This study concludes that according to protocol an optimal management of thoracic bite wounds in small dogs includes surgical exploration of the wound and the thoracic cavity in the presence of flail or pseudo-flail chest, fractured ribs, radiological evidence of lung contusion, pneumothorax or any combination of these.

Subcapsular partial prostatectomy is a potential palliative treatment for PCA in dogs and may lead to the resolution of clinical signs for several months.

An in vitro model was used to predict short-term, laser-induced, thermal damage in canine prostate tissue. Canine prostate tissue samples were equipped with thermocouple probes to measure tissue temperature at 3, 6, 9 and 12 mm depths. The tissue surface was irradiated with a Nd:YAG laser in contact or non-contact mode for up to 20 s, using powers from 5 to 20 W. Prediction of thermal damage using Arrhenius theory was discussed and compared to the in vitro damage threshold, determined by histological evaluation. The threshold temperature for acute thermal tissue damage was 69 +/- 6 degrees C (means +/- SD), irrespective of exposure time. Contact mode laser application caused vaporization of tissue, leaving a crater underneath the fiber tip. The mean extent of tissue damage underneath the vaporization crater floor was 0.9 +/- 0.6 mm after 5, 10 or 20 s of contact mode laser irradiation at 10 W, whereas 20 W non-contact exposure up to 20 s causes up to 4.7 +/- 0.2 mm coagulation necrosis. It was concluded that short-term acute thermal tissue damage can be comprehensively described by a single threshold temperature.

Case summaryAn 8-year-old female spayed Siamese indoor cat presented with a 3 week history of inspiratory dyspnoea, stridor and open-mouth breathing after exercise. Laryngoscopy, tracheoscopy, bronchoscopy and retroflexed nasopharyngoscopy were performed, and identified a multilobulated intraluminal mass within the trachea. Brush cytology was performed on the mass but was inconclusive in providing a definitive diagnosis. A CT scan of the neck failed to identify an obvious intraluminal mass and was negative to contrast uptake. Surgery was performed and seven rings of the trachea were removed to enable the complete excision of the mass. Histopathology of the excised mass was consistent with B cell lymphoma. After surgery, chemotherapy treatment was started. At the time of writing, 20 months since diagnosis, the cat remained clinically well, with no clinical signs or recurrence of macroscopic disease on endoscopic evaluation.Relevance and novel informationUpper airway endoscopy was considered to be an essential diagnostic tool in this case presenting with signs of upper respiratory dyspnoea. Moreover, combined surgery and chemotherapy were considered effective treatments and positively affected the long-term prognosis of this patient.

Background: Relatively shorter lengths of the polymorphic polyglutamine repeat-1 of the androgen receptor (AR) have been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (PC) in humans. In the dog, there are 2 polymorphic CAG repeat (CAGr) regions.Objective: To investigate the relationship of CAGr length of the canine AR-gene and the development of PC. Animals: Thirty-two dogs with PC and 172 control dogs were used. Methods: DNA was extracted from blood. Both CAG repeats were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR products were sequenced.Results: In dogs with PC, CAG-1 repeat length was shorter (P 5 .001) by an increased proportion of 10 repeats (P 5 .011) and no 12 repeats (P 5 .0017) than in the control dogs. No significant changes were found in CAG-3 length distribution. CAG-1 and CAG-3 polymorphisms proved not to be in linkage disequilibrium.Breed difference in allelic distribution was found in the control group. Of the prostate-disease sensitive breeds, a high percentage (64.5%) of the shortest haplotype 10/11 was found in the Doberman, whereas Beagles and German Pointers had higher haplotype 12/11 (47.1 and 50%). Bernese Mountain dogs and Bouvier dogs both shared a high percentage of 11 CAG-1 repeats and 13 CAG-3 repeats. Differences in (combined) allelic distributions among breeds were not significant.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In this preliminary study, short CAG-1 repeats in the AR-gene were associated with an increased risk of developing canine PC. Although breed-specific differences in allelic distribution of CAG-1 and CAG-3 repeats were found, these could not be related to PC risk.