Background: Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is one of the most common causes of limb lameness in dogs. Surgical techniques based on tibial osteotomies such as tibial plateau leveling osteotomy and tibial tuberosity advancement are used to eliminate dynamic thrust. Tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) uses an osteotomy fixated by cage, plates, forks and screws to change the relationship of the patellar tendon and tibial plateau angle. Tension band wiring technique is one of the most common surgical methods used to treat a tension fracture and remains the gold standard for the treatment of tibial tuberosity fractures. In this study, we compared experimentally the biomechanical effect of application of tension band wiring compared to other techniques for the fixation of the TTA osteotomy. The techniques compared to are standard commercially available systems for TTA fixation.Results: Tension band wiring (TBW) presented the higher resistance to failure compared to all the other surgical procedures, with the highest values found in the TBW group with 1.47 ± 0.07 N and the lowest in the TTA cage (0.82 ± 0.08) and TTA-2 (0.85 ± 0.06) groups with statistically significant differences in all cases (P < 0.001). TTA rapid and TTA plate groups exhibited a similar strength, and same happened between TTA-2 and TTA cage groups. All the other comparisons by pair were significantly different with P < 0.001.Conclusions: Results suggest that fixating the osteotomy with tension band wiring increases the strength of the fixation and decrease the risk of implant failure. Further clinical studies are needed to demonstrate in vivo reliability and to test different variables such as size and weight of dogs. These results could have important clinical implications in the treatment of CCL ruptures.

Five dogs of different breeds and ages were diagnosed with medial compartment disease of the elbow (MCDE). To resolve the condition, a modified technique using a lateral approach and plate/rod sliding humeral osteotomy (SHO) was considered. All dogs recovered uneventfully after surgery. There were no major complications, and all dogs were significantly improved compared to pre-operative condition. This novel technique of adding a pin, based on the alteration of the original technique, optimized resistance to fixation failure. An additional benefit was that the lateral approach was surgically familiar and easily allowed bone grafting. All five dogs treated with the novel approach had improved scores for pain and lameness. This study showed that SHO was more stable and less technically demanding with the addition of an intramedullary pin. This is the first report of a lateral approach and plate rod sliding humeral osteotomy to treat MCDE in dogs.

BackgroundThoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation is likely the most common neurologic disease presented to the small-animal practitioner. The use of methylprednisolone (MPSS) as an adjunct to surgical decompression in cases of acute spinal cord injury following intervertebral disc extrusion is controversial. A prospective preliminary study was undertaken to compare the preoperative use of MPSS and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in 40 chondrodystrophic dogs presenting with similar signs and undergoing spinal decompressive surgery. ResultsTwenty dogs received MPSS and 20 had NSAIDs administered preoperatively. The outcomes were similar in both groups, but the frequency of side effects such as vomiting (MPSS group: 90% versus NSAIDs group: 55%), and anorexia within the first three days (present in all 20 dogs pretreated with MPSS) was significantly different, with complications being more prevalent in the MPSS group. This study details the preoperative use of MPSS in a cohort of similar dogs undergoing spinal decompressive surgery and compares the use of MPSS to NSAIDs. The use of MPSS is associated with higher adverse side effects than NSAIDs.ConclusionsOur results shows that MPSS use is associated with higher side effects than when using NSAIDs instead. Side effects are significantly more evident with MPSS –including vomiting and anorexia during the first 3 days after surgery– than with NSAID, with an outcome recovery similar in both groups.