Welcome to the second JAVMA special supplement. We are excited to present to you a collection of ground-breaking articles with a reproductive medicine focus.
Small Animals
Veterinary teams today deal with higher caseloads and often-reduced referral care availability. Improvements in efficiency, triage, and schedule management can help with these challenges. But how exactly could this be done?
In this supplement, Rigdon-Brestle et al1 provide evidence that the ovarian pedicle tie is a safe and efficient surgical technique for ovariohysterectomy in anatomically normal cats, independent of surgeon experience.
A group of articles by McCobb et al2 and Pailler et al3,4 provides insight into the outcomes of surgically managed canine and feline pyometra. McCobb et al2 compared the outcome of canine pyometra surgeries in referral and outpatient hospitals and found that outcome was independent of hospital type. Pailler et al3,4 found that for feline and canine pyometra, the rate of survival to discharge was > 95% in a general practice setting. Both sets of authors also found that for canine pyometra cases, a surgical delay was not necessarily associated with a change in patient outcome.2,4 The ability to delay canine pyometra surgery without compromising patient care is advantageous as clinics manage increasingly busy days. Pailler et al3,4 also define prognostic markers for feline and canine pyometra cases that are associated with longer hospitalization times, thereby improving the ability to identify cases that need extended care.
Finally, Pailler et al5 complements the veterinary perspective with a study that explores owner-reported long-term outcomes and perceived quality of life in canine and feline pyometra cases.5 In this study, surgical treatment of pyometra was not associated with a decreased life expectancy.
Large Animals
The article by Boye et al6 is the first retrospective study of multiple cases of mare uterine prolapse. They found that Arabian mares were overrepresented and that there was no association between uterine prolapse and parity.
What are the infectious disease risks associated with transitional swine farms in New York State? Havas et al7 explore whether feral pig access presents a state Brucella suis risk. They further expand their study to report on biosecurity and preventative practices in this group.
Exotic Animals
In his article evaluating captive chelonian serum calcium concentrations, Di Girolamo8 identifies the diagnostic utility of measuring bound calcium concentrations specifically for reproductive disorders. This marker presents an efficient point-of-service method to potentially identify reproductive disease in captive chelonians.
We hope that you will enjoy reading the selection of articles chosen for this supplement and that you find them as informative and clinically relevant as we did. The JAVMA supplemental issues are an innovative new direction for JAVMA, and we look forward to future supplements with a focus on nutrition in December 2022 and dermatology in 2023.
Sophie A. Grundy, BVSc (Hons), MANZCVS (Small Animal Medicine), DACVIM (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
Guest Co-Editor, Urogenital Supplement
References
- 1.↑
Rigdon-Brestle K, Accornero VH, Amtower M, et al. Retrospective review reveals few complications of ovarian pedicle tie in 15,927 cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy at a large HQHVSN clinic and training facility in the United States: 2017–2018. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S28–S35.
- 2.↑
McCobb E, Dowling-Guyer S, Pailler S, et al. Surgery in a veterinary outpatient community medicine setting has a good outcome for dogs with pyometra. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S36–S41.
- 3.↑
Pailler S, Slater MR, Lesnikowski SM, et al. Findings and prognostic indicators of outcomes for queens with pyometra treated surgically in a nonspecialized hospital setting. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2022;260(S2):S42–S48.
- 4.↑
Pailler S, Slater MR, Lesnikowski SM, et al. Findings and prognostic indicators of outcomes for bitches with pyometra treated surgically in a nonspecialized setting. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S49–S56.
- 5.↑
Pailler S, Dolan ED, Slater MR, et al. Owner-reported long-term outcomes, quality of life, and longevity after hospital discharge following surgical treatment of pyometra in bitches and queens. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S57–S63.
- 6.↑
Boye JK, Bulkeley EA, Dujovne GA. Good prognosis for survival to hospital discharge in a group of horses with uterine prolapse treated at a veterinary medical teaching hospital. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S80–S86.
- 7.↑
Havas KA, Yancey CB, Zhuang J, et al. Brucella suis and farm biosecurity: assessing risk in pigs raised outdoors in New York State. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S87–S94.
- 8.↑
Di Girolamo N. Relationship, difference, and diagnostic discordance between blood ionized and total calcium concentrations in client-owned chelonians. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(S2):S101–S110.
