A mixture of ketamine and diazepam, at doses of 6 mg/kg and 0.30 mg/kg respectively, proved to be a reliable and reasonably safe immobilisation agent for field work on grey and southern elephant seals. It was better than previously reported drugs used either singly or in combination.
This report describes the history, clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings, treatment, outcome and post-mortem findings in seven horses with aorto-cardiac fistula. Affected horses included 5 stallions, one gelding and one mare; 2 each of the Thoroughbred, Arabian and Standardbred breeds and one Thoroughbred-cross with a mean +/- s.d. age of 12 +/- 4 years, range 6-18 years. The presenting signs were acute distress (four horses), exercise intolerance (two horses) and the lesion was detected during a routine examination in one horse. Five horses had monomorphic ventricular tachycardia on admission and one other had a history of this arrhythmia. Five horses had a characteristic continuous murmur loudest in the right fourth intercostal space. Echocardiography (six horses) and/or post-mortem examination (four horses) revealed the horses had aorto-cardiac fistulas arising from the right aortic sinus in all five horses in which the site was recorded. Two horses had ruptured aneurysmal dilatations of the aortic wall at this site. Fistulas extended into the right ventricle in four horses; the right atrium in two horses, the left ventricle in one horse, and five horses had dissecting tracts in the septal myocardium. Horses survived for periods ranging from 24 h to 4 years. Aorto-cardiac fistula should be considered in the differential diagnosis for horses presenting with acute distress, bounding arterial pulse, a right-sided continuous murmur and/or monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, particularly in middle-aged or older stallions. Echocardiography is the technique of choice for confirming the diagnosis and demonstrating accompanying cardiac changes.
The helminth parasites from more than 300 cetaceans stranded on the coast of England and Wales during the period 1990±1994 were identi®ed, this being the largest organized survey of cetacean parasites yet undertaken. Thirteen species of cetaceans were examined, although the majority were common (harbour) porpoises Phocoena phocoena (n = 173) and common dolphins Delphinus delphis (n = 101). The parasites found included 11 species of nematode () and two acanthocephalans (Bolbosoma capitatum, B. physeteris). The results of this survey are tabulated and each helminth species is discussed in terms of its biology and pathogenicity.
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