2002 - 71 (4)

Three cats are described with plasmacytic pododermatitis of multiple footpads, and with a swelling of the nose resulting in a 'Shar pei nose' appearance. A diagnosis of 'ectopic plasmacytic pododermatitis' was confirmed in two cats by histopathologic examination. The histologic diagnosis of the nasal swelling in the third cat, which was FIV positive, was demodicosis. These cases are interesting because of their clinical presentation, the unexpected differential diagnosis, and because of their excellent response to treatment.

This case report describes a clinical outbreak of dermatophilosis among dairy cattle in Belgium. Seven out of the ten animals were affected, exhibiting papules especially on the back and lumbar area. The two most severely affected animals were treated with the cephalosporin antibiotic ceftiofur, the other five remained untreated. In all animals, a full recovery was noted after one month.

Since April 1, 2002, the European Union has extended the TSE testing in ruminants by including sheep and goats in the survey studies. Like for the bovine species, the diagnostic protocol is performed on a tissue sample of the brain stem collected at the level of the obex. Morphological differences of the brain stem of sheep and goats, in comparison with the bovine species, have required some adjustments to the sampling method and equipment. In this study, the technical aspects of sampling and a number of morphometrical parameters of the ovine brain stem are described. The essential differences, compared to the bovine species, concern the dimensions and the more pronounced caudal narrowing of the brain stem.

In this paper we report the application of a new, non-invasive, objective, painless and sensitive neurological test method in the horse. After transcranial stimulation of the motor cortex of the brain, using a changing magnetic field, the evoked potentials are registered electromyographically and measured. The technique was first applied in eightteen normal horses in order to obtain reference values. Thereafter, the usefulness of transcranial magnetic stimulation was investigated in eight neurological cases, as a complementary and objective diagnostic method in the neurological examination of the horse.We conclude that magnetic transcranial stimulation can put the diagnostic examination of horses with abnormal gait into a new perspective. The method is complementary the clinical neurological examination. In cases of severe ataxia the magnetic potentials determined in the present study correlated well with the clinical signs. In horses with subtle signs of ataxia, or when the nature of the affection as a purely orthopedic problem is not clearly evident, the lesions along the motor tracts can be assessed adequately, even in acute cases. In these cases the neurological lesions can be located with certainty, thus allowing the use of more specific ancillary tests (radiography, serum biochemistry, etc.). A supplementary advantage is that by measuring the onset latency and amplitude, an evolution in time can be followed objectively.

Thirty windsucking horses were admitted in the last eleven years (1990–2000) for a surgical intervention at the Department of Surgery and Anesthesiology of Domestic Animals of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Ghent. Twenty-one horse owners answered the follow-up questionary. The results after surgery (modified operation of Forssell) were good in 71.4% of the cases, with little postoperative complications. There was no predisposition for a certain age or sex although thoroughbreds were more often referred for surgical treatment. The etiology of this stereotypy and its treatments are discussed.