Apocrine sweat gland adenocarcinoma (ASGAC) is a rare skin carcinoma in cats. In some cases, this tumor occurs in anatomical sites of challenging wide surgical resection, which increases the need for adjuvant therapies for residual disease. These would include radiotherapy or electrochemotherapy (ECT), local treatments for invasive tumors in companion animals often associated with surgery. However, the current literature for ASGAC treatment is limited and there are no reports of ECT as an adjuvant therapy. In this case report, we account for the case of an 11-year-old cat with a history of a non-ulcerated recurrent ASGAC, measuring 1.3 × 1.0 cm, located by the rostral mandibular region. Surgical resection was performed and included the angularis oris axial flap for facial reconstruction associated with electroporation of the surgical bed and, post-operatively, in the surgical scar. Histopathological results confirm the presence of a recurrent ASGAC. Immunostaining revealed cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression with a score of 6, 50% positivity in Ki-67 and positive for pan-cytokeratin (PCK AE-1/ AE-3). A selective COX-2 inhibitor was initiated along with systemic chemotherapy with chlorambucil. The local approach including surgery and ECT was chosen due to the unfavorable anatomical site for extensive resection and the unavailability of radiotherapy. Subsequently, carboplatin chemotherapy was required due to metastasis in the mandibular lymph node. This case report supports the effectiveness of a multimodal treatment including surgery, ECT and chemotherapy in a cat with recurrent ASGAC.

Influenza A virus (IAV) can cause high morbidity and mortality in domestic and wild avian species and it is able to infect mammals as well. IAV in cats is sporadic and self-limiting but the recent findings of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) with genetic signatures of mammalian adaptation, in domestic cats, has raised new concerns about the potential role of cats in the virus ecology. The present study aimed to investigate the circulation of IAV in companion animals\' shelters in North-eastern Italy. All samples were collected from feral cats living in feline colonies that were hosted in the companion animals\' shelters for the requisite period to administer the veterinary treatments. Between 2021 and 2022, 389 oropharyngeal swabs and 279 sera were collected. All swabs tested negative for IAV and the only one ELISA positive serum sample resulted H5 positive by HI test with a titer of 1:80. Despite the sporadic occurrence of influenza in cats, continuous monitoring is crucial due to the evolving zoonotic nature of the virus.

Skull stripping is a fundamental preprocessing step in modern neuroimaging analyses that consists of removing non-brain voxels from structural images. When performed entirely manually, this laborious step can be rate-limiting for analyses, with the potential to influence the population size chosen. This emphasizes the need for a fully- or semi-automated masking procedure to decrease man-hours without an associated decline in accuracy. These algorithms are plentiful in human neuroimaging but are relatively lacking for the plethora of animal species used in research. Unfortunately, software designed for humans cannot be easily transformed for animal use due to the high amount of tailoring required to accurately account for the considerable degree of variation within the highly folded human cortex. As most animals have a relatively less complex cerebral morphology, intersubject variability is consequently decreased, presenting the possibility to simply warp the brain mask of a template image into subject space for the purpose of skull stripping. This study presents the use of the Cat Automated Registration-based Skull Stripper (CARSS) tool on feline structural images. Validation metrics revealed that this method was able to perform on par with manual raters on >90% of scans tested, and that its consistency across multiple runs was superior to that of masking performed by two independent raters. Additionally, CARSS outperformed three well-known skull stripping programs on the validation dataset. Despite a handful of manual interventions required, the presented tool reduced the man-hours required to skull strip 60 feline images over tenfold when compared to a fully manual approach, proving to be invaluable for feline neuroimaging studies, particularly those with large population sizes.

Feline histiocytic diseases are uncommon and rarely reported. Feline progressive histiocytosis (FPH) is the most common histiocytic disease in cats, predominantly affecting middle-aged animals. The most common presentation is the cutaneous form with solitary or multiple cutaneous nodules. A female, mixed-breed 6-year-old cat was presented with a 9-month history of a nodule in the nasal planum and was diagnosed by histopathology with histiocytic proliferation. At the time of diagnosis, new nodules were discovered on the lower lip, digit, and two lesions in the tail region, with the largest measuring 1.5 cm. Supplementary immunohistochemistry, showed immunolabeling for Iba-1 that in combination with the clinical course of the disease, confirmed the diagnosis of FPH. No response to chemotherapy treatment with lomustine alternated with doxorubicin was achieved. Toceranib phosphate resulted in a transient response and, stable disease for a short period (6 weeks). Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin was initiated and resulted in partial remission. Later on, chlorambucil was also started. Ultimately, the combination of all three treatments led to a complete response and disappearance of all the lesions. FPH is considered a disease resistant to various treatments, and effective treatments have not been reported. In this case report, we describe a successful multimodal therapeutic approach that resulted in complete resolution of the FPH and long-term survival (460 days without external lesions at the time of death). Further studies are necessary to confirm the efficacy of this therapeutic approach.

Radiation therapy for the treatment of both functional and nonfunctional pituitary tumors for dogs and cats has been described in veterinary medicine with a recent shift in focus toward stereotactic techniques. While the technology required and normal tissue constraints for stereotactic procedures are more stringent, recent publications indicate that, while it helps alleviate clinical signs, the survival response may not be as durable as with conventionally fractionated radiation therapy in dogs, despite being seen in cats. Regardless of the protocol recommendation, potential benefit to the patient is excellent with manageable side effect profiles.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) cause significant complications in the postoperative period in veterinary surgeries. Determining the aetiology of infections is crucial for increasing treatment success rates. This study aims to assess treatment processes by identifying the bacterial agents responsible for infections occurring in cats and dogs after orthopaedic operations and to determine the antimicrobial resistance profiles of these agents. Strains isolated from SSIs were retrospectively analysed in patients brought to the Surgical Clinic of Siirt University Animal Health Application and Research Hospital between 2021 and 2023. The isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF MS. The disc diffusion method was applied to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates. A high isolation rate was detected in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae. According to the antimicrobial susceptibility results, cephalosporin treatment was continued in only one of the cases in which prophylactic treatment with cephalosporin group antibiotics was applied. Consequently, this study revealed that preoperative prophylactic antibiotic administration may not be sufficient in preventing surgical site infections. Diagnosis of aetiological agents and evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility are essential in preventing surgical site infections and determining effective treatment options.

Hodgkin-like lymphoma (HLL) is a rare neoplasm in cats that shares characteristics with the human disease. The hallmark of HLL is the presence of Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells expressing CD30 and CD20. This study aimed to elucidate the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype and clonality patterns of feline HLL. A comprehensive retrospective review of clinicopathologic and molecular data of nodal lymphomas over a 6-year period was conducted in MyLav laboratory. Twenty-four cases were identified. All cats presented with submandibular or retropharyngeal lymphadenopathy. Histopathologic examination revealed a multifocal to diffuse proliferation of medium-to-large lymphoid cells with low mitotic activity, interspersed RS cells, and a heterogeneous inflammatory infiltrate comprising T-cells, plasma cells and neutrophils. In addition, extensive necrosis was a consistent finding. Immunohistochemistry showed a variable membranous CD20 and nuclear PAX5 expression in neoplastic cells, while RS cells displayed only mild to moderate CD20 positivity and were negative to PAX5. In 21/24 cases (87.5%), RS cells were diffusely CD30-positive. PARR analysis demonstrated clonal B-cell expansion in 60% of cases, with the remaining 40% exhibiting polyclonality. For the 10 cats with available follow-up, the prognosis was generally favourable, with only two cats succumbing to progressive disease. In conclusion, diagnosing feline HLL is challenging. The expression of CD30 and CD20 by RS cells should be considered a hallmark of the disease, but only after excluding differential diagnoses such as anaplastic B-cell lymphoma and granulomatous lymphadenopathy.

A 2-month-old domestic shorthair kitten was presented for evaluation of weakness, gait abnormalities, and signs of pain after trauma. On admission, the patient was found laterally recumbent with obvious gait abnormalities: difficulty rising from sitting and marked unilateral left hind limb lameness. On orthopedic examination, severe pain, crepitations, and swelling of the left hind limb were detected. Results of the first diagnostic work-up were all consistent with hyponatremia, hypochloremia and a Salter-Harris type I fracture. The kitten initially received isotonic fluids, analgesia, and antiemetic treatment. Twelve hours after admission, the analgesic plan was considered insufficient, and the general patient\'s condition worsened, showing severe mental depression. Blood and urine samples were collected for a more in-depth diagnostic evaluation; the patient showed worsening hyponatremia (113 mmol/L; [RR: 146,2-156,2]), severe plasma hypoosmolality (218.2 mOsm/kg; [RR: 287-307 mOsm/kg]), high natriuresis (Na: 74.9 mmol/L; [RR: <40 mmol/L]), and urinary hyperosmolality (630 mOsm/kg; [RR: <150 mOsm/kg]). Based on these new clinical findings syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion was diagnosed. Emergency treatment with hypertonic saline was then instituted, a constant rate infusion of 3% hypertonic saline infusion to increase plasma sodium was initiated and a loop diuretic, furosemide (1 mg/kg/IV), was administered at 12-hour intervals to induce diuresis. Discharge occurred 4 days after admission as the patient was clinically stable and the hyponatremia progressively resolved. To the author\'s knowledge this is the first report of a kitten developing pain related SIADH associated to orthopedic trauma.

Codeine was microinjected into the area of the Kölliker-Fuse nucleus and the adjacent lateral parabrachial nucleus, within the pontine respiratory group in 8 anesthetized cats. Electromyograms (EMGs) of the diaphragm (DIA) and abdominal muscles (ABD), esophageal pressures (EP), and blood pressure were recorded and analyzed during mechanically induced tracheobronchial cough. Unilateral microinjections of 3.3 mM codeine (3 injections, each 37 ± 1.2 nl) had no significant effect on the cough number. However, the amplitudes of the cough ABD EMG, expiratory EP and, to a lesser extent, DIA EMG were significantly reduced. There were no significant changes in the temporal parameters of the cough. Control microinjections of artificial cerebrospinal fluid in 6 cats did not show a significant effect on cough data compared to those after codeine microinjections. Codeine-sensitive neurons in the rostral dorsolateral pons contribute to controlling cough motor output, likely through the central pattern generator of cough.

Parasitic diseases can affect animal health and welfare, and they may also constitute a danger to public health, particularly in island ecosystems. Fecal samples were collected from 205 dogs and 115 cats on the islands of São Miguel and Terceira, Azores archipelago (Portugal), using the Willis flotation technique and modified Baermann method, for further analysis. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitism in dogs was 53%, with the following results: Ancylostomatidae (hookworms) (42.44%), Trichuris vulpis (17.56%), Toxocara canis (12.68%) and Cystoisospora spp. (4.39%). In cats, the overall prevalence was also 53%, with the following results: Toxocara cati (31.3%), Ancylostomatidae (30.43%), Cystoisospora spp. (14.78%) and Trichuris sp. (0.87%). The prevalence of lungworms was 0.49% in canines and 20.87% in felines, with Angiostrongylus vasorum and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus species being detected in dogs and cats, respectively. The present survey detected a high prevalence of gastrointestinal infection, in both dogs and cats, probably because the samples came mainly from kennels and catteries and due to the peculiar climatic conditions in this insular territory, with mild temperature and high relative humidity. A considerable prevalence of aelurostrongylosis was also detected (20.87%), so it should be included in the list of differential diagnoses of diseases concerning the respiratory tract in cats of the archipelago.