To assess the influence of breed, breeding lines, and training on heart size, the vertebral heart size (VHS) was evaluated on left-to-right lateral, right-to-left lateral, dorsoventral, and ventrodorsal thoracic radiographs from 44 whippets free from cardiac and pulmonary disease. In lateral views, the VHS was 11.0 +/- 0.5 vertebrae (mean +/- SD) on right-to-left lateral and 11.3 +/- 0.5 vertebrae on left-to-right lateral radiographs, being larger than the 9.7 +/- 0.5 vertebrae proposed by Buchanan (P<0.0001). The VHS on left-to-right lateral views was larger than on right-to-left lateral views (P<0.0001). The VHS was 10.5 +/- 0.6 vertebrae on dorsoventral radiographs and 11.1 +/- 0.6 vertebrae on ventrodorsal radiographs. Both values were larger than the 10.2 +/- 1.5 vertebrae (dorsoventral) (P<0.0082) or 10.2 +/- 0.8 vertebrae (ventrodorsal) (P<0.0001) proposed by Buchanan. In addition, the VHS on ventrodorsal views was larger than on dorsoventral views (P<0.0001). Dogs out of racing pedigree lines had a significantly larger VHS than those out of show pedigree lines, and trained dogs had a significantly larger VHS than nontrained dogs. Because most trained dogs came out of racing pedigree lines, and all nontrained dogs came out of show pedigree lines, however, it is difficult to determine whether the higher VHS for trained dogs is due to genetic influences or training, or both. In conclusion, it is important to take into account the breed and the radiographic view when evaluating heart size in thoracic radiographs of whippets to avoid overinterpretation of cardiac enlargement in these dogs.

On CT, several features associated with severe elbow incongruity and concomitant FCP were detected, which were not found in normal joints or congruent joints affected by FCP.

Snakes and lizards are considered 'stoic' animals and often show only non-specific signs of illness. Consequently, diagnostic imaging--along with clinical examination and laboratory tests--is gaining importance in making a final diagnosis and establishing a correct therapy. The large number of captive snake and lizard species commonly kept as pets, together with the high inter- and intraspecific morphological variability that is innate in these animals, make the analysis of diagnostic images challenging for the veterinary practitioner. Moreover, a thorough knowledge of the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the species that are the object of clinical investigation is mandatory for the correct interpretation of diagnostic images. Despite the large amount of clinical and scientific work carried out in the past two decades, the radiographic features of snakes and lizards have not undergone systematic description, and therefore veterinarians often have to rely mostly on anatomical studies rather than radiological literature. The aim of this paper is to review the most commonly used diagnostic imaging modalities, as well as to provide an overview of the available international original studies and scientific reviews describing the normal and pathological imaging features in snakes and lizards.

This anatomic atlas could be used as a guide for interpretation of MR images of elbow disorders such as tendon, ligament, or muscle injuries.

The most common housing system for reproduction rabbits, individual cage housing on a wire floor, is increasingly scrutinized because of its potential detrimental impact on animal welfare. We compared three types of housing: (1) individual cage housing on a wire floor (3952 cm 2 /doe, maximum roof height 63 cm, one 1000 cm 2 plastic footrest/doe), (2) semi-group housing on a wire floor (5000 cm 2 /doe, roofless, one 1000 cm 2 plastic footrest/doe) and (3) the same semi-group housing, but with a fully plastic slatted floor. In all housing systems, does had free access to an elevated platform. In the semi-group housing pens, four does were housed communally during 21 days of the reproduction cycle (to allow more space for locomotion and to increase opportunities for social contact), and individually during the other 21 days of the cycle (to minimize doe-doe and doe-kit aggression that peaks around kindling). In all, 24 Hycole does were included per system. The does entered the experiment at 203 days of age (after their first parity). The experiment consisted of four reproductive cycles, ending at 369 days of age. Pododermatitis was scored in cycles 1, 2 and 4. At the end of the 4 th cycle the does were euthanized and X-rays were taken to assess spinal deformation. Tibia and femur length, width and cortical thickness were determined and bone strength was assessed using a shear test, as a measure of bone quality. Although severe pododermatitis was absent, the prevalence of plantar hyperkeratosis (hair loss and callus formation) at the end of the 4 th cycle was much greater on the wire floor (65% and 68% for semi-group housing and individual cages, respectively) than on the plastic floor (5%, P < 0.0001), even though the wire floors were equipped with a plastic footrest known to decrease hyperkeratosis. In contrast to our expectations, semi-group housing did not affect the prevalence of spinal deformations ( P > 0.10), but in line with our expectations bone quality was affected favourably by semi-group housing. The tibial cortex (and to a lesser extent the femoral cortex) was thicker in semi-group housing than in individual cages (1.45, 1.46 and 1.38 mm for semi-group housing on wire, semi-group housing on plastic and individual housing on wire, respectively, P = 0.045). What this increase in cortical thickness means in terms of doe welfare requires further study, as it may reflect an increase in activity resulting either from increased space for locomotion, or from fleeing aggressive pen mates.Keywords: rabbit, floor type, pododermatitis, spinal deformation, bone quality ImplicationsThe vast majority of reproduction does (the mothers of rabbits raised for meat production) is housed in individual cages with a metal wire floor. Such housing is currently a topic of public debate, mainly because individual cages offer little possibility and incentive for physical and social activity. Furthermore, wire floors can harm the rabbits' feet. Our findings suggest that semi-group housing (in which does live in groups of four fo...