[Intascleral silicone prosthesis in the dog: a retrospective study of 22 cases]. / Intrasklerale Silikonprothesen beim Hund: eine retrospektive Studie von 22 Fällen.

Over a period of five years 28 dog eyes were treated by evisceration and implantation of an intrascleral silicone prosthesis. During an average follow-up period of 2.93 years the only complication noted was a mild entropion in one case. The majority of dog owners were satisfied with the cosmetic result. All of them would again opt for this procedure and prefer it to an enucleation. The postoperative management was well tolerated by both animals and owners. After careful preoperative work-up and ruling-out of intraocular neoplasms, evisceration/prosthesis is a simple and practical method to salvage buphthalmic eyes and globes with beginning phthisis bulbi. Intraocular tumors and septic endophthalmitis are the two principal contraindications. In addition, eyes with deep or even perforated corneal ulcers should not be fitted with an intrascleral prosthesis.

[Eye injuries in the dog caused by cat claws]. / Augenverletzungen durch Katzenkrallen beim Hund.

A retrospective study of ocular cat claw injuries in the dog revealed an over-representation of very young dogs in our case material. Puppies up to the age of 12 weeks have no menace response. Thus, an important protective mechanism is missing in early life. This may be one reason for the frequently occurring severe ocular trauma caused by cat claw injuries in puppies. Older dogs are less likely to sustain such an injury. Cat claw injuries cause corneal and lens capsule perforation with ensuing severe phacoclastic uveitis. In our series phthisis bulbi or secondary glaucoma were the result in 50% of the cases. In large lens capsule tears early lens extraction may prevent severe uveitis and may retain functional vision.

[Goniodysplasia in the Bouvier des Flandres]. / Goniodysplasie beim Bouvier des Flandres.

Ophthalmologic examination of 72 Bouvier des Flandres dogs revealed variable degrees of goniodysgenesis in 37.5% of the animals. All dogs examined were normotensive and asymptomatic. Tonography in 4 dogs showed normal c-values for out-flow facility in all of them. Pedigree analysis demonstrated a recessive inheritance. Although the frequency of goniodysgenesis appears to be very high in this breed, the incidence of glaucoma remains low. Genetic counseling and careful selection of breeding stock showed that gonioscopically normal animals can be produced.

[Therapy of orbital neoplasms in small animals]. / Zur Therapie von retrobulbären Neoplasien beim Kleintier.

The incidence, clinical signs and diagnostic work-up of orbital neoplasms is briefly discussed. The surgical management of such tumors is discussed in detail on the basis of three clinical cases. Long-term functional and cosmetic results are shown. Intraoperative and postoperative complications are discussed.

[Treatment of orbital abscesses and phlegmon in dogs and cats]. / Zur Behandlung von orbitalen Abszessen und Phlegmonen bei Hund und Katze.

A diagnosis of orbital cellulitis or abscess was made in 13 dogs and four cats over the past five years. A foreign body was found in three of these cases. In five cases pasteurella spp. was isolated. In 15 of these cases the abscess was drained surgically. One dog was permanently blind due to inadequate surgical drainage of the abscess. In the remaining cases healing was uneventful. The surgical and medical therapy of orbital abscesses is illustrated by an exemplary case.

[Retrobulbar space-occupying lesions in dogs and cats: symptoms and diagnosis]. / Retrobulbäre Raumforderungen bei Hund und Katze: Symptome und Diagnostik.

In the last five years 55 cases of orbital space-occupying lesions in dogs and cats were treated at the Veterinary Surgical Clinic of the University of Zurich. The most frequent diagnosis was orbital neoplasia (n = 29), followed by orbital abscesses or cellulitis (n = 17). Orbital hematoma (n = 5), salivary mucocele (n = 3), A/V-fistulas (n = 1), and eosinophilic myositis (n = 1) appear to be less frequent entities. The 55 cases comprised 42 dogs and only 13 cats, which seem to be less likely to suffer from orbital disease. This difference was particularly obvious in orbital inflammatory disease. The most important clinical sign is exophthalmos. Other symptoms are listed in tables. Special emphasis is put on the diagnostic work-up of orbital space-occupying lesions. An algorithm shall guide the practitioner to the correct diagnosis. The management of orbital disease is only briefly mentioned but will be the topic of a future article.