A 5-month-old female chicken with a history of dyspnea was presented to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) in Gonzales for necropsy. Duration of illness was approximately one week. This bird was the only one that had died out of a flock of four. Upon examination, the bird weighed 692 grams and had…
A four-year-old Pacific eider (sea duck) was reported to have a history of open-mouth breathing. It had been treated for suspected aspergillosis prior to death and was submitted to Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for necropsy. At necropsy, the clinical suspicion of aspergillosis was confirmed. All air sacs were coated by green, velvety,…
Skin samples from a 9-year-old Siamese cat were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) in College Station. This cat was reported to clinically have a large, ulcerative lesion in the groin and on the back. Nearby areas were described to be alopecic and fissured. Two biopsy specimens were collected and submitted…
Too often the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) receives samples where there is a concern for rabies testing but the brain tissue submitted is not suitable for testing by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in Austin. Usually the problem is an incomplete sample where only half the brain is submitted. Less commonly,…
A veterinarian was investigating the cause of increased non-respiratory disease mortalities in beef feeder cattle. The cattle were 100-200 days on feed and had signs of systemic compromise before acute death. On necropsy, the animals had advanced autolysis of the peritoneal organs, especially the liver and kidneys, and bladder distention. The bladders contained clotted blood…
A 10-year-old female quarter horse flipped over backwards onto its head after being spooked. Following the incident, the patient made multiple attempts to rise but would flail and progressed to having multiple seizure episodes and bilateral epistaxis. Due to the grave prognosis and perceived likelihood of potential traumatic injury to the brain and spinal cord,…
Beetles found in a new batch of alfalfa hay were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for identification. TVMDL’s toxicology section can identify toxic and non-toxic beetles using microscopic examination. The beetles submitted were identified as Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae sp.) (Figure 1). Tiger beetles are characterized by having large, carnivorous mouth parts…
Mammary gland tumors are diagnosed on a daily basis at TVMDL. These tumors occur in both canine and feline patients and can be benign (adenomas) or malignant (carcinomas). They are seen most often in intact females. Inflammatory mammary gland carcinoma is a unique entity that occurs infrequently in dogs and is seen in humans as…
Mammary gland tumors are diagnosed on a daily basis at TVMDL. These tumors occur in both canine and feline patients and can be benign (adenomas) or malignant (carcinomas). They are seen most often in intact females. Inflammatory mammary gland carcinoma is a unique entity that occurs infrequently in dogs and is seen in humans as…
Blackleg is an infectious, non-contagious disease caused by Clostridium chauvoei. Infection occurs when animals ingest bacterial spores while grazing. The bacterial spores penetrate the intestine and are disseminated via the bloodstream to the skeletal muscle, where the spores remain dormant. Following an event that causes low oxygen conditions (i.e. bruising or damage to the muscle) in…