Long-term Outcome of Tooth Repulsion in Horses A Retrospective Study of 61 Cases

The records of 61 horses undergoing tooth repulsion for treatment of alveolar periostitis were reviewed. Seventeen of 36 horses (47%) in which maxillary teeth were removed had serious postoperative complications, such as infection of a second tooth, bone sequestration, chronic sinusitis, draining tracts, retained dental packing, feed impaction of the alveolus or sinus, suture-line dehiscence, or skin-flap sloughs. Eight horses required at least one additional surgical procedure. Eight of 25 horses (32%) in which mandibular teeth were removed had serious postoperative complications, and four horses required an additional surgical procedure. Hospitalization lasted 2 to 61 days (median, 22 days) for maxillary teeth and 3 to 35 days (median, 8 days) for mandibular teeth. Long-term follow-up (at least 5 months) was possible in 47 horses. Twenty-four of 30 horses (80%) with maxillary tooth repulsion healed without further problems; six horses had persistent nasal discharge. Fourteen of 17 horses (82%) with mandibular tooth repulsion healed with no further problems or with only minor complications; three horses had a chronic draining tract.     

Clinical Evaluation of Three Surgical Methods for Treatment of Caudal Cervical Spondylomyelopathy of Dogs

Sixty-four dogs with caudal cervical spondylomyelopathy (CCSM) caused by chronic degenerative disc disease were treated with ventral decompression (n = 20), linear traction and interbody screw stabilization (n = 7), or linear traction and plastic plate stabilization (n = 37). Interbody screw stabilization was ineffective in treating CCSM because of an unacceptably high rate of implant failures. Ventral decompression or linear traction and plastic plate stabilization were effective in the treatment of most patients with mild to moderate neurologic deficits (neck pain, paraparesis, or ambulatory tetraparesis). Although these techniques were also used successfully in some patients with severe neurologic deficits (weakly ambulatory tetraparesis or nonambulatory tetraparesis), variable success rates and prolonged postoperative recovery periods were noted.     

Anthelmhntic effects of injectable and oral paste formulations of ivermectin against 28-day infections of parascaris equorum

Efficacy of ivermectin treatment (0.2 mg/kg) against 28-day experimental infections of Parascaris equorum was determined in 18 pony foals6–17.5 weeks old. There were 6 foals in each group: nontreated control, ivermectin injectable or oral paste. In comparison with larvae found in the nontreated controls, ivermectin injectable or paste was 96.0% and 99.9% efficacious. There was a distinct difference in drug effect against the larger (ca 26mm.) vs the smaller (13–19mm) larvae by the 2 formulations of ivermectin. There were no adverse signs related to treatment of the young foals.     

Characteristics of Salmonella isolated from an outbreak of equine salmonellosis in a veterinary teaching hospital

During an outbreak of equine salmonellosis in a veterinary teaching hospital 20 Salmonella isolates were cultured from sick horses (13 isolates) or from the hospital environment (7 isolates). Three serotypes were isolated from the environment including: S. give, S. newportand S. agona. The serotypes isolated from horses included: S. give, S. newport and S. anatum. Examination of antibiotic profiles, presence of plasmids, production of bacteriocins and hemagglutination of erythrocytes implied a common origin for the equine and environmental isolates.     

IOHEXOL AND IOPAMIDOL MYELOGRAPHY IN THE DOG: A CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING ADVERSE EFFECTS AND MYELOGRAPHIC QUALITY

In a blind clinical trial, adverse effects after iohexol and iopamidol myelography were evaluated in 151 dogs. Eighty-one dogs were given iohexol (240 mgI/ml) and 70 dogs were given iopamidol (200 mgI/ml) by pre-determined assignment. Each dog was evaluated postmyelographically for seizures, hyperthermia, prolonged recovery from anesthesia and intensification of pre-existing neural signs. Myelographic quality was evaluated with a subjective scoring method. In comparing iohexol and iopamidol groups, there was not a statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects or in myelographic quality. Iopamidol and iohexol appeared to be equally efficacious for routine canine myelography.     

Surgical Management of Atlantoaxial Subluxation in 23 Dogs

Twenty-eight surgical procedures were performed in 23 dogs with atlantoaxial subluxation. Dorsal stabilization in seven dogs resulted in two recoveries and five failures of fixation. Ventral decompression and stabilization in 18 dogs resulted in eight recoveries and four failures of fixation. Six dogs died or were euthanatized within 7 days of ventral stabilization. Using either technique, four of seven nonambulatory dogs recovered.     

Abdominal Wall Reconstruction with a Vascular External Abdominal Oblique Myofascial Flap

A myofascial island flap for abdominal wall reconstruction was based on the lumbar component of the external abdominal oblique muscle and supplied by a major neurovascular pedicle consisting of branches of the cranial abdominal artery, cranial hypogastric nerve, and a satellite vein. The flap was elevated and sutured into a 10 cm x 10 cm body wall defect in five dogs. The dogs were observed for 26 to 28 days. Abdominal wall contour and function were preserved. All dogs developed seromas, two of which became infected. One dog developed a hernia at the dorsal margin of the flap, which was repaired. At necropsy, there was no evidence of dehiscence in any of the dogs. Loose adhesions of omentum to the inner surface of the flap occurred in four dogs. Results of histologic examination confirmed the clinical impression of flap viability. The myofascial island flap has a wide range of mobility over the ventral and caudal areas of the abdomen and lateral thoracic wall. It has potential clinical use for reconstruction of defects within its arc of rotation.     

A Comparison of Surgical Training with Live Anesthetized Dogs and Cadavers

Cadavers were compared with live anesthetized dogs for their effectiveness as models for surgical training of veterinary medical students. One group of students was trained using cadavers, and a peer group was trained using live anesthetized dogs. Both groups then performed an intestinal anastomosis using a live subject. The time to completion of the procedure was recorded. The anastomoses and celiotomy closures were evaluated. Each anastomosis was isolated and pressure tested. Reviewers blindly scored each surgical team's performance based on actual inspection of the surgical site and on viewing videotapes of the procedure. The participants' attitudes toward the use of live animals in teaching and research were documented before and after training. No statistically significant differences could be detected between the two groups. The results suggest that some substitution of cadavers for live dogs in surgical training might be feasible.     

A Comparison of Injectable Anesthetic Combinations in Horses

Six combinations of injectable anesthetic agents were administered to six adult horses in a Latin square design. The drug combinations were xylazine-ketamine, xylazine-butorphanol-ketamine, xylazine-tiletamine-zolazepam, xylazine-butorphanol-tiletamine-zolazepam, detomidine-ketamine, and detomidine-butorphanol-ketamine. Measured variables were heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, arterial pH (pHa), PaCO2, PaO2, recumbency time, and number of attempts necessary to stand. Quality of induction and recovery, muscle relaxation, and response to stimulus were evaluated subjectively. The horses required significantly more attempts to stand after administration of xylazine-tiletamine-zolazepam, xylazine-butorphanol-tiletamine-zolazepam, and detomidine-ketamine than after xylazine-ketamine, xylazine-butorphanol-ketamine, or detomidine-butorphanol-ketamine. Mean recumbency times varied from 23.0 minutes with xylazine-ketamine to 41.3 minutes with xylazine-butorphanol-tiletamine-zolazepam. There were significant differences in mean heart rates at minute 15, mean respiratory rates at minutes 5, 10 and 15, and mean systolic blood pressures at minute 10 of anesthesia. There were no significant differences in pHa, PaCO2 or PaO2.