A 3-year-old spayed male mixed-breed Labrador presented to the Emergency and Critical Care Unit with lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, a recent history of presyncopal episodes, and severe exercise intolerance. On admission, the patient had bradycardia, low blood pressure, and mild abdominal pain. Serum biochemistry information revealed severe hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, hypoglycemia, and mildly increased liver and kidney parameters. Upon taking these findings into consideration, hypoadrenocorticism was suspected, and a basal cortisol level was determined; it was below 1.0 µg/dL. Upon examination with ultrasound, we observed that the size of the adrenal glands was considerably reduced. Due to the bradycardia, a complete cardiologic examination consisting of 5 min of six-lead electrocardiography and echocardiography (ECG) was performed. Six-lead ECG revealed a complete atrio-ventricular block with an atrial rate of 140 bpm and a ventricular rate of 60 bpm. The PQ interval was variable, without any evidence of atrio-ventricular conduction. Treatment for hyperkalemia was initiated immediately after admission, followed by dexamethasone sodium phosphate administration, which led to an improvement in the patient’s general condition, and the normalization of the ECG readings, after 24 h of therapy. Afterward, prednisolone (0.5 mg/kg/24 h p.o.) and desoxycorticosterone pivalate (2.2 mg/kg s.c.) were administered. This case shows that a third-degree atrioventricular block might be a reversible problem in dogs with hypoadrecorticism that can be managed with specific treatment for this disorder, without requiring pacemaker implantation.

Environmental contamination with heavy metals, resulting from industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural intensification, poses serious ecological and health risks. Horses, due to their grazing behavior and close association with human environments, serve as reliable sentinel species for assessing environmental pollution. This study aimed to evaluate the bioaccumulation of heavy metals and trace elements in different biological matrices of horses—blood, hair, hooves, and synovial fluid—and to investigate their relationship with hematological biomarkers as indicators of physiological stress. Samples were collected from horses raised in anthropogenically influenced areas and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). Hematological parameters were determined with an automated analyzer to assess systemic effects. The results revealed significant variations in metal concentrations among matrices, with keratinized tissues reflecting long-term exposure, while blood and synovial fluid indicated recent contamination. Correlations between elevated metal levels and altered hematological values suggested oxidative stress and adaptive physiological responses. These findings demonstrate the value of multi-matrix biomonitoring in evaluating both environmental quality and animal health. Horses effectively reflect the cumulative impact of heavy metal exposure, supporting their role as bioindicators within a One Health framework that links environmental, animal, and human well-being.

The presence of trace and toxic elements in milk and dairy products is an important food safety issue, as contamination can occur along the dairy supply chain and may be influenced by animal species, production system, and processing conditions. This study aimed to investigate and compare the multi-elemental composition of milk and selected dairy products obtained from organic, conventional, and commercial production systems in north-western Romania. A total of 307 samples, including raw milk from different animal species (cow, goat, buffalo, donkey) as well as yogurt, cheese, and mozzarella, were collected from farms and retail outlets. Samples were subjected to standardized microwave-assisted acid digestion and analyzed for toxic and essential elements (Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cr, Ni, Al, Sn, Cu, and Zn) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS), with quality assurance ensured through certified reference materials and proficiency testing. The results indicated low concentrations of toxic metals across all dairy matrices, with Pb ranging from 0.0047 to 0.0117 mg/kg, Cd from 0.0008 to 0.0011 mg/kg, and As from 0.0007 to 0.0664 mg/kg, depending on animal species and production system. Mercury was consistently below the limit of detection in all datasets (LCD = 100%). Essential and transition elements were systematically quantified, occurring within expected ranges (Al: 0.021–0.264 mg/kg; Cu: 0.078–0.270 mg/kg; Zn: 3.245–7.963 mg/kg; Sn ≈ 0.0030–0.0035 mg/kg). All toxic element concentrations were below the maximum limits established by European Union legislation. Variations in elemental profiles were observed between animal species and production systems, with organic cow milk showing the most homogeneous composition. All toxic element concentrations were below the maximum limits established by European Union legislation. Overall, the findings confirm the safety of the analyzed dairy products and emphasize the relevance of multi-elemental monitoring as a practical tool for dairy supply chain surveillance and risk assessment.

Ovine coenurosis, caused by the larval stage of Taenia multiceps (Coenurus cerebralis), is a parasitic disease that affects the central nervous system of livestock. While diagnosis traditionally relies on clinical signs, imaging, and postmortem examination, electroencephalography (EEG) remains underutilized despite its potential to detect brain abnormalities. This case report describes EEG and quantitative EEG (qEEG) findings in a 2-year-old sheep presenting with clinical signs suggestive of a chronic focal encephalopathy (ataxia, head tilt and circling) associated with lethargy and progressive weight loss. Computed tomography (CT) confirmed a single, discretely bilobate intra-axial cystic lesion within the left cerebral hemisphere, with a severe mass effect, marked deformation and displacement of the ventricular system, compression of the thalamic structures, and contralateral deviation of the median line. A solitary parasitic cyst with no lesion in the right hemisphere was subsequently confirmed at necropsy and on histopathology. Under ketamine–diazepam sedation, both EEG recordings showed a continuous, delta-dominant background consistent with the anesthetic protocol. Epoch-wise asymmetry indices with bootstrap confidence intervals distinguished an unstable component (which reversed in hemispheric sign between recordings) from a reproducible one confined to the occipital derivations, where the asymmetry lay over the right hemisphere in both recordings in every band except delta. This reproducible preponderance was contralateral to the cyst, over a hemisphere in which no structural lesion was demonstrable either on imaging or at necropsy, and absolute powers indicated that it arose principally from attenuation of the signal recorded over the diseased hemisphere. These findings provide the first electrophysiological characterization of ovine coenurosis and show that in the presence of a severe mass effect, the side of the surface qEEG abnormality may not indicate the side of the lesion (an electrophysiological false localizing sign described in human patients but not previously in a ruminant). EEG therefore reflects the functional brain disturbance caused by Coenurus cerebralis but should be regarded as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, cross-sectional imaging in neurolocalization.