A dog whose major clinical signs suggested a coagulopathy, is described. The dog had a history of bleeding episodes and had a severe regenerative anaemia. By using specific factor assays, the coagulopathy was found to be due to a consumptive intravascular process that resembled chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation. Subsequent investigations identified Angiostrongylus vasorum as the cause.

Records from 101 dogs presented for investigation of unexplained pyrexia were reviewed. The most common diagnosis was immune-mediated disease (22 per cent of cases), with immune-mediated polyarthritis accounting for 20 per cent of all diagnoses. The frequency of positive results obtained in investigative tests was also assessed. Cytological and radiological examinations provided a high diagnostic success rate, although routine haematology and plasma biochemistry were also useful screening tests. On the basis of these results it is suggested that, in the investigation of unexplained pyrexia, a diagnosis of immune-mediated polyarthritis should be excluded before less common diagnoses are considered.

Fecal mass and electrolyte concentrations from 25 ileectomy and/or colectomy patients on known diets were used to assess those factors most responsible for their diarrhea. In 18 ileectomy patients the severity of diarrhea, expressed as a fecal weight, was a function of both percent of colon and centimeters of ileum removed. Linear regression analysis, however, showed that the extent of missing colon had three times the effect of missing ileum on fecal weight. Patients who lost the ileocecal valve and part of the right colon had more diarrhea than those who lost comparable lengths of ileum but had this area preserved. Fecal ion concentrations seemed independent of diet but were related to fecal weight and the amount of colon and ileum removed. Potassium concentration was strongly dependent on the amount of colon lost, while sodium concentration was more influenced by the length of resected ileum. Choloride was most dependent on fecal weight. As expected, fecal fat correlated strongly with the extent of ileum removed. Regresison equations were constructed from the electrolyte data which described and predicted the extent of lost ileum or colon. Our data were also used to separate patients with less than 100 cm of ileum removed from those with more extensive resections. The severity of diarrhea following ileal resection depends primarily on the amount of contiguous colon removed. Varying loss of ileum and colon produced predictable effects on fecal weight and electrolyte composition. Surgeons should preserve the maximum amount of colon possible to reduce the severity of diarrhea in these patients.

This paper describes the clinical and pathological features of 11 dogs with insulin‐secreting tumours of the pancreas. All the dogs showed episodic weakness or collapse. The diagnosis was made on fasting plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations, the insulimglucose ratio, and the results of an intravenous glucose tolerance test. Ten of the dogs had exploratory laparotomy, and partial pancreatectomy was performed in nine of the cases. One case was euthanased at surgery because of widespread metastases. The tumours were graded histologically and the results compared with the time to recurrence of clinical signs and postoperative survival time. Postoperative survival time for dogs which died or were euthanased as a direct result of tumour recurrence, and time to recurrence of clinical signs were calculated from actuarial survival curves. The median time to recurrence of clinical signs after surgery was 12 months (range from four to 16 months; mean time to recurrence of clinical signs 12 months). Two cases died of unrelated disease, without recurrence of hypoglycaemic signs. The median postoperative survival time was 14 months (range 10 to 33 months; mean survival time 15 months). There is a suggestion that tumours with a high mitotic count carried a worse prognosis.

This paper describes two cases of metaphyseal osteomyelitis in young dogs. The condition was characterised by generalised stiffness, muscle atrophy and reluctance to stand. Pain was evident on deep palpation of the distal extremities of long bones. Radiographic lesions, consisting of diffuse areas of bone lysis and pronounced periosteal reaction, were demonstrated in the metaphyseal regions of multiple long bones, particularly the distal radii and ulnae. Growth plates appeared unaffected and remained open. Biochemical abnormalities included significant increases in the plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and alkaline phosphatase. A pronounced neutrophilia and absolute monocytosis were noted in one dog. A six week course of amoxycil‐lin/clavulanic acid in combination with metronidazole resulted in complete resolution of clinical and radiographic signs in each case. Growth disturbances were not observed.

Forty dogs referred to the University Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge for medical and oncological conditions between 1985 and 1990 were found to be hypercalcaemia In 18 cases the primary or underlying condition was diagnosed as lymphoproliferative disease with multicentric lymphoma occurring most commonly. Ten dogs were suffering from hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease) and two had adenocarcinomas of the apocrine glands of the anal sac. In three dogs a clinical diagnosis of renal dysplasia was made, this diagnosis being confirmed at post mortem examination in one dog. In the remaining cases hypercalcaemia was associated with a primary lung tumour, a thymoma, an osteosarcoma with widespread skeletal metastases, primary hyperparathyroidism due to a parathyroid adenoma, chronic panniculitis, iatrogenic hypoadrenocorticism following mito‐tane therapy (one case each] and, in a further case, no diagnosis was reached. The most common clinical signs were inappetence, polyuria/ polydipsia, weakness, vomiting, lethargy and depression. As a group, the dogs with lymphoproliferative disease had a significantly higher mean plasma calcium concentration (4‐3 ± 0–7 vs 3–5 ± 0–4 mmol/litre), a significantly lower mean plasma inorganic phosphate concentration (1–5 ± 0–5 vs 2–4 ± 09 mmol/litre) and were significantly older (5‐5 ± 2–4 vs 3‐3 + 1–8 years) than the dogs with hypoadrenocorticism.

Seven dogs with non-regenerative anaemia were diagnosed as having myelofibrosis on the basis of the presence of collagen and increased deposits of reticulin fibre in the haemopoietic spaces of bone marrow core biopsies. A scoring system was used to assess the cellularity of the marrow and the amounts of collagen, reticulin and haemosiderin present. These scores, together with the haematological findings, were compared with the dogs' responses to treatment and their outcome. Treatment consisted of blood transfusions, where required, and anabolic steroids and corticosteroids. Three dogs deteriorated and were euthanased within three months of diagnosis, but the other four recovered fully. There was no correlation between the collagen and reticulin scores, or the degree of anaemia and the outcome, but the four dogs which recovered all had a macrocytosis when first examined. There was no evidence of an underlying lymphoproliferative or myeloproliferative disease in any of the seven cases.

An unusual tracheal foreign body in a cat and the problems associated with its removal is described. A review of other documented feline tracheal foreign bodies is included.