Journal of Small Animal Practice最新文献

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical use of preoperative computed tomography (CT) planning and a novel aiming guide to place humeral transcondylar screws in dogs with humeral intracondylar fissures.

Materials and methods: Measurements from preoperative CT scans were used to identify entry and exit points of the screw. These points were identified at surgery using anatomical landmarks and measurements from articular surfaces. An aiming device was used to place transcondylar positional locking screws from medial to lateral. Assessment of position within the humeral condyle was made from postoperative orthogonal radiographs. Clinical records were reviewed and short-term postoperative complications recorded.

Results: Forty-five locking screws were placed in the elbows of 32 dogs. Seven different breeds of differing sizes were included, predominantly English springer and cocker spaniels. Screws placed were either 5.0-mm or 2.7-mm locking screws. All screws were placed within the humeral condyle and no screws required repositioning. No intraoperative complications were encountered. Short-term postoperative complications were recorded in three elbows (1 minor, 2 major medical and 0 major surgical).

Clinical significance: This technique offers a safe, reliable and repeatable minimally invasive technique to place transcondylar locking screws in dogs with humeral intracondylar fissure. A wide variety of breeds and sizes of dogs show the technique to be versatile.

Objectives: To describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of primary appendicular bone sarcomas in dogs and to compare the intramedullary lesion extension between the different MRI sequences and computed tomography (CT).

Materials and methods: Dogs with confirmed primary appendicular bone sarcoma presented at a single small animal referral centre were prospectively recruited between June 2023 and October 2024. All dogs underwent an MRI scan following a routine contrast-enhanced CT examination conducted for staging purposes.

Results: Of the 20 dogs with primary appendicular bone sarcoma, 15 had osteosarcoma, four had primary bone sarcoma of uncertain origin and one had haemangiosarcoma. The most common MRI features were heterogeneous and hyperintense signals on T2-weighted short-tau inversion recovery images (n = 20), heterogeneous and hypointense signals on both T2-weighted and T1-weighted images (n = 20), medullary and cortical osteolysis (n = 20), peripheral mass (n =19) and a long transitional zone (n = 17). Distant metastases in the same bone (skip metastases) were suspected in one dog but were not identified in the corresponding CT. In all dogs, the maximal extension of the intramedullary lesions in the longitudinal plane was significantly greater on T2 short-tau inversion recovery sequences than in other MRI sequences and CT (P < .001).

Clinical significance: The MRI features of primary bone sarcomas in dogs were similar to those found in humans and those previously reported in canine axial osteosarcoma. Magnetic resonance imaging and, more precisely, T2 short-tau inversion recovery images can be included in the local staging of appendicular primary bone sarcomas in dogs.

RETRACTION: E. Treggiari, E. Catania, P. Valenti, K. Boyd, and R. Finotello, “Factors Associated with the Development of Gastrointestinal Adverse Events in Dogs with Multicentric Lymphoma Treated with CHOP or CEOP-Based Protocols: a Multi-Institutional, Retrospective Study,” Journal of Small Animal Practice (Early View). https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13880.

The above article, published online on 04 May 2025 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors; the journal Editor-in-Chief, Marije Risselada; the British Small Animal Veterinary Association; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Concerns have been raised about statistical errors in the article. A review by the journal editors has confirmed that the reported odds ratios for DOX vs EPI are incorrect and the related interpretation in the Discussion and Conclusions therefore contain errors.

The retraction has been agreed to because the errors in the reported odds ratios fundamentally compromise the Discussion and Conclusions reported in the article. Due to the comprehensive nature of the errors, a correction was not considered possible. The journal editors have determined that the authors may submit a revised version of their article to the journal for potential publication following further review.

Objectives: The objective of this prospective, randomised, blinded, observational clinical study was to investigate the effect of subcutaneously administered buprenorphine on postoperative pain in female feral cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy as part of a trap-neuter-return programme. The aim was to determine whether buprenorphine can prevent pain scores from exceeding established intervention thresholds postoperatively - a problem identified in a previous study using the same anaesthetic protocol.

Materials and methods: A total of 115 cats were anaesthetised with an intramuscular protocol comprising medetomidine, ketamine and butorphanol, in combination with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (meloxicam). Prior to anaesthesia induction, cats were randomly assigned to either receive 0.02 mg/kg buprenorphine (BUP group) or an equal volume of saline (NaCl 0.9%) (control group) subcutaneously at the end of surgery. Pain was assessed at 3, 6 and 24 hours postoperatively using the validated feline Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale.

Results: Subcutaneous administration of buprenorphine at the end of surgery did not significantly reduce postoperative pain scores or prevent values from exceeding the clinical intervention threshold compared to saline. Although numerical differences were observed at specific time points, pain trajectories over time were similar between groups. Notably, overall and independently of the group 34.5% of cats exceeded the intervention threshold at 3 hours and 38.8% at 6 hours postoperatively, underscoring the need for improved analgesic strategies during the early postoperative period in trap-neuter-return settings.

Clinical significance: These findings suggest that a single subcutaneous dose of buprenorphine may not consistently enhance analgesia over standard multimodal protocols under field conditions.

Objective: To describe the clinical outcome of a modified house-inverted triangle technique for eyelid reconstruction following tumour resection or eyelid agenesis/defect in 12 dogs and six cats.

Materials and methods: A review of medical records of dogs and cats undergoing a modified house-inverted-triangle blepharoplasty, from 2018 to 2025, was undertaken. The procedure, with or without an additional sliding flap, was used for defect closure. The decision to incorporate a sliding flap depended on the defect size and the need for additional tissue to ensure a tension-free closure. Clinical outcomes were assessed on a scale from 1 to 3 - grade 1: no trichiasis, no discharge, excellent cosmesis; grade 2: mild trichiasis, mild discharge, good cosmesis; grade 3: moderate trichiasis, severe discharge, unsatisfying cosmesis.

Results: Fifteen cases (11 dogs, 4 cats) presented with eyelid neoplasia measuring 5 to 18 mm (9 malignant and 6 benign tumours) and one dog and two cats with a post-traumatic eyelid defect and eyelid agenesis, respectively. Following mass removal or wound debridement, the average eyelid defect measured 14.7 mm (range: 9 to 35 mm). The Burow's triangle had an average size of 7.3 mm and was routinely smaller than the initial defect. At the final examination (median 38 days, range: 9 to 923 days), 12 cases (67%) were categorised as grade 1, six cases (33%) as grade 2 and none as grade 3.

Clinical significance: The modified house-inverted-triangle blepharoplasty is a versatile and effective technique for eyelid reconstruction, even in large or complex defects involving the medial canthus. Overall cosmetic and functional outcomes were good - excellent.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of interfragmentary compression in feline femoral transverse fractures treated with a dynamic compression angle-stable interlocking nail implanted via minimally invasive nail osteosynthesis.

Methods: Thirty femurs from 15 feline cadavers were allocated into three groups according to fracture location (n = 10 per group): proximal (GPD), mid- (GMD) and distal diaphysis (GDD). Radiographic and computed tomography scans were performed preoperatively for surgical planning and measurement of the anatomical lateral distal femoral angle, anatomical lateral proximal femoral angle and femoral torsion angle. Standardised transverse osteotomies were created per group allocation and stabilised using dynamic compression angle-stable interlocking nail implanted via minimally invasive nail osteosynthesis technique. Postoperative imaging assessed residual fracture gap and femoral angles. Data were analysed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test, and effect sizes were estimated using generalised eta squared (ges).

Results: All groups achieved effective interfragmentary compression, with residual fracture gaps <1 mm (range: 0 to 0.3 mm). The anatomical lateral distal femoral angle remained consistent before and after osteosynthesis. The anatomical lateral proximal femoral angle remained unchanged in proximal diaphysis and distal diaphysis but showed a moderate increase in mid-diaphysis (ges = .445). The femoral torsion angle increased in all groups postoperatively, with large, moderate and small effect sizes in proximal diaphysis (ges = .655), mid-diaphysis (ges = .385) and distal diaphysis (ges = .213), respectively.

Clinical significance: Dynamic compression angle-stable interlocking nail provided consistent interfragmentary compression. However, deviations in the transverse plane were observed following the minimally invasive nail osteosynthesis approach. These findings support dynamic compression angle-stable interlocking nail as a promising option for stabilising femoral transverse fractures in cats.

As evidence synthesis and guideline development efforts advance in veterinary medicine, the quality and quantity of data can be limiting factors. Aspiration and pragmatism must be balanced to ensure optimal data development and availability. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are ideally based on multiple large randomised controlled trials from a broad range of relevant populations, but cost, time and caseload can be substantial barriers. Small randomised controlled trials can also provide useful and actionable information. Data from numerous small but robustly designed and executed, comparable randomised controlled trials can support stronger conclusions, complementing larger randomised controlled trials or providing critical important knowledge when larger randomised controlled trials are not available. The value from these small trials is in the data, not the analysis, as individual analyses within these randomised controlled trials are usually underpowered to detect reasonable and clinically relevant endpoints. A desire for perfection can inhibit progress if randomised controlled trials are not performed, or if small but potentially useful data sets remain unpublished. We encourage the veterinary scientific community, including researchers, reviewers and editors, to strive for optimal study designs and sample sizes but to be open to publishing data from small trials that may provide little insight in isolation but contribute useful data for meta-analyses.

Objectives: Gastroesophageal reflux during anaesthesia is a common event occurring in dogs with the potential to cause oesophageal injury and aspiration pneumonia. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of the novel metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonist TT001 on gastroesophageal reflux during anaesthesia in dogs using two different protocols.

Materials and methods: One hundred and nineteen client-owned dogs were included and randomly assigned to receive test-drug containing either active TT001 (n = 58) or placebo vehicle (n = 61). In protocol 1 (n = 77), test-drug was administered shortly before induction and in protocol 2 (n = 42) test-drug was administered 15 minutes before standardised pre-anaesthetic drugs. Gastroesophageal reflux (pH <4) was measured and recorded using oesophageal pH-metry throughout the duration of the anaesthesia.

Results: Gastroesophageal reflux was registered in 45.4% of dogs, in protocol 1: 44.2%, and in protocol 2: 47.6%. No overall statistically significant difference between the dogs receiving active TT001 (group A, 48.3%) and placebo (group B, 42.6%) was observed, regardless of the protocol tested (protocol 1: group A: 47.4%, group B: 41.0%; protocol 2: group A: 50.0%, group B: 45.5%).

Clinical significance: Administration of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonist TT001 as a single intravenous bolus injection before or after pre-anaesthetic drugs has limited effect on the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux in anaesthetised dogs.