2017 - 86 (3)

Pyothorax, or thoracic empyema, is an infection of the pleural space, characterized by theaccumulation of purulent exudate. It is a life-threatening emergency in dogs as well as in cats,with a guarded prognosis. Dyspnea and/or tachypnea, anorexia and lethargy are the mosttypical clinical signs. Diagnosis is usually straightforward, based on the clinical symptomscombined with pleural fluid analysis, including cytology and bacterial culture. Most commonly,oropharyngeal flora is isolated in the pleural fluid. Treatment can be medical or surgical, butneeds to be immediate and aggressive. In this article, an overview of the various causes of bothfeline and canine pyothorax with its similarities and differences is provided. Epidemiology,symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis are discussed.

A prospective study was performed to explore the prescription habits in fourteen first-line,small animal practices during first consultations of cats and dogs. Consultations one monthprior to the implementation of antimicrobial use guidelines and at least 20 days thereafter wereexamined. Differences in the proportion of consultations during which antimicrobials wereprescribed, were assessed. Additionally, changes in the choice of active substance were criticallyevaluated against the introduced antimicrobial use guidelines. The proportion of consultationswhere antimicrobials were prescribed decreased in cats and dogs (both –12%) after theintroduction of the antimicrobial use guidelines. There was an increase of consultations of cats(+13%) and dogs (+10%) where veterinarians handled according to those guidelines. However,an increase in the prescription of third-choice antimicrobials and highest priority criticallyimportant antimicrobials was noticed both in cats (+8% and +12%, respectively) and dogs (both+5%). This unexpected increase invites to create extra awareness amongst prescribers.

Pyothorax is a rare disease in cats. Underlying causes and treatment recommendations varygreatly between cases. In this case series, the management of two challenging cases of felinepyothorax is discussed. In the first case, a nine-year-old female spayed European shorthair catwith pyothorax caused by Bacteroides fragilis is described. At the time of presentation, she wasdiagnosed with feline immunodeficiency virus as well. The pyothorax was succesfully managedmedically. Unfortunately, the cat relapsed after three months and the owner elected euthanasia.The second case involved a ten-year-old male castrated British shorthair cat with identificationof filamentous bacteria on pleural fluid cytology. This cat underwent surgical intervention becausethoracic drainage was very difficult. Eventually, he recovered well and did not relapse upto two months postoperatively. The challenges in the decision process and treatment complicationsare discussed.

In this case report, a seven-year-old, male, castrated European Shorthair diagnosed with a ranula isdescribed. The patient was presented with a sublingual swelling on the right side, which was surgicallytreated with marsupialization and removal of the mandibular and sublingual salivary glands. Histopathologicalexamination confirmed the diagnosis of a ranula and revealed the accidental resection of theright submandibualr lymph nodes. Five months after the operation, no complications or recurrenceswere observed.

The diagnosis of cryptorchidism in horses is often a challenge. Based on the history, clinicaland rectal examinations and ultrasonography, a definitive diagnosis is not always possible. Variousendocrinological diagnostic assays, such as the determination of testosterone, androstenedione,estrogens, urinary steroids and the anti-Müllerian hormone, which demonstrate the presence oftesticular tissue, have been described. These tests all have their advantages and disadvantages, whichare discussed in this article in order to help practitioners in the field.

Inflammation is a protective response to infection and/or tissue damage and it induces migration ofimmune cells and mediators of immune response from the circulation to the infected and/or damagedtissue. This response will remove the initial noxe (e.g. lipopolysaccharide or LPS) and tissue healing willbe stimulated. LPS is part of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria and causes an inflammatoryresponse in birds due to its proinflammatory properties. As a result to this inflammatory response,birds develop a change in body temperature, increased production of proinflammatory cytokines andacute phase proteins, show leukocytosis and sickness behavior. The magnitude of these symptomsin birds depends on the bird species and differs from the symptoms in mammals. The characteristicsand pathophysiology of an inflammatory response are frequently studied using LPS inflammationmodels. These models can further be applied for pharmacodynamic studies to assess the clinical effectof different anti-inflammatory drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. In thispaper, an overview of the LPS-induced inflammatory response in birds is given.

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) involves the application of negative pressure on a woundbed for its positive effects on wound healing. Indications for NPWT concern various types of wounds, skingrafts and flaps, partial-thickness burns, open abdomen management and closed incisions.Negative pressure wound therapy has been used for centuries in human medicine. Its first use datesback to the Roman era (around 27 BCE) when human generated pressures were used. Later, Europeanand Russian physicians developed various advanced methods and systems to apply negative pressureon wounds or other injuries. The on-going positive findings in human medicine triggered researchers inveterinary medicine to apply this technique on animal patients.However, much still has to be investigated regarding NPWT, especially in veterinary medicine, as thereare many factors playing a role in the mechanisms of this treatment. New methods and techniques arecontinuously being developed and the existing studies show great potential for NPWT.