BACKGROUND Pituitary abscess syndrome (PAS) is an uncommon condition of ruminants that results from seeding of the pituitary area with bacteria from another site of infection. The syndrome is always fatal. The diagnosis is difficult, especially when alteration of nerves VII and VIII is present, because it can be confounded with encephalitic listeriosis or otitis media/interna. The final diagnosis is generally confirmed at necropsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate computed tomography (CT) as an aid to confirm PAS.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether high-dose inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP), alone or in combination with salmeterol (SAL), is as effective as oral prednisolone in reducing airway inflammation and obstruction in cats with experimentally-induced acute asthma. Six cats sensitised to Ascaris suum (AS) were enrolled in a prospective controlled therapeutic trial and underwent four aerosol challenges, at 1-month intervals with AS allergen. The allergen - stimulated animals received four consecutive days treatment with either oral prednisolone at 1mg/kg twice daily, 500 μg of FP inhaled twice daily, or a combination of FP/SAL at 500 μg/50 μg inhaled twice daily, respectively, according to a randomised cross-over design. Treatment-related changes in lung function, airway responsiveness (AR) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology were assessed. Barometric whole-body plethysmography (BWBP) was used for the assessment of respiratory variables and AR. No significant differences in respiratory rate or Penh (an estimate of airflow limitation measured by BWBP) were detected among treatment groups. Allergen-induced airway hyper-responsiveness was significantly inhibited by all three steroid treatments (P<0.05). The mean BALF eosinophil percentage (±SEM) was lower after oral and inhaled corticosteroid treatment and these changes were significant for groups receiving prednisolone and the FP/SAL combination. Findings suggest high-dose FP, particularly in combination with SAL, is effective in ameliorating airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness in this model of acute feline asthma, and highlight the potential use of these drugs in cats experiencing acute exacerbations of the naturally occurring disease.

The objective of this study was to determine if inhaled salmeterol, a long-acting β2-adrenergic agonist, and oral doxycycline, a tetracycline antibiotic displaying matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitory activity, reduce airway inflammation and obstruction in cats with experimentally-induced asthma. Eight Ascaris suum (AS)-sensitised cats were enrolled in a prospective study in which they underwent four AS-challenges at 1 month intervals. The challenged animals were given no treatment or were treated on 4 consecutive days with either: (1) oral prednisolone (1 mg/kg twice daily), (2) inhaled salmeterol (50 μg twice daily), or (3) oral doxycycline (5 mg/kg twice daily), according to a randomised cross-over design. Inhibition of allergen-induced early (EAR) and late (LAR) asthmatic reactions were assessed by barometric whole-body plethysmography. Cytology and measurement of MMP-2 and -9 activities were carried out on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Although none of the treatments prevented the EAR, prednisolone treatment inhibited the LAR. Relative to untreated cats, the eosinophil percentage and MMP-2 activity in BALF were significantly reduced following prednisolone treatment (P < 0.05). Short-term therapy with either salmeterol or doxycycline had no effect on the EAR or LAR or on airway inflammation. Given the chronic nature of this disease in cats, long-term therapy may be required to produce more favourable functional and clinical outcomes.

A 3-week-old Friesian colt with a history of respiratory distress since birth was presented to our facility. Results after an endoscopy showed obstruction of the right nasal passage to the nasopharynx. Computed tomography was performed to further characterize this unilateral blockage. The images demonstrated a complete membranous obstruction of the ventral meatus, along with deviation of the vomer bone toward the left side of the nasal cavity. The diagnosis of unilateral choanal atresia was confirmed. This report is the first to describe computed tomographic features of choanal atresia in a foal.

The aims of this study were firstly to characterise a model of subclinical and reversible bronchial inflammation induced by cadmium chloride inhalation in healthy dogs and then to examine the effect of prednisolone or salbutamol treatment on the resulting bronchitis. The model characterisation and the effects of treatment were studied using clinical symptoms, haematology, thoracic radiography, bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage, barometric whole-body plethysmography and histamine broncho-provocation tests. In addition, the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9 were determined in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Cadmium inhalation induced: (1) a transient bronchial inflammation, dominated by neutrophils; (2) a neutrophilia of the blood that persisted for up to 4 weeks; (3) a transient increased bronchial reactivity, and (4) a significant increase in MMP-9 activity in the BALF. Prednisolone treatment reduced the influx of inflammatory cells into the BALF, but not significantly, had no effect on pulmonary function, and did not reduce of airway hypersensitivity. Salbutamol had almost no effect on any of the parameters investigated.

OBJECTIVE To compare the results of 2 canine registries for classification of the hip joints for dysplasia by breed, and to relate the percentage of dysplastic dogs with body metric characteristics. SAMPLE POPULATION Data on the ranking order of hip dysplasia by breed from 2 registries for 156 dog breeds. PROCEDURES The prevalence of hip dysplasia listed by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and the breed mean score according to the list of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia scheme were related to weight and height as well as the body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) by breed. RESULTS The OFA ranking order and the percentage of dysplastic dogs were highly correlated with the BVA mean score (rho = 0.74). A significant correlation was found between the prevalence of hip dysplasia and the BMI (r = 0.63). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the highest area under the curve, corresponding to the best discrimination, was at a BMI of 110 kg/m(2) with a criterion value of 15% dysplastic dogs (area under the curve, 0.89). Because the ratio of dogs in the positive and negative groups reflected the prevalence of the condition among breeds in the OFA database, the positive likelihood ratio was 9.32 and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.24. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The OFA statistics and the BVA mean scores reflected the prevalence of hip dysplasia among dog breeds. Body mass index accurately discriminated between breeds with high or low prevalence of hip dysplasia.

Veterinary RecordVolume 163, Issue 2 p. 54-55 Short Communication Primary ciliary dyskinesia and situs inversus in a young dog R. Cavrenne DVM, R. Cavrenne DVM Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorV. De Busscher DVM, V. De Busscher DVM Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorG. Bolen DVM, G. Bolen DVM Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorF. Billen DVM, F. Billen DVM Small Animal Internal Medicine Section, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorC. Clercx PhD, DipECVIM, C. Clercx PhD, DipECVIM Small Animal Internal Medicine Section, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorF. Snaps PhD, DipECVDI, F. Snaps PhD, DipECVDI Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this author R. Cavrenne DVM, R. Cavrenne DVM Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorV. De Busscher DVM, V. De Busscher DVM Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorG. Bolen DVM, G. Bolen DVM Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorF. Billen DVM, F. Billen DVM Small Animal Internal Medicine Section, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorC. Clercx PhD, DipECVIM, C. Clercx PhD, DipECVIM Small Animal Internal Medicine Section, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorF. Snaps PhD, DipECVDI, F. Snaps PhD, DipECVDI Medical Imaging Section, University of Liège, Boulevard du Colonster, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this author First published: 12 July 2008 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.163.2.54Citations: 6Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. References Afzelius B. A. Carlsen J. Karlson S. (1984) Clinical, pathologic and ultrastructural features of situs inversus and immotile-cilia syndrome in a dog. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 184, 560– 563 Carlen B. 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Thoracic radiography is an important diagnostic tool for feline respiratory medicine. The aim of this study was (1) to assess age-related changes of thoracic radiographic views in healthy young cats and (2) to test if experimentally-induced bronchial inflammation by inhaling Ascaris suum (AS) allergens leads to radiographic changes after single or repeated exposures. Healthy cats (n=15-30) aged between 6 and 30 months were evaluated. Eight healthy cats and eight AS-sensitised cats, respectively, inhaled sterile saline or allergen. Radiographs were taken 24h before, and 6, 24 and 48 h after the challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed after the last radiographic examination. AS-sensitised cats underwent three further allergen challenges at 3-month intervals. The radiographic evaluation was based on a scoring system considering bronchial, interstitial and alveolar patterns. A significant age-related increase in interstitial and total radiographic score was detected in healthy cats older than 18 months and in healthy cats older than 24 months. Whilst saline inhalation did not affect radiographic scores, a single AS challenge induced significant changes of all scores within 6-24h. A significant positive correlation between radiographic scores and BAL neutrophils and eosinophils was found. Repeated AS challenges did not induce irreversible changes in radiographic scores.