2014 - 83 (4)

  Dit is een korte samenvatting van de traditionele geneeswijzen van dierziekten aan de hand van het werk ‘Volksdiergeneeskunde’ van dierenarts Jaak Wouters in eigen beheer uitgegeven in 1966. In dit tweede deel worden eerst problemen in verband met bevruchting, dracht en geboorte beschreven, waarna de in de volksgeneeskunde gebruikelijke behandelingen van de belangrijkste ziekten per diersoort kort geschetst worden. Net als in de reguliere plattelandspraktijk van destijds komen paard en rund op de eerste plaats. In dalende orde van belang volgen varken, schaap, geit, hond, kat, pluimvee (hoen, eend, duif), konijn en als buitenbeentje de rat. Naast de beschrijving van de toegepaste middelen besteedt Wouters heel wat aandacht aan Vlaamse en Brabantse dialectnamen van ziekten, symptomen en geneesmiddelen. Bij moeilijk te begrijpen remedies verwijst hij naar de begrippen en principes van de primitieve geneeskunde, zoals sympathie, homeopathie (signaturenleer) en magie die in deel 1 van dit tweeluik beschreven staan. 

  In this case report, a 13.5-year-old, neutered, female domestic shorthaired cat with immunological deep dermal vasculitis is described. The patient was presented with lethargy, fever, polydipsia, anorexia and swollen distal limbs. Dermatological examination revealed partial alopecia, pitting edema and painfulness in all distal limbs. Several diagnostic examinations were conducted to confirm the suspected diagnosis and to look for possible triggers of cutaneous vasculitis. Morphological changes that were indicative for deep dermal vasculitis were seen during the histological examination of the skin. The other examinations did not reveal an underlying trigger or cause of the dermal vasculitis. The cat was diagnosed with immunological deep dermal vasculitis. The cat was treated with antibiotics, infusion, tube feeding and prednisolone. Improvement and healing of the dermal symptoms were only noticed after the start ofprednisolone therapy. 

 Gastric carcinoma is very rare in cats. In this case report, a gastric adenocarcinoma in achronically uremic cat is described. The cat presented with vomiting, dysorexia and weight loss.The ultrasound examination demonstrated an ultrasonographic pseudolayering effect on thegastric wall, which is suggested as a specific sign of adenocarcinoma. On histopathology, thisadenocarcinoma was organized, and a continuous intralymphatic infiltration line was visibleunderneath the muscularis mucosae, which might explain the pseudolayering effect. 

 A mesenchymal hamartoma in the dorsomedial eyelid of a Staffordshire bull terrier and the incidence and histological features of twenty-two canine mesenchymal periocular hamartoma cases are reported. The archives of the "Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory" of Wisconsin (USA) were searched for canine mesenchymal periocular hamartoma. Signalment, clinical appearance, location and histological findings are summarized for twenty-two dogs, containing fourteen different breeds, between four and fourteen years old. Fifteen hamartomas were located at the lateral canthus. Histologically, they consisted of fully differentiated fibrous tissue interspersed with adipose tissue, with bundles of skeletal/smooth muscle in ten cases, and peripheral nerve tissue in two cases. No mitotic figures were noted. Mesenchymal hamartomas may present as a subcutaneous, subconjunctival or orbital mass. Although they have a predisposition to occur at the lateral canthus, they may be located elsewhere on the eyelids or in the orbit.   

Chlamydia (C.) abortus enzootic abortion still remains the most common cause of reproductive failure in sheep-breeding countries all over the world. Chlamydia abortus in cattle is predominantly associated with genital tract disease and mastitis. In this study, Belgian sheep (n=958), goats (n=48) and cattle (n=1849) were examined, using the ID ScreenTM Chlamydia abortus indirect multi-species antibody ELISA. In the sheep, the highest prevalence rate was found in Limburg (4.05%). The animals of Antwerp, Brabant and Liège tested negative. The prevalence in the remaining five regions was low (0.24% to 2.74%). Of the nine goat herds, only one herd in Luxembourg was seropositive. In cattle, the highest prevalence rate was found in Walloon Brabant (4.23%). The animals of Limburg and Namur tested negative. The prevalence rate in the remaining seven regions ranged between 0.39% and 4.02%.

In this paper, the modern Belgian veal industry is situated in a European context, and anoverview is provided of the major past, present and future challenges for veal production. Theproduction of white veal requires a specific diet and housing conditions to assure a controllediron anemic state resulting in pale carcasses. In response to the increasing public concern aboutanimal welfare, legal limits for hemoglobin (in 1990), the provision of a minimum quality of solidfeed to assure ruminal health and group housing from the age of eight weeks on (in 2007), havebeen implemented sector-wide. The integrated structure of the sector likely made it possibleto realize these radical changes at relatively short notice. Despite the pioneers role the vealindustry played in the development of quality labels for food safety and all efforts made towardsimproved nutrition and housing, the veal production remains highly liable to public criticism onwelfare issues. Nowadays, especially the intensive antimicrobial use in relation to high levels ofantimicrobial resistance in commensal, pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria in veal calves is stronglycriticized. The future challenge lies in the development of veal production systems, which requireonly few antibiotics, but safeguard animal welfare and revenue.