Complications after proximal abducting ulnar osteotomy and prognostic factors in 66 dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To report complications and prognostic factors in dogs undergoing proximal abducting ulnar osteotomy (PAUL). To evaluate the ability to predict complications on the basis of post-operative radiographic examination. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS: Sixty-six dogs. METHODS: Medical records of dogs treated with PAUL between 2014 and 2019 were reviewed for demographics, intraoperative findings, and post-operative complications. Post-operative radiographs were reviewed by two masked expert orthopedic surgeons, who were asked to predict the likelihood of major mechanical complications. The prognostic value of variables was tested with univariate and multivariable logistic regression. Inter-investigator agreement to predict complications was evaluated with two-by-two tables and kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Seventy-four PAULs in 66 dogs were included. Duration of follow-up ranged from 12 to 75 months (median: 53 months). Post-operative complications were documented in 19/74 limbs (16 dogs), including major complications in 13 limbs. These complications consisted mainly of non-union (six limbs), implant failure (two limbs), and infection (two limbs) requiring revision surgery in nine limbs. Body weight was the only variable associated with an increased risk of post-operative complications (p = .04). Agreement between expert predictions was low (respectively k = -0.08 and k = 0.11). CONCLUSION: Major complications were reported in one fourth of limbs treated with PAUL and were more likely as body weight increased. Suboptimal plate and screw placement or osteotomy reduction on post-operative radiographs were poorly predictive of complications. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Complications are fairly common after PAUL, particularly in heavier dogs, and post-operative radiographic examination seems unreliable to predict those.

[MRI in a dog with confirmed pseudorabies infection]. / Magnetresonanztomographie des Gehirns bei einem Hund mit nachgewiesenem Morbus Aujeszky.

We describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination in a dog with confirmed suid herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) infection and compare the findings to the results of the histopathologic examination. A 5-year-old female German Hunting Terrier used for hunting displayed severe pruritus and fever 7 days after contact with a wild boar. Two days after the onset of the first disease symptoms, the dog was presented with seizures and hyperthermia. MRI examination revealed hyperintense alterations in the occipital, temporal and parietal lobe areas. In the contrast sequences, contrast enhancement of the medulla oblongata as well as of the pachy- and leptomeninges within the occipital lobe and the cerebellum could be detected. The bitch was euthanized because of the acute deterioration of its condition. Histopathologically, multifocal mild to moderate mixed cellular vasculitis and satellitosis were found in the brain stem and pons, where SHV-1 antigen was detectable immunohistochemically in neurons and glial cells. In molecular-biological studies of the trigeminal ganglion and the medulla oblongata, SHV-1-specific DNA was detected. The MRI lesions of our patient displayed marked differences to the changes described in the literature for central European tick-borne meningoencephalomyelitis or the paralytic course of rabies. By contrast, it appears that similarities to the lesions described in canine distemper and the encephalitic form of rabies did exist.

[Nephritis in a Staffordshire Terrier puppy caused by Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I]. / Nephritis bei einem Staffordshire-Terrier-Welpen verursacht durch Encephalitozoon cuniculi Genotyp I.

An 8-week-old puppy was presented to the clinic because of anorexia, polyuria, polydipsia and azotemia. The urinary sediment displayed large amounts of protozoan-like organisms, which could be identified by PCR as Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I. In the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) an antibody titer against E. cuniculi of 1  :  2560 was found. The dog was treated with fenbendazole over 3 weeks. After 3 months, an antibody titer against E. cuniculi could no longer be detected. The dog recovered completely. This rare case demonstrates that E. cuniculi genotype I can cause clinical disease in dogs with renal involvement, which can be successfully treated with fenbendazole.