Coxofemoral Luxation in the Dog and Cat

The medical records from 95 cases of coxofemoral luxation in dogs and cats were reviewed. Unilateral craniodorsal luxation was most common, (78.1% of dogs, 72.7% of cats). Trauma from being struck by an automobile was the most frequent cause (59.0%). Treatment was closed (manual) or open (surgical) reduction. The failure rate following single closed reduction was 64.8%. The surgical reduction procedure included capsular repair (capsulorrhaphy) via a craniolateral approach to the hip or via trochanteric osteotomy or gluteal tenotomy. The success rate following reduction via the craniolateral approach was 82%; no failure was recorded with trochanteric transposition, but reluxa-tion followed the single gluteal tenotomy. The Ehmer sling was the most common external fixation and was kept in place an average of 12.5 days. Thirty-three animals were available for follow-up, and no difference was recorded in limb function between the two groups of animals treated by closed vs surgical reduction. Patients with degenerative joint disease at the time of luxation were less likely to be successfully reduced; 64.3% of these animals were eventually treated by femoral head and neck excision. Thirty-eight patients had associated major injuries. Long-term follow-up results were better in those patients with concomitant orthopedic injuries than in those without other injuries.     

Population‐level effects of egg predation on a native planktivore in a large freshwater lake

Using a 37‐year recruitment time series, we uncovered a field pattern revealing a strong, inverse relationship between bloater Coregonus hoyi recruitment success and slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus biomass in Lake Michigan (United States), one of the largest freshwater lakes of the world. Given that slimy sculpins (and deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii) are known egg predators that spatiotemporally overlap with incubating bloater eggs, we used recently published data on sculpin diets and daily ration to model annual bloater egg consumption by sculpins for the 1973–2010 year‐classes. Although several strong year‐classes were produced in the late 1980s when the proportion of eggs consumed by slimy sculpins was extremely low (i.e., <0.001) and several weak year‐classes were produced when the proportion of bloater eggs consumed was at its highest (i.e., >0.10–1.0), egg predation failed to explain why recruitment was weak for the 1995–2005 year‐classes when the proportion consumed was also low (i.e., <0.02). We concluded that egg predation by slimy and deepwater sculpins could have limited bloater recruitment in some years, but that some undetermined factor was more important in many other years. Given that slimy sculpin densities are influenced by piscivorous lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, the restoration of which in Lake Michigan has lagged behind those in lakes Superior and Huron, our study highlights the importance of an ecosystem perspective when considering population dynamics of fishes.     

Validating the effectiveness of alternative euthanasia techniques using penetrating captive bolt guns in mature swine (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Euthanasia of mature swine is challenging. Temporal and behind-the-ear locations are two sites that have been identified as alternatives to the more commonly used frontal placement. In stage one, the effectiveness of two penetrating captive bolt gun styles (cylinder or pistol) was evaluated using frontal, temporal, and behind-the-ear placement in anesthetized mature swine (n = 36; weight: 267 ± 41 kg). For stage one, when evaluating treatment efficacy by sex, the cylinder-style equipment was 100% effective in achieving death when applied to all cranial locations (frontal, temporal, and behind-the-ear) for sows; however, the pistol-style equipment was only 100% effective when applied at the behind-the-ear location for sows. For boars, the cylinder-style equipment was 100% effective when applied to the frontal and behind-the-ear location, but the pistol-style equipment was not effective for any cranial location in boars. Therefore, the pistol–frontal, pistol–temporal, pistol–behind-the-ear, and cylinder–temporal were not included for boars, and pistol–frontal and pistol–temporal were not included for sows in stage two. In stage two, commercial, mixed-breed, mature swine (n = 42; weight: 292 +/− 56 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments based on the inclusion criteria described in stage one. A three-point traumatic brain injury (TBI) score (0 = normal; 1 = some abnormalities; 2 = grossly abnormal, unrecognizable) was used to evaluate six neuroanatomical structures (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hypothalamus, thalamus, pons, and brain stem), and the presence of hemorrhage was also noted. All treatments were 100% effective in stage two. A significant interaction between gun style and placement was determined on predicting total TBI as the cylinder style produced a higher total TBI score compared with the pistol type of the magnitude of +2.8 (P < 0.01). The cylinder style tended to produce a greater TBI score than the pistol in the temporal location (+1.2; P = 0.08). No difference was noted for TBI score behind-the-ear between the cylinder- and pistol-style gun (P > 0.05). TBI tended to be less in boars compared with sows (−0.6; P = 0.08). Hemorrhage was observed in frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. This study demonstrated that the cylinder-style captive bolt gun more effectively resulted in brain trauma and death compared with a pistol-style gun and the behind-the-ear and temporal placement showed promise as an alternative placement site for euthanizing mature pigs on-farm.     

Survival of 4 dogs with persistent atrial standstill treated by pacemaker implantation

Pacemakers were implanted in 4 client-owned female dogs which had persistent atrial standstill. Three dogs were alive after 14 to 39 months and 1 dog was euthanized after 10.5 years. This report demonstrates that some dogs with persistent atrial standstill can survive for extended time periods.     

Postenucleation orbital sialocele in a dog associated with prior parotid duct transposition

An orbital sialocele developed in a dog following enucleation for protracted glaucoma. This eye had historically been treated for keratoconjunctivitis sicca by parotid duct transposition approximately 5 years previously, and the duct was ligated distally at the time of enucleation. One month following enucleation, the dog presented with a fluctuant conical-shaped swelling ventrolateral to the orbital socket. Surgical exploration revealed a dilated, fibrotic distal portion of the previously transposed parotid duct, and saliva, within the enucleated orbit. The distal portion of the duct and saliva-containing tissues from within the orbit were excised. The remaining proximal normal portion of the parotid duct was re-routed into the oral cavity. Clinicopathologic and histologic examination of the excised orbital contents and dilated portion of duct revealed a sterile sample of saliva and moderate chronic periductal fibrosis. At a 6-month re-evaluation there was no evidence of recurrence of the sialocele, and the parotid duct was functional.     

Retrospective evaluation of the use of small-bore wire-guided catheters for the management of peritoneal effusion in cats and dogs

Objective

To describe the use of small-bore wire-guided catheters in the management of peritoneal effusion in cats and dogs and to detail any associated adverse events.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

University teaching hospital

Animals

Forty-five client-owned animals that had peritoneal catheters placed for management of peritoneal effusion between July 2010 and June 2021.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Forty-five cases were included (25 dogs and 20 cats). Twenty-eight animals had the catheter placed to aid management of a uroabdomen, 8 of which recovered without surgical management, 11 had the catheter placed to allow autotransfusion of hemoabdomen, 3 had peritonitis, and 3 had ascites secondary to cardiac disease. Twenty-seven cases (15 dogs and 12 cats) received sedation (n = 24) or local anesthesia alone (n = 3) to facilitate catheter placement, and 6 cases had the catheter placed while under general anesthesia. Median length of catheter persistence was 24 hours (range: 2–144 h). The most common adverse events reported were impaired drainage (n = 7) and leakage at the insertion site (n = 4).

Conclusions

Peritoneal catheters can be inserted percutaneously for management of peritoneal effusion. Indications include stabilization and conservative management of uroabdomen, and autotransfusion. They can often be placed with minimal or no sedation and adverse events appear infrequent in occurrence.