COMPARISONS AMONG COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF ADIPOSE MASSES IN DOGS AND CATS.

A better understanding of the CT features of different forms of canine and feline adipose tumors would be valuable for improving patient management and treatment. The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to describe and compare the CT features of pathologically confirmed lipomas, infiltrative lipomas, and liposarcomas in a sample of canine and feline patients. A total of 50 animals (46 dogs, four cats) and a total of 60 lesions (23 lipomas, 20 infiltrative lipomas, and 17 liposarcomas) were included in the study.

Factors affecting the efficiency of aerosolized salbutamol delivery via a metered dose inhaler and equine spacer device.

Despite frequent use of metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and spacers in equine practice, limited information exists on the efficiency of aerosol delivery using such devices. We determined the particle size distribution within an MDI-generated salbutamol aerosol delivered via an equine spacer using 'best practice' delivery technique and assessed the effect of variations in MDI use technique (shaking prior to each actuation, rapid repetitive actuations, and MDI angulation) on aerosol delivery efficiency. Under optimal conditions, only 53(±18) μg salbutamol per 100 μg actuation was delivered beyond the spacer.

Polyglandular endocrinopathy type II (Schmidt's syndrome) in a Dobermann pinscher.

A three-year-old, female neutered, Dobermann pinscher was presented for investigation of lethargy, episodic collapse, ataxia and myxoedema. Primary hypothyroidism and primary cortisol-deficient hypoadrenocorticism were diagnosed based on history, physical examination and compatible hormonal analysis. Increased serum concentrations of thyroglobulin autoantibodies and 21-hydroxylase autoantibodies indicated an immune-mediated aetiology.

The Vaccination of 35,000 Dogs in 20 Working Days Using Combined Static Point and Door-to-Door Methods in Blantyre, Malawi.

An estimated 60,000 people die of rabies annually. The vast majority of cases of human rabies develop following a bite from an infected dog. Rabies can be controlled in both human and canine populations through widespread vaccination of dogs.

Stress in new graduates: can the profession do more to help?

Richard Halliwell and colleagues believe that it can, on the basis of a survey they conducted to assess the incidence of poor mental health and wellbeing in recent veterinary graduates, and workplace factors that might be associated with this.

Reciprocated cross sucking between dairy calves after weaning off milk does not appear to negatively affect udder health or production.

Cross sucking by dairy calves occurs most commonly before weaning, but is of most concern in older animals where it has been claimed to cause mastitis and udder damage. Providing ad libitum milk allowance via a teat and gradual weaning reduces cross sucking, but low levels of this behavior still persist. Our aims were to understand why this behavior persists in some calves after weaning off milk and to examine whether individuals which are cross sucked postweaning are more likely to sustain teat injury or develop mastitis during their first lactation.

Beyond the skeleton: the role of vitamin D in companion animal health.

While the role of vitamin D in the maintenance of skeletal health has been well-established for many years, the discovery that many non-skeletal tissues express the vitamin D receptor stimulated renewed interest in vitamin D and its wider physiological roles. Subsequently, a vast literature has emerged over the past three decades which has linked vitamin D deficiency to the development of many human diseases including cancer, autoimmune, infectious and cardiovascular disorders. In contrast, the role vitamin D plays in the physiology of non-skeletal tissues in cats and dogs has received little attention.

Prevalence of pancreatic, hepatic and renal microscopic lesions in post-mortem samples from Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of microscopic pancreatic, hepatic and renal lesions in post-mortem samples from Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

Methods: The prevalence of microscopic lesions was determined by routine histopathology and compared to ante-mortem clinical signs.

Results: There was evidence of chronic pancreatitis in 51·9% of the cases, and age correlated with severity.

Positive and negative gestational handling influences placental traits and mother-offspring behavior in dairy goats.

Dairy animals are subjected to a number of potential stressors throughout their lives, including daily interactions with humans. The quality of these interactions may have direct consequences for the animal undergoing the experience, but if such events occur during gestation it may also affect the developing fetus. This study examined the effects of differential handling during mid-gestation in 40 twin-bearing Saanen×Toggenburg primiparous goats.

In vitro models for the study of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent disease of most mammalian species and is a significant cause of welfare and economic morbidity in affected individuals and populations. In vitro models of osteoarthritis are vital to advance research into the causes of the disease, and the subsequent design and testing of potential therapeutics. However, a plethora of in vitro models have been used by researchers but with no consensus on the most appropriate model.

Presence of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Predicts a Poor Clinical Outcome in Dogs with a Primary Hepatitis.

Primary hepatopathies are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in dogs. The underlying aetiology of most cases of canine hepatitis is unknown. Consequently, treatments are typically palliative and it is difficult to provide accurate prognostic information to owners.

Efficacy of proactive long-term maintenance therapy of canine atopic dermatitis with 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate spray: a double-blind placebo controlled pilot study.

Background: Long-term remission between flares of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) can be difficult to achieve. Therefore, additional strategic forms of treatment are needed in order to target flare prevention. The concept of proactive therapy is recommended in the European guidelines for the treatment of human atopic eczema.

Sero-prevalence of Taenia spp. cysticercosis in rural and urban smallholder pig production settings in Uganda.

The pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, is prevalent in Uganda although the prevalence has not been determined in all areas of the country. A cross-sectional study, to determine the sero-prevalence of the parasite in pigs kept under rural and urban production settings, was carried out in three Ugandan districts, Masaka, Mukono and Kamuli. Serum samples from 1185 pigs were tested for the presence of T.

Vitamin D status predicts reproductive fitness in a wild sheep population.

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with the development of many human diseases, and with poor reproductive performance in laboratory rodents. We currently have no idea how natural selection directly acts on variation in vitamin D metabolism due to a total lack of studies in wild animals. Here, we measured serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations in female Soay sheep that were part of a long-term field study on St Kilda.

Our time is now - how companion animal veterinarians can transform biomedical science.

Over the past decade, there has been growing interest in the "One Health" agenda, defined by the One Health Initiative to be "a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment." The concept has spawned numerous conferences, under- and post-graduate courses and has been the topic of dozens of articles that have discussed how medical doctors, scientists and veterinarians can work together to improve the health of both animals and humans. Although there is widespread agreement about the potential benefits of medical doctors and veterinarians working more closely together, this is far from routine practice for most companion animal veterinarians.

Vaccinate-assess-move method of mass canine rabies vaccination utilising mobile technology data collection in Ranchi, India.

Background: Over 20,000 people die from rabies each year in India. At least 95 % of people contract rabies from an infected dog. Annual vaccination of over 70 % of the dog population has eliminated both canine and human rabies in many countries.

Structural Development, Cellular Differentiation and Proliferation of the Respiratory Epithelium in the Bovine Fetal Lung.

Fetal bovine lung samples of 11 different gestational ages were assigned to a classical developmental stage based on histological morphology. Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize the morphology of forming airways, proliferation rate of airway epithelium and the presence of epithelial cell types (i.e.

Orthodontic correction of overjet/overbite ('parrot mouth') in 73 foals (1999-2013).

Reasons For Performing Study: There are limited reports on the efficacy of functional orthodontic correction of overjet or overbite in foals.

Objectives: To report the outcome of using orthodontic tension bands in combination with an inclined plane biteplate in the treatment of overjet, with or without concurrent overbite, rates of correction of these 2 malocclusions and associated complications. And to examine factors associated with outcomes.

Complex folding and misfolding effects of deer-specific amino acid substitutions in the β2-α2 loop of murine prion protein.

The β2-α2 loop of PrP(C) is a key modulator of disease-associated prion protein misfolding. Amino acids that differentiate mouse (Ser169, Asn173) and deer (Asn169, Thr173) PrP(C) appear to confer dramatically different structural properties in this region and it has been suggested that amino acid sequences associated with structural rigidity of the loop also confer susceptibility to prion disease. Using mouse recombinant PrP, we show that mutating residue 173 from Asn to Thr alters protein stability and misfolding only subtly, whilst changing Ser to Asn at codon 169 causes instability in the protein, promotes oligomer formation and dramatically potentiates fibril formation.

Equine grass sickness in Scotland: A case-control study of environmental geochemical risk factors.

Reasons For Performing Study: We hypothesised that the apparent geographical distribution of equine grass sickness (EGS) is partly attributable to suboptimal levels of soil macro- and trace elements in fields where EGS occurs. If proven, altering levels of particular elements could be used to reduce the risk of EGS.

Objectives: To determine whether the geographical distribution of EGS cases in eastern Scotland is associated with the presence or absence of particular environmental chemical elements.

Maternal high-fat diet acts as a stressor increasing maternal glucocorticoids' signaling to the fetus and disrupting maternal behavior and brain activation in C57BL/6J mice.

Maternal diet during pregnancy can impact maternal behavior as well as the intrauterine environment, playing a critical role in programming offspring's physiology. In a preliminary study, we found a strong association between high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy and increased cannibalistic episodes and dams' mortality during late pregnancy and parturition. Based upon these data, we hypothesized that HFD during pregnancy could negatively affect neuroendocrine and metabolic regulations occurring during the final stages of pregnancy, thereby disrupting maternal behavior.