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Nasal stenosis in bulldogs significantly impacts their quality of life, making early diagnosis crucial for effective treatment. This study developed an automated deep learning model to classify the severity of nasal stenosis using 1020 images of bulldog nostrils, including both real and AI-generated samples. Five neural network architectures were tested across three experiments, with DenseNet201 achieving the highest median F-score of 54.04%. The model’s performance was directly compared to trained human evaluators specializing in veterinary anatomy, achieving comparable levels of accuracy and reliability. These results demonstrate the potential of advanced neural networks to match human-level performance in diagnosis, paving the way for enhanced treatment planning and overall animal welfare.

Pectus excavatum, thoracic spine deformities, tracheal hypoplasia and lateral heart displacement are frequently described in brachycephalic dog breeds. Pectus carinatum is described sporadically, although the authors' observations demonstrate that it may occur in certain brachycephalic dog breeds. It was hypothesised that dogs of screw-tailed brachycephalic breeds carry a greater risk of these anomalies than normal-tailed brachycephalic breeds, and that there could a relation between the presence of pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum and thoracic spine deformities, tracheal hypoplasia and lateral heart displacement. During retrospective studies, these anomalies were identified in lateral and dorso-ventral radiographs of the thorax in brachycephalic dog breeds. A statistical analysis revealed that the frequency of pectus excavatum occurrence in screw-tailed and normal-tailed brachycephalic dog breeds is similar. The greatest risk of pectus excavatum occurrence is carried by two breeds: Maltese (60%) and English Bulldog (58%), while for pectus carinatum: Pug (41%) and French Bulldog (18%). Dogs of screw-tailed brachycephalic breeds carry a greater risk of kyphosis (p < 0.0001), tracheal hypoplasia occurrence (p < 0.0001), compared to \"normal-tailed\" breeds. The hypothesis concerning a relation between the presence of pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum and the other anomalies studied was not confirmed (p > 0.05). It was demonstrated that in dogs of brachycephalic breeds there was a greater risk of co-incidence between kyphosis of the thoracic spine and lateral heart displacement (p = 0.038), as well as kyphosis of the thoracic spine and tracheal hypoplasia (p = 0.003).

The objective of this study was to establish an evaluation technique for the feline pelvic cavity using computed tomography (CT). Client-owned cats with a normal pelvis (n = 50) or pelvic stenosis (n = 3) were included. We categorized pelvic CT images in the normal pelvis group into two types according to pelvic cavity shape, then calculated the sacral index (SI), pelvic canal area (PCA), and PCA/sacral width index (PSI). The reference intervals of these variables were determined based on the results in the normal pelvis group. In the normal pelvis group, the PSI, unlike the SI and PCA, was not affected by body weight. In addition to high intraobserver and interobserver reproducibilities, the PSI showed no significant differences according to pelvic cavity shape. However, the SI exhibited significant differences among pelvic cavity shapes. In the stenosis group, the postoperative PSI in all cats was within the reference interval. However, the postoperative SI in one case was lower than the reference interval. The PSI may become a new method for evaluation of the pelvic cavity, including the pelvic floor.

Background: Feline ureteral obstructions have emerged as a common problem. Ureteral strictures rarely are reported as a cause and the predisposing factors and clinical course of this condition have not been described. Objectives: Evaluate cases of feline ureteral strictures and characterize historical features, clinical signs, diagnostic imaging, surgical and endoscopic findings, histopathology, treatment modalities, and short- and long-term outcomes. Animals: Ten cats diagnosed with ureteral strictures based on compatible findings from at least 2 of the following: ultrasonography, ureteropyelography, surgical exploration, or histopathology. Methods: Retrospective study. Results: Median age, serum creatinine concentration, and size of the renal pelvis were 12 years, 3.7 mg/dL, and 11.75 mm, respectively. Six of 10 cats had hyperechoic periureteral tissue on ultrasound examination at the stricture site. Four cats had evidence of a circumcaval ureter at surgery. Eight cats had an intervention including ureteral stent placement (n = 6) and traditional surgery (n = 2). Seven of 8 cats had decreases in serum creatinine concentration and renal pelvic parameters preceding discharge and 6 had persistently improved results at their last examination. All patients survived to discharge. Median survival time was >294 days (range, 14 to >858 days) with 6/10 cats still alive. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Ureteral strictures may occur in cats secondary to ureteral surgery, inflammation, a circumcaval ureter, impacted ureterolithiasis, or for unknown causes. With appropriate and timely intervention, the prognosis for long-term survival is good. In addition to ureteral reimplantation or ureteronephrectomy, ureteral stenting or SC ureteral bypass may be considered as future therapeutic options.

Background Colonic stenosis is a rare postoperative complication of ovariohysterectomy in cats, leading to dyschezia and fecal diameter reduction. In cats, while there are reports of colonic stenosis after midline approach ovariohysterectomy, there are no specific reports of flank approach ovariohysterectomy. Case presentation This report describes a severe case of a one-year-old British shorthair female cat presenting with gastrointestinal signs, including dyschezia and reduced fecal diameter, three weeks after flank approach ovariohysterectomy. Despite abdominal radiography, proctography with barium sulfate, colonoscopy, CT, and hematological analysis, the cause of colonic stenosis remained unclear. During exploratory laparotomy, an annular tissue band was found encircling the descending colon, resulting in severe local stenosis. After excision of the tissue band, the presenting clinical signs of the cat were rapidly improved. This result suggests that colonic stenosis caused by tissue band should be considered when diagnosing postoperative complications in flank approach ovariohysterectomy in cats. Conclusion Colon stenosis due to annular tissue band restriction should be considered one of the differentials for postoperative complications in flank approach ovariohysterectomy in cats.

Oesophageal strictures in cats and dogs are relatively rare and the cause of this disorder can be multifactorial. However, the most common cause in cats is an inflammatory process.Conservative treatment strategies for this disorder includes image-guided interventions. Endoscopic methods are a form of a minimally invasive surgical treatment of the oesophageal strictures. Several endoscopic methods for the therapy of this condition are known, one of them is Savary-Gilliard dilators technique.In the present study of a case of oesophageal stricture in a cat, caused probably by doxycycline treatment without water administration, the authors used the Savary-Gilliard dilators as a therapy for its condition. The animal underwent 3 endoscopy procedures, where in the third one no abnormality in the oesophagus was observed. Moreover, the cat was asymptomatic 6 months after the last oesophagoscopy.In the authors opinion, based on the present case, some experience of the authors and previously described studies, the Savary-Gilliard dilators seems to be a safe, effective, relatively cheap and minimally invasive method of the oesophageal stricture therapy in the cat.

BACKGROUND: Norwich Terriers have grown increasingly popular as show animals and pets, and awareness of respiratory problems within the breed is growing. OBJECTIVE: To describe components of obstructive upper airway syndrome in a nonbrachycephalic terrier breed. ANIMALS: Sixteen Norwich Terriers; 12 with and 4 without clinical signs of respiratory disease. METHODS: Prospective case series. Physical and laryngoscopic examinations were performed by 1 investigator in all dogs. Medical and surgical interventions were summarized and results of follow‐up examination or owner reports were recorded. RESULTS: The study population was comprised of 9 females (6 intact) and 7 males (5 intact). Median age was 3.0 years (range, 0.5–11 years). Of 12 dogs presented for a respiratory complaint, physical examination was normal in 4 dogs. Laryngoscopic examination was abnormal in 11/12 dogs with redundant supra‐arytenoid folds, laryngeal collapse, everted laryngeal saccules, and a narrowed laryngeal opening in most. Of 4 dogs lacking clinical signs, all had normal physical examination; however, 3/4 dogs had similar appearance of the larynx to dogs with clinical signs. Response to surgical intervention was minimal to moderate in all dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Norwich Terriers suffer from an upper airway obstructive syndrome that differs from that encountered in brachycephalic breeds. Affected dogs are difficult to identify without laryngoscopic examination because of the lack of clinical signs and abnormalities in physical examination findings, despite severe airway obstruction. Care is warranted when anesthetizing Norwich Terriers because of the small size of the laryngeal opening.

Laryngeal saccule eversion has been widely reported as an important component of brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS). The authors hypothesised that saccules affected by acute histological changes in patients showing marked improvement following palate and nares surgery might spontaneously return to normal; moreover, spontaneous resolution of the eversion in patients with fibrotic saccules and/or without clinical improvement following BAOS surgery might be impossible and, on the contrary, the persistence of turbulent airflow and associated ongoing inflammation might lead to aberrant tissue proliferation after resection. In order to demonstrate our hypotheses, the authors decided to perform a unilateral sacculectomy and to postpone and assess the need for the execution of the contralateral saccule resection according to the findings of a second-look laryngoscopy. Ten dogs were enrolled. None of the saccules left in situ underwent spontaneous resolution of the eversion. In one dog, after sacculectomy, proliferation of a soft tissue lesion endoscopically similar to a newly formed saccule occurred. The results of the present study suggest that spontaneous resolution of saccule eversion is uncommon, even after the correction of the primary abnormalities (palate, nares). Resection of the saccules can relieve ventral rima glottidis obstruction; however, secondary intention healing might occasionally result in the recurrence of the obstruction

A 29-year-old female was noted to have a prolonged tidal respiration cycle, when breathing during swimming. Computed tomographic imaging of the chest demonstrated circumferential right mainstem and right upper lobe tracheal bronchus narrowing. A therapeutic procedure was performed.