JAVMA News
Volunteers search burned homes for injured pets and provide survivors with rehabilitation. In other news, Southern California wildfires killed at least 44 people and 75 horses in the state's worst wildfire season.
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Letters to the Editor
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What Is Your Neurologic Diagnosis?
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Diagnostic Imaging in Veterinary Dental Practice
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ECG of the Month
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Pathology in Practice
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Small Animals & Exotic
Lack of effectiveness of tramadol for treatment of dogs with chronic osteoarthritis
Despite its popularity, tramadol may not be an effective treatment for dogs with chronic osteoarthritis, according to results of a randomized, controlled crossover study. In the study, 40 dogs with clinical osteoarthritis of the elbow or stifle joint were treated with a placebo, carprofen (2.2 mg/kg [1 mg/lb], q 12 h), or tramadol (5 mg/kg [2.3 mg/lb], q 8 h) for 10 days each. Vertical impulse and peak vertical force increased significantly, compared with baseline, with carprofen treatment but not with the placebo and tramadol treatments. A significant improvement from baseline in Canine Brief Pain Inventory scores was identified with carprofen treatment, but not with placebo or tramadol treatment.
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Analysis of necropsy findings suggestive of abuse in dogs and cats
Analysis of 11-years' worth of necropsy reports from the University of Minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory indicated that 73 of 8,417 (0.87%) dogs and 46 of 4,905 (0.94%) cats had necropsy findings suggestive of possible abuse. Signs of neglect and nonaccidental injury were commonly identified in cats; nonaccidental injury was most commonly found in dogs. Gunshot and blunt-force trauma were the most common nonaccidental injuries in dogs and cats, respectively. Pit bull–type dogs (29/73 [40%]) were overrepresented in several abuse categories. Most cats (29/46 [63%]) were domestic shorthairs, and most (41/71 [58%]) affected animals for which age data were available were ≤ 2 years old.
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Intestinal lymphoma in dogs
Results of a review of medical records for 84 dogs with confirmed primary intestinal lymphoma suggested that the median survival time was poor (median, 62 days; range, 1 to 537 days), regardless of the first-line treatment used. Factors associated with shorter survival time on univariate analysis included anorexia and septic peritonitis at the time of diagnosis and tumor location (intestinal tract only, intestinal tract and abdominal lymph nodes, or intestinal tract and extraintestinal organs). The most commonly noted changes in the intestinal tract were altered wall thickening with loss of layering (41 dogs) and presence of ≥ 1 discrete mass (24 dogs).
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Intralesional use of biodegradable carboplatin-impregnated beads in dogs following excision of subcutaneous sarcomas
Implantation of carboplatin-impregnated beads as an adjunctive treatment following excision of subcutaneous sarcomas appears to be well tolerated in dogs, according to a review of medical records for 29 dogs. However, in vitro analysis of 9 beads from 3 lots indicated a high degree of manufacturer inconsistency, with calculated carboplatin content (mean ± SD, 10.24 ± 1.84 mg/bead) significantly greater than the labeled amount (4.6 mg/bead). Mild-to-moderate local adverse events were reported for 11 of 29 tumors; no dogs had signs of systemic toxicosis. Overall local disease-free rates 1, 2, and 3 years after surgery were 70%, 70%, and 58%, respectively.
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Outcome of limb fracture repair in rabbits
Outcome for rabbits with limb fractures was good, with fractures healing in most rabbits. Fractures involving the distal aspects of the limbs (ie, metacarpal or metatarsal bones, phalanges, and calcaneus or talus) were treated in 23 rabbits (external coaptation, n = 17; external skeletal fixation, 4; and intramedullary pinning, 2) and healed in all 23. Fractures involving the long bones were treated in 100 rabbits (external skeletal fixation, n = 89; bone plating, 1; intramedullary pinning, 3; and external coaptation, 7) and healed in 86 (open tibial fractures, 14/18; closed tibial fractures, 26/26; femoral fractures, 19/26; humeral fractures, 4/6; and radial fractures, 23/24).
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Zoo Animals
Lumbar hemilaminectomy for treatment of diskospondylitis in an aardvark
Hemilaminectomy was performed in a 17-year-old aardvark (Orycteropus afer) with intervertebral disk disease and diskospondylitis at L2–3. Anatomic variations encountered intraoperatively limited the ability to completely remove the affected disk material. Microbial culture and susceptibility testing of biopsy specimens yielded a multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Intensive postoperative care, including physical rehabilitation, was provided, but acute deterioration occurred 5.5 months after surgery, and repeated CT revealed progression of diskospondylitis, which prompted euthanasia. Nevertheless, the information gained may benefit treatment of subsequent patients.
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