Systemic salmonellosis in 4 cats.

Clinical signs in 4 cases of salmonellosis in cats included vomiting, diarrhea (2 cases each), fever, dystocia, icterus, and seizures (1 case each). Three cats died, and one was euthanized. Grossly, all cats were in poor body condition and had yellow-to-dark-red perianal feces (3 cases), oral and ocular pallor (2 cases) or icterus (1 case), fluid or pasty yellow intestinal contents (4 cases), white or dark-red-to-black depressed areas on the hepatic surface (2 cases), yellow abdominal fluid with swollen abdominal lymph nodes (1 case), and fibrin strands on the placental chorionic surface (1 case). Histologically, all cats had necrotizing enterocolitis and random hepatocellular necrosis. Other histologic findings included mesenteric (4 cases) or splenic (2 cases) lymphoid necrosis, and endometrial and chorioallantoic necrosis (1 case). Gram-negative bacilli were observed within neutrophils and macrophages in the intestinal lamina propria (4 cases), liver, spleen, lymph node, endometrium, and placenta (1 case each). Aerobic bacterial culture on frozen samples of small intestine, mesenteric lymph node, lung, and liver yielded Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica. Serotyping was consistent with S. Enteritidis (cases 1, 3) and S. Typhimurium (cases 2, 4).

Polyorchidism in a cat.

A 9-mo-old, male domestic shorthair cat was presented for castration because of mounting behavior observed by the owner. On physical examination, the cat was bilaterally cryptorchid, but had penile spines. Abdominal exploration through a midline laparotomy revealed 2 pairs of masses. All 4 masses had gross features of testes, and ranged from 7 × 5 × 5 mm to 12 × 6 × 7 mm, with associated epididymal tissue. Histologically, each mass contained seminiferous tubules consistent with testicular tissue, and epididymal tubules, confirming a diagnosis of polyorchidism; deferent ducts were not found. There was no evidence of neoplastic, infectious, or inflammatory disease. Mounting behavior ceased 4 wk post-surgery. Histologic confirmation of more than 2 testes is needed to establish a diagnosis of polyorchidism, a rare congenital anomaly that has been reported infrequently in the veterinary literature; reports have been of animals with triorchidism, with the exception of 1 cat with 4 intraabdominal testes. Our report emphasizes that, although rare, polyorchidism should be considered in cryptorchid cats, or whenever penile spines are present in a previously castrated cat. Our case also highlights the value of checking for penile spines in a bilaterally cryptorchid cat if abdominal ultrasound is not an option to aid in surgical planning.

Periarticular plasma cell tumors in cats.

This report describes periarticular plasma cell tumors with abundant amyloid in 11 cats. The tarsus was the most commonly affected joint (10/11), and the masses were often circumferential around the tarsal joint, involving the dermis and subcutis. The 2 cases in which synovium was examined had neoplastic cells expanding the synovium. Three of the 5 cases staged radiographically had bony lysis of the affected joint. Cutaneous biopsy specimens often consisted of more amyloid than plasma cells, making the diagnosis difficult on small samples. Follow-up information was available in 7 cases; in those cases, the median survival was 194 days (range 53-671 days). Four cases had confirmed metastases, most often to regional lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. Although canine cutaneous plasma cell tumors are typically benign, those with abundant amyloid surrounding the joints of cats may involve deeper tissues and have a more aggressive behavior. These tumors can be difficult to diagnose due to low cellularity and abundant amyloid.

Pathology in Practice.

In collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Pathology in Practice.

In collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

A retrospective study of salivary gland diseases in 179 dogs (2010-2018).

Salivary gland diseases are well characterized in human medicine but are uncommonly reported in dogs. Herein we describe the clinical and pathologic features of 179 canine salivary gland biopsy submissions to the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory from 2010 to 2018. The mean age of affected dogs was 8.5 y; no sex or breed predisposition was evident. The main reason for sample submission was regional swelling (107 cases; 59.7%). Extraoral (major) salivary glands were affected in 125 cases (69.8%), and oral (minor) salivary glands were affected in 43 cases (24% of cases). The location of the lesion (extraoral or oral) was not specified in 11 cases (6.1%). The diagnoses included nonspecific sialoadenitis (89 cases; 49.7%), normal salivary gland (42 cases; 23.4%), neoplasia (36 cases; 20.1%), salivary gland lipomatosis (7 cases; 3.9%), necrotizing sialometaplasia (4 cases; 2.2%), and traumatic hemorrhage (1 case; 0.5%). Most cases of sialoadenitis (63 cases), neoplasia (23 cases), and lipomatosis (5 cases), as well as all cases of necrotizing sialometaplasia and the only case of traumatic hemorrhage, affected extraoral glands. Most neoplasms (32 cases, 88.8% of the tumors) were epithelial and malignant, followed by round cell tumors (2 cases; 5.5%), a carcinosarcoma (1 case; 2.7%), and a tumor of undetermined histogenesis (1 case; 2.7%).

Thin film occlusion of an intra-abdominal vein in cats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occlusion of an intra-abdominal vessel as a model of an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt by thin film banding in a controlled setting and to document histologically the perivascular region's response to thin film banding after 8 weeks. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. ANIMALS: Six purpose-bred healthy domestic short hair cats. METHODS: Thin film bands were placed around the external iliac vein, with a sham procedure on the contralateral vessel. Closure rates were monitored via computed tomographic angiography (CTA) every 2 weeks for a total of 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the vessels were resected, if possible, and submitted for histopathologic evaluation. RESULTS: All cats tolerated the procedure without surgical complications. Eight weeks after surgery, closure was evaluated as complete in one cat, marked in two cats, moderate in one cat, and mild in two cats according to CTA. Histological examination (in three cats) was consistent with chronic, multifocal, granulomatous inflammation with moderate fibrosis and collagen degeneration. CONCLUSION: Venous occlusion was inconsistent and often incomplete 8 weeks after thin film banding of the external iliac vein despite the presence of moderate to abundant perivascular fibrous tissue. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Vascular occlusion by thin film banding in cats is mainly incomplete after 2 months. This study supports the theory that high level of residual shunting may be expected in some cats after thin film banding.