New Zealand veterinary journal最新文献

Case history: In 2023, 160/245 (65%) 2-year-old KiwiCross dairy heifers from a seasonally calving Otago herd developed severe granular vulvovaginitis after calving.

Clinical findings: Affected heifers presented 3-12 days post-calving with tail elevation, vaginal discharge and, in most cases, vulval swelling. Heifers were afebrile although some were inappetent. Vaginal examination revealed severe mucosal inflammation, often featuring erosions and pustules. The heifers responded to treatment with systemic antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. The farm veterinarian became aware that milkers were blowing air through an alkathene pipe inserted into the vagina of some heifers, during milking, to improve milk let-down. The veterinarian advised the farm manager that the practice is prohibited in New Zealand, and it ceased immediately.

Laboratory findings: An initial 10 vaginal swabs from affected heifers gave positive results in PCR assays for bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) and Ureaplasma diversum. Subsequent samples requested by the Ministry for Primary Industries from four affected heifers included vaginal swabs and biopsies, and paired blood samples, 4 weeks apart. Of the swabs, 3/4 gave positive results in a BoHV-1 PCR assay, 4/4 gave positive results in a U. diversum PCR assay, 2/4 gave positive results in a Mycoplasma bovigenitalium PCR assay, and 1/4 gave a positive result in a bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BoHV-4) PCR assay. All gave negative results in a pan-poxvirus PCR assay. Histology revealed severe, chronic, ulcerative and neutrophilic vaginitis with granulation tissue in all biopsies and immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of BoHV-1 in 2/4 (50%) biopsies. All four heifers had a rising BoHV-1 virus neutralisation test titre. Aerobic culture was unremarkable, while biochemistry found that the mean serum albumin, total protein, calcium, creatinine, sodium, and chloride concentrations were all just below the normal reference range, and haematology found that 3/4 (75%) affected heifers had mildly elevated fibrinogen concentrations.

Diagnosis: Infectious pustular vulvovaginitis, likely involving a mixed infection of BoHV-1, U. diversum and M. bovigenitalium.

Clinical relevance: Infectious pustular vulvovaginitis can occur post-calving, and mixed infections should be suspected in severe outbreaks. Vaginal insufflation likely contributed to this outbreak, and veterinarians need to be aware of and vigilant for this prohibited practice.

Case history: Medical records from two veterinary referral centres were reviewed to identify dogs that underwent gradual attenuation with post-operative iterative inflation of a hydraulic occluder (HO) for treatment of a single congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (CEHPSS) between 2013 and 2023. Median age at presentation of the dogs (n = 14) included in the study was 17 (min 10, max 26) months, and median body weight was 5 (min 4, max 9) kg.

Clinical and imaging findings: All dogs presented with clinical signs of hepatic shunt: nine with neurological signs, four with signs related to the gastrointestinal tract, and three with polyuria-polydipsia. Pre-prandial serum bile acid concentrations (BA) were above the reference range in all dogs. CEHPSS were characterised by CT angiography (CTA). Median hepatic volume and portal vein diameter to aorta diameter ratio (PV:A) were both below reference ranges.

Treatment and outcome: All dogs received medical treatment prior to surgery for a median time of 66 (min 44, max 94) days. All procedures were carried out by the same surgeon, with no intra-operative complications. Iterative percutaneous inflations of 25% of the total filling volume of the HO were scheduled to achieve gradual attenuation until the shunt was fully occluded. Complete shunt occlusion was obtained over a median time of 30 (min 21, max 35) weeks in all but two dogs, which showed partial occlusion at 73% and 77%, respectively. Major complications occurred in four cases, including HO cuff leakage (n = 3, between 8 and 25 months) and SC port shifting (n = 1, at 3 months). One dog was lost to follow-up 1.5 months after surgery, and one dog with cuff leakage died after revision surgery. Post-occlusion CTA performed in dogs without revision surgery (n = 11; median 12 (min 8, max 21) months after surgery) showed normalisation of liver volume, a statistical increase in PV:A compared to baseline, and a decrease in serum BA concentration in 5/9 cases. At a median of 67 (min 47, max 80) months after surgery, 10/11 cases (91%) had no clinical signs and 7/11 cases (64%) were receiving no medical treatment.

Clinical relevance: Gradual attenuation of a single CEHPSS in dogs with HO appears to be an effective method. However, poor implant reliability may prevent consistent occlusion and necessitate prolonged case monitoring after surgery, and revision surgery in some cases.

ABSTRACTUrethral obstruction in domestic cats contributes significantly to the caseload of companion animal emergency care. The risk factors, multifactorial causes, and lethality of obstruction have driven research in this field in the twenty-first century. Uraemic syndrome, metabolic acidosis, and electrolyte disturbances resulting from interruption of urinary flow pose a life-threatening risk to feline patients, necessitating expert veterinary care. Additionally, the complex and poorly understood pathophysiology of urethral obstruction leads to high recurrence rates. Consequently, a considerable number of scientific studies have been conducted in recent years, yielding advancements in the clinical management of feline urethral obstruction. Ongoing modifications in the therapeutic landscape thus require constant updates for veterinary professionals handling obstructed cats.This article constitutes a robust narrative review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of studies published between 2010 and 2025 regarding the clinical management of urethral obstruction in male cats. The focus lies in detailed discussions of diagnosis, urethral unblocking procedures, patient stabilisation and monitoring, and post-unblocking environmental and pharmacological management. This review constitutes a practice guide enhanced by three detailed clinical algorithms and highlights existing knowledge gaps in the clinical management of obstructed cats. This synthesis empowers veterinarians to manage feline urethral obstructions and conduct the decision-making process while also promoting discussion and future research on this topic.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of tail deviations, trauma and shortening in weaned dairy calves, pregnant dairy heifers and beef cows on a selection of New Zealand farms, and to compare results to those recorded in lactating dairy cows.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. For beef cows, 25 farms were randomly selected from two veterinary practices. For dairy heifers and calves, data were collected from farms (70 and 76, respectively) previously involved in a study of tail damage in lactating cows. All cattle were tail scored using a modification of the New Zealand Veterinary Association Scoring System. Tails were palpated and lesions recorded as deviated (non-linear deformity), shortened, or traumatic (all other lesions). Cows could have more than one lesion, but for the prevalence calculations, only the presence/absence of a particular lesion was assessed. Descriptive herd-level prevalence data were reported for all farms/cattle types. For dairy heifers, the prevalence of tail deviation was compared to that in adult cows on the same farm.

Results: For beef cattle, median prevalence of any tail damage was 4.0% (min 0.0, max 37.5%), and for deviations + trauma, it was 2.0% (min 0.0, max 16.7%). For dairy heifers, equivalent figures were 1.7% (min 0.0, max 17.8%) and 1.3% (min 0.0, max 17.8%). In weaned calves, the median prevalence of any damage was 0% (min 0.0, max 11.6%): almost all damage (61/64 cases) was deviation. Farms with a heifer prevalence of deviations > 2% had a mean cow prevalence of deviations 3.65 (95% CI = 0.7-6.6)% higher than herds with heifer prevalence ≤ 2%, but this explained only 9% of the variation in log percentage cow prevalence.

Conclusions and clinical relevance: In all groups, median prevalence of tail damage was low (and lower than reported in dairy cows), but individual farms had high levels of damage. Beef cows were more likely to have shortened or traumatised tails than dairy heifers/calves, perhaps from an increased prevalence of faecal tail rings. Limited association between the prevalence of tail deviations in heifers and lactating cows on the same farm, and generally lower levels of tail damage in heifers, do not support the hypothesis that tail damage in cows principally results from damage earlier in life. This study adds support to our hypothesis that poor handling/infrastructure are responsible for most tail damage in dairy cows.

Case history and clinical findings: Medical record databases of a veterinary referral hospital in Montréal, Canada, were scrutinised to identify dogs that underwent urethropexy for urethral prolapse between June 2016 and March 2025.A total of 20 dogs were included in the study; brachycephalic breeds (15/20; 75%) and intact males (16/20; 80%) predominated. The median age at presentation was 10 (min 6, max 72) months, and the median body weight was 22.2 (min 2.5, max 29.6) kg. Two dogs had a urinary catheter, placed following spinal surgery, when urethral prolapse occurred.In addition to urethral prolapse, dogs presented with bleeding from the penis (10/20; 50%), haematuria (6/20; 30%), stranguria or periuria (2/20; 10%), and balanoposthitis (1/20; 5%).

Treatment and outcome: Urethropexy was performed in all 20 dogs. All but four dogs had concurrent surgical procedures: castration (n = 14), rhinoplasty, palatoplasty, and/or laryngeal sacculectomy (n = 6), or caudectomy (n = 1). Surgical duration for dogs that received urethropexy alone was 5-18 minutes and time to discharge was 1-2 days.Minor complications (transient haemorrhage, stranguria/dysuria, and/or swelling of the penile tip) were identified in 11/20 dogs (55%), all of which resolved within 2 weeks. Long-term follow-up data were obtained by a telephone interview with each owner, a median of 694.5 (min 19, max 2,827) days after surgery. Two dogs (10%) had recurrence of the urethral prolapse (considered a major complication) 2 days and 8 months after surgery. Only one of the two recurrences required surgical intervention.

Clinical relevance: Urethropexy alone may be a viable surgical option for treating urethral prolapse at initial presentation.