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.

Biomechanical evaluation of a new femoral stem design for total hip replacement in a canine model

PURPOSE

To evaluate the biomechanical properties of a novel total hip replacement femoral stem.

METHODS

Eight pairs of femurs from dog cadavers were used. The femurs were separated into different groups. A novel femoral stem with a convex proximal portion (Stem B) was biomechanically evaluated and compared to awell-known veterinary collared stem (Stem A). Femoral stems were inserted into the contralateral femurs from the same dog, forming 16 constructs. A flexo-compression load was applied on the axial axis of each sample. Maximum strength, deflection, stiffness, and energy absorption were analysed.

RESULTS

Group B constructs showed significantly higher values (p ? 0.05) for the variables, except stiffness. The mean maximum strength was 1,347 ± 357 N for Group A and 1,805 ± 123 N for Group B (p ? 0.0069). The mean deflection was5.54 ± 2.63 mm for Group A and 10.03 ± 3.99 mm for Group B (p ? 0.0056). For the energy variable, the force was 6,203 ± 3,488 N/mm for Group A and 12,885 ± 5,056 N/mm for Group B (p ? 0.0054). Stem B had greater maximum strength, deflection, and energy.

CONCLUSIONS

The new stem was effective in neutralizing the impact of axial flexion-compression stresses during biomechanical tests in cadaveric models.

Gait analysis in a cat with scapular luxation and contralateral forelimb amputation

This report describes the use of a pressure-sensitive walkway to evaluate an uncommon case of a cat with dorsal luxation of the left scapula and an amputated right forelimb. The findings suggest that limb amputation induced load redistribution mostly to the contralateral forelimb despite the scapular luxation.