Outcome following surgery to treat septic peritonitis in 95 cats in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVES: To review the cause, management and outcome in cats with septic peritonitis within the United Kingdom (2008 to 2018) and to identify if previously identified prognostic factors were associated with survival in this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical records from 10 referral hospitals in United Kingdom were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, clinicopathological data and management techniques. Serum albumin, glucose, lactate and ionised calcium concentration; presence of intraoperative hypotension and correct empirical antibiosis were analysed via logistic regression for association with survival. RESULTS: Ninety-five cats were included. The overall survival rate was 66%. Lethargy (89%) and anorexia (75%) were the most common clinical signs, with abdominal pain and vomiting in 44% and 27% of cases, respectively. Gastro-intestinal leakage was the most common source of contamination. The presence of an abdominal mass on clinical examination was not strongly predictive of the presence of neoplasia on histology and did not confer a worse prognosis. Cats presenting with dehiscence of a previous enterotomy/enterectomy did not have a worse prognosis than those presenting with other aetologies. Intraoperative hypotension (adjusted odds ratio 0.173, 95% confidence intervals 0.034 to 0.866, P=0.033) was associated with non-survival. Cats that survived beyond 1 day postoperatively had an improved likelihood of survival (87.5%). All cats that survived beyond 6 days were successfully discharged. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study describes the largest group of cats with septic peritonitis with an overall survival rate of 66%. The presence of an abdominal mass on clinical examination or having dehiscence of a previous gastrointestinal surgery did not confer a worse prognosis.

Scrubs contamination, domestic laundry effect and workwear habits of clinical staff at a referral hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine contamination rates of scrub suits worn by veterinary surgeons and nurses following a single shift. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional preliminary study at a UK small animal referral centre. Sterilised scrub suits were distributed to veterinary surgeons (n = 9) and nurses (n = 9) at the beginning of their clinical shift and worn for at least 8 hours. They were then analysed for bacterial contamination before and after home laundry at 30°C. A questionnaire was distributed to hospital clinical staff regarding workwear habits. RESULTS: Median bacterial counts were 47 (interquartile range: 14 to 162) and 7 (interquartile range: 0 to 27) colony forming units per cm2 before and after laundering scrub suits. Bacteria identified included Staphylococcus sp., Enterococcus sp., Escherichia coli , Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Micrococcus sp., ß-haemolytic Streptococci and a Group G Streptococcus. From 101 staff surveyed, 64.0% reported wearing fresh, clean scrub tops and 58.4% fresh, clean trousers each day, while 64.4% left the workplace wearing the same clothing in which they undertook clinical work. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Workwear contamination risks spread of pathogens into the community and personnel compliance with workplace guidelines warrants further attention. Home laundry at 30°C significantly decreases, but does not eliminate, the bacterial burden after a single shift.

Genome-wide analysis of canine oral malignant melanoma metastasis-associated gene expression.

Oral malignant melanoma (OMM) is the most common canine melanocytic neoplasm. Overlap between the somatic mutation profiles of canine OMM and human mucosal melanomas suggest a shared UV-independent molecular aetiology. In common with human mucosal melanomas, most canine OMM metastasise. There is no reliable means of predicting canine OMM metastasis, and systemic therapies for metastatic disease are largely palliative. Herein, we employed exon microarrays for comparative expression profiling of FFPE biopsies of 18 primary canine OMM that metastasised and 10 primary OMM that did not metastasise. Genes displaying metastasis-associated expression may be targets for anti-metastasis treatments, and biomarkers of OMM metastasis. Reduced expression of CXCL12 in the metastasising OMMs implies that the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis may be involved in OMM metastasis. Increased expression of APOBEC3A in the metastasising OMMs may indicate APOBEC3A-induced double-strand DNA breaks and pro-metastatic hypermutation. DNA double strand breakage triggers the DNA damage response network and two Fanconi anaemia DNA repair pathway members showed elevated expression in the metastasising OMMs. Cross-validation was employed to test a Linear Discriminant Analysis classifier based upon the RT-qPCR-measured expression levels of CXCL12, APOBEC3A and RPL29. Classification accuracies of 94% (metastasising OMMs) and 86% (non-metastasising OMMs) were estimated.

A preliminary investigation of the effect of sample collection technique on the cell and RNA content of fine-needle aspirates of five canine tumours.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of syringe size, needle size, number of needle passes and operator experience on cell yield from tumour fine-needle aspirates, and the quantity and quality of extractable RNA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fine-needle aspirates were collected from canine lymphoma, cutaneous mast cell tumour, anal gland adenocarcinoma, fibrosarcoma and oral malignant melanoma using nine different techniques. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in cell yield between fine-needle aspirate techniques for melanoma, lymphoma and anal gland adenocarcinoma. The application of suction yielded the largest number of cells. Cell numbers in lymphoma and fibrosarcoma aspirates collected by different veterinary surgeons were not significantly different. Use of a smaller gauge needle and suction increased the quantity of RNA isolated from fibrosarcoma and anal gland adenocarcinoma aspirates, but did not influence RNA integrity. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Suction during fine-needle aspiration increases cell numbers obtained from five common canine tumours. Suction increases the quantity of RNA isolated from anal gland adenocarcinoma and fibrosarcoma aspirates without affecting RNA quality. Junior veterinary surgeons gain comparable cell numbers to senior staff.

Primary ureteral leiomyosarcoma in a dog.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A nearly 6-year-old female spayed Labrador Retriever was presented for acute abdominal pain and lethargy. The dog had no previous health concerns apart from occasional episodes of urinary incontinence in the 2 months prior to presentation. A retroperitoneal mass involving the right ureter was found during the investigations. Serum urea was mildly elevated, but the serum creatinine was within the normal range. No distant metastases were detected. A right ureteronephrectomy was performed. The ureteral mass was confirmed as a leiomyosarcoma and completely excised. The kidney was histologically normal. Unfortunately, during a routine 3-month postoperative assessment, a recurrent mass at the previous retroperitoneal surgical site was confirmed by biopsy to be a leiomyosarcoma. Courses of doxorubicin and chlorambucil were given, but failed to halt the progression of the recurrent mass. The dog was euthanised 5.5 months postoperatively because of poor quality of life. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Ureteral leiomyosarcoma should be on the differential diagnosis list for a retroperitoneal mass, possibly causing severe abdominal pain with minor clinical signs associated with the urinary tract. This dog in this reported case of ureteral leiomyosarcoma had a short survival time, despite complete surgical excision and chemotherapy, because of local recurrence.

Parotidectomy for the treatment of parotid sialocoele in 14 dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the presentation, diagnosis, cause, complications and outcome in 14 dogs that presented with a parotid sialocoele and that were treated by complete parotidectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Multi-institutional retrospective study. RESULTS: Each dog presented with a non-painful, fluctuant, soft tissue mass over the lateral aspect of the face in the region of the parotid salivary gland. Diagnosis was made by sialoradiography (3/14), CT (3/14), ultrasound (11/14) and MRI (2/14). The cause of the sialocoele could be determined in 8 of 14 patients and included: foreign body (2/14), sialolithiasis (1/14), neoplasia (3/14), salivary gland lipomatosis (1/14) and trauma (1/14). Treatment incurred one anaesthetic complication (regurgitation) and seven postoperative surgical complications [self-limiting seroma formation (2/14), haemorrhage (1/14), wound dehiscence (1/14), abscessation 7 months postoperatively (1/14) and facial nerve paralysis (2/14)]. Sialocoele did not recur in any dog during a median follow-up time of 14 months. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Parotidectomy has been considered a technically challenging procedure but can have a good success rate with long-term resolution of the clinical symptoms. Intra- and postoperative complications are reasonably common.