In dogs with non-perforated ulcers, survey radiography was usually negative whereas ultrasonography and CT frequently enabled detection of the site of the ulcer; in dogs with perforated ulcers, radiography was frequently positive for peritoneal gas and CT was a sensitive modality for both the ulcer and signs of perforation.

over the past three decades, a substantial body of clinical research and reports has built up covering feline blood types and transfusion medicine. This article draws on that research to provide clinical guidance aimed at all veterinarians in feline or small animal practice who either currently practise transfusion medicine or plan to do so.

PRCA and NRIMHA are uncommon causes of anaemia in predominantly young cats. The prognosis is reasonable, with a mortality rate of 27%, and it can take at least 6 weeks before remission is observed. Following clinical remission, gradual withdrawal of immunosuppressive treatments should be attempted, with close monitoring for relapse; some cats may require long-term treatment. This study is the first to report the use of chlorambucil as an adjunctive immunosuppressant in these cases. Outcome did not differ for PRCA and NRIMHA.

No abstract

Heat-related illness is a potentially fatal condition in dogs. Rapid and accurate recognition of the severity can improve clinical management in affected dogs and lead to better outcomes. This study explored retrospective VetCompass veterinary clinical records to investigate the clinical signs recorded for dogs presenting with heat-related illness to primary-care veterinary practice from 2016 to 2018. The relative risk of death associated with these clinical signs was reported and used to develop a novel clinical grading tool. From the clinical records of 856 heat-related illness events, the most frequently recorded clinical signs were respiratory changes (68.73%) and lethargy (47.79%). The clinical signs with the highest relative risk of death were neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal haemorrhage and bleeding disorders. The novel VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool for Heat-Related Illness in dogs defines three grades: mild (altered respiration, lethargy), moderate (gastrointestinal signs, a single seizure, episodic collapse) and severe (neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal haemorrhage, bleeding disorders). This novel grading tool offers a simple, evidence-based device to improve recognition of heat-related illness in dogs and promote improved decision-making for earlier interventions such as cooling and hospitalisation. This could improve outcomes and protect the welfare of dogs in the face of rising global temperatures.

Practitioners should be alert to the possibility of this benign entity. Misdiagnosis as a chondrosarcoma, for example, might conceivably lead to radical and unnecessary amputation.

An 11-month-old Border collie presented collapsed and continued to deteriorate rapidly despite supportive treatment. The dog had a history of failure to thrive and recurring respiratory infection. Laboratory abnormalities included neutrophilic leucocytosis, Heinz body anaemia, hyperammonaemia, hyperbilirubinaemia, proteinuria and hypocobalaminaemia. Post-mortem examination revealed multi-focal necrosis within the heart, kidneys, pancreas, liver, meninges and cerebral cortex. Fungal hyphae in lesions were identified as Scedosporium prolificans following culture. Subsequent genotyping confirmed that the dog carried the CUBN:c.8392delC mutation in a homozygous state, verifying hereditary cobalamin deficiency (a.k.a. Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome). Cobalamin deficiency may have been a predisposing factor for the development of systemic fungal infection in this dog.

Objective To describe the clinical characteristics of recurrent septic peritonitis in dogs. Design Multicenter retrospective observational study. Animals Client‐owned dogs with recurrent septic peritonitis. Setting Three university emergency and referral hospitals. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Medical records from 3 veterinary university teaching hospitals were reviewed and data were collected using a standardized data collection sheet for all cases of septic peritonitis during the study period (2000–2011). Forty one dogs met the inclusion criteria for recurrent peritonitis. All dogs underwent relaparotomy. The original cause of septic peritonitis in these cases included previous surgery for gastrointestinal foreign body removal (n = 26), gastrointestinal neoplasia (n = 3), gastric or duodenal ulceration (n = 3), bilary tract leakage (n = 2), and single instance for each of the following: penetrating foreign body, hernia strangulation, intussusception, mesenteric volvulus, infection of the laparotomy incision, prostatic abscess, and trauma. Eighteen animals survived to discharge. There was no difference detected between survivors and nonsurvivors with recurrent peritonitis in terms of inciting cause, serum albumin concentration, surgical management, or provision of appropriate initial antimicrobials. The survival rate for dogs having recurrent peritonitis was 43.9% (18/41 dogs). Conclusions This retrospective study did not identify any significant prognostic indicators for dogs with recurrent peritonitis and that the mortality rate for dogs having more than one surgery for septic peritonitis is similar to that reported for a single surgery for septic peritonitis.