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The administration of 20 mg/kg of acetylsalicylic acid in 18 clinically healthy dogs resulted in a thrombocytopathy with lengthened capillary bleeding time and irreversible aggregation inhibition. Through the set up of individual dilution series, one could conclude the proportional percentage of aggregation functional transfused thrombocytes. The capillary bleeding time was shortened after the intravenous injection of prednisolone (5 mg/kg) without measurable influence on the thrombocytes. Compared to the singular use of cortisone or blood transfusion alone, the effect on capillary bleeding time became magnified when one combined transfusion and corticosteroids. The fresh blood conserves (12 hours) were, with respect to the haemostyptical properties, superior to blood stored for 5 days. The component of aggregation-functional thrombocytes was, due to the prophylactic cortisone application prior to transfusion, not increased.

Disturbances of the oesophageal function in dogs and cats lead to the clinical symptoms of dysphagia. An oesophageal dilatation of various degree can result from this and can be categorized as primary, i.e. idiopathic form, or secondary form, if its cause is known. This present study of our own patient population gives a survey of the symptomatology, diagnostic measures, incidence, pathogenesis, and therapy of oesophageal dilatation.

The most important reason for diarrhea in dogs and cats are dietary errors. In addition there is a multitude of other influences which may lead to diarrhea. Bacteria play a minor role in diarrhea-associated disease. The so-called primary bacterial intestinal infections occur rarely as it is shown in the examinations presented. Except for the situation in which a specific bacterial activator is the cause of continuous diarrhea in general the administration of antibiotics is ineffective. The treatment of diarrhea should rather consist of food deprivation, oral or parenteral rehydration, use of antisecretory medicaments and of adsorbents, diet and, in case of spasms, administration of anti-cholinergics.

Several abnormalities regarding pancreatic morphology and function have been reported in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) with an incidence as high as 72%. In a prospective study we investigated 96 outpatients from our chronic ambulatory hemodialysis program by abdominal ultrasound. Of the patients with CRF, 20.6% were found to have morphologic alterations of the pancreas compared to 4.7% of controls. Although pathologic sonograms of the pancreas correlated with biliary disease, hyperparathyroidism and years of hemodialysis, the most obvious etiologic factor appeared to be the duration of CRF. Possible pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed and screening abdominal ultrasound examinations in patients with long-standing CRF are recommended.

In 48 patients with Hodgkin's disease, the naturally occurring isoagglutinins anti A1, anti A2 and anti B were investigated and their titer determined before commencement of radiotherapy as well as after the end of radiotherapy, and in a proportion of the patients six and twelve months after the end of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy resulted in a highly significant fall in the isoagglutinin titer amounting on average to one titer level compared to the initial value before radiotherapy. After the end of radiotherapy, there was no further fall of the isoagglutinin titers, but a marked reduction of the isoagglutinin titers was still shown six and twelve months later. A long lasting reduction of serum immunoglobulins after radiotherapy in patients with Hodgkin's disease is known from earlier investigations; this applies in particular to IgM. Since the isoagglutinins mainly belong to the IgM fraction, our finding of persistent reduction of isoagglutinin titers after radiotherapy correlates with the known long-lasting reduction of serum IgM concentration.

A thoroughbred horse, suffering from intermittent lameness was treated with streptokinase, urokinase and warfarin. The appearing fibrinolytic changes in coagulation were exhibited in a resonance thrombogram. In attendant coagulation studies fibrinogen- and fibrin-degradation products were demonstrated. The stallion does not show any lameness since the end of the treatment and is standing in a breeding station since March 1988.