A diffuse, planar form of cutaneous xanthoma occurring without associated lipaemia has not been previously reported in cats.

Diagnostic challengeHistory An approximately 8-year-old, 11.0-kg female Standard Dachshund was presented to the University of Sydney Veterinary Teaching Hospital spay clinic for desexing. The dog, owned by a local shelter, was reportedly healthy in the weeks prior to desexing and appeared healthy, with a body condition score of 6/9 at the time of surgery. Clinical and gross findingsOn physical examination, the dog was normal other than having a small amount of clear, pale yellow vaginal discharge, which would, normally, have prompted a more thorough clinical examination followed by serum biochemical analysis, haematological evaluation (e.g. CBC) and ultrasound. However, as the agreement with the animal shelter is that the animals will be desexed unless they seem severely unwell, the dog proceeded to ovariohysterectomy surgery that morning.A ventral, midline coeliotomy approach was undertaken. A moderate amount of serosanguinous peritoneal effusion was present. On attempted exteriorisation of the uterus, many adhesions were encountered, requiring the skin incision to be extended. Omentum, mesentery and left kidney were adhered to the left lateral peritoneum. The main adhesion was between the uterine body and the colon, and seemed to be extramural. There was focal, mild, brown discolouration of the serosal wall of the uterus where the uterus and colon adhered. The adhesion between the uterus and colon was carefully separated by blunt dissection. Five pieces of hard, brown foreign material ( Figure 1) were embedded in this main adhesion and the adjacent peritoneal cavity. The uterine horns were shorter than usual (2.0 cm). The ovaries appeared cystic (1.5 × 1.0 cm). The uterine horns were dissected away from the adhesions in the broad ligament. After the ovariohysterectomy was completed, some intra-abdominal adhesions remained but were not surgically removed. The abdomen was lavaged with sterile saline before a routine three-layer closure. Anaesthesia was routine.