Intraoperative and early postoperative pain in cats that underwent ovariohysterectomy using a spay hook: a randomised, masked, experimental study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the feasibility and practicality of the ovariohysterectomy (OHE) technique in cats with or without a spay hook with respect to the incision size, surgical time, surgical variables, and intra- and postoperative pain. Twenty-nine female cats underwent OHE using a spay hook (spay hook group [SHG], n = 15) or without using a spay hook (control group [CG], n = 14) to achieve the ovaries and cervix. Physiological parameters were monitored during the intraoperative period, and postoperative pain was assessed using a multidimensional composite and visual analogue pain scales.

RESULTS

The SHG had a significantly shorter operative time than the CG. The variables in the intraoperative period showed no statistically significant difference between both groups, as well as the early postoperative pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Less invasive OHE using a spay hook could potentially be a viable and feasible technique when performed by an inexperienced surgeon with appropriate training, especially in sterilisation campaigns, reducing the time to perform the procedure and increasing the number of animals spayed per time.

Hydrocolloid Use in the Treatment of Thermal Injury in a Dog

Background: Thermal injury is one of the most common type of skin damage found in clinical care, which results in a chronic wound. The treatment of chronic wounds should be specific, because it has a greater vulnerability of the organism to the external agents input. So,  the treatment can be performed with covers to keep the lesion clean and free of contamination and also promote healing. Considering the amount of products available for the treatment, as well as the scarcity of studies in the literature proving the effectiveness of hydrocolloid in dogs, the aim of this case report was to describe a third degree burn wound in the sternal region of a dog treated with this material.Case: A 2-year-old non-castraded German Spitz dog, was attended in a private veterinary clinic located in Ribeirão Preto city, São Paulo state. The animal was submitted to general anesthesia for microneedling session to treat alopecia "X", and after the procedure, it showed a burn focus due to the resting time on the thermal mattress, affecting the entire sternal region. The choice treatment was a surgical debridement followed by second intention healing. The superficial crust of the wound was removed and the debridement of almost all the tissue that was not fit for healing was continued, resulting in a wide wound, with healthy tissue and only a small portion of devitalized musculature. On the same day, the daily dressing phase with crystal sugar was started, in order to promote the debridement of the remaining devitalized tissue and enable the appearance of granulation tissue, together with the asepsis provided by the chlorhexidine ointment (0.7 g/100mL). After five days, the wound presented with ascending granulation, with no signs of contamination and minimal residue of devitalized tissue. Then, the treatment with the hydrocolloid plate was chosen, which was cut and molded to the wound to allow the debridement with crystal sugar to continue in the devitalized muscle region. At this stage of treatment, the wound region where crystal sugar was used was cleaned and given a new dressing to be changed the next day, while the rest of the wound that had the hydrocolloid plate remained unmanaged for an average of five days, in order to improve animal welfare. After six days of dressing, the wound showed significant contraction, however the growth of the granulation tissue was exuberant. Four days after the first dressing change, the contraction of the wound proceeded at an accelerated rate, as well as the proliferation of granulation tissue, and on the 15th day of treatment with the hydrocolloid plaque, the wound was already quite reduced, with the maintenance of the tissue with healthy granulation, without contamination and with signs of good evolution. On the 27th day, the wound was practically healed, leaving a small central portion of the lesion. The scar tissue that involved the burn contributed to its retraction and accelerated the reepithelialization process. Finally, after 42 days, when the treatment finished, it was possible to notice hair growth and poor visibility of scar tissue.Discussion: The application of this type of dressing in the micro-needling burn injury suggested a better healing due the increase of keratinocyte proliferation and cell proliferation, since when used in the inflammation process, it accelerated the cleaning of purulent and necrotic tissues, stimulating the repair of clean wounds leading to good results and greater patient comfort. This study demonstrated that good healing could be achieved in alternative treatment using hydrocolloid dressing. In this method, healing proved to be more effective than conventional treatment, considering wound resolution and wound healing time.

Intravenous Application of Metronidazole, Ceftriaxone and Enrofloxacin in Dogs Anesthetized with Isoflurane: Impact of Hemodynamic and Cardiorespiratory Parameters

Background: The prophylactic use of antimicrobials in patients undergoing surgery is widely performed due to its power to reduce and control infections in the surgical site. Metronidazole, ceftriaxone and enrofloxacin are drugs widely used in veterinary medicine, even during anesthesia, either in healthy patients or under critical conditions. Despite several reports on hemodynamic reactions after intravenous application of antimicrobials in dogs, there are few studies on these effects in dogs undergoing anesthesia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic and cardiorespiratory effects of metronidazole, ceftriaxone and enrofloxacin in dogs anesthetized with isoflurane.Materials, Methods & Results: Forty healthy bitches were used, equally divided into four experimental groups of 10 animals each: placebo group (PG), metronidazole group (MG), ceftriaxone group (CG) and enrofloxacin group (EG). After the experimental phase of data collection, all animals were submitted to ovariohysterectomy using the minimally invasive approach. A catheter was placed in the dorsal metatarsal artery for direct blood pressure monitoring, with systolic (SBP), mean (MBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were continuously monitored by means of a transducer connected to a multiparametric monitor. The others measured data were heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), body temperature (T°C), carbon dioxide expired fraction (ETCO2), oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (SpO2) in T0 (time immediately before performing the treatment), 5 (T5), 10 (T10), 15 (T15), 20 (T20) and 30 (T30) minutes after administration of the antimicrobial. Anesthetic induction was performed with propofol and anesthetic maintenance was performed with isoflurane. After reaching anesthesia with a surgical plan, all parameters were measured before treatments were performed (T0). Then the sodium chloride solution (0.9% NaCl), 25 mg/kg of metronidazole, 30 mg/kg of ceftriaxone or 5 mg/kg of enrofloxacin was administered in cefalic vein. No complications were observed during anesthesia and surgery in all groups. The animals were monitored for three h after the end of the surgery, and then dispensed without prescription of antimicrobials in the recovery period. The HR showed a significant reduction in T5 and T30 compared to the baseline in EG. The RR had a significant increase in T30 in relation to T0 after the administration of 0.9% NaCl in PG. There were no statistically significant changes in HR for groups PG, MG and CG, and RR for groups EG, MG and CG. SBP and MBP had a significant decrease after 30 min of ceftriaxone application. There was a significant decrease in MBP at T5, T10 and T15 compared to baseline in EG. No changes in blood pressure were detected in PG and MG. The ToC showed a significant reduction from T10 to T30 in the GP, from T5 to T30 in the SG, in the T30 in the GM from T20 to T30 in the GC. For all groups, there were no changes in SpO2, ETCO2 and PAD during the study.Discussion: It was concluded that all studied antimicrobials can be used in prophylactic therapy in dogs, in doses recommended by the literature, as the observed changes are subject to correction and can be easily controlled by a qualified anesthetist. The antimicrobial that did not show cardiorespiratory and hemodynamic changes after intravenous application in bitches anesthetized with isoflurane was metronidazole, so its administration was considered safer when compared to enrofloxacin and ceftriaxone, under the conditions of this study, however its indication is punctual, being restricted to cases of infections by anaerobic agents. 

Intrathoracic Axial Osteosarcoma

Background: Bone tumors have a challenging diagnosis and treatment. Osteosarcoma is the name given to a heterogeneous group of malignant, agressive and invasive tumors that often determine bone lysis. Almost all of the animals develop lung metastases, progressing to death. Usually affect the appendicular skeleton, but can also occurs in others areas, although these presentations are rare. Prognosis is always poor. The aim of this paper is to report a case of a dog with osteoblastic osteosarcoma of the sternum, which was diagnosed by computed tomography and histopathologic analysis after excisional biopsy.Case: A male Cocker Spaniel dog, weighing 25 kg, elderly, was examined at the Veterinary Hospital. As main complaint was reported soft swelling on the ventral cervical region causing dyspnea. The patient had previously been medicated with dexamethasone with a significant decrease in the swelling, however recurrence was observed with the cessation of the treatment. Due to the presence of heart murmur, patient underwent to chest radiography and eletrocardiography. Images showed a tumor in the sternal lymph node region, displacing the heart caudally, trachea and esophagus dorsally, causing cranial edema due to a compression of the venous return by the cranial vena cava and subsequent dyspnea. Furosemide (Lasix®) was administered during ambulatorial treatment and prescribed to home, with satisfactory results, with decreased edema and consequent improvement of respiratory symptoms. It was decided to perform computed tomography to better design of the chest structure. The structure located in cranial thoracic region measured about 10.5 cm long x 5.8 cm high x 8.4 cm wide. The patient was undergone to sternotomy to remove the mass that was closely adhered to the sternum and pericardium. The pericardectomy and sternum removal were not performed due to animal being old and present metabolic and cardiopulmonary conditions. Some samples were collected for histological examination resulting in osteoblastic osteosarcoma. After surgical treatment, the patient showed improvement of dyspnea, more active and no signs of pain at the surgical site. Due to the unfavorable result of the histopathological analysis, it was decided to star chemotherapy. The protocol chosen was carboplatin (Carboplatino®) as a single drug, every 21 days totalizing four applications as recommended by literature. Two cycles of carboplatin were done as adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient supported the treatment very well without any clinical or laboratory abnormality. Any radiographic signs of pulmonary metastasis or local recurrence was seen, however, after 18 months of survival, the patient died of non-related cause.Discussion: Osteosarcoma is the most commonly diagnosed bone tumor in dogs. Intense dyspnea and the swelling in the submandibular region was due to the compression of thoracic structures by the size of the tumor and the internal location within the chest. The cranial swelling is due to the syndrome caval that is rare in veterinary medicine and is describe in some specific conditions. Computed tomography was performed to better tumor delineation, as it is an important tool to assess the extent of the tumor and other characteristics, allowing optimal surgical planning for each case. Histophatological diagnosis of osteoblastic osteosarcoma is characterized by new bone formation that appears radiographically with increased radiopacity, as observed in all images. Gold standard treatment of neoplasms is the association of surgical excision followed by chemotherapy, which was effective in this case reported, since it provided quality of life during 18 months, three times higher than the majority of cases reported in the literature, being death due to causes unrelated to the tumor.