Surgery & Wound Management

Complications associated with intestinal surgical procedures can be reduced by attentiveness to the principles of intestinal surgery and appropriate use of ancillary procedures such as serosal patching.

Disorders of the upper airway occur commonly in brachycephalic breeds of dogs. Chief client complaints include excessive respiratory noise, reduced exercise tolerance, heat intolerance, and dyspnea.

Lameness is defined as a variance from normal gait. There are two types of lameness: anatomical and pathologic. Anatomical lameness may not necessarily be from pain, and can be genetic or acquired. Chondroplasia in the Alaskan Malamute is a genetic condition that would produce lameness.

The distal limb is exposed to many traumatic events as a result of its almost constant interaction with the ground. The distal limb is defined as the anatomical structures from the carpus to the distal end of the front and rear limbs. In this area the skin has minimal muscle and fat under it for cushion.

Animal movement has been a subject of research for a long period of time. Both qualitative and quantitative gait analyses have been used to analyze canine movement. Veterinarians, breeders, owners, and trainers all can potentially benefit from the recent advances in gait analysis.

The veterinary profession is currently witnessing an increased demand from our clientele for information concerning performance of the canine athlete. The expectations come as a result of the scientific advancements in human sports medicine. If a pet owner is only interested in companionship, minimal stress will be placed upon the pet's body.

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.

The patella or kneecap is the largest sesamoid bone in the body and one of 4 in the stifle, the other three being the 2 of the gastrocnemius and the popliteal muscle. The patella lies within the tendon of insertion of the quadriceps muscle. The part of the tendon between the apex or distal aspect of the patella and its insertion on the tibial tuberosity is called the patellar ligament.

The most significant change in recent years in the management of fractures has been the more recent emphasis on "biologic fixation" as opposed to "mechanical fixation". The latter refers to the direct fixation techniques whereby fractures are reconstructed anatomically, and the former refers to indirect fixation techniques whereby the fractures are spanned (or "bridged").

Intestinal resection and anastomosis is a relatively commonly performed surgical procedure in small animals. Observing surgical principles and utilizing selected ancillary techniques help to reduce complications.

Surgical procedures performed on the spleen include biopsy, partial splenectomy, and total splenectomy. Techniques employed for each procedure varies with the clinical presentation and, to some degree, surgeon preference. Splenic disease represents an important source of morbidity and mortality in aging dogs.

This text is not intended to cover each and every aspect relating to wounds presented in veterinary medicine. It is, however, designed as a simplified handbook, which will assist members of the veterinary medical team in properly assessing patients and their wounds.

Bridging reconstruction plates were the first implant used with success in the human mandible. Despite their greater ease of use and application in this location as compared to conventional plates, the low perioperative morbidity was unfortunately followed by high long-term morbidity.

Veterinary physical therapy is the process of reconditioning body tissues that have been injured or diseased to their previous state or to a manageable state. Potential applications include recovery from medical cases, injuries, or post-surgical cases. There are three factors to consider in a designing rehabilitation regimen.

The basis of plating, as originally described by the AO, has been: 1) anatomic fracture reduction and fixation, 2) rigid fracture stability (compression or splinting), 3) preservation of the blood supply to the soft tissues and bone through careful handling and gentle reduction techniques, and 4) early and safe mobilization of the area.

The elbow joint or cubital joint is composed of three joints: humeroradial, humeroulnar and proximal radioulnar. The joint capsule includes all three joints with one space. The radial head articulates with the capitulum of the humerus whereas the ulna articulates with the trochlea.

Retrievers can have work-related conditions or they can have genetic conditions. A common work-related problem is related to overheating. A medical condition seen in Labrador Retrievers is Exercise-induced Collapse.

Hernia refers to the abnormal protrusion of an organ or tissue through a normal or abnormal opening in the abdominal muscles or in the diaphragm. The term is commonly used to denote bulging of organs through the muscular part of the abdominal wall.

An understanding of the functional anatomy is the prerequisite for successful application of the fracture fixation devices in the unfamiliar location of the mandible. These biomechanical principals must account not only for the very large forces generated, but also the position of the teeth that can – and often do – interfere with implant application.

Biopsy and histologic examination should be a part of essentially every exploratory laparotomy in which a direct surgical diagnosis cannot be reached. Relying on gross evaluation and interpretation alone during an exploratory laparotomy will assure that a correct definitive diagnosis will not be reached in some cases.

The liver, the largest gland in the body, is divided into six lobes (from a surgical perspective): left lateral, left medial, right lateral, right medial, quadrate, and caudate lobes. The caudate lobe has two processes - papillary and caudate. Biopsy of the liver is frequently performed during exploratory laparotomy.

A controversy exists in the veterinary field as to which surgical technique is the best to repair a dog's knee that has a cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) injury. There are many accepted surgical techniques described (over 40 different methods) to correct the CrCL-deficient joint.

Severe fractures of the femur can be divided into those fractures which must be reconstructed directly and those that can (and should) be reconstructed indirectly. The former include both intra-articular and periarticular fractures of the femoral head and femoral condyles, and diaphysis in the latter.

Restorative dental problems, although not as involved as those in human dentistry, can be very technique-sensitive and difficult to resolve. The resolution of particular problems is usually dependent upon the choice and imagination or inventiveness of the operator.

Reptile surgery can be very complicated. Luckily in this day & age of Reptile Medicine, we are afforded several options for anesthetic as well as surgical techniques. This lecture will present a few in order to give an overview of some of the current options available to the practitioner.