🔍 Key Findings

• The lateral caudal axial pattern flap was successfully used to reconstruct caudodorsal trunk defects in cats, most commonly following tumor excision (85.7%).
• Mean flap length was 61.3% of tail length, aligning with canine recommendations of ~60–78% to reduce distal necrosis risk.
• Postoperative complications occurred in 50% of cats, although many experienced more than one minor complication.
• Most common complications were partial flap dehiscence, seroma, and edema (each 14.2%).
• Uncomplicated healing occurred in 57.1% of cats, while the remaining 42.8% had only minor complications not requiring surgical revision.
• No cats required revision surgery for complications, indicating acceptable clinical outcomes despite the moderate complication rate.
• Seromas resolved spontaneously despite the routine use of active drains, suggesting they may be a relatively common but minor complication.
• Local tumor control was achieved in 83.3% of cats undergoing tumor excision, with a median follow-up of 135 days.

🔍 Key Findings

• Two short screws (SLS or SPS) provided >2× peak load, yield load, and stiffness vs a single long screw (LLS) for SI joint stabilization.
• No mechanical advantage was seen between the two short screw types (lag vs positional).
• All short screws terminated lateral to the spinal canal, avoiding spinal impingement.
• Ventral sacral foraminal impingement occurred in 3 short-screw cases (1 SPS, 2 SLS), all involving the caudal screw.
• LLS group showed more abaxial displacement at osteotomy sites, suggesting inferior stabilization for concurrent pelvic fractures.
• Short screw constructs had longer total screw length (48 mm) than LLS (40 mm), contributing to increased stiffness.
• Positioning of caudal screw in a cranial/craniodorsal trajectory may help avoid nerve foraminal injury.
• No significant difference in displacement at peak load among groups; stiffness and load capacity were the primary benefits.

🔍 Key Findings

• Overall closure-related complication rate was 14.1%, lower than previously reported (17–78%).
• No clinically meaningful difference in complication rate between orthopedic wire (17.4%) and suture (11.5%) closure methods.
• Dog size (≥20 kg) was the only significant risk factor associated with increased closure-related complications (p = .01).
• Type of closure (wire vs. suture) did not affect risk, even in larger dogs.
• Suture closure showed a non-significant trend toward fewer complications (mean reduction 2.3%, 95% CI: –9.1% to +4.5%).
• Most complications were mild (62%), with only 10 severe cases requiring surgical revision.
• Infection rate was low (2.7%), and not significantly different between wire and suture.
• Suture closure is a valid alternative to wire, including in large dogs, based on this large, multi-institutional study.

🔍 Key Findings

• Low-trauma events caused 82.9% of CvHL cases; Poodles and poodle-crosses represented 49.4% of cases.
• Success rate of hobbles (61.8%) was significantly higher than closed reduction alone (10.3%) or Ehmer sling (18.5%).
• Multivariate analysis found hobbles 7.62x more likely to succeed vs. closed reduction (p = .001).
• Specialist surgeons had higher success with nonsurgical management (OR: 2.68; p = .047).
• Older age associated with better outcomes (OR: 1.15 per year; p < .0005).
• Ehmer sling is not recommended due to high failure and complication rates (60.6%).
• Toggle rod stabilization had a high surgical success rate (88.2%) with low complication.
• No link was found between CvHL and hip dysplasia or OA in most cases (only 2/108 showed OA).

🔍 Key Findings

Objective: Determine if topical 45 mg/mL amikacin in CMC gel leads to systemic absorption in dogs with wounds.

Dogs enrolled: 11 client-owned dogs, with 31 applications of the gel.

Serum findings:

• Only 5 of 153 samples were above the 2.5 µg/mL quantification limit
• All values remained <5 µg/mL, the presumed toxicity threshold
• No correlation was found between dose-related parameters (mg, mg/kg, mg/cm²) and serum amikacin levels

Peak concentrations were observed at ~2 hours post-application, declining rapidly thereafter

No nephrotoxicity observed, and most values were below detection

Conclusion: Topical amikacin gel appears safe at doses up to 24.9 mg/kg, with minimal systemic absorption

🔍 Key Findings

• Distal femoral shortening osteotomy (DFSO) enabled prosthesis reduction in all 4 dogs with irreducible luxoid hips undergoing total hip replacement.
• Median femoral shortening ratio was 13.8% (range: 10.7–15.3%) based on intraoperative tension needed for prosthesis reduction.
• Bone union was achieved in all cases post-DFSO, indicating good healing potential.
• Two major complications occurred: one prosthetic luxation and one aseptic stem loosening requiring explantation.
• One intraoperative fracture of the greater trochanter occurred during trial reduction before DFSO.
• DFSO did not result in neurovascular injury, even in cases with significant femoral head displacement (>4 cm).
• Radiographic planning with FHD index and intraoperative assessment were crucial for determining DFSO necessity.
• DFSO avoids complications linked to subtrochanteric osteotomy by preserving proximal femoral anatomy and allowing secure distal fixation.

🔍 Key Findings

• C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels remained low at 3 and 6 months after uncomplicated THA in dogs.
• No significant differences were observed in CRP or SAA between preoperative, 3-month, and 6-month time points.
• Mean CRP values were 3.8 mg/L pre-op, 0.8 mg/L at 3 months, and 1.4 mg/L at 6 months.
• Mean SAA values were 13.9 mg/L pre-op, 14.1 mg/L at 3 months, and 18.4 mg/L at 6 months.
• All dogs recovered normally with no complications or persistent signs of inflammation at follow-up.
• Study establishes baseline CRP and SAA levels for dogs post-THA, useful for comparison in suspected PJI.
• These markers may help differentiate periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) if values deviate from baseline post-THA.
• NSAID therapy was discontinued by 6 months in all dogs, possibly reflecting decreased inflammation.

🔍 Key Findings

40 dogs underwent splenectomy using 16 bipolar vessel sealing devices (VSDs)
Devices were reused up to 4 times after handwashing and ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization
Biologic debris was found in 100% of devices, specifically under the transection blade, even after a single use

• Mostly scant (14/16) or mild (2/16) debris

No devices or debris yielded positive aerobic culture after EtO sterilization
EtO sterilization proved microbiologically effective despite visible residue
Perioperative failure rate: 1 device (malfunctioned during first activation)

🔍 Key Findings

• Thoracoscopic (TL) or thoracoscopic-assisted (TAL) lobectomy was successfully performed in 12 dogs with non-neoplastic pulmonary consolidation (PC).
• 44% (4/9) of TL cases were converted to open thoracotomy due to adhesions or poor visualization—higher than rates for neoplastic lobectomies.
• OLV was successful in 7/9 TL dogs; unsuccessful attempts were managed with intermittent ventilation, mostly in brachycephalic breeds.
• Median hospital stay was 3 days; 91.7% (11/12) survived to discharge, and 100% of survivors showed no recurrence at median 24-month follow-up.
• Complications were mostly minor: pneumothorax (2), minor hemorrhage (3), dehiscence (1), and 1 fatality due to BOAS complications.
• Histopathology showed infectious pneumonia in 10 dogs, and in 4 cases, foreign body migration was suspected as the underlying cause.
• Median surgical time for TL was 90 minutes; conversion correlated with longer symptom duration (median 90 vs. 7 days).
• Postoperative recovery was excellent in all surviving dogs, with one case of persistent cough attributed to concurrent heart disease.

🔍 Key Findings

• TPLO alone failed to neutralize rotational instability under tibial pivot compression (TPT), despite a negative TCT.
• TPLO combined with lateral augmentation (TPLO-IB) restored both craniocaudal and rotational stability to near-intact levels.
• Cranial tibial translation was 6× greater after TPLO vs intact stifles when tested with TPT (p < .001).
• No significant difference in cranial tibial translation or internal rotation between intact stifles and TPLO-IB group during TCT, eTPT, or iTPT.
• TPLO-IB did not overconstrain the stifle, avoiding excessive external rotation.
• External tibial rotation (eTPT) was more sensitive than TCT in detecting persistent instability after TPLO.
• Excellent intraobserver reliability for both eTPT and iTPT (ICC > 0.9).
• Study supports intraoperative use of TPT to identify cases needing additional rotational stabilization.