The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block causes desensitization of the abdominal wall and peritoneum. Of all the approaches proposed to perform it, the two-injection-point TAP showed the best results in terms of the area reached by the anesthetic solution. However, to date, no clinical data exist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra- and postoperative analgesic efficacy of a two-injection-point TAP block in dogs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy. A total of 26 animals were assigned to receive general inhalation anesthesia (control group), and 26 dogs were assigned to general inhalation anesthesia combined with TAP block (TAP group). The ultrasound-guided TAP block was carried out with a subcostal and cranial-to-ilium injection per hemiabdomen. The end-tidal concentration of isoflurane (EtISO) was recorded at different moments during the surgery. Postoperative pain was assessed at different time points during the first 24 h after surgery. The control group required significantly higher EtISO concentration during the ovarian resection and showed higher postoperative pain scores than the TAP group. Fewer dogs in the TAP group required intra- or postoperative rescue analgesia. TAP block can be implemented to improve postoperative pain management after laparoscopy, reducing the dosage of the systemic drugs used and, hence, their possible side effects.

Elastography is a sonographic technique that provides a noninvasive evaluation of the stiffness of a lesion. The objective of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of strain elastography, the most accessible modality in clinical practice, to discriminate between different histological types of malignant mammary neoplasms in the canine species, which can provide complementary information in real time to the diagnosis and thus help in the choice of surgical technique. A total of 34 females with 56 mammary carcinomas were selected and classified into three histological groups according to their aggressiveness. The histological and elastographic characteristics of these malignant tumors were analyzed and compared to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of strain elastography. Visual score presented a sensitivity of 88.0%, specificity of 58.1%, and accuracy of 71.43% in distinguishing the most aggressive group of carcinomas. The strain ratio had a sensitivity of 84.0%, specificity of 61.1%, and accuracy of 69.64%. On the other hand, intratumoral strain ratio obtained a sensitivity of 71.40% and specificity of 61.90% when intratumoral fibrosis was taken as reference, with an accuracy of 66.07%. Similarly, peritumoral strain ratio was also positively related to fibrosis in the periphery of lesions (p ≤ 0.001), with a sensitivity of 93.80%, specificity of 77.50% and an accuracy of 92.87%. In conclusion, accuracy of this elastographic modality can be a useful method to differentiate more aggressive histological types. Therefore, it represents an additional diagnostic technique useful in the daily clinic thanks to the short time required for the examination, which allows real-time visualization and immediate interpretation of the results.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on the blood cells and the inflammatory markers neutrophil– to– lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet– to– lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune– inflammation index (SII) after the laparoscopic ovariectomy (LapOV) in dogs. 72 healthy bitches undergoing LapOV were randomly allocated to the no– TAP group of dogs under inhaled anesthesia (IA), the TAP– S group (IA and TAP with saline), and the TAP– B group (IA and TAP with bupivacaine). The NLR, PLR, and SII were calculated 1 h before ovariectomy (T0) and at 2−3 h (T1), 6−8 h (T2), and 20−24 h (T3) post– surgery. The number of dogs requiring postoperative analgesic rescue with buprenorphine and the doses administered in each group were recorded. Significant changes were observed in all groups’ postoperative NLR, PLR, and SII over time. Between groups, no differences were observed in any of the ratios at any control point (NLR at T0−T3:p = 0.17, 0.36, 0.80, and 0.95; PLR at T0−T3:p = 0.70, 0.62, 0.21, 0.87; SII at T0−T3:p = 0.29, 0.65, 0.09, and 0.34). A significantly lower number of dogs required analgesic rescue in the TAP-B group (p = 0.0001) and a lower number of doses were administered (p = 0.001). There is no difference in the inflammatory response measured through the complete blood– derived inflammatory markers after the LapOV in dogs when the postoperative pain is managed entirely with opioids or with the TAP block with bupivacaine. The hydrodissection associated with the TAP block technique does not increase the inflammatory response.

The prognostic value of hematological ratios incorporating neutrophils and albumin as key factors in the pathophysiology and outcome of acute pancreatitis (AP) in dogs needs assessment. This study compared the predictive power of the neutrophil count-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil count-to-albumin ratio (NAR), neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR), and NLR-to-albumin ratio (NLR-Alb) for in-hospital mortality in dogs with AP. This retrospective cohort study included 128 dogs with AP (59.37 % survivors / 40.63 % non-survivors) and 40 healthy dogs. NLR, NAR, NPAR, and NLR-Alb were calculated upon admission. Logistic regression and the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) evaluated their predictive value. All markers were significantly higher in non-surviving dogs with AP than in survivors. A one-point increase in NLR, NLR-Alb, and NAR increased the mortality risk by 4 %, 12 %, and 16 %, respectively. The AUROC, sensitivity, and specificity at the cutoff for each marker were:.622, 62.75 %, and 61 % for NLR;.708, 64.7 %, and 75.3 % for NAR;.609, 78.4 %, and 44.2 % for NPAR;.649, 82.4 %, and 45.4 % for NLR-Alb. Values above their cutoffs increased the mortality risk by 2.42, 5.6, 2.87, and 3.69-fold, respectively. In conclusion, NAR can better predict outcomes in dogs with AP than NLR. NLR-Alb is also superior to NLR but exhibits low specificity in identifying non-survivors. NPAR offers no prognostic advantage over other markers. Using these markers to predict mortality may improve treatment efficiency in dogs with AP.

Intestinal obstruction caused by a foreign body accounts for 80% of all canine intestinal blockages

This report describes the anaesthetic management of a diabetic dog undergoing cholecystectomy. A multimodal analgesic approach was employed, including an ultrasound-guided bilateral caudal thoracic paravertebral block (CTPVB) with bupivacaine, to reduce the need for inhalational anaesthetics and systemic opioids. With the use of the CTPVB, no additional analgesia was required during the 8 hour period following endotracheal extubation. This is the first report describing the use of a CTPVB to provide analgesia and cardiovascular stability in a diabetic dog undergoing cholecystectomy.