President's Column
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JAVMA News
Veterinarians are fighting homelessness and protecting the human-animal bond through an innovative program in Madison, Wisconsin. In other news, a parasitologist with ties to veterinary medicine shared a Nobel Prize for helping develop a drug class used against parasites of humans and animals.
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Letters to the Editor
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What Is Your Neurologic Diagnosis?
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Pathology in Practice
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Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions for Zoonotic Disease Prevention in Veterinary Personnel
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Ability of veterinary medical students to perform laparoscopic versus conventional open ovariectomy in dogs
Laparoscopic procedures are gaining popularity in veterinary practice, raising questions as to whether veterinary school curricula should evolve to incorporate laparoscopic training. In a study in which 25 students completing the second year of their veterinary curriculum were randomly assigned to receive 14 hours of specific training in open (n = 13) or laparoscopic (12) ovariectomy, scores assigned when students subsequently performed an ovariectomy on a live dog were not significantly different between groups. Results indicated that laparoscopic training with a simulator was sufficient to allow students to perform a laparoscopic ovariectomy at a level similar to that achieved by students performing open ovariectomy.
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Effects of repeated petting sessions on dogs housed in a county animal shelter
Intestinal parasitism is a common problem among dogs housed in animal shelters. Shelter management procedures to minimize infection often focus on sanitation, but another aspect to consider is the effect of stress on the animals’ immune response. In a study of 92 healthy dogs newly arrived at an animal shelter, total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts increased significantly between days 1 and 10, with less consistent increases in monocyte count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Parasite shedding was unaffected by duration of shelter stay, but plasma cortisol concentration decreased over time. Daily, 30-minute petting sessions resulted in a decrease in plasma cortisol concentration but no changes in other variables.
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Transcatheter arterial embolization for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in a cat
A 16-year-old cat with a history of vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss was found to have a 3 × 6-cm mass in the right medial lobe of the liver. Transcatheter arterial embolization was selected because surgery (the standard first-line treatment) was declined and only 1 vessel feeding the tumor was apparent on contrast-enhanced CT. A 0.014-inch guidewire and 1.7F microcatheter were inserted into the hepatic artery through a guiding catheter and advanced into the tumor's feeding vessel, and a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol particles and contrast agent was injected for embolization. A hypoechoic area in the tumor was identified ultrasonographically on posttreatment day 6, indicating that embolization had been successful.
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Endoscopic treatment of an intrathoracic tracheal osteochondroma in a dog
A 1.5-year-old dog with a 6-month history of intermittent vomiting, regurgitation, wheezing, and coughing was found to have a firm, irregularly marginated tracheal mass located 2 cm cranial to the carina. Cytologic and histologic examination of fine-needle aspirate and biopsy samples suggested a benign etiology; therefore, endoscopic laser and electrocautery resection of the mass was scheduled. A total IV anesthetic protocol was administered with an oxygen-air mixture used to decrease the risk of fire during tracheal surgery. The mass was successfully resected, and histologic examination confirmed a diagnosis of osteochondroma. Clinical signs resolved, and at follow-up 32 months later, no regrowth of the mass was evident.
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Medical treatment of horses with deep digital flexor tendon injuries diagnosed with high-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging
Injuries of the deep digital flexor tendon are common in horses, but detailed information regarding prognosis for horses with these injuries is lacking. In a review of medical records of 97 horses in which DDFT injury was diagnosed by means of MRI and for which follow-up information was available, 59 (61%) returned to activity, with 25 (26%) still sound at the time of final follow-up. Of horses with mild, moderate, and severe injuries, 21 of 29 (72%), 20 of 36 (56%), and 18 of 32 (56%), respectively, returned to use. Horses treated with intrasynovial corticosteroid injection and 6 months of rest and rehabilitation returned to use for a significantly longer duration than did horses treated without rest.
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