Fusarium-induced osteochondrosis (tibial dyschondroplasia) in chickens.

Broiler chickens were started and maintained on rations containing 2%, 5%, and 10% grain contaminated with Fusarium roseum. There was mortality of 75% and 100%, respectively, in chicks fed 5% and 10% levels, and osteochondrosis was present in chicks which died at 12 to 17 days of age. Chicks on 2% or 3% F. roseum-contaminated grain survived the experimental period and osteochondrosis was well-developed in the proximal tibias of 85 or 99% of these chicks. The number of chondroclasts was reduced markedly in the affected bones. Defective chondroclasis may play a role in the pathogenesis of osteochondrosis associated with F. roseum.

Malignant neoplasia of canine ribs: clinical, radiographic, and pathologic findings.

An analysis was made of 17 cases of microscopically proven rib neoplasms, with the objective of evaluating the variability of clinical and radiographic findings, the neoplastic cell types, the occurrence of metastases, and the survival time following the diagnosis. In 15 dogs with primary rib neoplasms and in 2 dogs with secondary (presumably metastatic) rib neoplasms, the clinical signs commonly included dyspnea and a localized swelling on the thoracic wall. For the dogs with primary rib neoplasms, the mean age was 4.5 years, with a range of 1.3 to 16 years. On radiography, rib osteolysis, extra and/or intrathoracic soft tissue masses often containing areas of mineralization, and pleural effusion were commonly identified. Ribs 5 through 9 were the most commonly affected and the right side was involved twice as often as the left side. Osteosarcoma was the most frequently diagnosed tumor, but chondrosarcomas and hemangiosarcoma were also found. At necropsy, over 50% of the dogs with primary rib neoplasms had metastases in the lungs. Less than 10% of the dogs with primary rib osteosarcomas survived more than 4 months after the diagnosis.

Field rickets in turkey poults: biochemical findings.

Two clinical cases of field rickets and one of nutritional rickets in turkey poults were studied. Plasma levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and vitamin D metabolites were determined. Concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase in affected poults were typical of nutritional rickets. The mean plasma calcium concentration in rachitic poults was not significantly different from that in controls. Mean values for plasma phosphorus were 1.5 to 2.4 mg/dl lower in the rachitic poults, and values for alkaline phosphatase activity were 1.3-1.7 times greater. In assays of vitamin D metabolites, mean 24, 25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 values were consistently lower in rachitic poults.

"Field rickets" in turkey poults: field observations and pathological, radiological, and serological findings.

Two field cases of field rickets in turkey poults were studied. The primary observation was lameness, and the sole necropsy finding of significance was hypomineralization of bone. This finding was confirmed radiographically; thin cortices and wide growth plates were noted. Microscopically, there was failure of osteoid mineralization, failure of orderly progression from cartilage to bone in the growth plate, the formation of bony trabeculae perpendicular to the long axis of the bone, and fibroplasia in marrow spaces. On a routine serological screen for mycoplasma and several viruses, there were no differences between affected and normal poults from the same flock.

Urinary incontinence due to ectopic ureter in a male dog.

Urinary incontinence was associated with an ectopic ureter in a 5-month-old, male Wire Fox Terrier. The dog regained urinary continence after transplantation of the ureter from the urethra into the urinary bladder. Of the 3 reported cases of extopic ureters in male dogs, 2 have been associated with urinary incontinence. These observations do not support the hypothesis that ectopic ureters are more frequently recognized in female than in male dogs because urinary incontinence is more commonly associated with the disorder in female dogs.

Gastric neoplasms in the dog: a report of 20 cases.

Twenty dogs with gastric tumors were admitted to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital and Diagnostic Laboratory from 1951 to 1974. The tumors included 14 carcinomas, 3 lymphosarcomas, 2 leiomyomas, and 1 leiomyosarcoma. The carcinomas were categorized morphologically as carcinoma (5), adenocarcinoma (2), scirrhous carcinoma (5), and scirrhous adenocarcinoma (2). Most of the tumors were located in the body and pylorus. Ulceration occurred in 11 dogs, with 2 ulcers penetrating and resulting in peritonitis. Metastasis occurred in 4 of the dogs. The mean age of the dogs was 9.7 years. The male-to-female ratio was 12 to 8. There was no significant breed predominance. The mean duration of illness was 2.14 months. Radiographic features were consistent with gastric neoplasia in 2 of 6 dogs radiographed.