Wound management is a fundamental task in standard clinical practice. Automated solutions already exist for humans, but there is a lack of applications regarding wound management for pets. Precise and efficient wound assessment is helpful to improve diagnosis and to increase the effectiveness of treatment plans for chronic wounds. In this work, we introduced a novel pipeline for the segmentation of pet wound images. Starting from a model pre-trained on human-based wound images, we applied a combination of transfer learning (TL) and active semi-supervised learning (ASSL) to automatically label a large dataset. Additionally, we provided a guideline for future applications of TL+ASSL training strategy on image datasets. We compared the effectiveness of the proposed training strategy, monitoring the performance of an EfficientNet-b3 U-Net model against the lighter solution provided by a MobileNet-v2 U-Net model. We obtained 80% of correctly segmented images after five rounds of ASSL training. The EfficientNet-b3 U-Net model significantly outperformed the MobileNet-v2 one. We proved that the number of available samples is a key factor for the correct usage of ASSL training. The proposed approach is a viable solution to reduce the time required for the generation of a segmentation dataset.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to report the outcome of a novel technique of urethral intra‐abdominal anastomosis after transabdominal wall passage of the penis in a dog with stent‐related urethral obstruction. Study design: Case report. Animal: A seven‐year‐old neutered male Cocker Spaniel. Methods: The dog was evaluated for urinary retention and overflow incontinence of approximately 1‐year duration. The dog had a urethral self‐expanding metallic stent placed 6 years prior as treatment for pelvic urethral stricture, secondary to severe pelvic trauma. Stent fracture and stent‐related tissue hyperplasia were diagnosed leading to intrapelvic urethral obstruction and concomitant atonic bladder complicated by cystolithiasis and urinary tract infection. An intra‐abdominal urethral anastomosis was performed to restore urethral patency, after passing the penis through the abdominal wall, into the inguinal area; the surgery was successful in bypassing the urethral obstruction. Results: No contrast leakage was noted on positive contrast cystourethrography 10 days postoperatively. The urinary bladder was easily emptied by manual expression and bethanechol was started. At 6‐months follow‐up, the urinary bladder remained atonic but was easily emptied by manual expression, with mild urinary incontinence remaining. No signs of recurrent urinary tract infections were noted. Nine months after surgery the dog was euthanized for reasons unrelated to the surgery. Conclusion: The transabdominal wall urethral anastomosis, after penile abdominal tunnelization resulted in bypassing the urethral obstruction in this dog, restoring urethral patency. The technique reported could be a viable surgical option for restoring urethral patency in dogs with severe pelvic urethral damage or obstructive lesions.

Objective: To describe the complications of medial retropharyngeal, axillary, and ilio‐sacral lymphadenectomy in dogs with malignant tumors, and to identify possible risk factors. Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Animals: A total of 140 surgical accesses (86 axillary, 27 ilio‐sacral, 27 retropharyngeal) in 127 dogs. Methods: Dogs with cutaneous/subcutaneous cancer undergoing staging, lymph node (LN) mapping and extirpation of medial retropharyngeal, axillary, and/or ilio‐sacral LNs, with a minimum follow‐up of 1 month, were included. Retrieved information included signalment, tumor histotype, LN characteristics, excision of contiguous LNs, anesthesia duration, intra‐ and postoperative complications. Data were statistically analyzed to identify risk factors for complication development. Results: Intraoperative complications were registered in 3/140 (2%) procedures, including hemorrhage during medial iliac lymphadenectomy (2/27, 7%) and difficulty locating the axillary LN (1/86, 1%). Postoperative complications occurred in 32/140 (23%) cases, with rates of 41% (11/27) following ilio‐sacral lymphadenectomy, 26% (7/27) after medial retropharyngeal lymphadenectomy, and 16% (14/86) following axillary lymphadenectomy. Ilio‐sacral lymphadenectomy presented a higher risk of intraoperative ( p = .033) and postoperative complications ( p = .020). Enlarged ( p = .030) or metastatic ( p = .030) LNs were more prone to develop intraoperative complications. No risk factor retained significance on multivariate analysis. Median follow‐up, conducted through physical examination, was 225 days (range, 30–1735). Conclusion: Medial retropharyngeal and axillary lymphadenectomies were generally safe, associated with minor and easily manageable complications. Conversely, ilio‐sacral lymphadenectomy carried a higher risk of intraoperative complications, particularly in cases with enlarged LNs, and postoperative complications, potentially related to the caudal laparotomic approach. Clinical significance: Lymphadenectomies of medial retropharyngeal, axillary, and ilio‐sacral lymph nodes present relatively low complication rates.

Objective: To compare the outcome of the laparotomy‐assisted endoscopic removal (LAER) of gastrointestinal foreign bodies (FBs) with traditional enterotomy, and to determine which factors affected the ability to remove FBs.Study design: Retrospective observational study.Sample population: Dogs and cats (n = 81) with gastrointestinal FBs.Methods: Dogs and cats were divided into Group 1 (LAER, n = 40) and Group 2 (Enterotomy, n = 41). The localization and characteristics of the FBs (sharp or blunt; discrete or linear; single or multiple) were evaluated statistically to identify the factors that affected the ability of LAER to remove, partially or completely, the FBs (χ² test). The length of the postoperative stay, postoperative analgesia, and resumption of spontaneous feeding were compared between groups (Mann–Whitney U‐test). Short‐term follow up (14 days) was recorded.Results: Laparotomy‐assisted endoscopic removal allowed complete or partial removal of FBs in 35/40 dogs and cats, regardless of the characteristics or the localization of the FBs. The presence of intestinal wall damage (p = .043) was associated with the conversion to an enterotomy. Group 1 required a shorter postoperative hospital stay (p = .006), less need for analgesia (p < .001), and experienced a faster resumption of spontaneous feeding (p = .012), and similar complication rate to Group 2.Conclusion: Laparotomy‐assisted endoscopic removal resulted in a faster postoperative recovery when compared with an enterotomy. The FBs’ characteristics or localization did not affect the efficacy of the technique to remove FBs.Clinical significance: Laparotomy‐assisted endoscopic removal allows the removal of a variety of FBs, avoiding intestinal incision and resulting in a fast postoperative recovery.