Successful medical management of a vaginal wall tear in feline dystocia.

Case summary: A 2-year-old domestic shorthair queen sustained a tear in the vaginal wall through which the queen herniated a fetus during parturition. An exploratory laparotomy was performed, the patient had an ovariohysterectomy and the fetus was removed vaginally. The tear was managed medically with antibiotics, analgesics and careful monitoring. Assessment of the injury site 2 weeks later confirmed successful healing without the need for surgical intervention in the vaginal wall. Relevance and novel information: This is the first report in veterinary medicine describing the successful medical management of a dystocia-related vaginal wall tear in a feline patient without surgical repair.

Intranasal and intravenous apomorphine outperform ropinirole ocular drops for induction of emesis in dogs within ten minutes: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal was to compare the efficacy of administration of apomorphine (APO) administered by intranasal (IN), transconjunctival (TC), SC and IV routes with ropinirole eye drops for induction of emesis in dogs with a secondary goal to evaluate the time of emesis as well as difficulty in administration. ANIMALS: 125 client-owned dogs. METHODS: Dogs were randomly enrolled between October 1, 2021, and March 30, 2022, into groups of 25: IV APO, IN APO, TC APO, SC APO, and ropinirole eye drops. The IV, SC, and TC groups were dosed at 0.03 mg/kg, the IN group was dosed at 0.06 mg/kg, and the ropinirole group was dosed according to manufacturer guidelines. Data collected included success rate of emesis within 600 seconds, time to emesis, time to administer, and difficulty score. Results were compared to IV with P values and CIs being adjusted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Emesis was successful within 600 seconds using IV APO in 22 of 25 dogs. By comparison, IN APO induced emesis in 18 of 25 dogs (P = .63). Ropinirole (14/25), SC APO (6/25), and TC APO (4/25) were significantly less successful (P = .047, P = < .001, and P < 0.001, respectively). When emesis was successful, it occurred most rapidly with TC APO, followed by IN APO and then ropinirole. It was most difficult to administer IV APO and TC APO. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Similar to IV APO, IN APO was a rapid, easy, and effective method of inducing emesis in dogs and should be considered when IV administration is not possible. Ropinirole was easy to administer but successfully induced emesis less reliably within a 10-minute timeframe. APO administered TC using the commercially compounded injectable formulation was ineffective.

Evaluation of tissue oxygen saturation in naturally occurring canine shock patients.

OBJECTIVE: To measure tissue oxygen saturation (StO2 ) in a population of dogs with naturally occurring shock and to evaluate the relationship of StO2 with an established veterinary severity scoring system (Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation) and patient survival. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: University teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Twenty-five adult dogs presenting in shock, as determined by the presence of hypotension, the calculated shock index, and hyperlactatemia. INTERVENTIONS: StO2 was measured prior to any therapeutic interventions. Blood samples were also collected for measurement of plasma lactate, complete blood count, and a serum biochemical profile. Abdominal and thoracic focused assessment with sonography was also performed. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Dogs enrolled in this study had lower mean (±SD) StO2 values (65.12 ± 17.7%) than previously reported in experimental models of canine hemorrhagic shock. There was a moderate correlation between lower StO2 and increasing Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation scores. A single StO2 value, assessed prior to therapeutic intervention, was not a sensitive predictor of mortality in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with naturally occurring shock have lower mean StO2 values than those previously reported in dogs with experimentally induced shock. A lower initial StO2 was associated with worse disease severity but was not a significant predictor of survival in this population.

The effect of topical ophthalmic 1% atropine on heart rate and rhythm in normal dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if topically administered ophthalmic atropine affects heart rate or rhythm in clinically normal dogs. METHODS: Two groups of 15 healthy dogs were evaluated, one consisting of dogs weighing <15 kg, the other consisting of dogs weighing >15 kg. Each dog was suited with a Holter monitor. At start time 0, dogs received one drop of ophthalmic 1% atropine solution, or one drop of sterile saline solution as a control in each eye, via random assignment. Each dog served as their own control. This procedure was repeated two more times, at 6-h intervals, for a total of three treatments over a 12-h period. Holter monitors recorded heart rate and rhythm for 24 h. Statistical analysis was performed to compare values between the groups. Dose dependent changes in cardiac parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean heart rate and average minimum heart rate was significantly higher during the treatment period compared to the control period (8% and 13%, respectively). The mean number of hours with a heart rate <50 bpm decreased by 47% in the treatment vs. the control period. The mean maximum heart rate and number of h with a heart rate > 180 bpm did not differ significantly between the two groups. There was no evidence of dose dependence on heart rate when comparing small and large dogs. No significant differences in heart rhythm were noted between groups for measurable parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Topically administered atropine causes a small but significant increase in heart rate in healthy dogs.