The aim of the study was to describe cloacoscopy in the loggerhead turtle ( Caretta caretta ) and to evaluate its efficacy in clinical practice. Cloacoscopy was performed on 31 turtles, 23 females and 8 males. Thirty minutes before anaesthesia, meloxicam (0.4 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly. Turtles were anaesthetised with a combination of 0.04 mg/kg dexmedetomidine and 4 mg/kg ketamine administered intramuscularly. Cloacoscopy was performed with a diagnostic telescope (10 mm diameter, 30 cm long, 0°, with an operating sheath) or with a flexible colonoscope (13 mm diameter, 160 cm long). Turtles were placed in dorsal recumbence and endoscope was inserted through the vent. In the distal part of the proctodeum, phallus or clitoris were easily visualized. A finger and thumb were placed around the vent to act as a valve in order to control the fluid infusion. Flushing the cloaca with warm saline and 0.6% lidocaine allowed clear view. The urethral orifice was located centrally within the urogenital sinus. Further proximally, the slit of the urodeum with the distal sphincter of the colon could be visualized. Passing gently through the urethral orifice allowed direct visualization of the urinary bladder. After withdrawing and re-directing the endoscope into the coprodeum, the terminal part of the intestine was reached. From 31 loggerhead turtles examined, fishing lines were found in 23 animals. Cloacoscopy proved to be a feasible diagnostic method and it is suggested as a routine diagnostic tool for clinical assessment of loggerhead turtle patients.
The aim of the study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of tramadol and lidocaine for local anesthesia during umbilical hernia repair in swine. The study was performed on 66 large white crossbred swine. The swine received a mixture of tiletamine/zolazepam at 5 mg/kg and romifidine at 80 µg/kg, administered intramuscularly. Then, they were divided into three groups (n = 22) that received different treatments with lidocaine at 4 mg/kg and tramadol at 4 mg/kg. The LL group received lidocaine both by infiltration of the surgical planes and intraperitoneally. The LT group received lidocaine by infiltration of the surgical planes and tramadol intraperitoneally. The TT group received tramadol both by infiltration of the surgical planes and intraperitoneally. In all groups, the infiltration of the surgical planes into the umbilical region involved both the skin and muscle planes. Heart rate, noninvasive arterial blood pressure, and respiratory frequency were recorded during surgery. The response to the surgical stimulus was evaluated using a cumulative pain scale (the cut-off point for rescue analgesia was set to 10). Postoperative pain was assessed using the UNESP-Botucatu pig composite acute pain scale (the cut-off point was set to 4). The trend of physiological variables was adequate for patients under anesthesia. No subject required intraoperative and postoperative rescue analgesia. Tramadol could therefore be used for pain management in livestock.
The Sicilian Pond Turtle, Emys trinacris (family Emydidae), is a small-sized freshwater turtle (straight midline carapace length to 172 mm in females, 156 mm in males), endemic to the island of Sicily in Italy.It appears to be more widespread in the northern and central-western parts of the island, with the exclusion of Monti Peloritani and most of the Madonie area and Monti di Termini Imerese.It is apparently rarer along the southeastern coastal areas, except for some coastal wetlands in the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento, Siracusa, and Ragusa.The species shows an altitudinal distribution range from sea level to about 1250 m a.s.l., with a higher prevalence in coastal and hilly territories, except for the Nebrodi area, where it is quite common in mountainous areas as well.Emys trinacris inhabits coastal and inland wetlands, mountain lakes and ponds, slow-moving river bends, and man-made aquatic environments, both in open areas and in woodlands.The few studied populations appear relatively robust at present, but others appear to be decreasing, and a lack of detailed recent field data prevents sound conclusions from being drawn about its overall status.Indeed, ongoing patterns of habitat loss and alteration, combined with climate change, release of non-native species in the wild, and poaching for the pet trade threaten this species.distribution.-Italy (Sicily).
The surgical site infiltration of a local anesthetic is defined as the direct injection of a drug. This study aimed to compare the effects of surgical site infiltration with 4 mg kg−1 lidocaine using a Comfort-in device and traditional syringe on oxidative status and intra- and postoperative pain in dogs undergoing regional mastectomy. Sixty adult female dogs divided into C (Comfort-in device), S (traditional syringe), and CTR (control) groups received 2 µg kg−1 dexmedetomidine and 4 mg kg−1 tramadol IM, 5 mg kg−1 tiletamine/zolazepam IV, and isoflurane. The physiological and anesthesiological parameters were measured. The assessment of intra- and postoperative responses to the surgical stimulus was performed using a cumulative pain scale (CPS score of 0–4) and the Colorado Pain Scale (CSU-CAPS score of 0–4). The hematological and biochemical parameters and inflammatory oxidative status were measured. The CPS scores showed no significant differences between the C and S groups (p = 0.236), while the comparison between the CTR, C, and S groups, respectively, showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). The postoperative analgesia scores were significantly lower in the C group compared to those of the S and CTR groups (p < 0.001). In the C group, no subject received rescue analgesia during the intra- and postoperative periods. The level of oxidative inflammatory stress was lower in group C than those in S and CTR groups, and no side effects were observed in all the groups.
The purpose of the present study was to test whether the addition of cisatracurium in combination with propofol and sevoflurane would result in a change in doses of used anesthetic drugs. Ten dogs (Group A) undergoing elective unilateral mastectomy surgery were included in the study. To induce and maintain anesthesia, subjects received propofol and sevoflurane at varying doses; analgesia was performed with remifentanil. After three months, the same subjects (Group B) underwent contralateral mastectomy and received the same anesthetic protocol with the addition of cisatracurium at a dosage of 0.2 mg/kg−1. The following parameters were monitored during anesthesia: heart rate, systolic blood pressure, end-tidal CO2, oxygen saturation, halogenate requirement, and rectal temperature at baseline (T0), induction (T1), 5 (T5), 10 (T10), 15 (T15), 20 (T20), 25 (T25), 30 (T30), and 35 (T35) time points. In Group A, halogenate requirement was reduced at all the time points other than T1 (p < 0.001); in Group B, the percentage of halogenate requirement was already reduced at T1 and remained constant during the experimental period, showing no significant intragroup differences. The dose requirements of sevoflurane and propofol varied significantly between the two groups, with significantly lower dosages in the Group B (the cisatracurium-treated group). Moreover, patients treated with cisatracurium showed a stable anesthetic plan. The nondepolarizing-muscle-relaxant cisatracurium besylate could be considered a useful adjunct to anesthetic protocols.
This article attempts to present, for the first time, the usefulness and feasibility of using endoscopic techniques in the cloacal region of Varanus cumingi and Varanus macraei. This method can serve both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, as well as offering an early approach to sex determination through the observation of the urodeum which in males ends in a blind end while in females it consists of two ostia which represent the outlets of the oviducts. In this context, commonly employed sex determination techniques, such as post-cloacal spur detection, have shown unreliability. The study involved the examination of ten specimens, approximately one year old, from a private breeding farm, following a complete clinical evaluation to confirm their general state of health. All subjects underwent sedation, which allowed the evaluation of anatomical structures, the health status of the cloaca and the determination of sex. This study and its findings may provide a critical basis for addressing population declines of these species, particularly for V. macraei, which has already been classified as 'endangered' by the IUCN.
Dysgerminomas are infrequent neoplasms resulting from undifferentiated germinal cells, mainly observed in the bitch. Our case describes for the first time a dysgerminoma related splenic metastasis in a bitch. A 14-year-old crossbred bitch was admitted at our facility with a 3-month history of irregular oestrous cycle, vulvar swelling, haemorrhagic vaginal discharge, lethargy and anorexia. Cytological examination showed the presence of superficial epithelial cells of the vaginal mucosa with a high degree of cornification. Vaginoscopy showed the typical pale and crenulated mucosal folds (oestrus). Haematological analysis indicated moderate anaemia and leukocytosis, and increased level of oestrogen. Ultrasound examination showed a mass located caudally to the kidney in the region of the right ovary. Abdominal and thoracic radiographs confirmed the findings and did not reveal metastases. Suspecting an ovarian tumour, we decided to perform a complete ovariohysterectomy. Once located, the right ovary presented an increased volume, irregular shape and reddish colour. Samples collected during the procedure were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and observed under optical microscope. The cells were characterized by a scant cytoplasm, a large vesicle type nucleus with coarsely granular chromatin and distinct cell borders. The neoplastic cells were remarkably similar to those of a testicular seminoma, allowing for the diagnosis of ovarian dysgerminoma. Two years after the ovariohysterectomy, the owner reported history of increased volume of the abdomen and lethargy. A second surgery was performed during which an irregular splenic mass was found. The morphological diagnosis was “splenic metastasis of dysgerminoma”. To the authors' knowledge, dysgerminoma related splenic metastasis was never described in the bitch before.
Abstract We here describe turtle remains from the late Miocene (Tortonian) of Cessaniti (Calabria, southern Italy), an area that recently has been palaeogeographically reconstructed as being, at that time of the Neogene, directly connected (or at least rather proximate) to northern Africa, instead of Europe. The material pertains to three different turtle clades, i.e., pan-trionychids, pan-cheloniids, and pan-geoemydids. Although the material is incomplete, it nevertheless permits a more precise identification for the pan-trionychid specimens, which are referred to the species Trionyx pliocenicus , as well as the pan-geoemydid, which is attributed to the genus Mauremys . Especially for the case of T. pliocenicus , the new Cessaniti specimens expand its geographic and stratigraphic distribution and further comprise the sole existing material known for this species, considering that its holotype and so far only known material is currently lost. Overall, besides its taxonomic significance, the Cessaniti chelonian assemblage affords the potential for important biogeographic implications, attesting that the lineages of Trionyx and Mauremys could have potentially used the Sicily–Calabria arch for their dispersal from Europe to Africa during the Tortonian. The new turtle specimens further complement the associated mammal remains in envisaging the Cessaniti assemblage as a mosaic of both African and Eurasian (Pikermian) faunal elements.
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