JAAHA 56.5 Abstracts

VETERINARY PRACTICE GUIDELINES

2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines

Amy E. S. Stone, Gary O. Brummet, Ellen M. Carozza, Philip H. Kass, Ernest P. Petersen, Jane Sykes, Mark E. Westman

The guidelines are a consensus report on current recommendations for vaccination of cats of any origin, authored by a Task Force of experts. The guidelines are published simultaneously in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (volume 22, issue 9) and the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (volume 56, issue 5, DOI: 10.5326/JAAHA-MS-7123). The guidelines assign approved feline vaccines to core (recommended for all cats) and non-core (recommended based on an individualized risk-benefit assessment) categories. Practitioners can develop individualized vaccination protocols consisting of core vaccines and non-core vaccines based on exposure and susceptibility risk as defined by the patient’s life stage, lifestyle, and place of origin and by environmental and epidemiologic factors. An update on feline injection-site sarcomas indicates that occurrence of this sequela remains infrequent and idiosyncratic. Staff education initiatives should enable the veterinary practice team to be proficient in advising clients on proper vaccination practices and compliance. Vaccination is a component of a preventive healthcare plan. The vaccination visit should always include a thorough physical exam and client education dialog that gives the pet owner an understanding of how clinical staff assess disease risk and propose recommendations that help ensure an enduring owner-pet relationship. Read the full article

REVIEW ARTICLES

Use of Ketamine in Sphynx Cats

Chiara Adami, Paolo Monticelli

Since the early 1990s, a number of deaths of Sphynx cats have been anecdotally reported following ketamine-based anesthesia. These episodes have raised concerns, between breeders and owners of that peculiar cat breed, that their cats may not be looked after with the care they deserve and that veterinarians might not be adequately informed about breed-specific drug toxicities. This article reviews some aspects of the clinical pharmacology of ketamine, which, in these authors’ opinion, analyzed together with the breed-specific peculiarities of Sphynx cats, may provide some explanations for the lethal outcomes reported over the last decades. Read the full article

RETROSPECTIVE STUDIES

Clinical and Prognostic Findings in Dogs with Suspected Extrahepatic Biliary Obstruction and Pancreatitis

Shannon Marie Palermo, Dorothy C. Brown, Stephen J. Mehler, Mark P. Rondeau

Pancreatitis in dogs may lead to extrahepatic bile duct obstruction as a result of local inflammation. Medical records of 45 client-owned dogs with clinical suspicion of extrahepatic bile duct obstruction secondary to pancreatitis were reviewed to determine clinical findings, outcome, and factors associated with survival. Survival times were determined using the Kaplan-Meier product limit method. Cox multivariable survival methods were employed to determine factors associated with survival time following diagnosis. The median survival time was 241 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 25–631), with 34 of 45 dogs (76%) surviving to discharge. Dogs 9 yr of age or older with azotemia at presentation had a 9.9 greater hazard for death (95% CI 2.5–38.1; P = .001) compared with dogs younger than 9 yr old without azotemia at presentation. Dogs without subjective ultrasonographic gallbladder distension had a 4.4 greater hazard for death (95% CI 1.3–15.4; P = .018) compared with dogs with subjective gallbladder distension. Dogs with a body temperature ≥102.5°F at admission had a 3.1 greater hazard for death (95% CI 1.3–7.7; P = .013) than dogs with a body temperature <102.5°F at admission. This information may help clinicians discuss prognosis with owners of affected dogs. Read the full article

CASE REPORTS

Cystoscopic-Guided Laser Ablation of an Ectopic Ureterocele in a Female Dog

Thomas Anderson, Francisco Llabres Diaz, Abby Caine, Rachel Miller, Darren Barnes

An intact female dog was examined for urinary incontinence. A right-sided ectopic ureterocele with bilateral hydroureter and pyelectasis was diagnosed via ultrasonography, with concurrent complicated urinary tract infection. Following a course of antibiotics, cystoscopic-guided laser ablation was performed, and the dog remained continent at 3 mo follow-up. Cystoscopic-guided laser ablation provides a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery and is the treatment of choice in humans, and this case report demonstrates it is feasible in canine patients. Read the full article

CASE REPORTS

MRI Features of Presumed Primary Extranodal Lymphoma of the Bulbospongiosus Muscle Causing Stranguria

William Humphreys, Riccardo Finotello, Frederike Schiborra

Hematopoietic neoplasia is common in dogs, with canine non-Hodgkin lymphomas representing more than 80% of all hematopoietic cancer. However, extranodal infiltration of the skeletal muscle by non-Hodgkin lymphoma is rare in humans and dogs. A 9 yr old neutered male English mastiff presented with a 3 wk history of recurrent stranguria, pelvic limb ataxia, and mild proprioceptive deficits bilaterally, worse in the right pelvic limb. MRI showed an expansile ill-defined lesion within the bulbospongiosus muscle. The lesion had intermediate signal intensity to muscle and fat on T2-weighted imaging and was isointense to unaffected muscle on precontrast T1-weighted imaging. Contrast enhancement was heterogeneous and there was digitate signal alteration within adjacent perilesional fat. Ultrasound examination confirmed a hypoechoic lesion infiltrating the muscle. Cytological examination yielded a diagnosis of high-grade lymphoma. This report provides the first description of MRI findings associated with cytologically confirmed lymphoma of the skeletal muscle in the dog. Although nonspecific, the imaging features strongly correlate with those in the medical literature and lymphoma should be considered a pertinent differential in cases presenting with similar imaging findings. Read the full article

CASE REPORTS

Biliary Dilation: An Unusual Presentation of Histoplasma capsulatum in a Dog

Sara Del Magno, Paludi Giuseppe, Guido Pisani, Emanuela Morello, Lisa Adele Piras, Paolo Buracco, Marina Martano

A 4 mo old intact male Labrador retriever was referred to the authors’ institution for a 3 wk history of weight loss and progressive abdominal distension. Thoracic radiographs revealed sternal lymphadenopathy and a diffuse unstructured interstitial and bronchial pulmonary pattern. An abdominal ultrasound revealed multifocal lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and biliary duct dilation. Fine-needle aspirates of the spleen and liver revealed Histoplasma capsulatum organisms. Antifungal therapy was initiated with itraconazole and terbinafine. Repeat ultrasound examinations revealed resolving hepatosplenomegaly and resolving cystic duct dilation. Ultrasonographic findings mirrored a decrease in urine H capsulatum antigen levels. Histoplasmosis should be considered as a differential for unexplained biliary duct dilation or obstruction in dogs. Dogs with disseminated histoplasmosis should be monitored for this potential complication. Read the full article