2015 - 84 (5)

Aviair bornavirus (ABV) is het primaire etiologische agens dat het kliermaagdilatatiesyndroom(KDS) veroorzaakt bij psittaciformen. In tegenstelling tot wat oorspronkelijk over KDSverondersteld werd, blijkt ABV-infectie algemeen voor te komen bij psittaciformen en niet steedsaanleiding te geven tot klinische ziekte. In dit artikel wordt een overzicht gegeven van de huidigekennis van ABV. De diagnose, behandeling en het onder controle houden van KDS bij psittaciformenworden beschreven. Het stellen van een ante-mortemdiagnose van ABV als oorzaak vanKDS vormt een uitdaging. Voornamelijk het correleren van de ABV-status aan het waargenomenklinische beeld is niet steeds vanzelfsprekend. De nood aan betere diagnostische methoden meteen hoge sensitiviteit en specificiteit om ABV-infectie te detecteren, dringt zich dan ook op.

Only from the middle of the 17th century did the cat receive a modest place in the context ofthe new home decoration that had contributed to a process of identity formation and culturaldistinction. This status improvement did not prevent the vast majority of the feline populationfrom being focused on survival in their daily life. Even at the end of the period, many cats werethe subject of brutal public entertainment and structural violence. The real revolution in ourrelationship with the cat is of recent date. However, anthropomorphization, in which all kinds ofhuman qualities are uncritically attributed to the cat, continues unabated.

A female Bernese mountain dog of 5.5 years old was referred to the Ghent University Clinic becauseof septic arthritis of the left stifle joint after an explorative arthrotomy. The pathogenic germwas a multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The stifle joint was operated on again, flushedand the dog was treated with meropenem (Meronem®, NV AstraZeneca SA, Brussels, Belgium) subcutaneouslyfor a period of eight weeks. During that period, the cranial cruciate ligament ruptured inthe affected stifle joint. Therefore, a treatment with a tibial tuberosity advancement technique, i.e. TTARapid was conducted. Despite the infection, the severe symptoms and the concomitant rupture of thecruciate ligament, the dog made a full recovery.Multiresistant bacteria are difficult to treat and demand a thorough approach of the attending veterinarian,a strong commitment of the owner and the exceptional use of potent, “last resort” antibioticsguided by antibiogram results. In this case report, it is demonstrated that even severe cases of postoperativeinfection with MRSA can be managed successfully with proper treatment.

In this case report, the occurrence of medial coronoid disease (MCD) is described in an elevenyear-old Labrador retriever. A left frontleg lameness had started six months before presentation.Radiographs showed minimal pathology and computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a discretefissure of the medial coronoid process. Arthroscopy confirmed the presence of a coronoidlesion, visible as chondromalacia. Treatment was performed by arthroscopic removal of the diseasedcartilage and subchondral bone. Despite the successful procedure, the dog needed continuousphysiotherapy to maintain an acceptable gait.MCD is a developmental disorder mainly affecting young large breed dogs. However, thedescribed dog was already eleven years old. Nevertheless, the duration of lameness was rathershort and the imaging and arthroscopic findings could not demonstrate a chronic problem. In theliterature, little information is available about the etiology, prevalence and treatment outcome ofmedial coronoid pathology in old dogs.

Barium sulphate is an insoluble contrast medium that is commonly used for radiographyof the digestive tract. During examination, aspiration of barium might occur and cause severecomplications in both humans and animals. In this report, a case of barium aspiration duringgastrointestinal examination of a four-year-old, spayed, female Persian cat is described.Radiographic and pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of barium aspiration. 

A nine-month-old, female Border collie was referred to the clinic because of an acute persistentcough and hemoptysis after excitation. Thoracic radiographs revealed a diffuse interstitialto alveolar pattern, compatible with pulmonary hemorrhage. To stabilize the dog and becauseof a suspected complex coagulopathy and on-going bleeding evidenced by worsening anemia, afresh frozen plasma transfusion (10 ml/kg over four hours) was administered. Fecal examinationconfirmed the clinical suspicion of Angiostrongylus vasorum as the underlying cause of all the observedclinical signs. The dog was treated with fenbendazole (50 mg/kg SID) during 21 days. Oneweek after treatment initiation, the dog was clinically healthy and thoracic radiographs showeda marked improvement of the pulmonary lesions.This case illustrates that autochthonous canine A. vasorum infections can occur in Belgiumand they should be taken into account in the diagnostic work-up of dogs with respiratory signsand bleeding disorders.