| dc.description.abstract | The first study aimed to find the epidemiological, clinical and histological aspects of this intriguing cat myelopathy. Three travels for a rural area of Alegrete (southwest of Rio Grande do Sul) were done and a questionnaire with owners and residents was conducted. Neurological examinations, necropsy and histopathology were performed in four cats. Affected cats initially developed tail paralysis followed by progressive paraparesis in the pelvic limbs, gait abnormality, plantigrade position and proprioceptive ataxia. Long time after first symptoms (12-24 months), when they became markedly paraparetic and began to present scabs of decubitus, they were sacrificed. Necropsy showed varying degrees of atrophy of the pelvic muscles and some degree of redness of the meninges between T10 and L7 due to the presence of myriads of tiny blood vessels. Histologically, these lesions were distended by the subarachnoid space dilated and tortuous blood vessels filled with blood and occasionally thrombus, which partially or totally occluded their lumens. In the lumen of varicose venules transverse and longitudinal session of parasites were found. Based on the morphology of the parasite, in their anatomical location (meningeal blood vessels) and affected species (cat), the nematode was identified as Gurltia paralysans, and this was first feline parasite crural paraplegia case diagnosed in Brazil. The second study is a syringomyelia case report, a rare neurological disease in cats. In this study syringomyelia was found associated with congenital scoliosis, both are frequently found in human medicine reports, but are underdiagnosed in Veterinary Medicine. This paper describes the necropsy and histopathology findings in a cat with syringomyelia and scoliosis. The cat presented paraplegia and congenital urinary and fecal incontinence. At necropsy a shift right side of the spine in the thoracolumbar region was found and was interpreted as scoliosis. Histologically there was a cystic cavitation in the white matter from thoracic to lumbar region, ventral to the central channel and not delineated by ependymal, thus confirming the spinal cord injury to be syringomyelia. The third study aimed in a preliminary study to determine the main diseases that cause death or euthanasia in cats in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. The Veterinary Pathology Laboratory (LPV-UFSM) files were reviewed from 1964 to 2013 and a total of 1,247 cat necropsies protocols were found. In 878 (70.40%) protocols the cause of death and/or reason for euthanasia were established. The final diagnosis were evaluated and classified into different categories. The category which includes the largest number of causes of death or reason for euthanasia in cats are disorders due to physical agents (15.63%), followed by infectious and parasitic diseases (13,15%), tumors (10.50%), other disorders (8.34%), poisoning and toxinfection (5.29%), degenerative diseases (4.81%), iatrogenic disorders (3.76%), metabolic and endocrinological diseases (2.72%), immune-mediated diseases (2.08%), nutritional diseases (1.60), convenience euthanasia (1.44%) and congenital disorders (1.04%). The most important diseases were also evaluated according to age and the results demonstrated that adult cats are most affected by lower urinary tract disease, trauma and iatrogenic disorders. Elderly cats are most affected by tumors and chronic renal failure. However, in young cats, feline peritonitis disease was found to be the most important cause of death or euthanasia. | |
