A Needling Problem

Hypodermic needles are common tools of our livestock farm. Cellophane-wrapped packages of shiny new needles are stored in the basement pantry. Freshly washed and disinfected needles lay beside the kitchen sink. Ditty, broken, discarded needles litter the pickup dash. Despite early and constant exposure to needles, I always approach them with caution. They are a little bit like bull snakes. I\u27m not terrified of them, but I respect them. My life is scarred with a sticky experience my father and I endured when I was a child. Ever since then, I\u27ve been wary of needles

A Needling Problem

Hypodermic needles are common tools of our livestock farm. Cellophane-wrapped packages of shiny new needles are stored in the basement pantry. Freshly washed and disinfected needles lay beside the kitchen sink. Ditty, broken, discarded needles litter the pickup dash. Despite early and constant exposure to needles, I always approach them with caution. They are a little bit like bull snakes. I'm not terrified of them, but I respect them. My life is scarred with a sticky experience my father and I endured when I was a child. Ever since then, I've been wary of needles.</p

Gastrolithiasis in prehensile-tailed porcupines (Coendou prehensilis): Nine cases and pathogenesis of stone formation

Gastrolithiasis was diagnosed in nine prehensile-tailed (PT) porcupines (Coendou prehensilis) housed at six zoologic institutions in the United States and Canada. Affected animals were either asymptomatic or had clinical signs, including weight loss, diarrhea, and depression. Abdominal palpation was adequate for diagnosis in all six antemortem cases, and radiographs confirmed a soft tissue density mass effect produced by the concretion. These gastroliths were all successfully surgically removed. Recurrence of gastrolith formation was common and occurred in four of the cases. Three cases were diagnosed postmortem, with the gastrolith causing gastric perforation in one case. Gastroliths from four cases were identified by mass spectrometry as bile acid precipitates consisting of the insoluble acid form of endogenous glycine-conjugated bile acids