Articles

We have a lot to learn about Feline Hyperaesthesia Syndrome (FHS), a complex disorder characterized by clinical signs including skin rippling, episodes of running and jumping, excessive vocalization and tail chasing. Some veterinarians consider tail mutilation as a clinical sign although others associate it with neuropathic pain. This retrospective study took an integrated multi-disciplinary approach. […]

Lymphangiosarcomas are aggressive, rare malignant tumours that originate in the endothelial cells of the lymphatic vessels. In veterinary medicine they have been reported in dogs, cats, horses, a cow and an Asian otter. A study has now reported a possible first case in a rat. An adult intact female rat (Rattus norvegicus) was presented with […]

Pangolins were included in the Appendix I of CITES in 2016 and, since then, global awareness of the importance of conserving these unusual mammals has increased. They are the most trafficked animals in the world, commonly poached in Africa and Asia.  Projects are now running in these regions to rescue live animals and release them […]

Giraffe numbers have decreased around 40% over the last thirty years, mainly because of anthropogenic causes, primarily poaching and habitat destruction.  Diseases, including giraffe skin disease (GSD), however, also play a role in their decreasing numbers so are of concern to conservationists. The first signals of GSD are small nodules with raised hair that develop […]

Forget about the myths and legends that have besmirched their reputation – bats play an important role in the ecosystem! Bat species represent a quarter of all mammalian species. Each is individual in terms of its hunting strategies and use of bio sonar – but it is true to say that most of them intensify […]

The European Food Safety Authority has published an open-access report with a description of parasites not routinely controlled in food: Cryptosporidium spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Echinococcus spp. Each of these parasites can be transmitted by ingesting contaminated foods – often fresh produce not cooked before consumption. Individual methods of identification and recording currently exist for […]

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which means that when it is ingested to excess, it is not promptly excreted in urine and is, instead, stored in fat and hepatic tissues. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has been analyzing the presence of potentially toxic levels of Vitamin D in various dry pet foods, following […]

As oceans continue to warm, harmful algal blooms (HABs) are becoming more frequent, more toxic and longer lasting. This is affecting the safety of our seafood as domoic acid (a neurotoxin produced by some diatoms) produced by these events accumulates in feeding fish and shellfish. High levels of domoic acid (DA) can lead to gross […]

The neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been extensively studied as an early biomarker of tubular damage and acute kidney disease (AKI) in humans. In dogs, some studies have concluded that the concentration of NGAL could predict azotemic AKI more quickly than serum creatinine concentration. It could also detect non-azotemic AKI and predict the likelihood of […]

The most commonly used routes to administer sedatives and analgesics in veterinary medicine are intramuscularly or subcutaneously but restraining cats humanely for these procedures can be difficult and adverse reactions to injections are also possible. Buccal administration (BA) is a simple and painless procedure in which drugs are administered into the oral cavity and given […]

While it is the treatment of choice for dogs with congenital hydrocephalus, ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement (VSP), can bring complications and the clinical parameters to take into account when deciding between surgery and medical management can be unclear. When dealing with a hydrocephalic patient, the aim should be either to decrease cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or increase […]

In exotic small mammals, vestibular syndrome is generally linked to chronic cases of otitis interna but this case report is possibly the first describing a sequela with subsequent paradoxical signs. The report describes the case of a three-year-old female guinea pig, whose first physical examination revealed uveitis of the right eye, corneal ulceration, facial paresis […]

Although not often considered the primary cause of clinical signs, it has been suggested that intervertebral malformations interfere with spinal biomechanics.  A study aimed to clarify whether there is an association between kyphosis, scoliosis and intervertebral disc extrusion. The retrospective investigation included the clinical cases of 178 French bulldogs, a breed often linked to these […]

Tuberculosis (TB) in cats is generally linked to an outdoor lifestyle and hunting behavior but some cases in UK are showing that there is more to it than this. This article describes the clinical cases of 13 pet cats with evidence of Mycobacterium bovis infection (confirmed by PCR or interferon-gama release assay). They were all […]

A longer life expectancy in cats came together with a higher prevalence of chronic painful conditions, which assessment is a challenge for the majority of veterinarians. Chronic pain has a negative impact in the quality of life of animals and it can exist by itself or be associated with disease/injury. To access chronic pain it […]

Cryotherapy is a rehabilitation technique with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, commonly used postoperatively. When combined with intermittent dynamic pressure, it is called Cold Compression Therapy (CCT). This study included 30 cranial cruciate ligament-deficient stifle joints of dogs, divided in three groups: Group I – CCT once before and after surgery Group II – CCT four […]