Tieraerztliche Praxis Ausgabe Kleintiere Heimtiere最新文献

For detection of infectious diseases, several point-of-care (POC) tests are on the market in addition to methods performed in commercial laboratories. These POC tests are based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or other immunochromatographic technologies and present results within few minutes in veterinary practice. This article gives an overview of the utility of numerous POC tests of different manufacturers for detection of parvovirus antigen in feces, Dirofilaria (D.) immitis antigen in blood as well as antibodies against Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi, Anaplasma (A.) spp., Ehrlichia (E.) spp., Leptospira (L.) spp. and Leishmania (L.) infantum in blood (single or in different combinations). Sensitivity and specificity of these tests are important for their usefulness in veterinary practice. Furthermore, presence of antibodies or detection of antigen has to correlate with the presence of clinical signs. POC tests for detection of canine parvovirus antigen have a very high specificity, the sensitivity of all evaluated POC tests, however, is very low. POC tests for detection of D. immitis antigen have a very high sensitivity and specificity. As they detect antigen from the uterus of female adult parasites, test results are negative when only very few female or only male adults are present. POC tests for detection of antibodies against B. burgdorferi only indicate contact with Borrelia spp. and do not prove clinical Lyme disease, as the infection only extremely rarely causes clinical signs. POC tests for detection of antibodies against A. phagocytophilum are also not suitable for diagnosis of clinical anaplasmosis. Infections with A. phagocytophilum only lead to clinical disease in very rare cases and in these, clinical signs occur before the development of antibodies. POC tests for detection of antibodies against E. canis have a very high sensitivity as well as specificity. POC tests for detection of antibodies against L. infantum and Leptospira species (spp.) show a very high specificity and a high sensitivity. However, Leptospira spp. antibody-positive results may occur following vaccination, as the POC tests cannot distinguish between field and vaccination strains.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the clinical signs, confirmed or suspected toxicants, treatments and outcomes of poisoning cases in dogs presented over a 5-year period to the emergency service of a small animal referral center.

Material and methods: Medical records of 634 dogs were evaluated for a history of confirmed or presumed poisoning, suspected toxicant, clinical signs, treatment, and patient outcome. The probability of poisoning was graded based on the patient history, clinical findings, toxicologic examination and - in some cases - investigation of gastrointestinal contents.

Results: Most dogs were hospitalized (77%) due to poisoning with mostly unknown toxicants (33%), food residues (18%), rodenticides (10%), tremorgenic mycotoxins (8%), medications (7%) and various plants (7%), followed by recreational drugs (5%), chemicals (4%), molluscicides (3%), antiparasitics (2%), feces (2%), nuts (2%), or toxins of animal origin (1%). Patients were presented predominantly showing neurologic signs (56%), reduced general condition (39%), and cardiovascular or hydration status abnormalities (26%). The survival rate was 97%. Most dogs were clinically unremarkable at the time of hospital discharge (70%). An additional 18% of the survivors had no apparent complications by the time of discharge. Toxicant-related complications (20.5%) included hemorrhage (4%), hepatic (4%), renal (4%), respiratory (3%), gastrointestinal (3%), cardiovascular (3%), and/or central nervous system (3%) complications, or clinically relevant hypoglycemia (0.3%).

Conclusion and clinical relevance: In the present study, poisoning in dogs was mostly associated with the ingestion of food residues, but the causative toxicant remained unidentified in many cases. Neurological signs were the major clinical presentation. The survival rate (97%) in this study was higher compared to those reported by other investigators.

A captive 15-year-old male common raven (Corvus corax) was presented for post-mortem examination. It had been previously presented to a local veterinarian due to a 3-4 weeks long history of abnormal respiratory sounds. Upon admission, the bird demonstrated severe dyspnea and a massive amount of mucous in the oropharynx. After symptomatic treatment, dyspnea deteriorated dramatically, and euthanasia was elicited because of poor prognosis. The necropsy revealed a 2.65 x 2.15 x 2.18 cm expansile and poorly delineated cauliflower-shaped mass around the glottis and extending inside the tracheal lumen. Additionally, a dilated salivary gland in the adjacent tissue and multifocal reddish-fleshy areas in the lung parenchyma were detected. Histopathological examination identified the mass as moderately differentiated, tubular adenocarcinoma with invasive growth and moderate to marked cellular atypia and numerous mitoses. The presumptive origin of the neoplasia was one of the salivary glands. Multiple metastases were identified in the lung both macroscopically and histologically. Bacterial culture and molecular testing for West Nile and Usutu viruses were negative. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of metastatic laryngeal and oropharyngeal adenocarcinoma in a common raven.

A 3-month-old and a 4-year-old cat were presented in the clinic due to regurgitation. The kitten had displayed the symptoms since it had been fed solid foods and was smaller than the litter mates. The 4-year-old cat showed sudden-onset symptoms for 5 days prior to presentation and had a good general condition. Positive contrast thoracic radiographs of both cats in lateral recumbency showed an esophageal dilatation cranial to the heart base and raised a suspicion of foreign material with soft tissue density in this area. In the 4-year-old cat, findings of ventrodorsal thoracic radiographs were compatible with a dextroposition of the aorta and a slightly marked focal left curve of the trachea. The echocardiographic examination of the kitten pictured a right sided aorta, hence a vascular ring anomaly with a dextroposition from the aorta was suspected. Aberrant blood flow as it is seen in a persistent ductus arteriosus was not apparent in the echocardiography. As a result of the sudden development of the clinical signs in the older cat without displaying any former history of regurgitation, an esophagoscopy was performed to exclude an intraluminal esophageal cause for the stricture as well as to extract the foreign material. In this cat, computed tomography imaging also displayed an aberrant left subclavian artery. Both cats recovered well after surgical correction.The diagnosis of a ring anomaly in the kitten via echocardiography is a rare situation. As is the diagnosis of a high-grade esophageal stricture due to a vascular ring anomaly at the age of 4 without a former history of regurgitation.Recovery was excellent in the younger cat. There were no signs of regurgitation 6 months after surgery. The adult cat was in good general condition without clinical symptoms according to the owners when presented for stitch removal. Unfortunately, the adult cat was lost to follow up.

In 2023, 2 novel pharmaceutical agents for small animals were released on the German market: the structural but non-functional analog of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid pregabalin with an anxiolytic active component and the dopamine agonist ropinirole in form of eye drops to induce vomiting. Two established active veterinary pharmaceutical ingredients became available for additional species: The phosphorus compound butafosfan was additionally approved for horses, dogs and cats and the mineral sodium chloride as an isotonic sodium chloride solution was also approved for rabbits and guinea pigs. In addition, for small animals, there were new releases of an agent (dexamethasone) in a novel pharmaceutical formulation, one drug with a new route of administration (hydrocortisone aceponate), one drug with a new content of the active ingredient (firocoxib) as well as one veterinary drug with a new combination of active ingredients in a novel pharmaceutical formulation (gentamicin+mometasone+posaconazole). Furthermore, one combination of active ingredients (diprophylline+heptaminol) is available on the market for small animals again.

Objective: In this retrospective study, patient records of dogs suffering from poisoning with coumarin derivatives were evaluated to characterize the clinical appearance more precisely.

Material und methods: Retrospective data analysis included 52 dogs with hemostaseologically proven anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning which were treated as inpatients at the Clinic for Small Animals between September 2011 and October 2018.

Results: In only 2 dogs (4%) the intake of poison could be observed with certainty. The most common clinical signs observed were reduced general behavior (79%), pallor of the mucosa (79%), anorexia (60%), and dyspnea/tachypnea (60%). In contrast, macroscopically visible internal and external bleedings occurred less frequently. Initially, all cases showed a highly altered prothrombin time and most patients a considerably prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time. Anemia was present in 75% of patients. All dogs included in the study received initially an intravenous treatment with 10 mg/kg vitamin K₁. Pretreatment with 1 mg/kg prednisolone was given for prophylaxis of possible incompatibility reactions. No patient showed signs of anaphylactic reaction. Transfusions of whole blood or concentrated red cells were given to only 10 of the 52 animals; only one received 2 transfusions of erythrocytes. 94% of the animals could be discharged home for outpatient therapy after a median length of hospitalization of 3 days (1-9 days) with physiological or almost physiological coagulation test results.

Conclusion: Anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning is often associated with non-specific symptoms and good prognosis if treated adequately.

Clinical relevance: Coagulation diagnostics is always indicated in cases with unclear disorders. In life-threatening emergencies, immediate intravenous infusion of high-dose vitamin K₁ is a very effective treatment and results in a rapid increase in coagulation factor activity.

A 12-year-old male neutered European Shorthair cat was presented for pruritus in the right ear region, bleeding from ear canal and a suspected polyp-like mass in its lumen.After the diagnostic imaging a biopsy of the mass was taken and submitted for histopathological evaluation. Histopathologic examination led to the diagnosis of low grade mast cell tumor. The subsequent staging examinations included ultrasonography of the liver and spleen as well as a complete blood count. Total ear canal ablation was performed on the same day, and the removed ear canal was again submitted for histopathologic evaluation of the surgical margins. The excision incision margins were free from infiltrating tumor cells. The cat was euthanised 14 months after the surgery. It is unknown whether the reasons for this were associated to metastatic spread of the initial mast cell tumor.A mast cell tumor in the ear canal is an unusual and rare finding, however it should be included in the list of differential diagnoses for ear canal tumors.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate reproducibility and practicality of the German version of the Glasgow composite measured pain scale - feline, during its implementation into a German veterinary hospital.

Material and methods: The study comprised of 2 parts. Participation of veterinary professionals was voluntary. During part 1, 15 staff members (all rater=AR) with variable clinical experience (nurses, interns, junior clinician, senior clinicians), from 4 disciplines (anesthesia, internal medicine, surgery, neurology), and one main investigator (AC), pain scored 45 diseased cats and 10 healthy cats. Part 2 was an online survey, evaluating the practical experience of participants during part 1 and asking for suggestions to improve the scale and process of pain assessment. For part 1 normal distribution of data was tested by Shapiro-Wilk-Test and histograms. Intrarater and interrater reliability were evaluated by calculating the intraclass-correlation. Statistical analysis of part 2 used descriptive methods.

Results: The interrater reliability was moderate (ICC _AR : 0.59) and the intrarater reliability was good (ICC _AC : 0.88). The pain scores of cats with medical (AR: 3.06±2.33, AC 3.52±2.34) and surgical disease (AR: 3.78±2.38, AC: 4.02±2.72) showed no significant difference. All healthy cats were classified as "not painful" (AR: 0.77±0.67, AC: 1.09±0.83). Clinical experience of the rater did not significantly influence pain scores. The GCMPS-F was judged as easy to use and as helpful tool for cats with unclear pain conditions.

Conclusion: The GCMPS-F had a good acceptance and moderate interrater reliability.

Clinical relevance: Using the German version of the GCMPS-F, veterinary professionals from different disciplines and with different grades of specialisation can reliably assess pain levels in cats without prior extensive training.

Anaplasmosis is a vector-borne disease caused by Anaplasma (A.) spp. which currently is still rarely diagnosed in cats. This article describes 3 independent cases of anaplasmosis in cats from different regions of Germany presented to veterinarians in 2021. All cats showed unspecific clinical signs, such as fever, reduced general condition, and decreased appetite. One cat additionally had generalized limb pain, another showed reluctance to move as well as vomiting. On complete blood cell count, only 1 of 3 cats showed mild thrombocytopenia. A. phagocytophilum was detected in blood samples of all 3 cats by polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, in 2 cats (in which blood smears were evaluated) morulae could be detected within neutrophilic granulocytes. Initially, all 3 cats had highly elevated serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations. Treatment with doxycycline caused a rapid improvement of clinical signs, followed by a decrease of SAA concentrations to normal levels as well as negative PCR results after a treatment duration of at least 28 days. In cats with fever, otherwise unspecific clinical signs with only mild or no hematological changes, elevated SAA concentrations, and previous exposure to ticks, attending veterinarians should consider anaplasmosis as differential diagnosis.