia was diagnosed on thoracic radiographs and transtracheal aspirate.

Are urea and creatinine values reliable indicators of azotaemia in canine babesiosis?

Serum urea and creatinine are extensively used as parameters to screen for azotaemia. Their reciprocal plots roughly correlate with glomerular filtration rate (GFR). They are, however, subject to influence by non-renal factors and to increase their specificity they are often tested concurrently.

Diagnosis of feline haemoplasma infection using a real-time PCR assay.

Haemobartonella felis has been reclassified within the genus Mycoplasma as Mycoplasma haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum', collectively referred to as the feline haemoplasmas. A total of 78 cats from the Johannesburg area that had blood samples submitted to a private veterinary laboratory were tested using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay able to detect and distinguish the two feline haemoplasma (basonym Haemobartonella) species. All samples had been diagnosed with haemoplasma infection by cytological examination of blood smears.

Suspected primary immune deficiency in a Donge de Bordeaux dog.

A young Donge de Bordeaux dog was presented with chronic intermittent antibiotic responsive gastrointestinal and respiratory disease. Further evaluation showed bacterial lymphadenitis, bacterial tracheitis, normal white cell and differential cell counts, hypogammaglobulinaemia, and the absence of B-lymphocytes but the presence of T-lymphocytes in the lymphoid tissue stained with lymphocyte markers. As the dog came from a narrow genetic base, with related dogs showing similar clinical signs, possible B-cell congenital immune deficiency was suspected.