Effect of Metoclopramide on the Incidence of Early Postoperative Aspiration Pneumonia in Dogs with Acquired Idiopathic Laryngeal Paralysis.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effect of a perioperative intravenous continuous rate infusion (CRI) of metoclopramide on the incidence of aspiration pneumonia in the short term postoperative period in dogs undergoing unilateral arytenoid lateralization. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, multi-center clinical trial. ANIMALS: 61 client-owned dogs with idiopathic laryngeal paralysis and normal preoperative thoracic radiographs. METHODS: All dogs underwent unilateral arytenoid lateralization with a uniform anesthetic, analgesic, and management protocol. Dogs in the treatment group received an intravenous CRI of metoclopramide for 24 hours perioperative. All dogs were assessed for clinical signs of aspiration pneumonia based on the results of physical examination and owner interview up to the point of suture removal (10-14 days postoperative). Any dog with suspected aspiration pneumonia had thoracic radiographs performed. RESULTS: Six dogs developed aspiration pneumonia in the short term postoperative period (2/28 control dogs and 4/33 treated dogs), accounting for an overall frequency of 10% with no significant difference between control and treated dogs. No variables measured in the study were significantly different between control and treated dogs. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative metoclopramide, at the doses used in this study, did not affect the incidence of aspiration pneumonia in the short term postoperative period in dogs with idiopathic laryngeal paralysis undergoing unilateral arytenoid lateralization.

Progression of radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture: 295 cases (2001-2005).

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether radiographic signs of osteoarthritis became progressively worse and tibial slope angle (TSA) changed substantially following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 295 dogs (373 stifle joints). PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed. Radiographs obtained before and 8 weeks after surgery were used to determine the degenerative joint disease (DJD) score, calculated as the sum of individual scores (0 through 3) assigned to 30 radiographic factors. Radiographs obtained immediately and 8 weeks after surgery were used to measureTSA. For dogs that underwent bilateral surgery, data for the first joint treated were used in analyses. Data for the second joint treated in dogs that underwent bilateral surgery were analyzed separately. RESULTS: A small, but significant, increase was found in mean DJD score 8 weeks after surgery, compared with mean preoperative score. An inverse relationship was found between preoperative DJD score and the difference between postoperative and preoperative DJD scores. Mean TSA 8 weeks after surgery was significantly higher than mean TSA immediately after surgery. Analysis of data for the second stifle joints in the 78 dogs that underwent bilateral surgery yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that there was a small, but measurable, increase in the severity of radiographic changes attributed to osteoarthritis in the stifle joints of dogs that underwent tibial plateau leveling osteotomy because of cranial cruciate ligament rupture.