Ikhwan Saufi

A 6‐year‐old, 35.0‐kg, intact female, Belgian Shepherd dog was presented with acute dyspnoea, severe anaemia and haemothorax. Thoracic radiography showed craniodorsal mediastinal mass, mineralised nodule in the caudodorsal mediastinum and caudal thoracic spondylitis, which led to the presumptive diagnosis of spirocercosis. Computed tomography (CT) revealed the craniodorsal mediastinal mass to be most compatible with haematoma. There was soft tissue thickening around the thoracic aorta with delayed thin peripheral enhancement, suspected to be periaortitis. The patient responded well to medical treatments, including blood transfusion, tranexamic acid and six doses of doramectin. Follow‐up thoracic radiography 80 days later showed resolution of the craniodorsal mediastinal haematoma and periaortitis, but not the mineralised oesophageal nodule. The patient remained free of respiratory and upper gastrointestinal signs 5 months later. This case report describes the CT features and successful medical treatment of presumed craniodorsal mediastinal haematoma and thoracic periaortitis secondary to spirocercosis in a dog.

Pertanika Journal information and guidelines

Background and Aim: The value of the pet food industry, which is majorly the prescribed diet, exponentially increased over the years due to increased awareness among pet owners to provide a healthy lifestyle for their pets. However, several factors such as aroma, flavor, texture, and shape of prescribed diets greatly influenced the palatability in cats. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the palatability of the prescribed diet for domestic shorthair (DSH) cats. Materials and Methods: The two-bowl method was employed to determine the palatability of prescribed diets on five DSH cats for 6 days. Furthermore, the four types of prescribed diet assessed in this study were struvite, renal, hypersensitivity, and intestinal. Furthermore, the pet food palatability was analyzed using “First Approached,” “First Consumed,” “Total Consumption,” and “Intake ratios.” Results: Our findings revealed that “Total Consumption” and “Intake Ratios” were significantly different in struvite, renal, and intestinal diets compared to the hypersensitivity diet. In addition, this result indicates that the hypersensitivity diet is the most unpalatable compared with other diets. Conclusion: A detailed investigation of the diet ingredients showed that a hypersensitivity diet lacks herbs and spices than the other diets. Therefore, these ingredients lacking in the hypersensitivity diet influence the palatability of pet foods.

To date, there is data paucity on canine vertebral fracture and luxation (VFL) in the local setting. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the geographical location and stray dog population would influence VFL cases in the University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UVH, UPM). This study aimed to describe the incidence and characteristics of VFL in dogs presented to UVH, UPM. Medical records, including radiographic images of 74 dogs between 2015 to 2017, were reviewed. VFL dominated the spinal cord disease in dogs at 49% (n = 36/74), exceeding intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE). Half of VFL cases were contributed by intact male, small breed dogs aged more than one-year-old, with 52% (n = 11/19) of cases caused by vehicular accidents. Almost two-thirds (n = 21/36) of dogs with VFL were outdoor or stray dogs, and the Th3-L3 region was the most susceptible (52%, n = 19/36) for VFL. More than 70% (n = 25/36) of the patients had unstable fractures, highly associated with severity. In conclusion, the occurrence of VFL in UVH, UPM is three times higher than reported in western countries and most likely contributed by a large number of outdoor and stray dogs.