The purpose of this study was to evaluate a newly developed heparin-coated oxygenator for extracorporeal circulation compared to the similar oxygenator without heparin coating, to design a less invasive cardiopulmonary bypass system for small animals. A heparin-coated oxygenator of extracapillary blood flow type and an ordinary oxygenator of the same type, as a control, were used during open heart surgery with extracorporeal circulation in dogs. Ten clinically healthy dogs were divided into two groups : a heparin-coated oxygenator group (Group H) and a non-heparin-coated oxygenator group (control group). Each dog of both groups received mitral valve replacement as if for a supposed mitral valve insufficiency. Before, during, and after surgery, blood samples were collected periodically 9 times in total. The capability for oxygen exchange of the two groups was calculated, and white blood cells (WBC) and platelets in the samples were counted to estimate how intact those cells remained while they were running through the systems. The efficiency of oxygen exchange was excellent in both groups. On the other hand, WBC and platelet counts were significantly greater in Group H than in the control group. Therefore, the system using heparin-coated oxygenator can be judged to be less invasive than the control system.

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There are few reports published in Japan on canine allergenimmunotherapy and its effectiveness. This therapy is a drastic treatment, in which sentitized antigens identified by intrademal skin tests are injected repeatedly, and makes the recipients acquire allergic resistance. In this paper, we report the results of using allergenimmunotherapy to treat 23 dogs with atopic dermatitis. For five of the dogs, the treatment was discontinued within one year because of the owners' decision or for financial reason, so they were eliminated from the statistic. Eighteen of the dogs received the therapy for more than a year. The skin condition of each dog was evaluated and classified into four grades. This therapy was highly effective for five dogs, effective for seven dogs, insufficiently effective for four dogs, and ineffective for the remaining two. One dog classified as effective showed a slight side effect only once, a year after the therapy was initiated. Effectiveness of the therapy was calculated to be 67%, which is almost the same as reported in previous papers.

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We encountered a cystolithiasis case of Indian star tortoise(Geochelone elegans). We could cure it by cystolithotomy that was operated with ventral shell incision. But it took long time to recover ventral shell, we had to keep attention to the ventral shell.

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An 11-year-old female mix-breed dog was presented with a complaint of walking difficulty. A tentative diagnosis of acquired myasthenia gravis associated with thymoma was made by clinical signs, edrophonium test, radiographs and cytology. The clinical signs were controled well with pyridostigmine bromide and predonisolone therapy, but the dog suddenly died 4.5 months after presentation. Histopathology of the mediastinum mass was consistent with thymoma and multiple thymic cysts. In this case, diminution of the mass was observed without specific treatment for thymoma.

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A 1-year-10-month-old male Labrador Retriever was presented to the teaching hospital at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology for dyspnea with chylothorax. Echocardiography revealed an abnormal intracardiac ventricular structure, which extruded the right ventricular outflow tract. Color-flow Doppler echocardiogram revealed turbulent jet flow in the right ventricular outflow tract. In continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography, flow velocity across the right ventricular outflow tract was 5.19 m/s and the calculated pressure gradient was 107.7 mmHg. Furthermore, the tricuspid septal valve showed hyperplasia, and tricuspid regurgitation was confirmed. Cardiac catheterization revealed marked high blood pressure in the right ventricle. Selective right ventricular catheterization revealed a defect of contrast medium in the right ventricle. These findings suggested that there were a double-chambered right ventricle and congenital tricuspid hypoplasia. After the initial examination, the dog showed frequent tipping condition, so the defect was corrected surgically under the extracorporeal circulation with cardiopulmonary bypass system. The right ventricular outflow tract was divided into two chambers by a muscle-like tissue and a membrane-like object. The muscle like tissue and the membrane-like object were transected. After the operation, disappearace of frequent tipping condition was seen and the pressure gradient across the right ventricular outflow tract was drastically decreased. It showed that the cardiotomy under the extracorporeal circulation with cardiopulmonary bypass system was very useful in the treatment of a dog with double-chambered right ventricle.

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A 3-year-old, male German shepherd dog weighing 27.2kg was presented to the Osaka Prefecture University Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a two-month history of anorexia, depression and abdominal distension with ascites, A CBC and serum chemistry analysis were normarl. Electrocardiography showed moderate sinus bradycardia with variable P waves. Echocardiography revealed only mild chamber dilation of life ventricle and slightly diminished ejection phase indices. On the basis of the responce to atropine test, the diagnosis of sick sinus syndrome (Rubenstein Type II) was made. The dog was treated with oral isoproterenol and dipyridamole administration, and his exercise was restricted. After a few weeks, the clinical signs disappeared, and the dog was clinically normal. This report described the rare case of sick sinus syndrome (Rubenstein Type II) in large breed dog.

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