Table of Contents and Abstracts

A 5-month-old male domestic shorthair cat was presented with severe bilateral hind-limb deformities that caused the cat to walk on the dorsal aspect of the metatarsals. Computed tomography (CT) images revealed that the calcaneus was externally rotated, and the distal end of the calcaneus was turned medially to the talus in both hind limbs. The cat was diagnosed with twisted leg deformity, a congenital tarsal hyperextension deformity (clubfoot). Based on CT images, closing wedge ostectomy was done at the level of the tarsometatarsal joint with the wider part facing laterally. Partial transection of the common calcaneal tendon was not performed. Nine weeks after surgery, the cat was able to walk and jump, with its paws correctly placed on the ground, despite the limited range of motion in the tarsal joints. Based on radiographs with maximum tarsal flexion, the angle of the partial tarsal arthrodesis limited the range of motion. This is apparently the first case report describing CT images and closing wedge ostectomy in a cat with twisted leg deformity.

Key clinical message:
This article reports the findings obtained from CT imaging of a cat with twisted leg deformity. The current case was successfully managed by closing wedge ostectomy without partial transection of the common calcaneal tendon.

An 8-year-old Saanen goat doe was seen for inappetence, tachycardia, and intermittent bluish-grey discoloration of the oral mucous membranes. On physical examination, the goat was mildly tachypneic and tachycardic, with reduced sounds auscultated on the left side of the thorax. Euthanasia was elected. Necropsy revealed an infiltrative, multinodular mass within the left thoracic cavity and innumerable small, tan nodules disseminated across the pleura of the lungs, thoracic walls, and diaphragm. Upon histologic examination, the mass was composed of highly pleomorphic, fusiform to polygonal cells. Neoplastic cells exhibited positive immunoreactivity for both cytokeratin and vimentin, consistent with a diagnosis of biphasic pleural mesothelioma.

Key clinical message:
Mesothelioma has rarely been described in the goat but should be considered as a differential diagnosis for thoracic masses in small ruminants, along with thymoma; metastatic neoplasia; carcinomatosis; and granulomatous lesions caused by parasites, bacteria, and fungi.

Although cancer of unknown primary origin (CUP) is well-described in the human literature, it is not as well-understood within veterinary medicine. This case report represents one of few focused on describing CUP in a dog.

Key clinical message:
Metastatic CUP should be considered as a differential diagnosis despite being a rare disease entity that is infrequently reported within the veterinary literature.

Combined abdominal and thoracic pathology caused by extra-gastrointestinal migration of an ingested wooden foreign body (WFB) is an uncommon but serious injury. Presenting clinical signs are typically nonspecific and, in the absence of observed WFB ingestion, diagnosis is challenging. Treatment requires concurrent abdominal and thoracic surgical exploration to remove the WFB and address injuries caused by its migration. This case series describes perioperative characteristics and outcomes in 4 dogs following combined median sternotomy and ventral midline laparotomy (CMSVML) for bicavitary penetrating WFBs.

Key clinical message:
Treatment of bicavitary penetrating WFBs with CMSVML provided postoperative outcomes similar to those in previous reports; however, high-grade complications and prolonged hospitalization were commonly encountered.

A 5.5-year-old spayed female cane corso dog was presented for recurrent hematuria and dysuria. Abdominal ultrasound demonstrated severe hypoechoic urinary bladder wall thickening with irregular mucosal surface and polypoid-like lesions protruding into the lumen, abdominal polyadenomegaly, and splenic honeycombing. High-grade lymphoma was diagnosed on urinary bladder wall cytology. Clinical signs and ultrasonographic findings initially improved following a modified CHOP-based chemotherapy protocol, but the multicentric lymphoma then progressed with thoracic spread, leading to the dog’s death at 9 wk post-diagnosis.

Key clinical message:
This case report describes the ultrasonographic features of malignant lymphomatous infiltration of the urinary bladder and emphasizes the importance of including lymphoma in the differential diagnosis for parietal urinary bladder lesions. It also describes the endoscopic findings of such an infiltration that have not yet, to the authors’ knowledge, been described or illustrated in the veterinary literature. Finally, this case report underlines the poor prognosis of multicentric lymphoma involving the urinary bladder, with rapid progression of the disease and short survival time despite chemotherapy.

An 11-year-old castrated mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with a unilateral anal sac mass. Anal sacculectomy was performed without complication. Histopathology of the mass was consistent with a well-differentiated mast cell tumor. Analyses for the Ki-67 protein, KIT expression pattern, and the presence of c-kit mutations were done. Recovery from surgery was unremarkable and repeat staging revealed no evidence of mast cell disease at 4, 8, and 12 mo after surgery. To the authors’ knowledge, primary mast cell neoplasia of the anal sac has not previously been reported in the veterinary literature.

Key clinical message:
Although mast cell tumors of the perineal region are commonly encountered in veterinary practice, the anal sac represents a novel location for this disease. Cytology of anal sac masses can be a useful diagnostic tool to confirm the diagnosis, guide staging, and assist in treatment decisions.

Objective
To describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 of Canadian companion animal health workers (AHW); to measure their perceived stress and quality of life (QoL); and to explore professional risk factors associated with stress and QoL.

Sample
We sampled 436 companion animal veterinarians and technicians.

Procedure
The study had cross-sectional and cohort components. It was conducted online in August to December 2020, and repeated in May to July 2021, using a questionnaire assessing the respondents’ professional characteristics, COVID-19 KAP, perceived stress, and QoL.

Results
Overall, AHW had sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 transmission, and reported having adopted good preventive practices. Since the beginning of the pandemic, participants reported increases in new clients (76%), in refusal of new clients (53%), and in pet euthanasia (24%). Increased client refusal and pet euthanasia were associated with greater stress and poorer professional QoL, whereas perceived susceptibility to and adoption of measures against COVID-19 were associated with lower stress and better QoL.

Conclusion and clinical relevance
For AHW, professional characteristics were associated with stress and professional QoL. This information is important for developing strategies to cope with the ongoing shortage of AHW and with future public health crises.

Objective
This study sought to determine the serum concentrations of C-terminal telopeptide of Type-I collagen (CTx), a marker of collagen degradation, in a hospital population of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The study also evaluated the prevalence of myocardial hyperechogenicity of the left ventricle (LV) in the same cats.

Animals and procedure
Cats brought to a university veterinary cardiology service entered the study when they had an echocardiographic diagnosis of HCM; echocardiographically normal cats served as controls. Serum CTx concentrations were assessed using ELISA.

Results
There was no difference in serum CTx concentrations between cats with HCM and controls (HCM: median 0.248 ng/mL, controls: median 0.253 ng/mL; P = 0.4). Significantly more cats with HCM (60%) showed echocardiographic LV myocardial hyperechogenicity compared to normal controls (17%; P = 0.0057), but serum CTx concentrations were not different between these 2 groups.

Conclusion and clinical relevance
These results indicate that, as in human patients with HCM and in contrast to earlier feline studies, there was no evidence of enhanced collagen degradation indicated by serum CTx concentrations in cats with HCM compared to normal controls.

The term “sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy” (SIC) is used to describe transient cardiac dysfunction in septic patients. However, there is no universally accepted definition of SIC; a reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is often used. In addition to systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction is now recognized as an essential component of SIC. It can be emphasized that previous animal experiments played an essential role in revealing SIC and hemodynamic instability in sepsis and septic shock. The diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of echocardiography for the assessment of SIC have been extensively studied since its introduction into intensive care clinical practice. Recent studies in dogs, calves, and horses have shown that left and right ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and circulatory dysfunction can occur in sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock in animals. Echocardiographic variables have also shown that indices of left and right ventricular dysfunction and circulatory failure are valuable indicators of mortality in septic animals.