2009 - 78 (5)

Paper in Dutch

Paper in Dutch

A large outbreak of the peracute form of malignant catarrhal fever in cattle in Belgium is described.The main symptoms were nervous signs and high fever. Over a four-month period, 13 BelgianBlue yearlings and one cow died. Mortality was 16.3% of the herd. The diagnosis was confirmedby identifying ovine herpesvirus-2 DNA by PCR, both in the affected cattle and in the sheep on thefarm. This case report illustrates the increasing importance of malignant catarrhal fever as a herdproblem and the occurrence of the peracute form, as also reported in other European countries. Italso illustrates the importance of malignant catarrhal fever as a differential diagnosis for nervousdisorders in cattle.

This paper describes a case of malignant catarrhal fever in a sow herd in Belgium caused byinfection with ovine herpesvirus-2 (OHV-2). The 11 affected sows had high fever and 10 of themdied within 3 days after the onset of clinical disease. The most prominent macroscopic lesion was ahemorrhagic to pseudo-membranous gastritis. Histopathology revealed severe infiltration andnecrosis of the gastric mucosa. Neither antimicrobial treatment nor injection with anti-inflammatorydrugs ameliorated the severity of the disease. As the sows and sheep were housed in the same buildingwith the possibility of having direct nose-to-nose contact, and as PCR testing showed that the virusfound in the sows was identical to that found in the sheep, it is very likely that the infection wastransmitted from the subclinically infected sheep to the sows. The present case showed that OHV-2infection should be included in the differential diagnosis when facing problems of fever followed bydeath, especially when pigs are housed in close contact with sheep.

In a retrospective study (1997-2007) of 35 patients suspected of discospondylitis (DS), the diagnosis ofdiscospondylitis was confirmed in 18 dogs. The signalment, the appearance and the clinical presentation of the dogswere comparable to those earlier reported in the literature. Radiography was the most important diagnostic technique,but in some cases further diagnostic investigation was necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Blood- and urine culturewas important to identify a possible underlying cause. Medical therapy is the treatment of choice. Most of the dogs(76%) recovered very well after treatment. The results confirm that discospondylitis has a rather favorable prognosiswhen medical therapy is used.

There is much controversy about the treatment of disc associated wobbler syndrome. This retrospective studydescribes the clinical evolution of 12 dogs treated surgically by a standard ventral slot technique. The duration offollow-up ranged from 1 to 59 months. Nine of the 12 dogs clinically recovered. However, 6 of these 9 dogsdeveloped a second episode of clinical signs. Two of these dogs could be further managed by conservative treatment.The 4 other dogs were euthanized. The results of this study are compared to the literature. Special attention is givento inclusion criteria and follow-up data.

Diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) and diabetes ketosis (DK) are severe complications of diabetes mellitus (DM).A retrospective study on 54 dogs with diabetes keto(acido)sis (DK(A)) was performed. The patients weremostly middle-aged to old female intact dogs with a history of polyuria/ polydipsia, lethargy, anorexia,vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, hematuria, pollakisuria or shock. In 57.4% of the dogs, a previous diagnosisof DM was not established. Diabetes keto(acido)sis was frequently associated with a concurrent disease suchas pancreatitis (22.2%), hypercortisolism (7.4%), neoplasia (24%), infections (24%), renal failure (13%) orheart failure (7.4%). To evaluate the patient and to search for a concurrent disease, a complete blood countand serum biochemistry, blood gas analysis, urinalysis, urine culture, thoracic radiographs and/or abdominalultrasound were performed. The treatment of the DK(A) depended on the concurrent disease, the blood valuesand the symptoms of the dog. The prognosis was poor, since 48% of the dogs died or were euthanized within2 weeks after diagnosis. Relapse occurred in 5 dogs (9.3%), mostly within 6 months.

Paper in Dutch

This review describes the physiology and pathophysiology of perioperative pain in domestic animals. Differentdefinitions of pain, as well as different aspects of the pain experience (transduction, transmission, modulationand perception) are discussed in detail.

Paper in Dutch