The medical records of 19 horses with acute hemoperitoneum were reviewed. The causes for the hemoperitoneum were idiopathic (8 horses), splenic hematoma with capsular tear (7), bleeding from the reproductive tract (3), multicentric hemangiosarcoma (1), and systemic amyloidosis (1). The affected horses were between 4 and 32 years of age (median 11.5 years). The most consistent findings on initial examination were depression, tachycardia, tachypnea, pale mucous membranes, prolonged capillary refill time, colic, and abdominal discomfort. Less common clinical signs included abdominal distention, profuse sweating, ataxia, and broad ligament mass palpated on rectal examination. Clinicopathologic abnormalities commonly detected were anemia, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypoproteinemia, hypocalcemia, azotemia, increased creatinine kinase, and sorbitol dehydrogenase activity. Hemoperitoneum was diagnosed on the basis of abdominocentesis, transabdominal ultrasonography, and postmortem examination. Sixteen horses were treated, and 3 horses were euthanized at owners' request because of severe clinical signs. The treatment consisted of the administration of intravenous fluids, plasma or blood transfusion, nonsteroidal drugs, antimicrobial drugs, and antifibrinolytic and procoagulant agents. Rapid clinical deterioration was observed in 2 horses, necessitating euthanasia. The remaining 14 horses survived the abdominal bleeding (survival rate 74%) and were discharged 3-15 days (median 7.0 days) after presentation. Postmortem examination of the 6 nonsurvivors showed massive abdominal hemorrhage from splenic hematoma with capsular tear (2 horses), multicentric hemangiosarcoma with liver rupture (1), systemic amyloidosis with splenic hematoma and capsular tear (1), and bilateral ruptured ovarian hematomas (1). In one horse, no origin of the bleeding could be determined during postmortem examination.

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Johne's disease (JD) is a chronic, intestinal infection of cattle, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). It results in granulomatous inflammation of the intestinal lining, leading to malabsorption, diarrhea, and weight loss. Crohn’s disease (CD), a chronic, inflammatory gastrointestinal disease of humans, has many clinical and pathologic similarities to JD. Dysbiosis of the enteric microbiota has been demonstrated in CD patients. It is speculated that this dysbiosis may contribute to the intestinal inflammation observed in those patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity patterns of fecal bacterial populations in cattle infected with MAP, compared to those of uninfected control cattle, using phylogenomic analysis. Fecal samples were selected to include samples from 20 MAP-positive cows; 25 MAP-negative herdmates; and 25 MAP-negative cows from a MAP-free herd. The genomic DNA was extracted; PCR amplified sequenced on a 454 Roche platform, and analyzed using QIIME. Approximately 199,077 reads were analyzed from 70 bacterial communities (average of 2,843 reads/sample). The composition of bacterial communities differed between the 3 treatment groups (P < 0.001; Permanova test). Taxonomic assignment of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) identified 17 bacterial phyla across all samples. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes constituted more than 95% of the bacterial population in the negative and exposed groups. In the positive group, lineages of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria increased and those of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes decreased (P < 0.001). Actinobacteria was highly abundant (30% of the total bacteria) in the positive group compared to exposed and negative groups (0.1–0.2%). Notably, the genus Arthrobacter was found to predominate Actinobacteria in the positive group. This study indicates that MAP-infected cattle have a different composition of their fecal microbiota than MAP-negative cattle.

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The medical records of 19 horses with acute hemoperitoneum were reviewed. The causes for the hemoperitoneum were idiopathic (8 horses), splenic hematoma with capsular tear (7), bleeding from the reproductive tract (3), multicentric hemangiosarcoma (1), and systemic amyloidosis (1). The affected horses were between 4 and 32 years of age (median 11.5 years). The most consistent findings on initial examination were depression, tachycardia, tachypnea, pale mucous membranes, prolonged capillary refill time, colic, and abdominal discomfort. Less common clinical signs included abdominal distention, profuse sweating, ataxia, and broad ligament mass palpated on rectal examination. Clinicopathologic abnormalities commonly detected were anemia, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypoproteinemia, hypocalcemia, azotemia, increased creatinine kinase, and sorbitol dehydrogenase activity. Hemoperitoneum was diagnosed on the basis of abdominocentesis, transabdominal ultrasonography, and postmortem examination. Sixteen horses were treated, and 3 horses were euthanized at owners' request because of severe clinical signs. The treatment consisted of the administration of intravenous fluids, plasma or blood transfusion, nonsteroidal drugs, antimicrobial drugs, and antifibrinolytic and procoagulant agents. Rapid clinical deterioration was observed in 2 horses, necessitating euthanasia. The remaining 14 horses survived the abdominal bleeding (survival rate 74%) and were discharged 3-15 days (median 7.0 days) after presentation. Postmortem examination of the 6 nonsurvivors showed massive abdominal hemorrhage from splenic hematoma with capsular tear (2 horses), multicentric hemangiosarcoma with liver rupture (1), systemic amyloidosis with splenic hematoma and capsular tear (1), and bilateral ruptured ovarian hematomas (1). In one horse, no origin of the bleeding could be determined during postmortem examination.

Treatment of salmonellosis in neonatal calves with a high extralabel dose of ceftiofur (5 mg/kg, IM, q 24 h) promotes animal welfare, reduces fecal shedding of Salmonella organisms, and may promote clearance of Salmonella infections when plasma ceftiofur concentrations are maintained above minimal inhibitory concentrations.

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A 6-year-old female alpaca (case 1) was examined at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals of the University of Pennsylvania for evaluation of lethargy, diarrhea, and weight loss of 3 months' duration. A diagnosis of Mycoplasma haemolamae had initially been made by the referring veterinarian based on blood smear examination findings. The animal was treated with a long-acting form of oxytetracyline a (10 mg/kg SQ q24h) for 10 days but its clinical signs failed to improve. Serial fecal floatations performed before referral showed no parasite ova. Additional treatments received before referral included ivermectin, fenbendazole, B vitamins, injectable iron, procaine penicillin, oral sulfadimethoxine, and oral electrolytes. As the diarrhea and weight loss persisted, the alpaca was referred for further evaluation. The animal was pregnant (approximately 155 days gestation) at the time of presentation. The animal was from a herd of 78 alpacas, and was pastured with a group of pregnant females and young animals. Routine vaccinations on the farm included rabies, Clostridium perfringens Types C and D, and tetanus.On presentation, the alpaca was quiet but responsive and in poor body condition (body condition score 3/10), weighing 60 kg. Rectal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate were 98.21F, 56 beats per minute, and 20 breaths per minute, respectively. The alpaca appeared well hydrated with pale mucous membranes. It had green, watery feces, and a poor appetite. Initial laboratory abnormalities included mild nonregenerative anemia (PCV, 23%; reference interval, 25-46%), hypoproteinemia (total protein, 4.2 g/dL; reference interval, 4.6-6.9 g/dL), hypoalbuminemia (albumin, 1.40 g/dL; reference interval, 2.50-4.20 g/dL), and azotemia (serum creatinine concentration, 2.28 mg/dL; reference interval, 0.6-1.80 mg/dL). Blood smear examination was negative for Mycoplasma haemolamae organisms. Feces were submitted for fecal floatation, Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis (MAP) RT-PCR, b,c acid-fast staining for Cryptosporidium, fecal occult blood, and bacterial cultures. Blood was submitted for MAP antibody detection with ELISA.d No parasite ova were observed on fecal floatation, and the acid-fast staining was negative for Cryptosporidium organisms. The occult blood test result was negative. Fecal bacterial cultures were negative for Salmonella spp. and Clostridium spp. Fetal and abdominal ultrasound examinations were performed. The sonographic appearance of the visible gastrointestinal structures was within normal limits. Fetal sonographic evaluation detected an irregular heart rate, suggestive of fetal distress. Additional diagnostic tests performed during the hospital stay included determination of serum trace mineral concentrations (Cu, Fe, Se, and Zn), fecal coronavirus detection with electron microscopy, and bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) testing by PCR on the buffy coat. Serum trace mineral concentrations were within the reference range. Results of coronavirus and BVD tests later returned negative.The pat...