Background: Antibiotics generally are recommended to treat hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE). Inappropriate use of antibiotics may promote risk of antimicrobial resistance and unnecessary adverse drug reactions. The necessity of antimicrobial therapy in dogs with HGE has not been demonstrated. Objective: The purpose of this prospective, placebo‐controlled, blinded study was to evaluate whether treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid improves the clinical course and outcome of HGE in dogs that show no signs of sepsis. Animals: The study included 60 dogs diagnosed with HGE between 2007 and 2009 at the Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, LMU University of Munich, Germany. The inclusion criterion was the presence of acute hemorrhagic diarrhea (<3 days). Dogs pretreated with antibiotics, with signs of sepsis, or diagnosed with any disease known to cause bloody diarrhea were excluded from the study. Methods: Patients were randomly divided into treatment (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid for 7 days) and placebo groups. To evaluate treatment efficacy, severity of clinical signs (based on a newly developed HGE index), duration of hospitalization, and mortality rate were compared between the 2 groups. Results: Fifty‐three of 60 dogs completed the study. No significant difference between treatment groups concerning mortality rate, dropout rate, duration of hospitalization, or severity of clinical signs, either on any individual day or over the course of disease, was observed. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In some dogs with HGE that show no signs of sepsis, antibiotics may not change the case outcome or time to recovery.

Background: Feline panleukopenia is a highly contagious and often lethal disease. Objective: The purpose of the study was to identify prognostic factors for survival of cats with panleukopenia. Animals: Between 1990 and 2007, 244 cats were diagnosed with panleukopenia in the Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, LMU University of Munich, Germany. Diagnosis was established by electron microscopy, polymerase chain reaction of feces or blood, antigen ELISA of feces, pathognomonic histopathological lesions at necropsy, or some combination of these procedures.Methods: Medical records of each cat were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Survival rate was 51.1%. No significant correlation was found between outcome and living conditions, age, vaccination status (unvaccinated versus one or more vaccines administered), or severity of clinical signs. However, of the vaccinated cats, none had received a vaccine later than 12 weeks of age as a kitten. Nonsurvivors had significantly lower leukocyte and thrombocyte counts at presentation compared with survivors. The relative risk of death for patients with o1,000/mL leukocytes was 1.77 times as high as in patients with a leukocyte count of 1,000-2,500/mL (P 5 .038), and 1.85 times as high as in patients with 42,500/mL leukocytes (P 5 .001). The likelihood of a fatal outcome was higher when serum albumin concentration was o30 g/L or serum potassium concentration o4 mmol/L.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Vaccination strategies that do not include vaccination of kittens beyond 12 weeks of age may not be adequate to prevent panleukopenia. Leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, and hypokalemia are negative prognostic factors in cats with panleukopenia.

ZusammenfassungEine 2 Jahre alte kastrierte Epagneul-Breton-Hündin wurde wegen Ekchymosen bei ungestörtem Allgemeinbefinden vorgestellt. Die klinische Untersuchung ergab zusätzliche Petechien sowie ein Hämatom. Auslandsaufenthalte inkludierten Italien und Dänemark. Labordiagnostisch fielen eine mittelgradige Thrombozytopenie, verlängerte Gerinnungszeiten (PT, aPTT, TT) und eine erhöhte D-Dimer-Konzentration. Die initiale Therapie umfasste Plasmatransfusionen, Infusion sowie Doxycyclinund Famotidingabe. Die Infektionserkrankungen Babesiose, Ehrlichiose, Leishmaniose, Dirofilariose und Anaplasmose konnten nicht bestätigt werden. Eine sonographische Untersuchung des Abdomens ergab unauffällige Befunde, das Thoraxröntgen zeigte ein bronchointerstitielles Lungenmuster. Eine Sammelkotprobe über 3 Tage für ein Larvenauswanderungsverfahren nach Baermann war positiv für Angiostrongylus vasorum. Die A.-vasorum-Infektion wurde mit Fenbendazol erfolgreich therapiert, worauf die Thrombozytopenie und die abnormen Gerinnungszeiten rückläufig waren. Auch in Gebieten mit niedriger Prävalenz sollte bei Hunden mit Gerinnungsstörungen an eine A.-vasorum-Infektion gedacht werden. Respiratorische Symptome können bei dieser Erkrankung komplett fehlen. Der Patient könnte sich sowohl im Ausland als auch in Deutschland infiziert haben.

In persons with Down syndrome, dementia is a prevalent cause for admission to psychiatry, especially in females and those of advanced age. Services should be adapted to the increased demands.

Gerade weil das Mammakarzinom beim Mann eine so seltene Erkrankung ist, besteht gelegentlich Unsicherheit bzgl. der Art und Agressivität der Abklärung beim Tastbefund in der männlichen Brust. Generell sollte jeder solide Herdbefund einer bildgebenden Diagnostik zugeführt werden mit einer geringen Schwelle zur weiteren zytologischen oder histologischen Abklärung. Eine sorgfältige Anamneseerhebung ist entscheidend für die Eruierung eines potentiellen metastatischen Befalls, was wiederum anstelle eines operativ-kurativen Therapieansatz lediglich eine Palliation zur Folge hätte.