To produce the primary information database (DB) of veterinary radiology, a prototype DB was created. This DB consists of HTML files so that it is used in World Wide Web, and has digitized X-ray and fluoroscopy images and text information. This DB is divided into 3 categories, namely radiology information, X-ray anatomy, and thorax cases. Totally 1,234 images are included. This DB was experimentally applied to the local area network and the internet to examine quality of these images, rate of the data transfer, performance of motion pictures, and so on. According through the experiment, several possible problems are recognized to occur and some of them are considered to be important for the future usage.

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Full-thickness mesh autodermic grafts were transplanted into 8 dogs and 13 cats with skin defects caused by resection of tumors or external wounds, resulting in 20 animals showing good recovery. Four grafts were done on the fresh surfaces of wounds immediately after removing tumors, and 16 animals received the grafts within two to 12 days after granulation tissue appeared. However, there was no difference in the acceptance of the garft on the skin between the two groups as far as gross observation could determine. In the one other case, a dog which had suffered a compound fracture, it took 36 days until the wound was ready to got grafted. In this case, the acceptance on the skin was poor. Therefore, the desirable timing for transplanting an autodermatic graft is probably within about two weeks after the appearance of granulation. For bandaging, about one month was necessary for treating the tarsus, and thigh dressing was effective when the body was immobilized tightly from the hip to the femur with a thin string.

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The accuracy in measuring total thyroxine concentration (tT₄) with a portable blood chemical analyzer (VetScan^®) was evaluated in healthy dogs. This apparatus has the advantage of doing multiple chemical blood tests at one time, requiring only 100μl of whole blood. Reproducibility tests were performed ten times for each sample from each dog. Dilution tests were also performed using physiological saline or serum of two different tT₄ concentration. The results of these tests showed excellent reproducibility and dilution reproducibility. As to the influence of interference substances, chyle was found to be the most influential. Since tT₄ values tend to be measured less than theoretical ones due to the presence of chyle, an improvement in this point might be necessary for future use. Correlation tests on tT₄ with the RIA method and the FPIA method were performed, and high coefficients were obtained between the values from the VetScan^® and those from the RIA method and from the FPIA method. From these results, VetScan^® could be considered useful for diagnosis by exclusion of hypothyroidism in an emergency or for monitoring during the administration of thyroid.

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A three-year-old shiba dog with chronic allergic symptoms which included general pruritic alopecia, erythema, and otitis externa was treated successfully by hyposensitization. After treatment with a corticosteroid, and later, with trial hypoallergenic dietary therapy, the patient showed a temporary improvement. But the clinical signs eventually became aggravated and difficult to control anymore. Therefore, hyposensitization, a kind of immunotherapy, was chosen, and skin tests were performed against more than 20 antigens before starting the therapy. The tests revealed that several antigens were strongly possitive. Clinical signs improved remarkably two months after hyposensitization was initiated.

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The present study reports two cases of successful repair of the right ventricle-pulmonary artery outflow tract in small dogs. Case one was a 14-month-old pomeranian female dog weighing 2.72kg. The dog had cardiac murmur with serious thrill over the cranial left thorax. A cardiac catheterization revealed that systolic pressure of the right ventricle was 119 mmHg, and pulmonary artery pressure was 20 mmHg at systole. Case two was a 15-month-old shih tzu female dog weighing 3.30kg. The right ventricle pressure was 78 mmHg, and pulmonary artery pressure was about 12 mmHg. Both dogs were diagnosed as having a pulmonic valvular stenosis, and it was repaired by patch grafting under mild hypothermic extracorporeal circulation. They recovered well, and each dog has been in good condition for 26 or 18 months after surgery. These cases showed the safety of tract repair of the right ventricle-pulmonary artery outflow using our extracorporeal circulation system for such small animals as small dogs that are too small to receive balloon valvuloplasty using commercially available balloons.

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We report hairball in two young rabbits. Case one was a two-month-old male rabbit suffering from lethargy, anorexia, and constipation. On X-ray photographs, a slightly dense shadow was seen in the stomach area. Nosotropic treatment was performed, but the animal died on day 13. Necropsy revealed a ruptured stomach and a hairball in it. Case two was a five-month-old female rabbit suffering from lethargy, and anorexia. X-ray photography with contrast media injected into the stomach showed an enlarged stomach and the contrast media would not move into the duodenum even 90 minutes after injection. Laparotomy showed an enlarged stomach, and gastrotomy was performed. At the pylorus, a large hairball was present, which was removed. After the surgery, there was remarkable improvement and the rabbit has been in good condition since. High-protein-low-fiber diet, stress, and pregnancy are known to contribute to the development of this disease. Both rabbits had been on a diet of dry pellets. The first rabbit had experienced an environmental change 20 days before he became sick, and the other was pregnant. These cases indicate that even very young rabbits can be afflicted by this disease when they are exposed to various kinds of stress.

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