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Leeches are bloodsucking hermaphroditic parasites that attach to tissues using two muscular suckers, ingest large amounts of blood and may cause severe anaemia in the host. Two four-month-old mixed-breed dogs (one bitch and one male) were referred with anorexia, retching, hypersalivation and bleeding from the oral cavity. On physical examination, two live leeches were detected on the ventral aspect of the tongue of the bitch and one in a similar position in the male. The leeches were gently detached and removed using Adson tissue forceps after applying vinegar over the area. Microcytic hypochromic anaemia was detected in the bitch and mild leukocytosis in the dog. One month after treatment both animals were re-examined and a complete blood count was normal. Given that infestation with leeches as described here is associated with contaminated water, the use of clean and safe drinking water is recommended to avoid such diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to detect and describe ocular abnormalities in a population of Turkmen horses., Animals Studied: A total of 55 Turkmen horses (33 mares and 22 stallions) from one herd were evaluated in this study., Procedure(s): Demographic data (Age, Sex, Coat color) were recorded. All animals underwent complete ophthalmic examination. The Schirmer tear test -I (STT-I) was performed for all horses prior to other diagnostic tests. Neuro-ophthalmic examinations (menace response, dazzle reflex, pupillary light reflex, maze test, and visual tracking) were carried out in different lighting situations (bright and dim lights). Slit lamp biomicroscopy, direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein staining, and tonometry were performed for each horse., Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of horses was 5.7 (4.6) years (range of 1-17 years). In total, 18 horses (32.7%) had ocular-related lesions. Cataract, iris hyperpigmentation and corneal edema were the most identified conditions in the horses of this study., Conclusions: About one-third of studied horses had at least one ocular abnormality. No ocular abnormalities attributed to the distinct cream/gold coat color were identified, which the Turkmen horse is known for., (© 2024 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if a circadian rhythm exists in Schirmer's tear test (STT-1) values in a group of healthy adult cats., Animals Studied: Twenty adult neutered Domestic Short-haired cats (DSH) were used in the study., Procedures: Tear production was measured with the Schirmer tear test (STT-1) at 12 different time points over a 48-hour period., Results: A significant difference (approximately 4.3 mm/min) was noted between STT-1 values measured between 4 pm (lowest) and 12 am (highest) on both day 1 (P = 0.02) and day 2 (P = 0.01), and substantial variation in STT-1 values was observed at different times during the 48-hour period., Conclusions: Significant variation in mean STT-1 values demonstrates that there is a circadian rhythm in tear production in cats and thus shows the importance of taking the time of day into account when measuring STT-1 in cats., (© 2019 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of topical 1% cyclopentolate hydrochloride on tear production (STT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and vertical pupil diameter (VPD) in healthy Turkman horses. Forty eyes of 20 clinically normal horses were used for this study, which were randomly assigned to two groups. Before instillation of 1% cyclopentolate, the baseline STT, IOP, and VPD of each group were recorded. Then, one drop of cyclopentolate was instilled randomly into one eye of each animal, and the contralateral eye served as control. Measurements were repeated at 20 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, 12 hours, and 24 hours, and every 24 hours up to 120 hours post drug instillation in all animals. There was no significant effect on STT over the time course measured in both the treated and untreated eyes of the treatment groups after unilateral instillation of 1% cyclopentolate when compared to baseline values. A significant increase in the IOP was observed after 20 minutes, which persisted for more than 90 minutes; then, the IOP insignificantly decreased below the baseline values after 120 minutes. Maximum VPD was recognized at 12 hours post instillation in treated eyes (15.8 ± 2.3 mm), which was significantly different in comparison to the baseline (P = .07). Cyclopentolate could be considered as a long term and potent cycloplegic drug in horses when taking into account the possible side effect of atropine., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish the normal values of strip meniscometry (SM) as a lacrimal function test and to compare the results with Schirmer tear test I (STT I) in dogs, cats, and rabbits., Animals Studied: Sixty healthy adult dogs from twelve different breeds (120 eyes), twenty adult healthy domestic shorthair cats (40 eyes) and eighteen adult healthy New Zealand white rabbits (36 eyes) were used in this study., Procedures: Lacrimal function was tested by SM tube in all animals. After 24 h at the same time of day, tear production was measured using STT I., Results: Mean SM and STT I values for all of the dogs, cats, and rabbits were 9.66 ± 2.15 mm/5 s and 15.10 ± 3.06 mm/min; 10.50 ± 0.7 mm/5 s and 11.00 ± 1.41 mm/min; 4.72 ± 1.20 mm/5 s and 4.22 ± 2.47 mm/min, respectively. There was a correlation (r = 0.281; P = 0.018) between SM and STT I values in dogs, but no correlation was observed in cats and rabbits (P = 0.61, P = 0.06). No correlation was found between age of animals and obtained SM values in each species (P > 0.29). Sex had no effect on SM values in each species (P > 0.08)., Conclusions: The result of this study provided the normal clinical values of strip meniscometry as lacrimal function test in three species., (© 2017 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to establish a reference value of tear production and intraocular pressure in clinically normal ducks and geese., Animal Studied: The study population consisted of forty-eight ducks (24 males and 24 females) and fifty-two geese (26 males and 26 females)., Procedures: Birds were gently physically restrained in dorsoventral position without any pressure to the head and neck. Tear secretion and intraocular pressure were measured using 5-mm-wide Schirmer tear test strips and TonoVet ® rebound tonometer, respectively., Results: Overall mean ± 2SD STT and IOP values of all eyes were 6.2 ± 2.2 mm/min and 10.2 ± 2.2 mmHg, respectively, for the ducks; 5.5 ± 2.6 mm/min and 9.1 ± 2.0 mmHg, respectively, for the geese. There was no statistically significant difference in IOP between left eye and right eye or between males and females in ducks (P = 0.56, P = 0.63) and geese (P = 0.23, P = 0.22). Analysis of variance revealed that there were no significant differences in the STT and IOP between the breeds in ducks (P = 0.49, P = 0.68) and geese (P = 0.14, P = 0.26)., Conclusions: Results of this study may be beneficial for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of ducks and geese affected with Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, glaucoma, and uveitis., (© 2016 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

We establish reference values of tear production by the phenol red thread test (PRTT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) by rebound tonometry in helmeted guinea fowl ( Numida meleagris ). Aqueous tear production and IOP were measured in 44 (22 males, 22 females) clinically normal captive helmeted guinea fowl. Birds were gently physically restrained in the sitting position without any pressure to the head or neck. In each bird, aqueous tear production was measured by placing phenol red threads in the superior conjunctival fornix, and IOP was measured by using a Tonovet rebound tonometer. Overall mean ± standard deviation (SD) values of PRTT and IOP of all eyes were 16.5 ± 1.3 mm/15 s (ranging from 14-18 mm/15 s) and 9.1 ± 0.9 mm Hg (ranging from 7-10 mm Hg), respectively. No significant differences were found in IOP or PRTT between males and females (P = .76; P = .83, respectively) or between the left and right eyes (P = .34 and .66, respectively) in the guinea fowl. Results of this study may be beneficial for the diagnosis and therapy of keratoconjunctivitis sicca, glaucoma, and uveitis in helmeted guinea fowl.

The purpose of this study was to establish intraocular pressure values in clinically normal pigeons. One hundred (52 male and 48 female) healthy pigeons ( Columbia livia ) of six different breeds, ranging in age from 20 to 51 mo were used in the study. Pigeons were gently physically restrained in a dorsoventral position without any pressure or extension to the head and neck. A rebound tonometer with a disposable probe was held horizontally and 4-5 mm from the central corneal surface. Calibration of the device was set to "P." Overall, the mean ± SD intraocular pressure values of all eyes were 6.1 ± 0.9 mmHg (ranging from 3 to 9 mmHg). Mean ± SD values for left and right eyes were 6.1 ± 1.0 and 6.0 ± 1.2 mmHg, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in IOP between the left eye and right eye or between males and females (P = 0.49; P = 0.74). Analysis of variance revealed that there were no significant differences in the IOP between the breeds (P = 0.22).

The objective of this study was to measure intraocular pressure (IOP) in intact, healthy guinea pigs (15 male, 15 female) every 2 h for a 24-h period. First, IOP was measured by using rebound tonometry (RBT). After a 1-min rest period, 0.5% proparacaine ophthalmic solution, a topical anesthetic, was applied to both eyes; 4 min after anesthetic instillation, IOP was measured by using applanation tonometry (APT). The IOP was lower during the light period (0700 to 1900) than during the dark phase (2000 to 0600). The lowest IOP by both RBT and APT (3.68 and 13.37 mm Hg, respectively) occurred at 0700, whereas maximal IOP occurred at 2300 for RBT (8.12 mm Hg) but at 2100 for APT (20.62 mm Hg). No significant differences in IOP between the left and right eyes or between RBT and APT were noted. In addition, daily variations in the IOP of guinea pigs seem to be independent of sex and body weight. The results of this study may be beneficial in the diagnosis and observation of glaucoma in guinea pigs.

Twenty-two captive adult European pond turtles (12 males and 10 females) were unrestrained without sedation while intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured by means of a Tonovet®. Mean±SD IOP values between 8 and 10 am for all turtles were 5.42±0.96 mm Hg (range, 3-9 mm Hg). IOP between the right and left eye and between males and females was not significantly different. There was no correlation between IOP and body weight or body length of animals.

To evaluate tear production in the common mynah ( Acridotheres tristis ) using the phenol red thread test (PRTT) and to make a comparison of measurements with the PRTT placed in the fornices of lower and upper eyelids, tear production of both eyes in 22 healthy adult captive mynah birds was evaluated. After positioning of threads in the fornices of upper and lower eyelids, the PRTT values of the birds were 17.5 ± 3.1 mm/15 s and 19.2 ± 2.5 mm/15 s, respectively. A significant difference was found between PRTT values for upper eyelids and lower eyelids (P = 0.01). This study provides novel data for normal reference ranges of PRTT values in healthy common mynah birds and shows that a difference is found depending on where the PRTT thread is placed.

Objective: To determine effects of 14 days of oral administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on aqueous tear production in clinically normal Syrian hamsters., Animal Studied: Fifteen healthy adult Syrian hamsters., Procedure: Baseline phenol red thread test (PRTT) values were recorded 1 day prior to treatment. Eight hamsters in treated group received 15 mg/kg trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole orally twice a day for 14 days. The remaining seven hamsters were used as untreated controls and received a placebo. All ophthalmic tests were performed without chemical restraint. PRTT values were evaluated in both eyes of all Syrian hamsters using a commercial PRTT strip of a single lot number., Results: The mean ± SD baseline PRTT values for treatment group and control group were 7.25 ± 1.3 mm/15 s and 5.42 ± 1.13 mm/15 s, respectively. After 14 days of drug administration, the mean ± SD PRTT values for treatment group and control group were 5.62 ± 1.5 and 5.64 ± 0.74, respectively. Significant decreases in the PRTT values, compared with baseline values, were observed in the treatment group on day 15 (P = 0.042)., Conclusions: Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole decreased tear production in the hamster in this study., (© 2014 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)