Dysautonomia of domestic animals is pathologically characterized by chromatolytic degeneration of the neurons in the autonomic nervous ganglia that results in clinical signs related to dysfunction or failure of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The exact cause is unknown. It has a poor prognosis among all species reported and no definitive treatment is available currently. To date, most reported feline cases have occurred in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. The cases reported here highlight the clinical signs, physical examination findings, and results of autonomic nervous system function testing in nine cats with dysautonomia in the US. Feline dysautonomia is uncommon in the US, but may have a regional prevalence, as is seen in dogs with most cases reported in Missouri and Kansas.
A fluoroscopic technique was used as a minimally invasive alternative to endoscopy or open-chest surgery for removal of a foreign body from the trachea of a cat. Use of this technique allowed uninterrupted ventilation of the cat throughout the procedure.
A dog presenting for chronic purulent nasal discharge was diagnosed with an Eucoleus boehmi infection based upon rhinoscopic appearance of the nasal worms in situ, identification of the adult parasites in rhinoscopic nasal biopsies, and ova in the feces. The dog was successfully treated with a 2 wk course of fenbendazole and measures preventing reinfection through coprophagia. Patients with chronic nasal discharge should have a fecal examination performed to rule out infection with E. boehmi.
Background: Pancreatic beta cells express ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels that are needed for normal insulin secretion and are targets for drugs that modulate insulin secretion. The K ATP channel is composed of two subunits: a sulfonylurea receptor (SUR 1) and an inward rectifying potassium channel (Kir 6.2 ). K ATP channel activity is influenced by the metabolic state of the cell and initiates the ionic events that precede insulin exocytosis. Although drugs that target the K ATP channel have the expected effects on insulin secretion in dogs, little is known about molecular aspects of this potassium channel. To learn more about canine beta cell K ATP channels, we studied K ATP channel expression by the normal canine pancreas and by insulin-secreting tumors of dogs.
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