2004 - 73 (5)

Spontaneously occurring hypercortisolism (Cushing’s syndrome) is a term referring to the constellation ofclinical and chemical abnormalities that result from chronic exposure to excessive concentrations of endogenouscortisol. In dogs it is a common endocrine disorder but in cats the disease is rarely observed.The choice of thetherapy to follow is based on the cause of hypercortisolism (pituitary or adrenocortical tumor), as well as on theexperience of the veterinarian. Several therapeutic options are available, including medical therapies andsophisticated surgeries. The most frequently used treatments are discussed below.

Complex Vertebral Malformation (CVM) was initially described in 2000, after a large number of stillbornHolstein Friesian calves with congenital deformations was recorded in the Danish bovine genetic disease program.Ever since, several similar cases have been reported in other countries. In CVM calves, the cervical and thoracicparts of the vertebral column are malformed, the carpal and tarsal joints are contracted and the fetlocks are twistedand the calves have low body weights. CVM can be confirmed by a DNA-PCR test demonstrating a homozygousCVM gene. This paper describes a case of CVM in a Belgian dairy herd.

A survey of oral disease was conducted in a population of 753 client-owned cats examined by elevenFlemish veterinarians. Only 87 of these cats were presented for orodental disease. The possible effects ofage, gender, diet, breed and lifestyle on the prevalence rates of oral diseases were studied. The resultsshowed that most of the cats in this study were suffering from periodontal disease (gingivitis, periodontitis),and that periodontitis was more common in the older cats. Although this was a young population (mean age4.5 years), and radiographic examination was not routinely done, one out of four cats in the population wasfound to suffer from odontoclastic resorptive lesions. Other diseases that were recorded includedcongenital/hereditary disease, trauma, oral proliferations and stomatitis. The results of this surveydemonstrate that oral disease is very common in client-owned cats, and therefore deserves more attention ingeneral veterinary practice.

A new test for genotyping codons 136-154-171 of the ovine prion protein (PRNP) gene via the detection ofmutations of the PrP gene through reverse hybridization has been evaluated on non-coagulated blood andbrain tissue. A total of 100 sheep blood samples and 28 brain tissue samples were tested. These samples werealso analyzed with denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time polymerase chain reaction toconfirm the results obtained via the present test. The results obtained via these three tests correspondedperfectly. The paper briefly describes the use of the new test.

Acute lead poisoning caused by ingestion of lead shot was diagnosed in two young racing pigeons thathad been feeding on a meadow where lead shot was available. One bird showing a blood level of 7000 μg/llead died despite calcium disodium EDTA treatment, while the other was saved.

Lead poisoning was diagnosed in 5 (16.6%) out of 30 living anseriformes and in 4 (4%) out of 99 dead anseriformes presented at the Bird Clinic of the Veterinary Faculty of Ghent University in the period 1 January 2002 to 1 July 2004. Only two cases out of five could be treated successfully by chelation therapy. Because of the low number of patients, it was not possible to determine the actual incidence of lead intoxication in anseriformes in Flanders. Since in a number of suspected cases the owners did not consent to further examination, these figures should be taken as minimal estimates. Routine clinical examination of anseriformes presented with debilitation, apparent paralysis or anaemia of unknown aetiology should include blood sampling for lead determination in ducks, geese and swans. Diagnostically important features of two cases of lead intoxication in anseriformes treated at the Bird Clinic are described in detail in this short communication.