Prevalence of osteoarthritis in the shoulder, elbow, hip and stifle joints of dogs older than 8 years.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases in veterinary medicine. There are various causes for joints developing OA, with some of them being well investigated, while others are still a matter of speculation. In this retrospective study we examined the prevalence of OA in the shoulder, elbow, hip and stifle joints in a clinic population of dogs older than 8 years, which were presented mostly due to orthopaedic complaints. Dogs were included in the study if one or more of the aforementioned joints was included in the radiographs. Radiographs were reviewed by three different observers and graded by severity. Prevalence of OA was 39.2%, 57.4%, 35.9% and 36.4% for the shoulder, elbow, hip and stifle, respectively. There was no correlation between higher grades of OA and weight as well as age, but significantly higher prevalence of OA in heavier groups when grouped for weight. Sex and castration status did not affect presence of OA. As most of the examined joints were free of OA, radiographic findings suggestive of OA should not be considered normal in senescent dogs.

Retrospective evaluation of surgical site infection after open splenectomies with and without perioperative prophylactic antibiotic coverage.

OBJECTIVES: Perioperative prophylactic antibiotics (PPA) are widely used in veterinary medicine to prevent surgical site infections (SSI). Current guidelines advocate the use in clean procedures only if surgeries exceed 90 minutes, or in patients with an ASA score ≥3. Procedure specific recommendations are currently lacking. The following study aimed to analyze the protective effect of PPA in dogs undergoing open splenectomy. METHODS: The electronic database of our institution was searched for dogs that underwent splenectomy between 10/2017 and 01/2023. Data collection included age at presentation, breed, weight, reason for splenectomy, diagnosis, ASA class, PPA regime, surgery time, anesthesia time, lowest blood oxygen concentration during anesthesia, lowest body temperature, and lowest blood pressure during surgery as well as duration of hospitalization. Dogs were included if a follow-up of 30 days after surgery was available, or if death occurred within this timeframe. RESULTS: A total of 112 dogs were included. Of these, 46 dogs received PPA, and 66 did not. Most dogs were classified ASA 3 or higher (PPA 87%, non-PPA 80.3%). One SSI (1.5% SSI rate) occurred in the non-PPA group (overall SSI rate 0.9%). Due to the low SSI rate, statistical analysis of risk factors for SSI development was not possible. CONCLUSION: The described infection rate of 1.5% without PPA indicates, that splenectomy does not qualify as high-risk surgery for SSI, even in patients with ASA class 3 or higher. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: As splenectomies are frequently performed, the findings of the current study could have a major impact on the overall antimicrobial burden in routine veterinary practice.