This is a useful thing to be able to do. If you can find the ICCJ then that gives you a rock solid reference point: you can then identify the ileum, proximal colon and caecum with complete confidence. In pathological cases it’s not always easy to distinguish small and large bowel simply on inspection of … Continue reading
Ultrasound elastography, or elastosonography, is increasingly available on high-end ultrasound machines;. At the most basic level USE gives an indication of tissue stiffness. This may be either in response to mechanical pressure (strain imaging) or to ultrasound-generated compression (shear wave elastography). Mechanical pressure in strain imaging is exerted externally (manually) or by internal changes due … Continue reading
It’s been an interesting empirical observation that acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome (haemorrhagic gastroenteritis) is commonest in small breed dogs susceptible to pancreatitis. A related phenomenon is the prevalence of gastrointestinal episodes in dogs with diabetes mellitus. ‘ In the light of the current advance in understanding the basis of canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, the well-recognized association … Continue reading
This is an idea that’s been gathering pace for a while. It’s a few years since I was in general practice but, even then, I was starting to find that having ultrasound in the consult room was immensely useful for a lot of cases as a triage tool and extension of the physical examination. The … Continue reading
Recently I’ve seen two three-month-old dogs with multiple (numerous) small portosystemic shunts in the absence of inflammatory liver disease. The patient whose images are presented below was examined on account of acute encephalopathy with bile acids >130 umol/l and ALT > 600 (ref <100). The same in video: This flow courses via colic veins to enter … Continue reading
The patient here is a 3 y.o. FN mini Schnauzer with bilateral ureteral calculi and plasma urea >40 mmol/L, creatinine 500umol/L. This patient very likely had pyelonephritis (UTI is present in something like 80% of dogs with ureteral calculi…much more so than in cats) although she lacked signs of sepsis. The interesting thing is … Continue reading
This is a difficult topic: anaphylaxis never comes with nice confirmatory histopathology, clinical pathology or advanced imaging. It’s a clinical diagnosis based on pattern recognition (acute onset and rapid remission, usually with prompt and full recovery, are important features). Partly for this reason I believe that it’s probably still widely under-diagnosed. At least, personally-speaking, I … Continue reading
The patient here is a 1 y.o. MN Labrador with a lifelong history of intermittent diarrhoea without specific diagnosis. He had been treated routinely with prophylactic moxidectin. Presenting complaint on this occasion was acute onset vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and ‘red eyes’ within 48 hrs of changing from chicken-based diet to lamb-based. On physical examination he … Continue reading
This idea came to us via the excellent: J Vet Med. 2013; 2013: 217314.Sternal Aspiration of Bone Marrow in Dogs: A Practical Approach for Canine Leishmaniasis Diagnosis and MonitoringRosa Paparcone, 1 Eleonora Fiorentino, 2 Silvia Cappiello, 1 Manuela Gizzarelli, 1 Luigi Gradoni, 2 Gaetano Oliva, 1 , * and Valentina Foglia Manzillo 1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590857/ Their … Continue reading
I am starting to think that examination of the neck might be a useful part of the routine sonographic examination for cats and dogs: especially in complex cases. In addition to those with sepsis, foreign bodies, thyroid disease, lymphadenopathy or salivary gland changes, patients with impaired oesophageal function are sometimes picked up. Some animals with … Continue reading
