Pediculectomy and fenestration for spinal cord decompression of the lumbar spine of a bush dog (Speothos venaticus) - case report / [Pediculectomia e fenestração para descompressão medular da coluna lombar em um cachorro-vinagre (Speothos venaticus) - relato de caso]

A captive adult male bush dog (Speothos venaticus) was referred to our Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital from a local zoo due to a two-week history of progressive hind limb gait impairment and ataxia, non-responsive to clinical management. Computed tomography revealed decreased disc space at L3 - L4 level, with probable disc extrusion narrowing the right side of the spinal canal, compressing the spinal cord. We opted to surgically remove the disc material using both fenestration and right lateral pediculectomy (mini-hemilaminectomy) techniques. Twelve days after surgery there was mild residual proprioceptive ataxia. Gait was fully regained with remission of the neurological deficits around the 30th postoperative day. This is - to the best of our knowledge - the first successful report of a lumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in a bush dog (Speothos venaticus) surgically treated by pediculectomy and disc fenestration.(AU)

Um cachorro-vinagre (Speothos venaticus), macho, adulto, mantido em cativeiro, foi encaminhado ao Hospital Veterinário Universitário pelo zoológico local com histórico de duas semanas de comprometimento progressivo da marcha dos membros posteriores e ataxia, que não responderam ao tratamento clínico. Tomografia computadorizada revelou diminuição do espaço em disco no nível L3 - L4, com provável extrusão de disco estreitando o lado direito do canal vertebral, comprimindo a medula espinhal. Optamos por remover cirurgicamente esse material do disco usando técnicas de fenestração e pediculectomia lateral direita (mini-hemilaminectomia). Doze dias após a cirurgia, houve melhora na deambulação, com ataxia proprioceptiva residual leve. A marcha foi totalmente recuperada com remissão dos déficits neurológicos por volta do trigésimo dia de pós-operatório. Este é - até onde sabemos - o primeiro relato bem-sucedido de uma extrusão de disco intervertebral lombar em um cachorro-vinagre (Speothos venaticus) tratado cirurgicamente por pediculectomia e fenestração de disco.(AU)

Effect of thyroparathyroidectomy on urinary acidification in diabetic rats

In previous studies we have shown stimulation of renal acid excretion in the proximal tubules of rats with diabetes of short duration, with no important alterations in glomerular hemodynamics; on the other hand, in thyroparathyroidectomized rats (TPTX model), a significant decrease in renal acid excretion, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) was detected. Since important changes in the parathyroid hormone-vitamin D-Ca axis are observed in the diabetic state, the present study was undertaken to investigate the renal repercussions of thyroparathyroidectomy in rats previously made diabetic by streptozotocin (45 mg/kg). Four to 6 days after the induction of diabetes (DM), a group of rats were thyroparathyroidectomized (DM + TPTX). Renal functional parameters were evaluated by measuring the inulin and sodium para-aminohippurate clearance on the tenth day. The decrease in the GFR and RPF observed in TPTX was not reversed by diabetes since the same alterations were observed in DM + TPTX. Net acid (NA) excretion was unchanged in DM (6.19 ± 0.54), decreased in TPTX (3.76 ± 0.25) and returned to normal levels in DM + TPTX (5.54 ± 0.72) when compared to the control group (6.34 ± 0.14 µmol min-1 kg-1). The results suggest that PTH plays an important vasodilator role regarding glomerular hemodynamics, since in its absence the impairment in GFR and RPF was not reversed by the diabetic state. However, with respect to acid excretion, the presence of diabetes was able to overcome the negative stimulus represented by TPTX