This retrospective study was undertaken on the records of intraluminal diameter of the trachea in 185 dogs, in which hypoplasia of the trachea had been suspected. The relative size of the trachea was measured using the tracheal diameter (TD), thoracic inlet distance (TI), thoracic tracheal diameter (TT) and the width of the third rib (3R), expressed as ratios TD:TI and TT:3R. Thirty-five dogs were diagnosed as having tracheal hypoplasia. Bulldogs and non-bulldog brachycephalic dogs had significantly smaller measured trachea diameters compared to the predicted values calculated on the basis of their body weight. Radiographs of each dog were investigated by four observers. Inter- and intra-observer reliability (ICC_inter, ICC_intra) was based on the measurements taken by four observers to evaluate the reproducibility of the protocol. There was a good ICC_inter (0.8) and ICC_intra (0.89) agreement. Craniocaudal tangential radiographs, centred on the cranial thoracic aperture, did not show a significant difference in tracheal diameter measurements compared to the right lateral radiographs. In conclusion, our findings indicate that bulldogs and non-bulldog brachycephalic dogs have smaller tracheal diameters than non-brachycephalic dogs.

This study compared the effects of butorphanol-medetomidine and butorphanol-dexmedetomidine combinations on echocardiographic parameters during propofol anaesthesia in dogs. The dogs were randomly divided into two groups. In the butorphanol-medetomidine (BM) group, butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg) and medetomidine (15 μg/kg) were intravenously administered; in the butorphanol-dexmedetomidine (BD) group, butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg) and dexmedetomidine (7.5 μg/kg) was used. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with a constant-rate infusion of propofol (0.2 mg/kg/min). The echocardiographic parameters were assessed in conscious dogs (T₀). Echocardiography was conducted again at 10 min post premedication (T₁), followed by assessments at 30 (T₂), 60 (T₃), and 90 (T₄) mins. The dogs were subjected to diagnostic procedures (radiography, computed tomography) under anaesthesia. A significant reduction in heart rate and cardiac output was noted in both groups at T₁. There was no significant difference in the stroke volume between the BM and BD groups. The application of butorphanol-dexmedetomidine caused a significant increase in the left ventricular internal diameter in diastole and the diameter of the left atrium compared to that caused by butorphanol-medetomidine. This study documented that butorphanol-medetomidine and butorphanol-dexmedetomidine combinations caused similar reductions in heart rate and cardiac output in both groups. ‘New´ valvular regurgitation occurred following their administration.

A 4-year-old intact female Standard Wirehaired Dachshund dog was referred with chief complaint of inguinal mass to the Small Animal Clinic at the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia. On physical examination, the bitch was healthy with no abnormalities other than having a non-painful and non-reducible soft tissue mass in the left inguinal region also involving the mammary gland. Ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen revealed a pregnant uterus and ultrasonography of the inguinal mass showed an organ with a lumen filled with anaechoic fluid. The diagnosis of a herniation was made and the owners decided for complete ovariohysterectomy. The left uterine horn had an incarcerated part of the inguinal hernia together with the ovary. Inside there was one macerated conceptus. The remaining part of the left uterine horn was located in the abdomen and had 2 macerated conceptuses. The bitch made an uneventful recovery from the surgery and anaesthesia with no postoperative complications and was sent home after the surgical procedure.

Noninvasive Doppler ultrasonography (US) examination is a standard method for the clinical evaluation of the carotid arteries. Extracranial cerebral circulation includes the common carotid artery (CCA), the external carotid artery (ECA), and the extracranial part of the internal carotid artery (ICA). The present study was conducted with the objective of assessing physiological normative values and describing the appearance of spectral waveforms of extracranial arteries in 104 healthy dogs of eight breeds divided into four groups according to weight. We also focused on searching for correlations for carotid blood velocities with the resistive index (RI), body weight and diameter, and differences between observers and the influence of sex in the calculations of Doppler parameters. In the evaluated breeds, significant differences were found in the velocity of peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV). There was a strong correlation between body weight and peak systolic velocity, the RI index and CCA diameter. The intra-observer agreement for the PSV and EDV parameters in each vessel was considered excellent reliability, and overall interobserver agreement showed very good reliability. This study could improve the descriptions of physiological values and waveforms recorded in carotid arteries. Defining the physiological values of velocity and the resistive index (RI) helps in the easier identification of pathology and diagnosis of disease. Our results may be used for further studies of vascular diseases in veterinary medicine that correlate with the pathology of neurological disorders of ischemic origin, further in thromboembolism, oncologic disease and degenerative, proliferative and inflammatory diseases of the arteries that lead to stenosis

The examination by Doppler ultrasonography provides haemodynamic information about blood flow velocity in a respective vessel. It specifies high- and lowresistance flow patterns. The aim of our study was to record the flow in a. carotis communis, a. femoralis and aa. renales in 16 adult clinically healthy dogs of small and medium size; characterize the types of vessels and also determine the pulsatility index (PI) and the resistive index (RI) of these vessels. The a. femoralis is a high-resistance vessel with a pronounced three-peak waveform. The aa. renales gives a typical picture of a low-resistance flow pattern. The characteristics of a. carotis communis involves different images of its branches a. carotis interna and a. carotis externa. In the investigated groups we observed a medium degree of pulsatility (atypical highresistance flow pattern with an absence of reverse flow). The mean measured values of indices for a. carotis communis were: left side PI 1.824 and RI 0.742; right side PI 1.891 and RI 0.746, and for aa. renales: PI 1.366 ± 0.04 and RI 0.684 ± 0.05.