Intrathoracic lipoma in a dog.

A 0.9 kg lipoma was removed surgically from the cranial mediastinum of an 11-year-old dog. Clinical signs related to the mass consisted of coughing and dyspnea. Postoperative recovery was uncomplicated and the clinical signs diminished immediately. The thoracic cavity is an unusual location for the development of a lipoma.

Spinal decompression in a black bear.

A 17-year-old black bear was examined because of posterior paralysis. Radiography revealed a narrowed disk space at T10-11, indicating a ruptured intervertebral disk. Subsequently, a dorsolateral hemilaminectomy was performed. Recovery from paralysis was slow because of the size of the animal (127 kg) and lack of appropriate physical therapy. When evaluated more than 1 year later, however, the bear had no signs of neurologic deficits.

Aortic interruption in a dog.

A 3-month-old English Bulldog was found to have a discontinuity between the ascending and descending aorta. There were no signs of illness associated with the interruption. The descending aorta was supplied with blood by collateral circulation. An aortic graft of woven synthetic material was surgically implanted to connect the ascending and descending aorta. Without any restrictions on the dog's activity, the dog has lived for over 1 year and continues to do well.

The use of plastic plates for fixation of spinal fractures in the dog.

Plastic plates are a rapid and easy method to realign and stabilize the spinal column following a traumatic injury and may give greater bone-to-plate contact than metal plates. They distribute the pressure on the spinous processes over a larger surface area although plate slippage and spinous process fractures can occur as with any plate. Laminectomies should not be a routine procedure with plating but each patient should be evaluated individually and autogenous bone grafts may be used to advantage to promote fusion of vertebral bodies. In the two cases presented, the plastic plates achieved their purpose. However, it is essential that fusion of the vertebrae occurs before the plates slip or the spinous processes fracture.

A surgical approach to the canine olfactory bulb for meningioma removal.

Olfactory bulb lesions were diagnosed in four dogs presented for generalized seizure disorders. Surgery was performed on each dog using a transfrontal craniotomy. A free fascial-fat graft was used to cover the dural defect resulting from surgery. No major complications were observed during the immediate postoperative period. The histopathologic diagnosis in each case was meningioma. Generalized seizures recurred in all dogs, and three dogs were euthanized for this reason from 9 to 29 weeks postoperatively. One dog was euthanized 12 weeks after surgery due to pancreatitis and pneumonia. Necropsy showed that two dogs had recurrent olfactory bulb meningiomas, one dog had a meningioma of the opposite olfactory bulb, and one dog was tumor free.

Chylothorax in a dog with pulmonary lymphangiosarcoma.

Lymphangiosarcoma of the pulmonary pleura was found to be the cause of persistent chylothorax in an eight-year-old, intact male golden retriever. After a two-month course of medical management, a lymphangiogram and thoracic duct ligation were performed with the objective of decreasing further effusion. At surgery, gross lung pathology was biopsied and yielded a histopathological diagnosis of pulmonary pleural lymphangiosarcoma. A relatively rare tumor, lymphangiosarcoma of the pulmonary pleura has not previously been documented as a source of chylothorax in the dog.