Table of Contents and Abstracts

Laryngeal web is a rare condition in dogs that can cause upper airway obstruction. Surgery is the treatment of choice to remove the glottic obstruction. In veterinary medicine, ventral laryngotomy has been described for resection of laryngeal webs. In humans, the endolaryngeal surgical approach consists of laser ablation of the glottic obstruction, followed by temporary placement of a protective keel onto the exposed arytenoid mucosa to prevent excessive granulation tissue formation and recurrence. In the present case, a dog with a dorsal acquired glottic web associated with obstructive dyspnea was successfully treated via transoral endoscopic lysis using a diode laser and temporary keel placement. The favorable outcome suggests the potential for broader application of this technique.

Key clinical message:
Diode laser ablation represents a minimally invasive technique for treatment of laryngeal web, a rare cause of laryngeal obstruction in dogs. Temporary keel placement may help prevent recurrence, which is frequently reported following web resection.

A 7-year-old castrated male dachshund dog was presented because of non-weight-bearing right thoracic limb lameness with a soft tissue mass of the proximal humerus. Orthogonal radiographs of the affected limb showed a region of geographic lysis and variable cortical thinning centered in the proximal humeral metaphysis. Differential diagnoses for these lesions included benign and malignant processes, including primary osseous neoplasia. Right forelimb amputation was conducted, and histopathologic assessment facilitated diagnosis of a grade II/intermediate-grade soft tissue sarcoma invading the proximal humerus via the nutrient foramen. No evidence of metastasis was present at the time of surgery. The dog recovered uneventfully following amputation and maintained a good quality of life for 15 mo after surgery. This report describes a unique presentation of a soft tissue sarcoma with osseous invasion, offering an alternative differential diagnosis for monostotic aggressive bone lesions.

Key clinical message:
This case report describes a unique presentation of a common canine neoplasm. Associated with a more positive prognosis than other primary osseous neoplasms, a soft tissue sarcoma could be considered a differential diagnosis for osseous lesions with soft tissue masses.

Fibular head instability is a rare, isolated injury in veterinary medicine, with no previous case reports in the veterinary literature. The fibular head is secured proximo-distally by the lateral collateral ligament and craniocaudally by the cranial and caudal fibular head ligaments.

A 1-year-old, 26-kg, spayed female border collie mix dog was referred for chronic bilateral Salter Harris-II tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures. The dog was non-weight-bearing on the right pelvic limb, with pain and mobility localized to the right fibular head. Preoperative radiographs showed no fibular pathology. Intraoperatively, the cranial and caudal fibular head ligaments were completely torn, whereas the lateral collateral ligament remained intact. Open reduction and stabilization with a cortical positional screw was conducted.

At the 8-week follow-up, the dog was sound at a walk, with a mild intermittent “hitch” at a trot. At 7 mo following surgery, the owner reported a return to high-energy activity.

Key clinical message:
This report documents the successful surgical repair of fibular head instability using a single cortical positional screw.

A 9-month-old female mixed-breed dog weighing 3.25 kg was referred for elective ovariohysterectomy. A previous attempt had been aborted when the abdominal organs appeared to be enclosed within an abnormal membranous structure. At surgery, the abdominal viscera visible within the operative field were covered by a thin, translucent membrane that could be bluntly dissected from the organ surfaces without hemorrhage. The excised membrane was submitted for histopathological analysis. Postoperative non-contrast computed tomography did not identify abnormal soft-tissue densities or displacement of abdominal organs. Histopathological analysis revealed coarse, fibro-collagenous tissue composed of interspersed, flattened spindle cells without a mesothelial lining and without inflammation. These findings supported a presumptive diagnosis of congenital peritoneal encapsulation, an extremely rare developmental anomaly. This case highlights the need to recognize this condition as a potential incidental finding during routine abdominal procedures in dogs.

Key clinical message:
Congenital peritoneal encapsulation should be considered when an unexpected membranous covering of abdominal viscera is encountered during routine abdominal surgery in a young dog. Recognition of this rare developmental anomaly may prevent unnecessary surgical intervention or premature abandonment of the procedure.

A 3-month-old intact male domestic shorthair kitten was evaluated for progressive, recurrent pericardial effusion. Computed tomography (CT) showed marked pericardial effusion with diffuse pericardial thickening and an apparent incomplete pericardial closure. Portions of the left medial and quadrate liver lobes and the gallbladder protruded cranially into the pericardial space and were encased by a thick, contrast-enhancing fibrous layer. These findings were initially interpreted as atypical peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH). Due to acute clinical deterioration, the kitten was euthanized. Necropsy and histology confirmed severe necrotizing pericarditis and epicarditis, incomplete pericardial closure, and ventral midline diaphragmatic eventration with intrapericardial protrusion of liver and gallbladder. This collection of findings supported a diagnosis of diaphragmatic eventration, forming a fibrous cupola contiguous with the pericardium, which can mimic PPDH on imaging.

Key clinical message:
To the authors’ knowledge, the combination of CT findings and histologic confirmation of diaphragmatic eventration with incomplete closure of the pericardium has not been previously reported. When CT shows a pericardium continuous with the diaphragm and a fibrous cupola encasing intrapericardial protruded abdominal organs, eventration should be included in the differential diagnosis, in addition to PPDH.

This report describes pulmonary cryptococcosis with a large endobronchial cryptococcoma in an 8-year-old Warmblood mare. The mare was presented initially with fever and lethargy, and clinical signs typical of bacterial pneumonia. Markedly elevated serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations indicated a severe systemic inflammatory response. Over a period of 6 wk, the condition progressively worsened and was refractory to multiple courses of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy as administered in a field setting. Diagnostic imaging following referral revealed extensive consolidation of the left lung and multiple nodular lesions. Endoscopy identified a large granulomatous mass nearly completely occluding the left mainstem bronchus. Histopathologic examination of biopsy samples from the mass and lung parenchyma revealed a severe pyogranulomatous inflammation composed of numerous encapsulated, budding yeast organisms (8.5 to 12.5 µm in diameter with a 2- to 3-µm thick capsule) morphologically pathognomonic for Cryptococcus spp. Due to extensive, irreversible lung damage and poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected.

Key clinical message:
This case serves as a reminder to include fungal pathogens such as Cryptococcus in the differential diagnosis of severe and non-responsive pneumonia in horses.

Two juvenile small mammals, 1 ferret (Mustela putorius furo) and 1 rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), were diagnosed respectively with a humeral and a femoral fracture. A safety pin tie-in, a type I stainless steel fixator without proximal transfixation pin, was used to stabilize the fracture in each individual. Changes to clinical examination findings, including lameness and bone callus palpation, as well as radiographic images, were followed. Complete osteosynthesis and implant removal were achieved in both cases after 4 wk. Both cases were reexamined 12 mo after surgery and both had recovered normal locomotor function.

Key clinical message:
Safety pin tie-in appears to be a promising option for humeral and femoral fractures in growing small mammals. Despite the absence of a proximal transfixing pin, this intervention provided satisfying biomechanical stability to accomplish biological osteosynthesis and bone healing.

This report describes 2 cases of extremely rare primary vaginal T-cell lymphoma involving the cervix in dogs, diagnosed through comprehensive imaging, histopathological, and immunophenotypic evaluations. Case 1 involved a 12-year-old spayed female Shiba Inu dog that was presented with dyschezia and vulvar bleeding. Cytologic evaluation of fine-needle aspirates was nondiagnostic, necessitating tissue biopsy for definitive diagnosis. Computed tomography revealed a large vaginal mass with poor contrast enhancement and a uniformly hypodense internal structure. Chemotherapy with prednisolone, L-asparaginase, and lomustine resulted in temporary tumor regression; however, disease progression was noted by Day 50, and the dog died on Day 56. Case 2 involved a 10-year-old spayed female mixed-breed dog that was presented with dyschezia, dysuria, and hematuria. A CT scan revealed a large mass extending from the vaginal canal into the pelvic cavity. Cytologic evaluation was inconclusive. Surgical excision of the mass and urinary diversion was done, followed by chemotherapy with L-asparaginase, prednisolone, and lomustine. Despite these interventions, the clinical condition rapidly deteriorated, and the dog died on Day 44. Necropsy revealed widespread systemic dissemination of lymphoma and findings consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation. These cases highlight the aggressive clinical behavior of this disease and underscore the importance of early histopathological diagnosis for appropriate therapeutic intervention.

Key clinical message:
Lymphoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in dogs with primary vaginal masses.

There is a lack of consistently effective noninvasive treatments for idiopathic renal hematuria (IRH) in dogs. This report describes a dog with IRH that had complete resolution of clinical signs after a 6-week treatment with the antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid (TXA). In this dog, macroscopic and microscopic hematuria remained absent after TXA was discontinued. Further, 16 mo later, the owner reported no noted recurrence of macroscopic hematuria. This report provides evidence that oral TXA therapy is a viable, noninvasive treatment option that may help manage some dogs with IRH.

Key clinical message:
Oral TXA therapy is a potential treatment option for dogs with IRH when other treatment modalities are unsuccessful or not possible.

A 12-year-old spayed female dog was referred because of recurrent febrile syndrome and palpable abdominal mass. Ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a non-parenchymal abdominal mass. Multiple deep subcutaneous nodules with mixed fluid- and fat-attenuating centers were identified on computed tomography. Surgical exploration revealed that the mass was located near the tip of the left uterine horn. The mass was removed and the subcutaneous nodules were sampled for analysis. Histology together with negative microbial cultures indicated sterile pyogranulomatous steatitis of both subcutaneous and intra-abdominal lesions. The dog was diagnosed with a sterile nodular panniculitis with atypical involvement of intra-abdominal fat and was managed with long-term glucocorticoid treatment.

Key clinical message:
Computed tomography can be helpful for detecting clinically non-palpable subcutaneous nodules in dogs that are presented with recurrent febrile syndrome. These nodules may correspond to sterile nodular panniculitis, particularly if exhibiting a fluid and fat component. Detection should prompt sampling. This disease may not be limited to the subcutaneous tissues, and a systemic form should be considered, especially when additional clinical abnormalities are present.

Objective
This study evaluated physiological and behavioral responses to weaning stress in beef cows using 3 weaning methods, comparing pre- and post-weaning changes within cows, determining correlations between sensor ear tags and visual data, and exploring associations between fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) concentrations and behavioral indicators of stress.

Animals and procedure
Cow-calf pairs were weaned and assigned using abrupt (AW), nose-flap (NF), or fenceline (FL) methods, in consecutive groups of 30 pairs per method. Data were collected from 3 d before weaning (D-3) to 7 d post-weaning (D7). CowManager (Agis Automatisering) ear tags measured time spent on behaviors, whereas in-person observations identified vocalization, eating, walking, pacing, standing, and lying conducted in 30-second instantaneous samplings at 40-minute intervals, 6× daily. Saliva and fecal samples were collected from D-1 to D3 for cortisol and FGM analyses. Statistical analyses were based on within-cow behavioral changes (Δ) between pre- and post-weaning and analyzed using multilevel regression models, depending on outcomes.

Results
Abruptly weaned cows had increased Δtime eating, whereas NF cows had decreased Δtime eating on D1 and D2 compared to pre-weaning (P < 0.01). In addition, AW and FL cows spent increased Δtime being active on D1, unlike NF cows (P < 0.001). Fenceline-weaned cows had increased Δtime spent being active, Δfrequency walking, and pacing post-weaning compared to pre-weaning (P < 0.01). On D0 and D1, AW and FL cows exhibited higher Δvocalizing frequency, unlike NF cows. Abruptly weaned cows had lower FGM concentrations on D1, D2, and D3 compared to D0 (P < 0.001). However, FL cows had higher ΔFGM concentrations on D1 compared to D0 (P = 0.002). Nose-flap-weaned cows had increased ΔFGM concentrations only on D3 compared to D0 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion and clinical relevance
Cows subjected to NF weaning generally exhibited smaller deviations from baseline in activity, walking, and vocalization, whereas cows in the FL weaning group had increased activity and elevated FGM concentrations on specific post-weaning days. Behavioral and physiological indicators did not consistently align. This and limited agreement between CowManager-derived data and visual observations underscores the importance of methodological considerations but provides opportunities for management decisions aimed at weaning-related stress reduction. Because weaning methods were implemented sequentially, without treatment-level replication, findings represented cohort-specific group trends rather than definite evidence of treatment superiority, and should be interpreted cautiously.

An 11-year-old American quarter horse mare with bilateral forelimb lameness was examined at a mixed-animal veterinary clinic. Radiographs revealed rotation and distal displacement of the 3rd phalanx in each front foot, confirming chronic laminitis. Wooden shoes (Steward Clogs) were used successfully to manage the lameness. The findings from this case support the use of wooden shoes as part of the treatment of chronic laminitis in a general veterinary practice setting.