CT is useful for canine chronic otitis externa, particularly in suppurative or proliferative otitis, even in the absence of associated neurological signs.

The diagnosis of lung lobe torsion in dogs is usually based on radiological, endoscopic, and CT features. Few ultrasonographic descriptions have been published. The purpose of this multicenter, retrospective, and prospective observational study was to investigate the presence of a hypoechoic area forming a pulmonary band or line at the periphery of the twisted lobe on ultrasonography and assess its significance by comparing it to CT and histological findings. Fifteen dogs with lung lobe torsion confirmed surgically or postmortem were included. All had received ultrasonography and CT examinations; 13 had additional histopathological examination performed. In 14 cases, thoracic ultrasonography revealed a peripheral hypoechoic band, overlying areas of scattered, hyperreflecting interfaces in the affected lobe. On CT, central emphysema was surrounded by a peripheral, soft tissue attenuation band, affecting the periphery in 14 cases. No band was observed in one case, in which the lobe was entirely consolidated. Histological examination yielded a comparable peripheral band, consisting of a thickened visceral pleura with or without hemorrhagic necrosis of the underlying pulmonary parenchyma. This peripheral band may be related to the specific fractal organization of airways and vessels, which plays an important role in lung perfusion and ventilation and makes the lung periphery more prone to ischemia. Our findings suggest that the presence of a peripheral hypoechoic band, associated with central emphysema in a noncollapsed lung lobe on ultrasonography, is suggestive of compromised blood supply and air flow, and lung lobe torsion should therefore be suspected.

A four-year-old female French bulldog was presented for evaluation of acute, left-sided peripheral vestibular syndrome. Computed tomographic (CT) examination of the head revealed the presence of air within the left cochlea and vestibule, consistent with pneumolabyrinth. This was concurrent with ipsilateral otitis media and externa. Pneumolabyrinth is an uncommon finding in humans and is most frequently due to head trauma and temporal bone fracture. This is the first report describing pneumolabyrinth in a dog, apparently of nontraumatic origin in this case.

An eight-year-old female neutered dachshund presented with a three-month history of a chronic swelling on her cranioventral abdominal wall. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory therapy were ineffective. The swelling was 2 cm wide with a pinpoint open centre discharging purulent material. Contrast CT of the abdomen revealed an enlarged gall bladder, several cholecystoliths and a fistulous tract opening at a single site on the midline, just caudal to the xyphoid process. Cholecystectomy and removal of the entire fistulous tract via exploratory laparotomy resulted in rapid and complete resolution. Culture of the gall bladder content revealed presence of Pasteurella subspecies. One year after surgery, the dog had had no recurrence of the fistulous tract. Although the inciting cause of the biliary rupture is unclear, no evidence of neoplasia was found histologically. However, the cholecystocutaneous fistula was associated with, and contained, multiple cholecystoliths.

A 4-year-old female spayed Bullmastiff-cross presented with a 24-h history of progressive paraparesis. Neurological examination was consistent with L4–S3 myelopathy. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), all vertebrae showed homogenously increased short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal with strong contrast enhancement. The vertebral canal was concentrically narrowed along the length of the L5 vertebra secondary to bony proliferation of the vertebral pedicles, dorsal lamina, and vertebral body. Cytological analysis of the peripheral lymph nodes and subsequent flow cytometry was consistent with T-cell lymphoma. The dog was euthanised due to poor prognosis. Necropsy confirmed the presence of stage V multicentric T-cell lymphoma, as well as diffuse hyperostosis of the vertebral bodies. This is the first report of presumed paraneoplastic lumbar skeletal hyperostosis.