A comunicação interventricular em cães é uma doença cardíaca congênita e de caráter hereditário. A enfermidade é caracterizada pelo não fechamento do septo interventricular, acarretando na comunicação entre o ventrículo esquerdo e direito, gerando situações de sobrecarga ventricular com refluxos, e em casos de aumento da pressão de câmaras direitas, há a possibilidade da mistura de sangue oxigenado e não oxigenado, o qual, compromete a perfusão sanguínea. Nos caninos, é a quarta cardiopatia congênita mais vista, e acomete geralmente raças de pequeno porte, como Poodle, Yorkshire, e Terrier Brasileiro. Os sinais clínicos variam com o tamanho da comunicação, direção do fluxo comunicante, podendo ser também assintomáticos ou apresentar sinais sutís que não são diagnosticados precocemente, acarretando em um prognóstico desfavorável com a evolução da doença. Com base na sua importância, o presente estudo, baseia-se em um levantamento bibliográfico sobre a comunicação interventricular em cães e a sua repercussão clínica em pacientes acometidos.

Background: The kidneys are a pair of organs that maintain homeostasis, and perform hormonal and excretory functions; the functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. Approximately 2% of cats are born with some structural or functional anomaly, which occurs during fetal development. Unilateral renal agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly in felines, where the cat has only one kidney. This can lead to a series of dysfunctions, with clinical signs, especially when the contralateralorgan does not adequately compensate, since there is more than one concomitant congenital disease like kidney dysplasia, which is the abnormal formation of the kidney structures. This study aimed to report the case of a kitten diagnosed with unilateral renal agenesis; the clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment.Case: A 2-month-old mixed breed female kitten, weighing 0.5 kg, was attended in a veterinary clinic with emesis, hyporexia, hypodipsia, normuria, and diarrhea. Upon physical examination, dehydration, hyperthermia, and renomegaly by abdominal palpation were observed. Complementary examinations such as serum urea and creatinine estimation, abdominal ultrasound,and excretory urography, were requested, and the results include hemoglobin (9 g/dL), mean corpuscular volume (26%), normocytic normochromic anemia, urea (312 mg/dL), and creatinine (3.5 mg/dL). The abdominal ultrasound showed renomegaly on the left kidney and the absence of the right kidney. The above results and excretory urography help to confirm the diagnosis of unilateral renal agenesis and suggested renal dysplasia. The patient was hospitalized to stabilize her condition. The treatment is symptomatic and supportive and aims to increase the patient’s quality of life. Treatment with metoclopramide, erythropoietin, fluid therapy with ringer’s lactate solution, and renal therapeutic feed was prescribed. After 4 days of hospitalization and treatment, the serum creatinine was within normal parameters for the species and the animal showed no more clinical signs. She was discharged and was treatment continued at home. After 36 days, the patient returned for reevaluation: the tutor reported that the patient did not present with episodes of emesis, was active, with normodipsa and normuria, and via abdominal palpation, therewas no renomegaly of the left kidney; serum creatinine and urea levels were below and within the reference values, respectively.Discussion: Unilateral renal agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly in small animals and is characterized by the absence of one of the kidneys; in felines, its etiopathogenesis remains unclear. When the clinical signs are present, these are similar to those of chronic kidney disease. The most frequent signs are weight loss, polyuria and polydipsia, hyporexia or anorexia, emesis, halitosis, gastroenteritis, and gastric ulcers; some of them were presented by the patient in this study. Serum urea and creatinine levels are important to evaluate if there are alterations in the remaining kidney, which was detected in the initial examination. The diagnosis is made through imaging tests such as ultrasonography and excretory urography, used in this case for diagnosis. The treatment is symptomatic and supportive and aims to increase the quality of life of the patient. An antiemetic should be prescribed for patients with emesis, and the most used are maropitant, metoclopramide, and ondansetron. The diet must be changed; to reduce azotemia, therapeutic meals that aid renal functions are recommended. Unilateral renal agenesis is a rare anomaly in small animals, which can cause damage to the animal. Understanding this damage is essential in determining of the conduct by the veterinarian. Keywords: kidneys, azotemia, congenital, anomaly, feline. Título:Agenesia renal unilateral em gatinha Descritores: rins, azotemia, congênita, anomalia, felino.

Background: Sporotrichosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a dimorphic fungi of the Sporothrix schenckii complex. It is an emerging zoonosis with worldwide distribution, thus of great importance to public health. The infection occurs from traumatic inoculation of the fungus in the human skin from contaminated plants and soils and through bites or scratches of infected animals. The occurrence of sporotrichosis has been related to zoonotic transmission, especially by domestic felines. This work aims to report the successful use of itraconazole as monotherapy in a case of localized feline sporotrichosis and highlight the effectiveness of cytology in its diagnosis.Case: A 1-year-and-4-month-old spayed female cat undefined breed, weighing 3.1 kg, was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of the Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), city of Umuarama, presenting a serosanguinous ulcerative lesion located in the left periocular region The clinical picture of the patient progressed over 3 months. Treatments with antibiotic therapy, corticosteroids, and surgical procedures were conducted, without clinical improvement. A new lesion in the distal portion of the thoracic limb emerged, proving that the disease remained in progression. Hematological exams were performed, among them hemogram, renal and hepatic biochemical analyses, SNAPS to identify the feline immunodeficiency virus feline leukemia virus (FIV/FeLV), and cytology of the lesion through imprints. The hematological results were all within the normal standards for the species. Cytology showed a large amount of oval and fusiform structures phagocyted by polymorphonuclear cells, free at the bottom of the slide, compatible with Sporothrix spp. The treatment administered was itraconazole (100 mg/cat), orally administered every 24 h, cefovecin sodium 8 mg/kg, subcutaneous, single dose, topical use of antifungal ointment based on ketoconazole, twice a day. The animal underwent periodic physical and hematological evaluations throughout the treatment period, without significant changes. Complete remission of the lesion was observed after 25 weeks of treatment.Discussion: Cutaneous lesions caused by Sporothrix spp. are mainly located in the head, specifically in the nasal plane, pinna, and periocular regions, presenting ulcerative characteristics and exudate. The dissemination of the fungus through the animal's body may occur through autoinoculation while the feline scratches or licks itself. The cytology presents high sensitivity for diagnosing feline sporotrichosis due to the high fungal load found in the cutaneous lesions. In addition, it is a technique easy to perfom and presents immediate results, favoring an early beginning of the therapy. Itraconazole is considered the drug of choice for the treatment of sporotrichosis because of its efficacy and safety compared to that of other antifungal drugs. The average time of treatment is 4 to 9 months in cats, and it must be maintained for another month after complete remission of the clinical signs to prevent the reactivation of the lesions. FIV and FeLV are not predominant factors for the development of the disease. The use of itraconazole as monotherapy proved to be effective, with no side effects throughout the treatment. Cytology was satisfactory as a diagnostic method and allowed immediate initiation of therapy. Awareness regarding the forms of transmission and prevention of this zoonosis is instrumental.Keywords: Sporothrix spp., zoonosis, monotherapy, itraconazole, cytology.Título: Esporotricose felina na região periocular - eficácia do tratamento com itraconazol.Descritores: Sporothrix spp., zoonose, monoterapia, itraconazol, citologia.

Background: Analysis of the electrocardiogram may suggest atrial and ventricular overloads. However, it has a low sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of cardiac chamber overload. The accuracy of electrocardiographic interpretation can be improve using new cut-offs for the duration and amplitude of the electrocardiographic waves. Our objective was to evaluate the use of the electrocardiogram in the diagnosis of atrial and ventricular overload, using echocardiography as the gold standard test for the diagnosis of atrioventricular overload. We aimed to define new cut-off values that would increase the sensitivity and specificity of the electrocardiogram for diagnosis of chamber overload in dogs.Materials, Methods & Results: Eletrocardiogram records were obtained in 81 dogs divided into 3 groups: Group 1A (healthy dogs 10 kg); Group 1B (dogs 10 kg with mitral or tricuspid valve disease); Group 2 (dogs weighing between 10.1 and 20 kg) and Group 3 (dogs > 20.1 kg). Duration in milliseconds (ms) and amplitude in millivolts (mV) of P waves and QRS complexes, PR and QT segment, T wave amplitude and ST segment were evaluated in lead DII. Using leads I and III, the mean cardiac electrical axis in the frontal plane, expressed in degrees, was determined as the mean of three consecutive measurements. For Group 1A and 1B the duration of P wave was < 45 ms and QRS duration < 55 ms. In Group 2 the duration of P wave was < 47 ms and QRS duration < 57 ms. In Group 3 the duration of P wave was < 50 ms and duration QRS < 64 ms. These values (duration of P wave and QRS duration) were compared with echocardiographic measurements of the left atrium, considering the reference value AE/Ao < 1.4 and measurements of the left ventricle in M-mode according to the body weight, respectively. A P wave amplitude < 0.4 mV suggested that the right atrium size was normal and this was compared with the area of the right atrium measured on the echocardiogram. The right ventricle was assessed using the amplitude of S wave and right axis deviation and compared with the right ventricular area obtained by echocardiography. The reference value of the right atrium and right ventricle is according to the body weight. For both the right and left atria, there was concordance between the diagnoses with electrocardiography and echocardiography. For the right and left ventricle was no agreement between the diagnoses. All criteria examined had low sensitivities, usually with high specificities. But it was not possible to determine a new cut-off that would improve the sensitivity of the electrocardiogram for diagnosis of atrial and ventricular overload in dogs. Discussion: The electrocardiogram analysis produced false interpretations for the measures indicative of atrioventricular overloads and should not be used alone, for diagnosis of cardiac chamber overload. The standard electrocardiographic reference values, for P wave duration and amplitude, were excellent for identification of normal atrial size. However, QRS duration, R wave amplitude (dependent of the dog’s weight) and S wave amplitude, associated with cardiac electrical axis cannot be used for diagnosis of ventricle overload. Electrocardiographic analysis should not be used as a tool to assess cardiac chamber overload, which should be diagnosed by echocardiography and clinical investigation. Based on our findings echocardiogram is the gold standard test indicated to identify overload of cardiac chambers.