Three 40-day-old piglets showed diarrhea and poor growth, and were euthanized for a laboratory examination. The necropsies revealed that the mucosa of the ileum were thickened with enlarged and prominent Peyer's patches. Histologically, the number of lymphatic follicles was increased in the ileal Peyer's patches, and atrophy of the villi in the ileum was detected. Numerous filamentous bacteria were attached to the epithelium cells of the ileum. They had a beaded appearance and stained gram positive or negative. The ultrastructure of the organisms was consistent with that of segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB). None of the piglets had any lesions other than SFB-like ones. It is suggested that severe SFB infection in the epithelial cells of the ileum may accelerate diarrhea in wasting pigs.

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A Japanese black neonatal calf showed ataxia, opisthotonus, and a decreased level of consciousness. The calf died on the third day after birth. In the necropsy, multiple white nodules were observed in the liver and kidneys, and a red nodule was observed in the spleen. Almost all areas of the cerebellum showed hemorrhagic and malacic changes. Histologically, hemorrhagic necrotic inflammation with numerous lesional fungal hyphae was observed in the cerebellum. In the kidneys, liver and spleen, granulomatous lesions containing fungal hyphae were also found. This fungus was identified as Mortierella wolfii based on a morphological and molecular biological analysis of a DNA sample obtained from the paraffin-embedded tissue of the cerebellar lesion. The present case was diagnosed as M. wolfii infection in a neonatal calf.

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A retrospective study was conducted in 50 dogs with gallstones that were surgically removed at our hospital. Most of the dogs were middle-aged and elderly; however, 10% were less than one year old. The gallstones consisted of calcium carbonate, which was the major component, bilirubin calcium, proteins, fatty acid calcium, cholesterol, and calcium phosphate. The incidence of bile positive microorganisms was 31%. In all cases, additional complications or certain underlying diseases were observed through a histopathological examination. The overall postoperative mortality rate was 10%, with 13 cases being asymptomatic. In 16 cases with extrahepatic biliary obstruction (EHBO) complications, the postoperative mortality rate was 25%, and in 34 cases with no EHBO, the postoperative mortality rate was 3%. The presence of EHBO was considered to be one of the main factors for the increase in the postoperative mortality rate. If there is a risk of rupture of the gallbladder and cholecystitis, which may be due to gallstones or EHBO as observed in more than 30% of cases with underlying diseases observed by us, this method may be used as an alternative to surgical treatment in asymptomatic cases with gallstones.

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A 7-year-old castrated male papillon was referred to our hospital with dysuria and swelling in the perineal region. A retrograde urethrogram and computed tomography scan revealed a saclike structure communicating with the urethra. A diagnosis of urethral diverticulum was made. An endoscopic investigation revealed the narrow opening in the diverticulum on the urethral mucosa. An incision was made in the diverticulum and the closure of the opening was performed, and the dysuria was resolved after surgery. The dog has been well with no recurrence of the diverticulum after six months.

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An 11-year-old miniature dachshund was admitted after experiencing a fever for two weeks. Fever, increased WBC and ALP had been seen during a consultation with the regular veterinarian for lethargy and abdominal pain two weeks before. Abdominal ultrasonography in our hospital showed a liver cystic mass in the left lobe, and we performed a fine needle aspiration. It was diagnosed as a liver abscess following a cytologic examination indicating numerous neutrophils. The CT findings were almost identical to those reported in humans. After three days, the affected liver lobe was removed surgically, as the liver abscess was located on the root of the outer left lobe. The gallbladder was also removed. An abnormal increase in WBC, nystagmus, hypoglycemia and hypoalbuminemia were seen after surgery, but the dog's condition had improved by the following day, and it was discharged eight days after surgery. At the time of writing this document, the dog is alive, clinically normal and showing no recurrence 208 days after surgery.

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The Rabies Prevention Act does not require the mandatory vaccination of juvenile dogs of less than 91 days of age. On the other hand, in Japan, there are not many research reports about the prevalence of maternal antibodies in juvenile dogs. We therefore investigated the prevalence of rabies-neutralizing antibodies in juvenile dogs of less than 91 days of age. At the same time, considering cases in which rabies occurs, we investigated changes in the neutralizing antibody titer of the rabies vaccination in juvenile dogs reared in standard homes. As a result, of 216 juvenile dogs examined, only 34 had more than 8 times the neutralizing antibody titer. In addition, regardless of the presence or absence of maternal antibodies, the neutralizing antibody titer did not reach constant or sufficient levels after the immunization of juvenile dogs with a single dose of rabies vaccine. However, the neutralizing antibody titer reached sufficient levels following additional vaccination.

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