Post-operative analgesia following TPLO surgery: A comparison between cimicoxib and tramadol.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic effects of oral administration of cimicoxib and tramadol over a 30 day period following Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy and partial menisectomy in dogs. DESIGN: Randomized, double blinded, prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS: 42 adult client-owned dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease and partial meniscal tears. METHODS: Dogs were allocated into 2 treatment groups (cimicoxib or tramadol). Weight bearing while standing, thigh circumference, flexion and extension range of motions, wound classification, adverse effects, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) and Helsinki Chronic Pain Index (HCPI) questionnaire and limb function by means of pressure platform gait analysis were recorded before surgery and at several time points after surgery for 30 days. Outcome measures were compared at each time point among groups. RESULTS: A significant improvement in two objective measures of gait of the cimicoxib group: the vertical impulse on day 1 and day 20 and the peak vertical force on day 20 were significantly improved when compared to the tramadol group. However, no difference was seen for the VI or PVF of dogs on the other days compared. In addiction there was no difference in the weight bearing while standing, thigh circumference, wound classification, adverse effects, VAS, CMPS-SF and HCPI. We did not observe a difference in the number of adverse effects measured in this study with the exception of hock edaema. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A significant difference was not found in long-term postoperative analgesia provided by cimicoxib or tramadol in dogs undergoing TPLO when subjective parameters (with the exception of knee joint range of motion) were evaluated, but use of the force plate analysis revealed a significant difference between groups at T20 for both PVF and VI. The use of cimicoxib improved the limb function and ROM and reduced the occurrence of hock edema, in the first 20 days after surgery, without any additional side effects, compared to tramadol. Thus, the use of cimicoxib should be preferred to tramadol alone in clinical cases similar to the ones included in this study.

Prolongation of survival of dogs with oral malignant melanoma treated by en bloc surgical resection and adjuvant CSPG4-antigen electrovaccination.

Reported post-surgery 1-year survival rate for oral canine malignant melanoma (cMM) is around 30%; novel treatments are needed as the role of adjuvant chemotherapy is unclear. This prospective study regards adjuvant electrovaccination with human chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan-4 (hCSPG4)-encoded plasmid in 23 dogs with resected II/III-staged CSPG4-positive oral cMM compared with 19 dogs with resected only II/III-staged CSPG4-positive oral cMM. Vaccination resulted in 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month survival rate of 95.6, 73.9, 47.8 and 30.4%, respectively [median survival time (MST) 684 days, range 78-1694, 8 of 23 dogs alive] and 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month disease-free interval (DFI) rate of 82.6, 47.8, 26.1 and 17.4%, respectively (DFI 477 days, range 50-1694). Non-vaccinated dogs showed 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month survival rate of 63.2, 26.3, 15.8 and 5.3%, respectively (MST 200 days, range 75-1507, 1 of 19 dogs alive) and 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month DFI rate of 52.6, 26.3, 10.5 and 5.3%, respectively (DFI 180 days, range 38-1250). Overall survival and DFI of vaccinated dogs was longer in those <20 kg. In vaccinated and non-vaccinated dogs local recurrence rate was 34.8 and 42%, respectively while lung metastatic rate was 39 and 79%, respectively.

Modified semitendinosus muscle transposition to repair ventral perineal hernia in 14 dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a modified technique of semitendinosus muscle transposition for the repair of ventral perineal hernia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of case records of dogs with ventral perineal hernia that were treated by transposing the medial half of the longitudinally split semitendinosus muscle of one limb. The transposition of the internal obturator muscle was used when uni- or bilateral rectal sacculation was also present in addition to ventral perineal hernia; colopexy and vas deferens pexy were also performed. RESULTS: Fourteen dogs were included. In addition to ventral perineal hernia, unilateral and bilateral perineal hernia was also present in five and six of the dogs, respectively. The mean follow-up time was 890 days. Ventral perineal hernia was successfully managed by the modified semitendinosus muscle transposition with minor complications in all the dogs included in the study. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the small number of dogs included, the unilateral transposition of the medial half of the longitudinally split semitendinosus muscle consistently supported the ventral rectal enlargement in perineal hernia without obvious adverse effects.

Effects of antebrachial torsion on the measurement of angulation in the frontal plane: a cadaveric radiographic analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the effect of ante- brachial torsion on the miscalculation of radial valgus measured radiographically and to assess a radiographic positioning method used to mitigate torsion-associated artifactual miscalculation of concurrent frontal plane angulation. METHODS: A canine cadaveric forelimb was used to model different combinations of valgus and external torsion. Valgus was induced in the limb in increments of five degrees, radiographic images were taken at each increment, and the observed radiographic valgus was measured. Various angles of torsion were then induced and the process was repeated for a range of torsional angles at 15° increments. For the second objective, the study was repeated with the forelimb rotationally re-positioned to mirror the degree of the induced torsion of the deformity at each valgus and torsion iteration. RESULTS: Both zero degrees and 15° torsional iterations possessed mean artifactual valgus (AV) values between zero and five degrees for every valgus increment. With torsion of 30° and higher, mean AV values varied widely and did not fall within the zero to five degree accepted range. Rotationally re-positioning the limb in an attempt to alleviate the AV discrepancies resulted in the 30° torsional group having acceptable AV values for valgus values between zero and 20°. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Increasing ante- brachial torsion interferes with accurate radiographic measurement of frontal plane deformities. Radiographically repositioning the limb allows the accurate calculation of more valgus and torsion combinations, but still results in miscalculations of more complex deformities.