Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide importance. This study describes the clinical findings and outcome of dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis in England. Methods: Retrospective review of medical records of dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis from a single referral hospital located in Eastern England. Results: Thirty-eight dogs met the inclusion criteria. Clinical signs included inappetence (76%), vomiting (68%), lethargy (58%), polydipsia and polyuria (18%) and abdominal pain (16%). Disease manifestations included hepatic and renal involvement (47%), hepatic only (37%), renal only (16%); no dogs were found to have respiratory involvement. Clinicopathological findings at presentation included anaemia (42%), thrombocytopenia (43%), increased alanine transaminase activity (ALT) (66%), hyperbilirubinemia (55%), azotaemia (68%), hypoalbuminaemia (49%) and glucosuria (32%). Seven serovars of Leptospira interrogans or Leptospira kirschneri were detected; the most prevalent was Copenhageni (48%). Seventy-one percent survived to discharge. Dogs in the non-surviving group had a higher creatinine at presentation compared to survivors (p = 0.02). Conclusions:Copenhageni was the most prevalent serovar in this population. This supports the use of a vaccine including this serovar, in this region. Renal involvement was associated with reduced survival to discharge. A hepatic only form was common in this population, and leptospirosis should be included as a differential diagnosis for dogs suffering with a hepatopathy. No cases had significant pulmonary involvement, but ongoing clinical vigilance for this disease manifestation is essential.

A 3‐month‐old male, entire, English bull terrier was presented for investigation of a 24‐hour history of lethargy, pyrexia and neck pain. Inflammatory cerebrospinal and synovial fluid analyses with identification of Pasteurella multocida in the left stifle were supportive of a steroid‐responsive meningitis‐arteritis (SRMA) and immune‐mediated arthritis secondary to septic arthritis in the left stifle. The patient was successfully treated with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids. Follow‐up sampling of cerebrospinal and synovial fluids revealed resolution of the septic arthritis and SRMA after 6 weeks of treatment. Medications were tapered and discontinued after 16 weeks of treatment without any signs of relapse. Follow‐up was 16 weeks. This is the first case report of SRMA with the identification of P. multocida septic arthritis as the suspected trigger.

Objectives To describe antibiotic prescription by veterinarians in general practices in the United Kingdom before referral and analyse if UK antibiotic stewardship guidelines were followed. Materials and Methods The clinical records from dogs and cats referred to the Internal Medicine and Oncology departments of two referral hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Results There were 917 cases included, of which 486 (53.0%) had been prescribed antibiotics for the presentation they were subsequently referred for. Bacterial culture or cytology to guide antibiotic prescription had been performed in 43 of 486 (8.8%) and nine of 486 cases (1.8%) respectively. In four cases, both cytology and culture were performed. For those animals who had received antibiotics, 344 of 486 (70.8%) prescriptions did not comply with UK antibiotic stewardship guidelines. Following investigations at a referral centre, a bacterial aetiology was found or suspected in 17.9% of the cases that received antibiotics. Clinical Significance Use of diagnostics, including culture and cytology, to prove or determine the likelihood of a bacterial aetiology was infrequently performed before referral and may have contributed to overprescription of antibiotics. Encouraging veterinarians to undertake appropriate diagnostics, in combination with education around compliance with antibiotic stewardship guidelines, might reduce antibiotic prescription.

A 2‐year‐old female neutered English bull terrier presented with a history of behavioural change (depression, lethargy, avoidance of light), a mild increase in thirst and urination and two episodes of collapse. General physical and neurological examinations were unremarkable. Initial investigations documented hyponatremia and hyperkalaemia. An adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test excluded hypocortisolism. Aldosterone concentrations obtained pre‐ and post‐ACTH stimulation were both undetectably low. Paired renin and aldosterone assays confirmed hyperreninemic hypoaldosteronism. The patient was treated with oral mineralocorticoid supplementation which resulted in a rapid improvement in both clinical signs and electrolyte concentrations; she remained well on treatment during a 5‐year follow‐up period. Isolated hypoaldosteronism is infrequently reported in the dog but should be considered in cases where hypoadrenocorticism is suspected based on electrolyte abnormalities, but hypocortisolism has been excluded.

Case summary An 11-month-old female domestic shorthair cat presented with a 24 h history of inspiratory dyspnoea, abnormal upper respiratory tract sounds, gagging, retching and making exaggerated swallowing motions. Retroflexed nasopharyngoscopy revealed a large, right-sided nasopharyngeal mass that was seen to exude purulent material and a possible small foreign body when pressure was applied with forceps. Thorough expression of the mass alleviated clinical signs. Cytology revealed septic neutrophilic inflammation, and a Pasteurella species with no noted antimicrobial resistance was cultured. The cat was discharged with oral antibiotics and analgesia and made a full recovery, with no recurrence of clinical signs at the 6-month follow-up. Relevance and novel information Abscess formation in the nasopharyngeal region has not been previously reported in cats, to the authors’ knowledge. The cause of the abscess was suspected to be a foreign body, but other aetiologies could not be fully excluded. This case demonstrates that nasopharyngeal abscesses are a rare but potentially significant differential diagnosis for upper respiratory tract obstruction in cats.