Surgery & Wound Management

Dogs and cats are very commonly presented for management of acute or chronic wounds in veterinary practice. The goal of wound management is to accelerate the healing process and not to interfere with it.

Portosystemic shunt (PSS) is an abnormal vessel that shunts portal blood from the splanchnic circulation to flow directly to the systemic circulation by passing the liver. Toxins, hormones, nutrients, escaping bacteria, and exogenous drugs also bypass the liver resulting in hepatic encephalopathy (HE).

Conservative treatment of CCL rupture is the same as treatment for DJD: exercise to build muscle, weight control and medications such as NSAID's and Adequan. Surgery is the most effective treatment for CCL tear if done before DJD is established. Conservative treatment is indicated if surgery is not chosen by the owner because of cost or other reasons.

Synovial membrane lines all diarthrodial joints. Synoviocytes are macrophage like cells which phagocytize foreign materials and produce synovial fluid which contains the two lubricants hyaluronic acid and polysulfated glycosaminoglycans. The normal synovial membrane is a poor filter, allowing all components of blood into the joint fluid except cells, platelets, and large molecules such as fibrinogen.

Wound closure following extensive tumor resection or trauma may require reconstruction surgery. Skin can be borrowed from another location to accomplish closure without tension.

OCD of the hock occurred bilaterally in 42% of the reported cases. The lateral trochlear ridge is involved in 25% of the cases and the medial trochlear ridge in 75% of the cases.

The best treatment for degenerative joint disease is prevention, by removing the inciting cause before DJD is established if at all possible (TPO, JPS, cruciate stabilization, patella stabilization, etc.) Irreversible changes of DJD (visible in the form or periarticular osteophytes) are present by 28 days after the cause is present.

The patella is a type A (primary function is articulation) sesamoid bone located in the tendon of insertion of the quadraceps muscles. The origins of the quadriceps muscles are the proximal femur and immediately cranial to the acetabulurn (rectus femoris m.). The quadriceps m. follows a straight line, by necessity, to its insertion at the tibial crest.

The group of animals commonly referred to as "fish" is a paraphyletic group of some 30,000-plus described species (www.fishbase.org). That is, it includes all of the descendants of the common ancestor of the vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata) with the exception of the tetrapods (subclass Tetrapoda–amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, totaling around 23,000 species), a fairly significant branch of the subclass Sarcopterygii alongside lungfish and coelacanths.

The stomach is a C-shaped musculoglandular organ. It has the largest dilatation of the alimentary canal. The stomach lies mainly in a transverse position, Predominantly to the left of the median plane. When it is empty, the stomach lies cranial to the last rib and between the ninth thoracic and first lumbar vertebra.

Running a high volume spay neuter operation requires much more than having efficient surgeons. Everything about the operation from scheduling appointments and intake of patients to discharge of patients after surgery must be organized and run efficiently.

Perianal fistula is a specific disease of the canine characterized by ulcerating fistulous tracts, often with a malodorous purulent discharge around the anal orifice. The tracts are usually infected and filed with chronic inflammatory tissne. The extremely severe and chronic cases the tracts may extend to the lumen of the rectoanal canal, becoming true fistulas.

The entire urethra is lined with transitional epitheliurn with the exception of a small amount near the tip of the penis or urethral tubercle. Urethral muscle is composed of an inner longitudinal layer of smooth muscle and an outer transverse layer of skeletal muscle that are separated dorsally by a longitudinal raphe.

Agenesis and malformation of the phalanges, metacarpal and carpal bones in utero is the basic pathology, and is occasionally accompanied by subluxation of the elbow.

Thorax: Many dogs with pneumothorax (hemothorax, chylothorax, diaphragmatic hernia, etc) are able to ventilate marginally but adequately when at rest in a cage. The loss of lung/ventilation capacity may not become clinical for several minutes after induction of general anesthesia or during recovery.

A disadvantage of full-thickness mesh skin graft.

The owner of this retriever first noticed the golf-ball-sized mass three days before presentation.

Laryngeal paralysis is recognized because of the loss of function in the paired cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) muscles, which are the only abductors of the aytenoid cartilages.

New information on treating medial patellar luxation in dogs.

Des Moines -- A settlement was reached in a high-profile lawsuit over non-compete agreements between Iowa State University (ISU) and several former veterinarian employees.

When should this procedure be considered?

A tip for performing these incisions.

These laboratory findings can help you diagnose a portosystemic shunt.

Complications associated with using this drug to treat disk disease in dogs.

One disadvantage of the adjustable horizontal mattress technique.