2002 - 71 (2)

A spongiform degeneration of the white matter in 2 out of 8 Australian cattle dog littermates is described histologically. On the neurological examination, these dogs showed sternal decubitus, inability to walk and loss of coordination. A cerebellar ataxia was suspected. Microscopically, marked vacuolation of the white matter was observed in the cerebrum, cerebellum and dorsal funiculus of the spinal cord. A severe hypertrophy of astrocytes with pale and swollen nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm was also observed. This pathology has been described in several animals species but this is the first description in the Australian cattle dog.

This case report describes an infiltrative lipoma in a horse. A slow-growing mass, detected early after birth, was present at the caudal aspect of the foreleg (antebrachium) of a 2-year-old gelding. Cytological features were that of a benign lipoma. Surgical resection was attempted but failed due to the infiltrative nature of the mass. Consequently, the horse was euthanized. Histopathology revealed an infiltrative lipoma. This tumor is histologically benign but surgical resection is usually impossible due to its infiltrative nature.

Two Yellow Anacondas (Eunectes notaeus) were diagnosed with lymphoid leucosis after a history of anorexia. One snake presented a large tumoral mass in the intestinal wall; the other had several smaller neoplasms in different organs. Reptilian tumors are being diagnosed more frequently in recent decades.