Key Clinical Message: Spinal lymphoma is a rare manifestation of a common canine hematopoietic neoplasia. Description of treatment, outcome, and MRI features are scarce. The latter can be heterogeneous, stressing the importance of lesion excision and analysis. Clinicians should also be aware of hypereosinophilia as accompanying paraneoplastic syndrome and its potential prognostic implications.

Zoledronate is a bisphosphonate frequently used for the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy and tumour-associated bone pain in dogs, however, there is a paucity of information regarding its use in veterinary medicine. The aim of this retrospective study was to report the tolerability of zoledronate in the palliative treatment of cancer-bearing dogs and secondarily to to assess the efficacy of zoledronate for the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy. Thirty-seven dogs (22 with tumour-associated bone pain and 15 with hypercalcaemia of malignancy) that received 114 zoledronate infusions were included. Tolerability was assessed by the absence of post-zoledronate hypocalcaemia or other adverse events as defined by Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria. Efficacy was assessed by comparison of available ionized calcium levels before and after zoledronate administration in hypercalcaemic dogs. In 79% of zoledronate infusions, no adverse events were reported. The majority of adverse events which occurred in the other 21% of infusions could be attributed to concurrent chemotherapy or the underlying neoplastic disease. There was a small but significant increase in creatinine following treatment with zoledronate, however, none of the dogs developed clinically significant renal disease. In eight hypercalcaemic dogs with available ionized calcium following zoledronate administration, ionized calcium decreased rapidly within 7 days following treatment with zoledronate. Zoledronate is well-tolerated with few recorded adverse events, however, monitoring of serum creatinine is advised. Zoledronate seems to be effective in the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy.

Primary mediastinal lymphoma is rare in dogs and literature exploring this disease is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe presentation, treatment and outcome in a large cohort of dogs with mediastinal lymphoma and explore prognostic factors including chemotherapy protocol. This retrospective multi‐institute study included 70 dogs with primary mediastinal lymphoma treated with lomustine‐based (LOP/LOPP) or anthracycline‐based (CHOP/CEOP) chemotherapy. Most immunophenotyped cases were of T‐cell lineage (95.6%). The majority were substage b (90%) and hypercalcaemia was noted in 69.1% of dogs. Clinical and objective response rates to chemotherapy were 92.7% and 97.9%, respectively, with 76.6% of dogs achieving a complete response. Median progression free survival (PFS) was 132 days (95% CI 83–181), and median overall survival time (OST) was 223 days (95% CI 175–271). The 6‐month, 1‐year, and 2‐year survival rates were 55.7%, 22.9%, and 15.7%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, factors associated with longer PFS included hypercalcaemia ( p = 0.041), chemotherapy‐induced neutropenia ( p = 0.014) and CD4+/CD8− immunophenotype ( p = 0.004). Neutropenia at diagnosis was associated with shorter PFS ( p = 0.015) and OST ( p = 0.004). Other factors associated with shorter OST included granular morphology ( p = 0.023) and CD4+/CD8+ immunophenotype ( p = 0.004). Chemotherapy‐induced neutropenia was associated with improved OST ( p = 0.042). Differences in outcome between anthracycline‐ or lomustine‐based chemotherapy protocols were not statistically significant. Overall, the prognosis for primary mediastinal lymphoma in dogs is poor to fair when treated with multi‐agent chemotherapy. This is the second study associating hypercalcaemia with improved PFS in dogs with non‐indolent T‐cell lymphoma. Results also suggest prognostic significance of specific CD4/CD8 expression patterns.

Although osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumour in dogs, involvement of the pelvic bones is rare. The aim of the present study was to describe clinical presentation, identify possible prognostic factors, and evaluate outcomes in dogs diagnosed with pelvic osteosarcoma. Seventy‐four dogs with cytologically or histologically diagnosed pelvic osteosarcoma were included in this multicentre retrospective study (2007–2025). The median progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, with comparisons performed using log‐rank tests. Prognostic factors for PFS and OS were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Lameness (84%) was the most common presenting clinical sign, and the ilium (57%) was the most frequent intrapelvic tumour location. Thirty‐one percent of dogs had metastases at diagnosis, primarily affecting the lungs. The median PFS was 75 days, and the median OS was 79 days. Dogs receiving any treatment had significantly longer PFS (116 vs. 7 days, p < 0.001) and OS (145 vs. 8 days, p < 0.001) than untreated dogs. No factors were significantly associated with PFS. In contrast, dogs with higher body weight and shorter time to diagnosis tended to have more favourable survival, whereas chemotherapy and local progression were associated with poorer outcomes. Despite the overall poor prognosis associated with pelvic osteosarcoma, treatment may extend survival. An individualized, often multimodal approach may provide clinical benefit in selected dogs.

Negative experiences in clinical learning environments (CLEs) lead to long-term consequences such as decreased confidence, reluctance to engage, and attrition from Veterinary programmes (Holt, Farrell and Corrigan, 2023). The Small Animal Hospital, a training site for final-year Veterinary students, immerses them in real-world clinical practice. As a potentially high-stress environment, measures to improve student psychological safety were implemented, with the launch of a Learning Environment Champions (LEC) initiative. Developed in response to student feedback, it encompasses a compassionate pedagogical approach involving staff and students working in partnership, with the aim of enhancing the CLE by promoting supportive and positive learning experiences. This case study describes the first year of the initiative, which is a system for monitoring student perceptions of, and experiences within, the CLE while simultaneously working to change the culture of the CLE by focusing on civility and psychological safety. Using an iterative cycle of feedback and improvement, developments included a new staff role, staff training, a hospital social contract, a process for student safeguarding, and student-led creation of resources. Reflective professional discussions highlighted that the initiative has built staff appreciation of the importance of a civil CLE, has positively influenced teaching and clinical support of students, but raised concerns of unintended consequences for LECs including compassion fatigue. The early phase of this initiative has created a support system for students during their practicum. Long term, this may help to significantly improve student perceptions of the CLE, thus improving the learning potential for this environment.