2013 - 82 (1)

Article in Dutch

Dystocia may occur in all dog breeds, but the English bulldog is predisposed because of itsconformation and specifi c problems such as anasarca pups. In this study, the frequency of abnormalpups and breeding problems in English bulldogs was investigated by a questionnaire containinginformation on 39 bitches in total. In 74.4% of these bitches, artifi cial insemination was performed.At the end of gestation, 25.8% of the bitches suffered from respiratory problems and partialanorexia. The average duration of gestation was 58.7 days counted from the fi rst day of mating.Caesarean section was performed in 94.8% of the cases, with natural delivery in only 5.2% ofthe bitches. In this study, the average litter size was six pups. Thirteen percent of the pups werestillborn, 8.2% of the pups alive were deformed, with palatoschisis (38.8%) and anasarca (27.7%)being the most commonly observed abnormalities. Ten percent of the pups died before the age ofweaning.

In August 2007, two Belgian blue cows which had been on pasture for three months, showed highfever (41.4°C), epistaxis, melena, cutaneous bleeding, a stiff gait and red lesions on the udder. Bloodexamination revealed severe pancytopenia, and bluetongue virus serotype 8 could be demonstratedby PCR. Despite blood transfusion and supportive treatment, both animals died within 6 days afterthe initial symptoms. At necropsy, an explicit case of a blood coagulation disorder was observed.Inspection at pasture, one week later, showed the presence of numerous regenerated young fronds ofPteridium aquilinum. Whereas the stiff gait and the red lesions on the udder were likely bluetonguevirus associated, other symptoms were consistent with acute bracken poisoning (acute hemorrhagicsyndrome). The present report illustrates that also in Belgium, where the density of bracken fern isrelatively low, pastures should be carefully screened for the presence of young fronds.

In this study, the effect of farm, time, season and health was evaluated on the composition ofmare’s milk sold in Flanders. The content of the analyzed components (i.e. fat, fatty acids, protein,lactoferrin, lysozyme, lactose and urea) differed signifi cantly (p < 0.0001) between farms, at a givenmoment in time. Within each farm, large month-to-month variations for most milk components (p< 0.01 to 0.0001) were observed. The variation over time between different farms was smaller. Thesefi ndings indicate that the composition of the mare’s milk consumer portions varies substantiallybetween the different farms and also over time within each farm. Season, nutrition, udder healthand worm burden are believed to contribute signifi cantly to this variation.

Parasitic infections with gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes and liver fl uke (Fasciola hepatica) arecommon causes of reduced productivity in ruminants. In this paper, the results of a voluntarymonitoring campaign on helminth infections in Belgian dairy herds are summarized and discussed.From 2009 until 2011, a bulk tank milk sample was collected in autumn and analyzed by antibodydetectingbulk tank milk ELISA’s to assess the level of exposure to GI nematodes and liver fl uke.The number of farms participating in the survey increased over the years, from 1216 in 2009 to1731 in 2011. The proportion of herds with high exposure to GI nematodes varied signifi cantlybetween the three years, from 67% in 2009 over 70% in 2010 to 63% in 2011. The proportion ofherds with high exposure to F. hepatica remained stable around 30%. Important regional variationswere observed with levels of exposure to GI nematodes increasing from the north to the south ofthe country, whereas the distribution of F. hepatica was concentrated in the province of West-Flanders, the southern part of East-Flanders, Hainaut and the northern part of Luxembourg. It canbe concluded that, when compared with surveys conducted in surrounding countries, the levels ofhelminth exposure in Belgium can be considered high, especially for GI nematodes. If the aim is todecrease levels of exposure in the future, this will likely require control methods based on alteredtimings of treatment and changes in pasture management.

This report describes a clinical case of idiopathic hypercalcemia in a cat. A male, castrated Persian catof seven years old was presented because of partial anorexia that had been present for the past three years.Blood examination revealed a moderate hypercalcemia with hypofosfatemia. Thorough diagnostic workuprevealed polycystic kidney disease and chronic kidney disease (IRIS stage 2). The hypercalcemia wasnot caused by the renal disease because the parathyroid hormone concentrations were normal, and becausethe cat had hypofosfatemia and an increased ionized calcium concentration. The cat was diagnosed withfeline idiopathic hypercalcemia. The clinical signs disappeared and the calcium concentrations normalizedafter therapy with glucocorticoids.

An elevated total calcium concentration is an abnormality on feline blood examinations, and is frequentlyoverlooked. The most important causes of feline hypercalcemia are neoplasia, chronic kidneydisease and idiopathic hypercalcemia. In hypercalcemic cats, several diagnostic tests have to be performedin order to fi nd the underlying cause: a thorough physical examination, retroviral testing for felineleukemia virus and feline immunodefi ciency virus, complete blood count and serum chemistry profi le,the measurement of ionized calcium, urinalysis, thoracic (and abdominal) radiography, abdominal andcervical ultrasonography and the measurement of parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-relatedprotein. A logical and specifi c work-up is required to obtain a defi nitive diagnosis. Treatment is mainlyfocussed on the underlying disease.