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Canine cutaneous mast cell tumours (cMCTs) of the pinna have been associated with an aggressive biological behaviour, although data remain scarce. The knowledge acquired over the past years on histologic gradings, and the value of lymph node (LN) staging, may help in better characterizing this anatomical presentation. The first aim was to describe the frequency, location, and histologic appearance of LN metastases in cMCT of the pinna. A second aim was to evaluate prognosis. Medical records of dogs with cMCT of the pinna, that underwent tumour and sentinel (SLN) or regional LN (RLN) excision, were reviewed. The influence of potential prognostic variables on time to progression (TTP) and tumour‐specific survival (TSS) was investigated. Thirty‐nine dogs were included: 19 (48.7%) had Kiupel high‐grade (K‐HG) and 20 (51.3%) had low‐grade (K‐LG) MCTs. Eighteen (46.1%) dogs underwent SLN mapping: the superficial cervical LN was at least one of SLN in 17 (94.4%) cases. Twenty‐two (56.4%) dogs had LN metastases; the superficial cervical LN was always involved. On multivariable analysis, only K‐HG was associated with increased risk of progression (p =.043) and tumour‐related death (p =.021). Median TTP and TSS were 270 and 370 days in K‐HG, respectively; these were not reached in dogs with K‐LG tumours (p <.01). cMCTs of the pinna are often K‐HG and are also associated with a higher frequency of LN metastasis; however, we confirmed the independent prognostic value of histologic grading. A multimodal treatment may lead to favourable long‐term outcome. Moreover, the superficial cervical LN is most often the SLN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Duodenal ulceration (DU) in dogs derives from different causes but has never previously been related to gallbladder agenesis (GA). GA is a rare congenital disorder in dogs and is considered a predisposing factor for DU in humans. Case Description: A 5-month-old intact female Maltese was presented for acute vomiting and diarrhea. Abdominal ultrasound suggested duodenal perforation and absence of the gallbladder. Exploratory laparotomy was performed to treat the perforation and confirmed GA. Hepatic ductal plate malformation (DPM) was histologically diagnosed in liver biopsy, but no signs of liver dysfunction were detected by blood work at first admission. Two months later, the dog developed signs of portal hypertension and medical treatment was started. However, the clinical condition gradually worsened until liver failure and the dog was euthanized 8 months after surgery. Necropsy confirmed hepatic abnormalities. Conclusion: This report describes a case of DU associated with GA and DPM in a dog. As in humans, GA may represent a hepatobiliary disease predisposing to gastroduodenal ulcerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hand-sewn intestinal resection and anastomosis are commonly performed in veterinary medicine. The outcome of the hand-sewn side-to-side anastomosis (SSA) technique has never been described and compared to other techniques in dogs and cats. Aim: The study aims to describe the side-to-side hand-sewn anastomosis technique in small animals and to compare it with the end-to-end technique. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of the clinical records of dogs and cats that underwent enterectomy between 2000 and 2020 and were treated with side-to-side or end-to-end anastomosis (EEA) was performed. Results: Of the 52 dogs and 16 cats included in the study, 19 dogs and 6 cats received an SSA, and the remaining received an EEA. No intraoperative complication was reported. However, short-term complication rates were comparable, and mortality rates in the EEA group were higher. At the same time, stenosis was a frequent complication of SSA and was never reported following EEA. Conclusion: End-to-end technique remains the gold standard for hand-sewn intestinal anastomosis in small animals. However, SSA can be considered for selected cases with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Appropriate wound management shortens healing times and reduces management costs, benefiting the patient in physical terms and potentially reducing the healthcare system economic burden. Artificial intelligence techniques could be used to automate the process of wound healing assessment, easing the effort required by clinicians and removing the inherent subjectivity of the evaluation. However, the training of artificial intelligence models relies on the availability of large datasets of carefully annotated data. The annotation of medical data is a time consuming and expensive process which requires the supervision of high-expertise professionals. In this work, we introduced a novel pipeline for the segmentation of pet wound images, using an advanced training strategy able to minimize human intervention for both the image annotation and wound segmentation. We implemented our solution in a novel mobile app, providing a valuable tool for pet wound treatment and a methodological approach for the generation of large image-segmentation datasets. Wound management is a fundamental task in standard clinical practice. Automated solutions already exist for humans, but there is a lack of applications regarding wound management for pets. Precise and efficient wound assessment is helpful to improve diagnosis and to increase the effectiveness of treatment plans for chronic wounds. In this work, we introduced a novel pipeline for the segmentation of pet wound images. Starting from a model pre-trained on human-based wound images, we applied a combination of transfer learning (TL) and active semi-supervised learning (ASSL) to automatically label a large dataset. Additionally, we provided a guideline for future applications of TL+ASSL training strategy on image datasets. We compared the effectiveness of the proposed training strategy, monitoring the performance of an EfficientNet-b3 U-Net model against the lighter solution provided by a MobileNet-v2 U-Net model. We obtained 80% of correctly segmented images after five rounds of ASSL training. The EfficientNet-b3 U-Net model significantly outperformed the MobileNet-v2 one. We proved that the number of available samples is a key factor for the correct usage of ASSL training. The proposed approach is a viable solution to reduce the time required for the generation of a segmentation dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In canine cutaneous mast cell tumours (cMCTs), histologic grade and clinical stage are the most important prognostic factors, with high‐grade tumours and metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) significantly influencing the evolution of disease. However, it is uncertain whether histologic grade and clinical stage should be given equal weighting value in patient prognostication and management. Dogs with low‐ and high‐grade cMCTs and at least one overtly metastatic sentinel LN undergoing standardized treatment, consisting of surgical excision of the cMCT, lymphadenectomy and chemotherapy, were retrospectively included. The aim was to determine whether, at the same clinical stage, histologic grade retained prognostic relevance. Sixty dogs were included: 26 had a high‐grade cMCT tumour and 34 had a low‐grade cMCT. Median follow‐up was 367 days (range, 187–748) in the high‐grade group, and 1208 days (range, 180–2576) in the low‐grade group. Median time to progression was significantly shorter in the high‐grade group than in the low‐grade group (214 days versus not reached; p <.001), as well as tumour‐specific survival (545 days versus not reached; p <.001). On multivariable analysis, a high histologic grade and incomplete margins retained prognostic significance for both tumour progression and tumour‐specific death. In dogs with cMCT and at least one overtly metastatic LN undergoing multimodal treatment, histologic grade significantly correlated with outcome. Overall prognosis was not unfavourable, even in the high‐grade group, further supporting that a multimodal therapeutic approach, addressing primary tumour and sentinel LN, should be offered. Whether chemotherapy should be incorporated in the therapeutic planning of low‐grade cMCTs remains to be defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pyothorax in cats is routinely managed, at least initially, with thoracic tube placement associated with systemic antimicrobial administration. Traditionally, large-bore trocar-type thoracostomy tubes have preferentially been used for the drainage of thick material from the pleural space. In recent years, the use of small-bore wire-guided thoracic drains has increased in both small animals and in humans. Few studies have highlighted the efficacy of smallbore wire-guided thoracostomy tubes. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the use of small-bore wire-guided thoracostomy tubes in feline pyothorax in terms of efficacy, safety, and outcome. Methods: Cats with pyothorax managed with small-bore thoracostomy tubes (SBTTs) (2015-2018) were retrospectively studied. The number of drains inserted, the need for anesthesia and analgesia for chest tube placement and maintenance, and related major and minor complications were reviewed. Clinical data, diagnostic results, treatment, and outcome were recorded. Results: Ten cats were enrolled. Thoracostomy tube placement was unilateral in 7/10 cats, despite the presence of bilateral effusion in 9/10 cats, and required sedation (8/10) or anesthesia (2/10). Three cats experienced minor complications during the chest tube insertion, including self-limiting pneumothorax (1/3) and malpositioning (2/3). One cat had a major complication (non-functional malposition) requiring reposition of the drain. Pain management was adequately achieved using opioids (8/10) or opioids plus nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (2/10). Partial chest tube occlusion occurred in three cases and it was resolved with lavage. In one case, the occlusion was complete, requiring drain removal. Three out of 10 cats were treated medically, combining thoracostomy tubes and antibiotics, while 7/10 cats underwent surgery. All the cats survived. Conclusion: SBTTs represent a safe and effective option for the initial management of feline pyothorax. In fact, mainly minor complications were reported during insertion and usage. The SBTTs were well tolerated by the cats with a satisfactory performance in terms of exudate drainage in most cases. The combined use of a small-bore thoracostomy drain together with the common practice of surgical treatment might have resulted in the successful management of the cases presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the association between a selection of candidate predictor variables, including the elevation of specific pancreatic enzymes, and outcome in dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Twenty-two dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus were included, being classified as survivors or non-survivors based on the final outcome. Dogs with intestinal obstruction (n = 16) were selected for comparison. Blood samples were collected upon admission (T0) and after 24 hours (T1). Serum lipase activity, canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and other variables (plasma lactate concentration and C- reactive protein -CRP- in particular) were evaluated as predictive variables. T0 cPLI and serum lipase activity were not found to differ significantly between dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus or intestinal obstruction. Canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity values above 400 μg/L were detected in 6/22 dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus and 4/16 with intestinal obstruction. However, lactate concentration was significantly higher and CRP significantly lower in GDV as compared to IO dogs, and in the GDV group, lipase, cPLI and CRP measured upon admission were significantly associated with a negative outcome. No differences in lipase activity and canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity values were detected between T0 and T1. Presurgical cPLI and lipase activity were frequently increased during gastric dilatation-volvulus and were suggestive of the presence of pancreatic damage; while more extensive studies are required, based on this pilot analysis, cPLI has the potential to be a useful predictive variable for outcome in GDV. Further to this, serum CRP was able to predict outcome in this population of dogs with GDV, while blood lactate was not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of innovative monitoring systems to mitigate the risk associated to river levee failure is a recent challenge involving synergic effort of public institutions, specialized companies and academics. The present study examines a 350 m stretch of Adige river levees, located in the Province of Bolzano (Italy) close to the village of Salorno, interested in the recent past by moderate piping phenomena and subjected to subsequent interventions for seepage control (cut-off diaphragm wall). As is customary, the levee body and its foundation soil were investigated through geophysical and geotechnical surveys. The arising results provided a multi-dimensional characterization of the levee and the nearby soil water-meadows likely to be affected by preferential paths for piping. The detection of those paths entailed the joined use of piezometers and distributed optical fiber sensing (DFOS) system, the latter installed in a shallow trench on the landside. In the last days of October 2018, Northeastern Italy was hit by a tremendous storm and the Adige river was subjected to a relevant double flooding event. This exceptional circumstance, entirely recorded by the monitoring system, gives the chance to provide insight into the seepage process undermining the levee stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]