From October 1984 to May 1987, advanced gastric carcinoma was diagnosed in 11 dogs at the University of Milan. All cases were examined clinically, radiologically and endoscopically, and nine dogs were submitted for autopsy. The tumour mass was excised surgically in one case and treated by photodynamic therapy (haematoporphyrins and laser) in one other case. Fiberoptic examination allowed diagnosis in all the subjects. In seven of eight cases, histological diagnosis was achieved by means of transendoscopic biopsy. There appeared to be a breed predisposition to the tumour as eight of 11 tumours affected Belgian shepherd dogs and all these had neoplasms arising from the lesser curvature with prevailing histological features of mucin secreting tumours.

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Seven cases of gastric carcinoma in Belgian shepherd dogs were histologically diagnosed at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Milan, in addition to the eight cases reported in 1989. In all 15 cases the lesser curvature was invaded by the tumour. Histologically, six neoplasms were signet ring cell carcinoma, five were undifferentiated carcinoma, two were mucinous adenocarcinoma and one was a tubular adenocarcinoma; one case showed different histological features (tubular and papillar adenocarcinoma, signet ring cell and undifferentiated carcinoma) none of which prevailed. The Grimelius stain showed the presence of few ente‐rochromaffin cells scattered in the tumoral tissue in four cases. The examination of the pedigree of eight Belgian shepherd dogs with gastric carcinoma demonstrates that all these animals were related, suggesting a genetic mechanism in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Total IV anesthesia with a ketamine-propofol combination, with or without dexmedetomidine, appeared to be effective in healthy cats. These short-term infusions produced smooth recovery and adequate analgesia during the postoperative period.

Ketorolac (KET) is a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug approved for the use in humans that possesses a potent analgesic activity, comparable to morphine, and could represent a useful tool to control acute pain also in animals. The clinical efficacy and pharmacokinetic profile of intravenous (IV) ketorolac tromethamine (0.5 mg/kg) were studied in 15 dogs undergoing gonadectomy. Intra‐operative cardiorespiratory variables were monitored, and post‐operative pain was assessed using a subjective pain score (0–24) in all dogs, whereas the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug was determined in 10 animals. During surgery, mean minimal alveolar concentration of isoflurane was 1.69 ± 0.11%, and normocapnia and spontaneous ventilation were maintained in all animals. During pain assessment, no significant differences between males and females were found, and in no case rescue analgesia was necessary. No adverse effects were reported. Serum samples were purified by solid‐phase extraction and analysed by HPLC with UV‐Vis detection. A large variability was observed in serum concentrations. The kinetics of ketorolac was described by a noncompartmental analysis. The elimination half‐life (t½λz) and ClB were 10.95 ± 7.06 h and 92.66 ± 84.49 mL/h/kg, respectively, and Vdss and Vz were 1030.09 ± 620.50 mL/kg and 1512.25 ± 799.13 mL/kg, respectively. AUC(0→last) and MRT(0→last) were 6.08 ± 3.28 h × μg/mL and 5.59 ± 2.12 h, respectively. The results indicate that ketorolac possess good post‐operative analgesic effects until about 6 h after administration in dogs undergoing moderately painful surgery.