A 13-year-old, neutered male, Miniature Dachshund cross breed dog presented for a firm, 3 cm growth on the 5thrib. The mass was aspirated and submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for cytology examination. Results indicated that this mass was a neoplasm highly suggestive of a sarcoma. Malignant bone tumors are common…
Bordetellosis is a highly contagious upper respiratory tract disease of poultry caused by Bordetella avium, a gram-negative motile aerobic rod-shaped bacterium. B. avium is primarily a disease of turkeys, although the organism has been shown to infect chickens and other avian species. Initially, it causes a clear nasal exudate and foamy exudate in the medial canthus of the…
Tissue from a cross-bred bovine fetus in the third trimester of gestation was submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) to investigate the cause of abortion. According to the history provided by the submitting veterinarian, this animal was the second of two full term fetuses that had been born dead in the…
A veterinarian was called in to investigate the cause of abortion in a group of 60 well-managed 2-year-old brangus heifers. Four heifers aborted before the investigation was initiated. The herd is closed with a reportedly good biosecurity program and good nutrition. All of the animals are well-vaccinated. A fresh mid-term female fetus and fetal tissues…
An adult angus bull was presented to a veterinarian for lethargy and weakness. The bull died shortly after blood collection. Blood and tissue samples were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL). The complete blood count revealed a marked leukocytosis characterized by a lymphocytosis at 43,000 lymphocytes/µL (reference interval 1,800 – 9,000…
Bovine thrombotic meningoencephalitis (TEM), formerly known as thromboembolic meningoencephalitis (TEME), is a neurological disease, primarily of feedlot cattle between the ages of 6 to 12 months. The condition is caused by Histophilus somni (previously known as Haemophilus somnus), a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium that can be cultured very commonly from the respiratory and reproductive tracts of normal cattle. Calves…
A nine month old, spayed female, domestic cat became neurologic and was unresponsive to supportive treatment. Upon death, the head and three sections of liver were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for histopathologic evaluation and toxicology testing. Following a negative rabies test, a portion of fixed brain was examined and…
A serum sample from a 1-year-old, male, American Staffordshire terrier was submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) in College Station for Brucella canis testing by the rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT – i.e. the card test). The medical history indicated the dog was febrile with a swollen left testicle and epididymis, slightly enlarged prostate,…
Fifteen crossbred calves were placed in a pasture with a burn-pile. The day after they were provided with Johnson grass hay, one calf was found dead. Two days later, three calves were walking abnormally and had diarrhea. Feces from those calves was submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for testing. Fecal…
Slides from an aspirate of a mass on the left elbow of a two-year-old, intact male German Shepherd dog were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for examination. The slides had moderate numbers of macrophages, few multi-nucleated cells and neutrophils, and a large amount of brown staining material (mineralization). There were…