No abstract

Sow mortality is directly related to financial losses and productive efficiency in pig farms. Despite this, diseases associated with the death of sows are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the main causes of death of sows in Brazilian pig farms. To perform this research, three Brazilian pig farms were visited, and necropsies were performed on all sows that had died spontaneously or were subjected to euthanasia. Tissue fragments were collected for histopathological and bacteriological examination. In addition, the clinical signs, productive stage, parity, and type of death (spontaneous or euthanasia) were recorded. A total of 138 necropsies were performed, and 132 had a conclusive diagnosis. The most frequent productive stages were gestation and lactation (33.3 and 31.9%, respectively), followed by parturient sows (17.4%), cull sows (9.4%), weaning-to-estrus interval (WEI) (4.3%), and unmated gilts (3.6%). The most affected organ systems were reproductive (28%), digestive (25%), locomotor (22%), cardiovascular (9.1%), and hematopoietic (6.1%). The most frequently diagnosed conditions were uterine prolapse (16/132; 12.1%), gastric ulcer (13/132; 9.8%), suppurative arthritis (11/132; 8.3%), liver lobe torsion (11/132; 8.3%), heart failure (9/132; 6.8%), vaginal or vaginal and rectal prolapse (9/132; 6.8%), and pododermatitis (8/132; 6.1%). Although 58.2% of the deaths were due to one of these seven diseases, there was a great variability in diagnoses.

No abstract

Objectives This study aimed to characterize the cytologic, pathologic and immunohistochemical (IHC) aspects of feline giant-cell sarcoma. Methods Biopsy and necropsy reports from the Department of Veterinary Pathology were retrieved, and 13 cases of pleomorphic sarcoma (PS) were selected according to the established epidemiologic, pathologic and IHC criteria. All samples were fixed in 10% formalin, routinely processed for histology, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Samples also underwent IHC testing for vimentin, ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1), desmin, actin and S-100. Results The mean age of the affected cats was 9.5 years, and females were over-represented. Most neoplasms were observed in the flank, lateral thorax, limbs and interscapular region, and were >2 cm in diameter. Cytology analysis revealed highly cellular preparations with three distinct populations (spindle cells, small round cells and multinucleated giant cells) in a dense eosinophilic stroma. Histologically, PS was composed of a combination of these three populations. IHC labeling for vimentin and Iba-1 was strongly positive for spindle cells and multinucleated giant cells, respectively. Desmin/actin showed variable labeling among the samples. S-100 was negative in all samples. Conclusions and relevance PS is a neoplasm of mesenchymal origin, also known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The predominant subtype in this study that affected the cats was the giant-cell type, characterized by the presence of multinucleated giant cells among spindle-shaped cells. These findings are similar to those described in human patients; thus, a comparison between the neoplasms seen in these species might be useful, and the knowledge of biologic behavior and overall treatment approach for humans could be extrapolated to cats.

Extra-skeletal osteosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm that originates from soft tissue. This tumor occurs spontaneously in dogs, but there are few cases described in the literature. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological and pathologic features of extra-skeletal osteosarcoma in 36 dogs. Cases diagnosed as osteosarcoma affecting dogs (n=216), during 2006 to 2016 were reviewed. Of these, 36 cases were diagnosed as extra-skeletal osteosarcoma. The mean age of affected dogs was 10.4 years, and the mean weight was 19.5kg. No breed predisposition was observed. The most frequently affected sites were the mammary glands (80.6%; 29/36), subcutaneous tissue (5.6%; 2/36), liver (5.6%; 2/36), spleen (2.8%; 1/36), omentum (2.8%; 1/36), and kidney (2.8%; 1/36). Histological examination revealed that 61.1% (22/36) of the tumors were osteoblastic, 33.3% (12/36) chondroblastic, 2.8% (1/36) fibroblastic, and 2.8% (1/36) were giant cell-rich osteosarcomas. Histological grade II and III were the most frequent. Lymph node metastases were observed in 21.4% (3/14) of the cases of mammary gland osteosarcoma. Distant metastases were observed in 23.1% (3/13) of cases by diagnostic imaging and in 71.4% (5/7) during autopsy. Metastases were observed in the lungs (57.1%; 4/7), liver (14.3%; 1/7), spleen (14.3%; 1/7), and in multiple sites (14.3%; 1/7). Pulmonary metastases were more frequently observed in cases of mammary gland osteosarcoma.