Comparison of intratesticular injection of zinc gluconate versus surgical castration to sterilize male dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To compare castration of dogs by use of intratesticular injection of zinc gluconate with traditional surgical procedures in terms of acceptance by pet owners, ease of use, and short-term outcomes on Isabela Island of the Galápagos Islands. ANIMALS: 161 privately owned male dogs admitted to a neuter program. PROCEDURES: Medical records of male dogs neutered during a 4-week animal control campaign were reviewed to collect information regarding signalment, method of castration, complication rate, and treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 161 dogs admitted for castration, 58 were surgically castrated and 103 were treated with zinc gluconate. Dogs were returned to their owners for observation following castration. Wound dehiscence occurred in 2 skin incisions, representing 3.4% of the 58 dogs that underwent bilateral orchiectomy. Necrotizing zinc-gluconate injection-site reactions occurred in 4 dogs receiving injection volumes near the maximum label dose (0.8 to 1.0 mL), representing 3.9% of the zinc-gluconate procedures. Surgical wound complications were treated by superficial wound debridement and resuturing, in contrast to zinc-gluconate injection-site reactions, which all required orchiectomy and extensive surgical debridement, including scrotal ablation in 2 dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Low cost, ease of use, and cultural acceptance of a castration technique that does not require removal of the testes make zinc gluconate a valuable option for large-scale use in dogs, particularly in remote locations lacking sophisticated clinical facilities or skilled surgeons and staff. Further investigation is needed to identify risk factors in dogs for adverse reactions to zinc gluconate and to develop strategies for avoidance.

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs.

As efforts to reduce the overpopulation and euthanasia of unwanted and unowned dogs and cats have increased, greater attention has been focused on spay-neuter programs throughout the United States. Because of the wide range of geographic and demographic needs, a wide variety of programs have been developed to increase delivery of spay-neuter services to targeted populations of animals, including stationary and mobile clinics, MASH-style operations, shelter services, feral cat programs, and services provided through private practitioners. In an effort to ensure a consistent level of care, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians convened a task force of veterinarians to develop veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs. The guidelines consist of recommendations for preoperative care (eg, patient transport and housing, patient selection, client communication, record keeping, and medical considerations), anesthetic management (eg, equipment, monitoring, perioperative considerations, anesthetic protocols, and emergency preparedness), surgical care (eg, operating-area environment; surgical-pack preparation; patient preparation; surgeon preparation; surgical procedures for pediatric, juvenile, and adult patients; and identification of neutered animals), and postoperative care (eg, analgesia, recovery, and release). These guidelines are based on current principles of anesthesiology, critical care medicine, microbiology, and surgical practice, as determined from published evidence and expert opinion. They represent acceptable practices that are attainable in spay-neuter programs.

Intravenous rocuronium 0.3 mg/kg improves the conditions for tracheal intubation in cats: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the use of rocuronium 0.3 mg/kg intravenously (IV) to facilitate tracheal intubation in cats anesthetized for elective ovariohysterectomy. METHODS: Thirty female cats were randomly allocated to receive rocuronium 0.3 mg/kg IV or an equal volume of normal saline, following induction of anesthesia with ketamine and midazolam. Thirty seconds after induction, a single investigator, unaware of treatment allocation, attempted tracheal intubation. The number of attempts and the time to complete intubation were measured. Intubating conditions were assessed as acceptable or unacceptable based on a composite score consisting of five different components. Duration of apnea after induction was measured and cases of hemoglobin desaturation (SpO2 <90%) were identified. RESULTS: Intubation was completed faster (rocuronium 12 s [range 8-75 s]; saline 60 s [range 9-120 s]) and with fewer attempts (rocuronium 1 [range 1-2]; saline 2 [range 1-3], both P = 0.006) in cats receiving rocuronium. Unacceptable intubating conditions on the first attempt occurred in 3/15 cats with rocuronium and in 10/15 with saline ( P = 0.01). Apnea lasted 4 ± 1.6 mins with rocuronium and 2.3 ± 0.5 mins with saline ( P = 0.0007). No cases of desaturation were observed. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Rocuronium 0.3 mg/kg IV improves intubating conditions compared with saline, and reduces the time and number of attempts to intubate with only a short period of apnea in cats.

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians' 2016 Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs.

As community efforts to reduce the overpopulation and euthanasia of unwanted and unowned cats and dogs have increased, many veterinarians have increasingly focused their clinical efforts on the provision of spay-neuter services. Because of the wide range of geographic and demographic needs, a wide variety of spay-neuter programs have been developed to increase delivery of services to targeted populations of animals, including stationary and mobile clinics, MASH-style operations, shelter services, community cat programs, and services provided through private practitioners. In an effort to promote consistent, high-quality care across the broad range of these programs, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians convened a task force of veterinarians to develop veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs. These guidelines consist of recommendations for general patient care and clinical procedures, preoperative care, anesthetic management, surgical procedures, postoperative care, and operations management. They were based on current principles of anesthesiology, critical care medicine, infection control, and surgical practice, as determined from published evidence and expert opinion. They represent acceptable practices that are attainable in spay-neuter programs regardless of location, facility, or type of program. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians envisions that these guidelines will be used by the profession to maintain consistent veterinary medical care in all settings where spay-neuter services are provided and to promote these services as a means of reducing sheltering and euthanasia of cats and dogs.

Post-mortem findings in 54 cases of anesthetic associated death in cats from two spay-neuter programs in New York State.

Anesthetic-associated death (AAD) in cats is infrequent, but occurs far more frequently than in people. Post-mortem investigations of AAD in cats are uncommon, and results only sporadically published. Here we report the findings in 54 cases of AAD in cats. Significant gross and/or microscopic pre-existing disease, including pulmonary, cardiac, and systemic disease, was detected in 33% of cases. Pulmonary disease was most frequently diagnosed (24% of cases), and included cases of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection (9% of cases). Heart disease, including two cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was less frequent (11% of cases). Four percent died from surgical complications. No significant gross or microscopic disease was detected in 63% of cases. Additional studies are needed to determine if these findings are representative of AAD in cats in other geographic areas or with access to veterinary care. This study demonstrates that post-mortem investigation of AADs is an important and worthwhile endeavor.