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A Case of Chylous Ascites in an African Leopard
526
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
Tuberculosis of a Greyhound Bitch; with Displacement of the Alimentary Organs into the Pericardium. By W. C. MAGUIRE, M.R.C.V.S., Tewkesbury. THE subj ect was an eight-years-old greyhound bitch, which was a runner-up in a Waterloo Cup. HI STORY.- About r8 months ago she gave birth t o six puppies which she reared most satisfactorily. She had several litters of puppies previous to this last one . For some nine months past she was at times listless, a nd h er appetite capricious. Nevertheless, she remained in good condition. Six months ago she suddenly went lame on th e right fore-leg. It was on account of this la meness that the owner sought my advice. On examination she exhibited great pain at the elbow joint. The usual treatment for joint la meness was adopted , . but without any response, and th e la meness got grad ually wor e; also, a periarticular enlargement appeared. As the bitch was evincing great pain, I advised destruction. To this th e owner consented. All through the period of lameness , which lasted for several months, the heart sounds were very dull and th ere was evidence of fluid in the pericardium. PosT-MORTEMAPPEARANCES .- The lower ex tremity of th e humerus, and , especially, the articular surfaces of the elbow joint , exhibited a pulp-like condition. The spleen was three times the normal size, a nd was badly affec ted with tube rculosis. The peritoneal cavity contai ned a bout a pint of serous blood-stained fluid . There was an opening a t the upper bor.d er of the diaphragm with a similar opening in the pericardium. Through this opening the stomach and bowels, with the exception of abo ut one foot of the p ost erior portion of the latter, had passed , and the whole was lodged in the pericardia! sac, which was three or four times its normal size. The heart showed great atrophy of its walls. I record this case as it seems extraordinary that su ch a condition, which must have b een in existence for a considerable period during the life of the animal, did not prove inimical to life.
A Case of Chylous Ascites in an African Leopard. By D. S. LAND, G.B.V.C., S uperintendent, Victoria Gardens , Bombay. I N THE VETERINARY J ou RNAL of March , rgz8, two cases of chylous ple urisy have been recorded-one in a German sheep dog, and the other in a cat, by Dr. T askin.
A CASE OF CHYLOUS ASCITES
527
During the course of my practice as veterina ry s urgeon in cha rge of the Zoological Collecti on of the Vi ctoria Gardens, I came across a very interesting case of chylous ascites in an Afri can leopa rd, which was an inma te of this garden for several years. I give th e followin g record of this case : The Afri can leopard was one of the pair presented to the Zoological Collecti on by "Messrs. Ca wasji Dinsh aw Brothers, of Ade n, on F ebruary 18 th , 1915 . The m ale leopa rd died on Augus t 30t h, 1924. The female leopa rd in questi on li ved in these gardens for nea rl y 14 years, which m ay be conside red to be the ave rage longevity of life of leopards in captivity. It may be interesting to note th a t the leopa rd, during all these years, was neve r really ill , exce pt an occasiona l slight indisposition. On J a nu a ry rsth , I <)28 , I noticed that the a nimal was not feeding well. On exa mination, found the a bdomen in creased in volume, bulging and pendulous. Palpa tion revealed the presence o f flui d in th e belly and the case ma rked down as ascites . From the cage in the P a rk , the subj ect was removed t o the Infirmary in the Garden ; a nd as a preliminary mea ure a close of oleum ricini administered just to move the bowels. On J anuary 17th , 192R, pe rform ed pa racentesis abdominis. In thi s connec tion I may state that I had to face the usual diffi culty expe rienced in case of wi ld a nimals in securing this leopard by means of stout cotton ropes (with the assista nce of about ten keepers in the cage) in right la tera-do rsal position a nd performing the opera tion by puncturing the belly with trocar and canula from outside the ba rs of the cage, ha ndling the instrument a nd working my hands through th e iron bars ab out two inches apart. The seat of the opera tion- the fl oo r of the a bdomen along the median line behind th,e umbili cus was clipped , washed and paint ~d with tin ct. iodi . About three pints of pe ritoneal fluid- milky a nd la t escent , were remov ed , a nd the pa rt subsequently dressed with a ntiseptic. The anim al felt a t once relieved , dra nk wa ter a nd took the us ual meat ration with relish. Internally prescribed :Grs. IV . R Po t. Iocli . . . . Grs. V. Pot. Nit. .. . M. II . Tinct. Digitalis O .S. (Q.S.) Mellis M. A Elec tua ri um to be gi,·e n twice a day as direc ted. The next day the animal was seen doing well and m oving a bout the cage with ease.
528
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
On J anuary 23rd, I gz8 , stopped the electuary and prescribed Metagen with cod liver oil- one tablespoonful with rrieat. On January I5th , Igz8 , found the abdomen increased in volume, and repeated the surgical operation as on J anuary 26th, I gz8, removing about two pints of fluid , which I sent to the Bombay Veterinary College. Internally prescribed the electuary. Till February Izth , r gz8, the animal was all right and feed ing well ; but there was gradual emaciation and general weakness. · On February I 3th , r gz8, as the belly had again become distended , I performed paracentesis abdominis for the third time and removed three pints of peritoneal fluid of the same milky and latescent character. Suspecting the case to be tuberculosis , I sent the fluid to the Haffkine Institute for bacteriological examination and chemical analysis. Lt.-Col. Mackie, I. M.S., Director of the H affkine Institute ' 'ery kindly examined it and sent the following report on F ebruary I6th , 1928 :BACTERIOLOGICAL R EPORT. --The fluid appears to be chylous. No tubercle bacilli or any other micro-organisms. o micro-filaria seen . A few polymorphonuclear cells only present . CHEM ICAL REPORT.- R eaction, neutral ; sp. gravity, I ·oz i ; t otal solj.j matter, I 3 · 2 per cent. ; albumin (coagulable protein), I· 4 per cent. ; fat (ether soluble extract) , 6 · 6 per cen t. ; ash, o · 2 per cent. ; cholesterol present (not det ermined quantitatively) ; diastase present. There is little doubt that the fluid is almost pure chyle. It has not putrified appreciably up to now, indi cating that the fluid has bactericidal powers. · This indicates interference with or damage to the lymphatic vessels within the abdomen possibly due to bloc kage by worms or new growth . The animal continued to be doing well and was feeding all right, but there was gradual emaciation and general weakness. The fluid was again removed on F ebruary 2oth, I g28 , but the animal died on February 28 th , I gz8. Unfortunately, a p ost-mortem was not made a t once, a nd owing t o decomposition , no definite opinion co uld be formed as t o the actual cause of this condition.
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
Tuberculosis of a Greyhound Bitch; with Displacement of the Alimentary Organs into the Pericardium. By W. C. MAGUIRE, M.R.C.V.S., Tewkesbury. THE subj ect was an eight-years-old greyhound bitch, which was a runner-up in a Waterloo Cup. HI STORY.- About r8 months ago she gave birth t o six puppies which she reared most satisfactorily. She had several litters of puppies previous to this last one . For some nine months past she was at times listless, a nd h er appetite capricious. Nevertheless, she remained in good condition. Six months ago she suddenly went lame on th e right fore-leg. It was on account of this la meness that the owner sought my advice. On examination she exhibited great pain at the elbow joint. The usual treatment for joint la meness was adopted , . but without any response, and th e la meness got grad ually wor e; also, a periarticular enlargement appeared. As the bitch was evincing great pain, I advised destruction. To this th e owner consented. All through the period of lameness , which lasted for several months, the heart sounds were very dull and th ere was evidence of fluid in the pericardium. PosT-MORTEMAPPEARANCES .- The lower ex tremity of th e humerus, and , especially, the articular surfaces of the elbow joint , exhibited a pulp-like condition. The spleen was three times the normal size, a nd was badly affec ted with tube rculosis. The peritoneal cavity contai ned a bout a pint of serous blood-stained fluid . There was an opening a t the upper bor.d er of the diaphragm with a similar opening in the pericardium. Through this opening the stomach and bowels, with the exception of abo ut one foot of the p ost erior portion of the latter, had passed , and the whole was lodged in the pericardia! sac, which was three or four times its normal size. The heart showed great atrophy of its walls. I record this case as it seems extraordinary that su ch a condition, which must have b een in existence for a considerable period during the life of the animal, did not prove inimical to life.
A Case of Chylous Ascites in an African Leopard. By D. S. LAND, G.B.V.C., S uperintendent, Victoria Gardens , Bombay. I N THE VETERINARY J ou RNAL of March , rgz8, two cases of chylous ple urisy have been recorded-one in a German sheep dog, and the other in a cat, by Dr. T askin.
A CASE OF CHYLOUS ASCITES
527
During the course of my practice as veterina ry s urgeon in cha rge of the Zoological Collecti on of the Vi ctoria Gardens, I came across a very interesting case of chylous ascites in an Afri can leopa rd, which was an inma te of this garden for several years. I give th e followin g record of this case : The Afri can leopard was one of the pair presented to the Zoological Collecti on by "Messrs. Ca wasji Dinsh aw Brothers, of Ade n, on F ebruary 18 th , 1915 . The m ale leopa rd died on Augus t 30t h, 1924. The female leopa rd in questi on li ved in these gardens for nea rl y 14 years, which m ay be conside red to be the ave rage longevity of life of leopards in captivity. It may be interesting to note th a t the leopa rd, during all these years, was neve r really ill , exce pt an occasiona l slight indisposition. On J a nu a ry rsth , I <)28 , I noticed that the a nimal was not feeding well. On exa mination, found the a bdomen in creased in volume, bulging and pendulous. Palpa tion revealed the presence o f flui d in th e belly and the case ma rked down as ascites . From the cage in the P a rk , the subj ect was removed t o the Infirmary in the Garden ; a nd as a preliminary mea ure a close of oleum ricini administered just to move the bowels. On J anuary 17th , 192R, pe rform ed pa racentesis abdominis. In thi s connec tion I may state that I had to face the usual diffi culty expe rienced in case of wi ld a nimals in securing this leopard by means of stout cotton ropes (with the assista nce of about ten keepers in the cage) in right la tera-do rsal position a nd performing the opera tion by puncturing the belly with trocar and canula from outside the ba rs of the cage, ha ndling the instrument a nd working my hands through th e iron bars ab out two inches apart. The seat of the opera tion- the fl oo r of the a bdomen along the median line behind th,e umbili cus was clipped , washed and paint ~d with tin ct. iodi . About three pints of pe ritoneal fluid- milky a nd la t escent , were remov ed , a nd the pa rt subsequently dressed with a ntiseptic. The anim al felt a t once relieved , dra nk wa ter a nd took the us ual meat ration with relish. Internally prescribed :Grs. IV . R Po t. Iocli . . . . Grs. V. Pot. Nit. .. . M. II . Tinct. Digitalis O .S. (Q.S.) Mellis M. A Elec tua ri um to be gi,·e n twice a day as direc ted. The next day the animal was seen doing well and m oving a bout the cage with ease.
528
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
On J anuary 23rd, I gz8 , stopped the electuary and prescribed Metagen with cod liver oil- one tablespoonful with rrieat. On January I5th , Igz8 , found the abdomen increased in volume, and repeated the surgical operation as on J anuary 26th, I gz8, removing about two pints of fluid , which I sent to the Bombay Veterinary College. Internally prescribed the electuary. Till February Izth , r gz8, the animal was all right and feed ing well ; but there was gradual emaciation and general weakness. · On February I 3th , r gz8, as the belly had again become distended , I performed paracentesis abdominis for the third time and removed three pints of peritoneal fluid of the same milky and latescent character. Suspecting the case to be tuberculosis , I sent the fluid to the Haffkine Institute for bacteriological examination and chemical analysis. Lt.-Col. Mackie, I. M.S., Director of the H affkine Institute ' 'ery kindly examined it and sent the following report on F ebruary I6th , 1928 :BACTERIOLOGICAL R EPORT. --The fluid appears to be chylous. No tubercle bacilli or any other micro-organisms. o micro-filaria seen . A few polymorphonuclear cells only present . CHEM ICAL REPORT.- R eaction, neutral ; sp. gravity, I ·oz i ; t otal solj.j matter, I 3 · 2 per cent. ; albumin (coagulable protein), I· 4 per cent. ; fat (ether soluble extract) , 6 · 6 per cen t. ; ash, o · 2 per cent. ; cholesterol present (not det ermined quantitatively) ; diastase present. There is little doubt that the fluid is almost pure chyle. It has not putrified appreciably up to now, indi cating that the fluid has bactericidal powers. · This indicates interference with or damage to the lymphatic vessels within the abdomen possibly due to bloc kage by worms or new growth . The animal continued to be doing well and was feeding all right, but there was gradual emaciation and general weakness. The fluid was again removed on F ebruary 2oth, I g28 , but the animal died on February 28 th , I gz8. Unfortunately, a p ost-mortem was not made a t once, a nd owing t o decomposition , no definite opinion co uld be formed as t o the actual cause of this condition.