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A fifth of all species in the carnivorous‐insectivorous marsupial family Dasyuridae show obligate male semelparity (die‐off), where males die after their first mating season, but females may breed in more than one season. Life history strategies of many species in the genera Antechinus and Phascogale are well known, but the other dasyurid genus with apparently obligately semelparous males, Dasykaluta, is poorly known, and there have been no demographic studies of this monotypic genus in the wild. Both sexes in Antechinus and Phascogale species are highly polygamous. Comparative and experimental tests of insectivorous marsupials indicate that this polygamy is linked to the evolution of semelparity in more strongly seasonal breeders, through intense sperm competition. We assessed whether the kaluta (Dasykaluta rosamondae), a small dasyurid endemic to the broader Pilbara region of Western Australia, has obligate male semelparity, multiple paternity within litters, and positive testis allometry in the wild. We documented complete die‐off of males over two breeding seasons. Multiple paternity was confirmed in seven of eight litters, where either two or three fathers sired young. The seven young in the remaining litter appeared to be sired by one male. Intraspecific positive testis allometry was found in adult males. We conclude that the life history strategies of wild male and female kalutas are consistent with those of the two other genera of dasyurids with obligate male semelparity (Antechinus and Phascogale), and sperm competition is likely to be important in the mating system of kalutas. Our results show that male obligate semelparity has evolved twice in dasyurids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES To report on a series of dogs and cats with long bone fractures that occurred as a direct consequence of linear external skeletal fixation ( ESF) application. METHODS Retrospective study. Data from the medical records and radiographs of canine (n = 4) and feline (n = 7) cases were collected from three referral and three first opinion practices in the UK (1999 to 2011). RESULTS Long bone fractures occurred following the application of linear ESF either while the ESF was in situ or after removal. All fractures occurred through either a pin tract or an empty drill hole. Pins associated with ESF-related fracture tended to be in the higher end of the recommended size range. The majority of cases had additional complicating factors such as multiple injuries, revision surgery, poor owner compliance with postoperative exercise restriction and the presence of empty drill holes. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE In cases with features that could complicate outcome, careful attention should be paid to recommendations for ESF application. Leaving empty drill holes is suboptimal. The retrospective nature of the study, low numbers of, and diversity amongst, cases should be taken into consideration when interpreting the results from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O bjectives: To determine the in vitro persistence of clotrimazole 1% cream in the canine frontal sinus and to evaluate the distribution of clotrimazole solution over the sino-nasal mucosa using a previously described surgical treatment protocol for canine nasal aspergillosis. M ethods: Two canine skulls were used to monitor the persistence of clotrimazole cream in the lateral frontal sinus at 37°C. The distribution of irrigation solution around the frontal sinus compartments and nasal cavity was determined using six canine cadaver heads by trephining either the lateral or both the lateral and rostral compartments of the frontal sinus. Stain was added to the sinus irrigation solution before visually inspecting the sagittally sectioned heads. R esults: Clotrimazole cream persisted in the frontal sinus for at least 96 hours. The nasal cavity mucosa was completely stained in 8 of 12 sides and almost completely stained in the remaining 4 of 12 sides. Flushing irrigation solution through the lateral compartment of the frontal sinus resulted in inadequate staining of the rostral compartment but medicating both the lateral and rostral compartments resulted in complete coating of all frontal sinus mucosa in eight of eight sides. C linical S ignificance: Clotrimazole cream has the potential to be retained in the frontal sinus for several days and is distributed effectively in normal canine cadavers. Medicating both the rostral and lateral compartments of the frontal sinus may be indicated in some clinical cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O bjectives: To investigate relationships between central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) and survival to hospital discharge in dogs. Central venous oxygen saturation is an accessible measure of the balance between systemic oxygen delivery and consumption. M ethods: Prospective observational cohort study, enrolling 126 client-owned dogs with central venous catheters. Central venous oxygen saturation was measured over the 24 hours following intensive care unit admission. Poor outcome was defined as death or euthanasia performed for moribund status. Regression analysis identified independent predictors of non-survival and physiologic parameters associated with central venous oxygen saturation. Area under the receiver operator curve analysis identified a cut-off point of central venous oxygen saturation, below which central venous oxygen saturation decrease was associated with increased mortality risk. R esults: Mortality risk was 30·9%. Low central venous oxygen saturation was associated with poor outcome (P<0·05). Area under the receiver operator curve analysis selected a central venous oxygen saturation of 68% as the point below which a fall in central venous oxygen saturation was associated with increased mortality risk. For each 10% drop in central venous oxygen saturation below 68%, odds of non-survival increased by 2·66 times (P=0·0002, 95% confidence interval of odds ratio=1·45 to 4·85). Central venous oxygen saturation was equivalent to lactate in predicting non-survival. Predictors of central venous oxygen saturation (packed cell volume, mean arterial blood pressure, fever, % arterial haemoglobin saturation as measured by pulse oximeter) were consistent with hypothesised physiologic mechanisms. C linical S ignificance: Central venous oxygen saturation was a strong mortality predictor. Further work is needed to determine if therapy targeting central venous oxygen saturation can reduce mortality in canine intensive care unit patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scores allowing objective stratification of illness severity are available for dogs and horses, but not cats. Validated illness severity scores facilitate the risk-adjusted analysis of results in clinical research, and also have applications in triage and therapeutic protocols. To develop and validate an accurate, user-friendly score to stratify illness severity in hospitalized cats. Six hundred cats admitted consecutively to a teaching hospital intensive care unit. This observational cohort study enrolled all cats admitted over a 32-month period. Data on interventional, physiological, and biochemical variables were collected over 24 hours after admission. Patient mortality outcome at hospital discharge was recorded. After random division, 450 cats were used for logistic regression model construction, and data from 150 cats for validation. Patient mortality was 25.8%. Five- and 8-variable scores were developed. The 8-variable score contained mentation score, temperature, mean arterial pressure (MAP), lactate, PCV, urea, chloride, and body cavity fluid score. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) on the construction cohort was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.87-0.94), and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.84-0.96) on the validation cohort. The 5-variable score contained mentation score, temperature, MAP, lactate, and PCV. AUROC on the construction cohort was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.79-0.86), and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.72-0.84) on the validation cohort. Two scores are presented enabling allocation of an accurate and user-friendly illness severity measure to hospitalized cats. Scores are calculated from data obtained over the 1st 24 hours after admission, and are diagnosis-independent. The 8-variable score predicts outcome significantly better than does the 5-variable score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Objective risk stratification models are used routinely in human critical care medicine. Applications include quantitative and objective delineation of illness severity for patients enrolled in clinical research, performance benchmarking, and protocol development for triage and therapeutic management. Objective: To develop an accurate, validated, and user-friendly model to stratify illness severity by mortality risk in hospitalized dogs. Animals: Eight hundred and ten consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) admissions of dogs at a veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: Prospective census cohort study. Data on 55 management, physiological, and biochemical variables were collected within 24 hours of admission. Data were randomly divided, with 598 patient records used for logistic regression model construction and 212 for model validation. Results: Patient mortality was 18.4%. Ten-variable and 5-variable models were developed to provide both a high-performance model and model maximizing accessibility, while maintaining good performance. The 10-variable model contained creatinine, WBC count, albumin, SpO2, total bilirubin, mentation score, respiratory rate, age, lactate, and presence of free fluid in a body cavity. Area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUROC) on the construction data set was 0.93, and on the validation data set was 0.91. The 5-variable model contained glucose, albumin, mentation score, platelet count, and lactate. AUROC on the construction data set was 0.87, and on the validation data set was 0.85. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Two models are presented that enable allocation of an accurate and user-friendly illness severity index for dogs admitted to an ICU. These models operate independent of primary diagnosis, and have been independently validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common incidental finding in otherwise normal Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS). In this study, measurements made on MRI were used to determine whether there was an association between OME and brachycephalic conformation. The results confirm that association and also demonstrate that, in CKCS, greater thickness of the soft palate and reduced nasopharyngeal aperture are significantly associated with OME. These results suggest that auditory tube dysfunction and OME may represent a previously overlooked consequence of brachycephalic conformation in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illness severity scores are gaining increasing popularity in veterinary medicine. This article discusses their applications in both clinical medicine and research, reviews the caveats pertaining to their use, and discusses some of the issues that arise in appropriate construction of a score. Illness severity scores can be used to decrease bias and confounding and add important contextual information to research by providing a quantitative and objective measure of patient illness. In addition, illness severity scores can be used to benchmark performance, and establish protocols for triage and therapeutic management. Many diagnosis-specific and diagnosis-independent veterinary scores have been developed in recent years. Although score use in veterinary research is increasing, the scores available are currently underutilized, particularly in the context of observational studies. Analysis of treatment effect while controlling for illness severity by an objective measure can improve the validity of the conclusions of observational studies. In randomized trials, illness severity scores can be used to demonstrate effective randomization, which is of particular utility when group sizes are small. The quality of veterinary scoring systems can be improved by prospective multicenter validation. The prevalence of euthanasia in companion animal medicine poses a unique challenge to scores based on a mortality outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish predilection sites of obstruction and to investigate clinical factors associated with a poor outcome. Methods: A retrospective study of 208 consecutive cases over a 48-month period from first-opinion practice. Results: Overall, 91 per cent of cases recovered with higher survival rates from discrete foreign bodies (94 per cent in dogs and 100 per cent in cats) as opposed to linear foreign bodies (80 per cent in dogs and 63 per cent in cats). English bull terriers, springer spaniels, Staffordshire bull terriers, Border collies and Jack Russell terriers were over-represented. In dogs, 63 per cent of obstructions occurred in the jejunum but foreign objects were encountered at all points along the gastrointestinal tract. A longer duration of clinical signs, the presence of a linear foreign body and multiple intestinal procedures were associated with significantly increased mortality. Neither the degree of obstruction (partial or complete) nor the location of the foreign body was shown to have a significant influence on survival. Clinical Significance: Prompt presentation, diagnosis and surgical intervention improve the outcome of gastrointestinal obstruction by foreign bodies. At surgery, the minimal number of intestinal procedures should be performed to restore the integrity of the alimentary tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of microglia isolated from adult rat brain with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) at a concentration of 1 U/ml resulted in enhanced expression of Fc receptors and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens and increased production of superoxide anions. Neonatal microglia and peritoneal macrophages, isolated and cultured in the same manner, displayed functional properties very similar to those of adult microglia, indicating a common origin for different macrophage populations. The Fc binding capacity of microglia was found to be significantly greater than that of peritoneal cells, thus underlining the potential role of microglia in immune-mediated demyelination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a period of 54 months, 3518 dogs and 3806 cats were castrated; 240 of the dogs and 50 of the cats were cryptorchid. Pedigree dogs, in particular the German shepherd dog, boxer and chihuahua were overrepresented. Among the dogs, right-sided inguinal cryptorchidism was the most common form, followed by right-sided abdominal cryptorchidism. The location of the affected testicle(s) was most variable in the boxer. Among the cats, left- or right-sided inguinal cryptorchidism were the most common forms of the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the case of asymptomatic uterine rupture in a bitch. Results of exploratory laparotomy; Gross pathology of the uterus; Surgical management of a prolonged dystocia due to fetal maceration and narrowing of the maternal birth canal.