Elizabeth Welsh

Pilot epidemiological study of attitudes towards pain in horses

This preliminary study investigated the attitudes, and evaluated the current practice of a sample of the veterinary profession in the UK in relation to the management of pain in horses. In June 2001, a questionnaire was posted to 260 veterinarians in specialised equine practice, and 140 veterinarians in general practice with a significant equine caseload. There was a 25 per cent response rate to the questionnaire, which recorded information about the availability and prescription of analgesic drugs, the factors influencing the selection of analgesics and their administration, and estimates of the severity of pain associated with selected clinical conditions. There were considerable variations in the practices applied to manage pain in horses, implying that there are similar attitudinal barriers to the optimal management of pain in horses as have been identified in other domestic species.

Acute effects of carprofen and meloxicam on canine gastrointestinal permeability and mucosal absorptive capacity.

BACKGROUND Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently prescribed to dogs for their analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Their beneficial actions can be offset by gastrointestinal (GI) toxicosis. Endoscopy has traditionally been employed to detect GI lesions, but alterations in GI permeability precede the development of mucosal damage. HYPOTHESIS Carprofen and meloxicam alter GI permeability and mucosal absorptive capacity of dogs. ANIMALS Twenty adult dogs treated with an NSAID for >7 days were evaluated by permeability tests while receiving either carprofen (10 dogs) or meloxicam (10 dogs). METHODS Prospective, longitudinal observational study. A 6-sugar permeability test (sucrose, lactulose, rhamnose, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, D-xylose, and sucralose) was performed on the day before NSAID treatment, and after 3 and 8 days of treatment. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the urinary recovery ratios of lactulose: rhamnose, D-xylose: 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, or sucralose recovery within either group at any time during the study. Sucrose permeability in the meloxicam group did not alter significantly over time. However, sucrose permeability in the carprofen group decreased significantly by day 3 (P = .049) and increased again by day 8 (P = .049), to a level that was not significantly different to permeability before treatment (P = .695). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The absence of increased GI permeability and diminished mucosal absorptive capacity in this group of dogs does not support the development of acute GI toxicosis during treatment with either meloxicam or carprofen.

Successful Treatment of Uterine Torsion in a Cat with Severe Metabolic and Haemostatic Complications

A peri-parturient fifteen-month-old female Maine Coon cat was presented with extreme weakness and depression, profound hypovolaemia and hypothermia. Severe hyperkalaemia, hyponatraemia and anaemia were detected. Disseminated intravascular coagulation was suspected due to marked prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time. Uterine torsion was diagnosed at exploratory laparotomy. The cat made a full recovery following ovariohysterectomy and intensive supportive therapy.

Retrospective analysis of the relationship between time of thoracostomy drain removal and discharge time

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the volume of fluid being produced at the time of thoracostomy drain removal and the time to hospital discharge in dogs and cats. METHODS Records of 101 dogs and 26 cats with thoracostomy drains were reviewed. Three subgroups were created according to the reason for thoracostomy drain placement: P (postsurgical), A (air) and F (fluid). A generalised linear model with Poisson Errors was performed to test the relationship between the volume of fluid produced at the time of thoracostomy drain removal and the time to discharge. The volume of fluid produced and the time to discharge were compared between species and subgroups. RESULTS No significant relationship was found between the volume of fluid produced at the time of thoracostomy drain removal and the time to discharge in either species or between the time to discharge and the reason for thoracostomy drain placement. Animals with a volume of fluid higher than 2 ml/kg/day at the time of thoracostomy drain removal did not have increased hospitalisation times. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Thoracostomy drain can be removed, without clinical compromise, when the volume of fluid produced exceeds 2 ml/kg/day. However, other clinical parameters must be taken into consideration.

Sublingual salivary gland sialolithiasis in a dog

A case of sialolithiasis of the sublingual/mandibular salivary gland and duct complex in a dog was reported. Sialoadenectomy of the ipsilateral glands successfully treated the associated sialocele.

Intestinal intussusception in five postparturient queens

INTESTINAL intussusception has been reported in a number of domestic species including dogs, cats, horses and cattle (Lansdown and Fox 1991) and, although a variety of predisposing factors have been suggested, most cases in young animals are considered to be idiopathic (Lewis and Ellison 1987, Oakes 1998). Intussusception in cats is reported sporadically but is documented most frequently in animals under one year of age (Wilson and Burt 1974, Lansdown and Fox 1991, Levitt and Bauer 1992, Bellenger and Beck 1994). The medical records of five postparturient cats (birth to eight weeks postpartum) with intussusception were reviewed. each cat underwent a clinical examination and was hospitalised for further investigation or exploratory surgery to confirm the presumptive diagnosis of intussusception. Two preanaesthetic sedative protocols were used; acetylpromazine (AcP; C-Vet Veterinary Products) or acetylpromazine and ketamine (Ketaset; Fort Dodge Animal Health), both by intramuscular injection. general anaesthesia was induced by intravenous injection of either alfaxolone/ alfadolone acetate (Saffan; Schering-Plough Animal Health)

Rectal prolapse of an ileocaecal neoplasm associated with intussusception in a cat

Intussusception associated with lymphoma of the ileocaecocolic junction was diagnosed in a 12-year-old female domestic short-haired cat that presented with a 3-week history of diarrhoea and a protruding anal mass. Surgical exploration revealed an ileocolonic intussusception proximal to the mass at the ileocaecal junction which was excised. A diagnosis of ileocaecocolic lymphosarcoma was made and euthanasia was later performed. This is an unusual case of an ileocaecal junction tumour that manifested as a rectal prolapse associated with intussusception in a cat.

Migrating foreign body in the parotid duct of a boxer dog

FOREIGN body migration is not an uncommon syndrome in dogs, and clinical outcomes range from small, cutaneous inflammatory reactions to severe inflammation and bacterial infection of body cavities, organs or both ([Brennan and Ihrke 1983][1], [White and Lane 1988][2]). Most foreign bodies are grass