Nenad Andric

A one-year-old female Toy poodle was referred for seizures, phantom scratching behind the right ear, and inability to jump. An intracranial and cervical spinal cord disorder was suspected. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed pleocytosis, increased total proteins, serum amyloid A (SAA), and lactate concentration, low albumin ratio, increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, and no active forms of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs). Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cervical part of the spinal cord revealed caudal cerebellar tonsil herniation and a syrinx formation between the C2 and C7 parts of the spinal cord. Chiari-like malformation (CM) and Syringomyelia (SM) as the result of a CM was diagnosed. Histopathology verified the presence of syrinxes in the dorsal region of the spinal cord, with and without connection to the central canal. For the first time, SAA, MMPs, lactate, and LDH were measured in CSF of dogs with CMSM, suggesting a potential link to central nervous system inflammation.

In veterinary medicine, knowledge about hematologic ratios (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and mean platelet volume-to-platelet ratio (MPV/PLT)) is limited, particularly in cats. While the roles of these ratios have been proven in oncology, systemic inflammation with or without systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and sepsis, information is lacking about their alterations in non-septic effusions, like feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). This study aimed to describe whether NLR, PLR, and MPV/PLT were changed and whether they correlated with routine hematologic and biochemical parameters in 16 cats with non-septic effusions, highly suspected to be the effusive form of FIP without SIRS, compared to nine clinically healthy cats. The NLR was calculated as the absolute count of neutrophils divided by the absolute count of lymphocytes, PLR by calculating the absolute platelet divided by the absolute lymphocyte count, and MPV/PLT by dividing mean platelet volume by absolute platelet count. The NLR, MPV, and MPV/PLT ratios were higher in cats with non-septic effusions suspected to be FIP, but PLR did not differ, when compared to healthy cats. Correlation analysis did not show any association between the selected ratios and hematological and biochemical parameters. In the absence of leukocytosis, increased NLR could help us to confirm the presence of systemic inflammation in cats with non-septic effusions indicative of FIP. However, a high MPV/PLT ratio should be interpreted with caution, especially in cats.

When dogs or cats get seizures, epileptic seizures and epilepsy are usually thought of. However, it is important to take into account the existence of seizures that are similar to epileptic seizures but do not belong to epileptic seizures (non-epileptic seizures). Nonepileptic seizures occur suddenly, are short-term, disappear as quickly as they occur, recur and have no epileptic etiology and can be of non-neurological and neurological origin. Unlike non-epileptic seizures, epileptic seizures have a specific neural origin and represent excessive, synchronous, usually self-limiting epileptic activity of brain neurons. Epileptic seizures should be distinguished from reactive seizures because reactive seizures occur as a natural response of a healthy brain to transient disorders (metabolic or toxic in nature) and they disappear after the cause ceases to act. Absolute confirmation that it is an epileptic seizure can be difficult because it requires both visualization of the seizure and registration of changes on the EEG. In practice, the suspicion that epileptic seizures occurs is based on information from the medical history and videos. In making a differential diagnosis when an seizure occurs, it is necessary to take into account the age of infected animals, the presence of clinical signs other than the seizure, the presence or absence of disease progression, video recording, blood counts and blood biochemical parameters results, CST test results, and X-ray, MRI or CT findings. The first step in a diagnosis is to determine whether the lesion that leads to the onset of the seizure is localized extracranially or intracranially. If the lesion is localized extracranially, it should be determined whether the problem originates outside the body (poisoning with xylitol, organophosphates, chocolate) or from the body (hypothyroidism, hypocalcemia, kidney disease, etc.). If the process is localized intracranially, it should be determined whether the process is progressive (tumor, inflammation, hydrocephalus, etc.) or not.

A 15-year-old indoor/outdoor female, neutered, domestic European short haired cat was presented to our clinic with a history of neck-elongation and wheezing during inspiration/expiration. The first signs of respiratory disease occurred two weeks before the clinical presentation. After taking of clinical history, clinical examination and basic laboratory tests (complete blood count, blood smear, snap Feline Immunodeficiency Virus / Feline Leukemia Virus Combo test), a lung x-ray was performed showing the presence of left lung atelectasis and pneumothorax. The primary causes of lung atelectasis were not determined. Given that the general condition of the cat was very bad, she was put in an oxygen cage, thoracocentesis was performed, but the animal?s condition did not improve, and 24 hours after clinical presentation, the cat died. Autopsy revealed the presence of a tumor mass on the caudal lobe of the right lung, tumor formation in the area of trachea bifurcation and changes in the liver in the form of four round structures of different sizes. Histopathologically, the existence of primary undifferentiated lung adenocarcinoma with metastases on the liver and trachea was determined.

Haematologic abnormalities possibly associated with exposure to vector-borne pathogens are rarely reported in clinically healthy outdoor dogs. Therefore, we analysed changes in the complete blood count (CBC) of clinically healthy outdoor dogs seroreactive to Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp., with or without microfilariosis. Stray, shelter and hunting dogs, 81 in total, that were polymerase chain reaction negative for Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp. were divided into groups according to their seroreactive status and results of a modified Knott?s test: seronegative to both Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp. SN (N=26); seroreactive to A. phagocythophilum SR-A (N=12); seroreactive to B. canis, B. gibsoni and/or B. vogeli SR-B (N=25); and seroreactive to both of the pathogens SR-AB (N=8). These four groups were negative to microfilariosis, unlike the fifth group, seroreactive to either or to both of the pathogens and with microfilariosis SR-M (N=10). The frequencies of CBC alterations among all analysed dogs were: 0.35 ? leucocytosis, 0.44 ? granulocytosis, 0.28 ? anaemia, 0.74 ? microcytosis, 0.37 ? increased mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and 0.33 ? thrombocytopenia. The frequency of alterations did not differ across the groups. An exception was the SR-M group wherein increased MCHC peaked with a frequency of 0.80, while in the other four groups, the frequency ranged between 0.10 and 0.50. Clinically healthy outdoor dogs have multiple CBC abnormalities, consistent with stress and low-level chronic inflammation, but not associated with a previous exposure to Anaplasma spp. or Babesia spp. The presence of microfilaria increases haemolysis in vitro.

Diseases of the lower urinary pathways with urethral obstruction are frequent urological conditions demanding urgent treatment that lead to the occurrence of post renal azotemia due to difficult or disabled urine elimination. The aim of these investigations was to establish the most frequent causes for the occurrence of obstructions of the lower urinary pathways in cats, the most frequent clinical signs, as well as the changes in the hematological and biochemical blood and urine parameters. The obtained results indicate that the most frequent cause of urethral obstruction in cats is the presence of urethra stones, sand, and urethra plugs caused by the aggregation of struvite crystals on organic matrix. The laboratory findings showed that all animals were dehydrated, azotemia was established in half the animals, and signs of uremia were evident in 10% cats. Over 90% cats had disrupted tubular function, and only 50% had clear laboratory signs of inflammation. It can be concluded from the presented results that all cats with urethra obstruction exhibit a certain degree of disrupted kidney function, which is, in most cases, a reversible pathological change when treated with timely and adequate therapy.

Inadequate diet combined with disease, injury or stress increases the metaobolic activity of patients to above the normal activity at rest. Sick or injured patients that are incapable of the intake of food and use nutritive matter through the digestive tract are indicated for parenteral feeding. Prior to the application of parenteral nutrition itself, it is necessary to carry out a series of clinical and laboratory analyses in order to determine which patients should actually be treated in this way. In order to determine the parenteral nutritive requirements, the veterinarian must assess the nutritive requirements of the patient, and on these grounds determine the type of solution that will be applied. It is very difficult to determine the precise requirements, so that certain relations are used in practice between the individual nutritive components that are based on the average requirements of these animal species. For parenteral nutrition, solutions are applied that are based on dextrose or glucose, amino acids, lipids, vitamins, micro and macro elements. In the course of the application of parenteral feeding, constant monitoring of the patient is necessary in the form of clinical examinations and laboratory tests.