Comparison of incisional, transverse abdominis plane, and rectus sheath blocks in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesia provided by incisional (Incisional), transverse abdominis plane (TAP), and rectus sheath (RS) blocks in dogs submitted for ovariohysterectomy (OHE). ANIMALS: 22 female mixed-breed dogs were allocated into 3 treatments of Incisional (n = 7), TAP (n = 7), and RS (n = 8) and underwent OHE from April 4 to December 6, 2022. PROCEDURES: After premedication with acepromazine (0.05 mg/kg) and morphine (0.5 mg/kg), anesthesia was induced (6 mg/kg) and maintained (0.4 mg/kg/min) with propofol. Each dog randomly received either an incisional (blind technique), TAP, or RS (ultrasound-guided) block. Intraoperative analgesia was assessed using cardiorespiratory variables. Postoperative analgesia was evaluated up to 6 hours after the operation with a Short Form of Glasgow Pain Scale (SF-GCPS) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Fentanyl was administered as a rescue analgesic when needed. RESULT: During surgery, all data remained within normal limits without any significant differences. Fentanyl was administered to 1 dog in the Incisional and 1 in the TAP. Post-operatively, a single dose of fentanyl was given to 1 dog in the TAP and 1 in the RS. Four dogs in the Incisional and 3 in the RS received both doses of fentanyl. There was no significant difference regarding postoperative rescue analgesia among treatments. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: All 3 techniques demonstrated acceptable intra- and post-operative analgesia efficacy in dogs undergoing OHE. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Effectiveness of nuchal ligament autograft in the healing of an experimental superficial digital flexor tendon defect in equid.

This study aimed to investigate nuchal ligament (NL) autograft on experimental tendon defect healing in donkeys. Eight healthy donkeys were used. The left forelimb's superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendon was assigned as treatment, and the right forelimb was allocated as the control group (without surgical intervention). A 3×1.5 cm segment of the funicular part of the NL was excised. A full thickness defect created in the treatment tendon and was grafted with the excised NL. The following parameters were evaluated in 120 days postoperatively: clinical, ultrasonography, radiography, histopathology, biomechanical properties, and scanning and electronic transmission microscopy. There were no significant changes observed in the neck angle so that it was confirmed this treatment regimen preserved the head and neck situation without any considerable neck swelling. Weight-bearing in gait and trot was similar between both forelimbs at the end of the study. Mild to moderate adhesion was detected in the dorsal surface of the SDF tendon. There was no significant difference in the echogenicity and fiber alignment, respectively, on days 90 and 120 after surgery. Treatment significantly amplified the collagen diameter and enhanced the collagen fibril diameter and density considerably compared to the NL. The transplanted tissue was mostly in the remodeling or maturation phase, on day 120 postoperatively. It seems that the NL is biocompatible, almost biodegradable, and effective in tendon healing without metaplasia or tissue rejection.

Radiographic measurement of vertebral heart size in healthy stray cats.

The aims of this study were to determine vertebral heart size (VHS) in stray cats and to compare different radiographic views. This study was performed on 50 adult stray cats. All cats were short-haired and non-obese and were considered to be healthy based on physical examination and electrocardiography. Left and right lateral, dorsoventral and ventrodorsal radiographs were taken. The long and short axes of the heart were measured in millimetres. The thoracic vertebral length spanned by each dimension was measured caudally from the fourth thoracic vertebra. Mean+/-SD and the correlation coefficient between the measurements were calculated with standard statistical software. The sum of the long and short axes of the heart expressed as VHS was 7.3+/-0.49 vertebrae in right lateral, 7.3+/-0.55 vertebrae in left lateral, 7.5+/-0.68 vertebrae in dorsoventral and 7.5+/-0.53 vertebrae in ventrodorsal. The differences between right and left lateral as well as dorsoventral and ventrodorsal views were not significant (P>0.05). Absolute measurements and vertebral heart scale values were slightly smaller than those reported in the literature for mixed population of cats. It is, therefore, important to take the breed in to account.