🔍 Key Findings

• Lower CTI values were significantly associated with higher risk of both intraoperative and postoperative femoral fractures or fissures (p <.0001).
• The mean CTI for all dogs was 0.285, whereas dogs with fissures/fractures had a mean CTI of 0.246.
• For each 0.001 increase in CTI, odds of fissure/fracture decreased by 2–3% depending on perioperative timing.
• High interobserver reliability (ICC = 0.984) and consistency between pre- and postoperative CTI measurements (ICC = 0.96).
• CTI was the only significant risk factor identified; age, breed, bodyweight, BCS, CFI, or luxoid hips were not significant.
• Prophylactic lateral plating in dogs with low CTI (mean 0.230) resulted in no postoperative fractures.
• Postoperative fractures occurred in 8% of cases, and 93% of dogs returned to full function within one year.
• CTI may be a useful radiographic screening tool, especially when advanced imaging (e.g., DEXA) is unavailable.

🔍 Key Findings

• All dogs developed progressive osteoarthritis (OA) after surgical debridement of proximal humeral OC.
• Ipsilateral muscle atrophy and reduced shoulder range of motion were common, particularly in unilaterally affected dogs.
• Arthroscopically, lesions showed incomplete cartilage infilling even years after surgery, averaging only ~37% infilling.
• Synovitis was present in all joints, with moderate-to-severe hypertrophy and vascularity scores.
• CT identified OC lesions as deeper and wider than radiography, and all affected joints had more advanced OA than contralateral limbs (P = .001 radiograph, P = .005 CT).
• Kinetic gait analysis showed no significant differences in peak vertical force or impulse, but a subtle 4.4% asymmetric load reduction on the operated limb.
• Median LOAD score was 6, indicating mild owner-perceived disability despite measurable clinical and imaging abnormalities.
• Cartilage infilling was incomplete in all cases, with no lesion exceeding 60% restoration, raising questions about the healing potential of debridement alone.

🔍 Key Findings

Study population: 12 dogs with medial or lateral tarsocrural joint instability (TCI), including 5 working farm dogs.
Procedure: Temporary immobilization using a calcaneotibial screw (CTS) combined with external coaptation (EC).
Stabilization techniques:

• 3 dogs = primary ligamentous repair
• 8 dogs = synthetic ligament reconstruction
• 2 dogs = malleolar fracture repair

Follow-up: Median 31 months (range 4–66); 10 owners completed outcome survey.
Outcomes:

• All 10 dogs had improved or resolved lameness.
• All 5 farm dogs returned to work (most at full or substantial capacity).
• Complication rate: 4 distinct events in 3 dogs (1 major = CTS breakage; 3 minor = bandage-related soft tissue injuries).

Conclusion: CTS + EC provided effective immobilization with low complication rate, and functional outcomes were favorable even in active dogs.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• Primary 3.5-mm LCP used with short (SWL), medium (MWL), and long (LWL) working lengths
• Addition of orthogonal 2.7-mm LCP resulted in:
  • Significantly higher bending stiffness for SWL, MWL, and LWL (p < 0.0001)
  • Higher torsional stiffness for MWL and LWL (not for SWL)
  • Significantly lower strain across all working lengths in bending (p < 0.01)
• Working length inversely related to construct stiffness and directly to plate strain
• Orthogonal plates eliminated stiffness differences across working lengths in bending
• Suggests orthogonal plates can improve implant fatigue life and allow compensation when short working lengths are unachievable

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• IMN provides relative stability, resists bending/torsion due to central axis alignment
• Larger diameter nails = exponentially greater stiffness (∝ D⁴)
• Trade-off: Larger interlocking holes weaken fatigue strength of the nail
• Reaming increases contact/stability but has pros/cons:
  • Improves outcomes in closed fractures
  • May reduce endosteal blood flow in thin-walled bones (e.g., cats)
• Design advances:
  • Angle-stable IMN reduce rotational slack
  • Expandable nails simplify insertion but may compromise removal or compressive load resistance
  • Precontoured nails match bone curvature but lack consistent clinical superiority
• Material debates continue (e.g., titanium vs. stainless steel vs. magnesium)

🔍 Key Findings

• No significant difference in peak load, failure load, stiffness, or 3 mm gap formation among bone tunnel types.
• Transverse tunnel (TT) constructs had 25% higher yield load than modified tunnels (MT) (P = .027).
• Most common failure mode was suture pull-through (67%), with no significant difference between groups.
• Gap formation ≥3 mm occurred in ~90% of constructs; no significant difference in force needed for gap among groups.
• All bone tunnel techniques (TT, VT, MT) are viable options for CCT reattachment in dogs.
• The 3-loop pulley (3LP) pattern provided strong, uniform repair, with higher loads to failure than previously reported.
• TT constructs showed more tendon distortion at the repair interface during loading.
• Inclusion of accessory tendon may have improved repair strength compared to prior studies using GT alone.

🔍 Key Findings

• Roux-en-Y procedures were successfully completed in all 11 cases (6 dogs, 5 cats), despite case complexity and disease severity.
• Median survival post-discharge was longer in cats (365 days) vs. dogs (82 days), with better outcomes in non-neoplastic vs. neoplastic disease (192 vs. 5 days).
• Complication rate was high, with septic peritonitis, dehiscence, and cardiac arrest as leading causes of postoperative death; mortality rate = 36%.
• Dehiscence rate was 8.6% (2 of 23 anastomoses), considered lower than typical rates for GI anastomoses in high-risk patients.
• Feeding tubes (gastrostomy/jejunostomy) were used in all cases, enabling early nutritional support and stomach decompression.
• Postoperative nausea and vomiting were common but mostly self-limiting; managed with metoclopramide, cisapride, and antiemetics.
• Choledochojejunostomy was preferred when common bile duct was dilated, offering a favorable size match and potentially reducing bile leakage.
• Roux-en-Y reduced typical Billroth II complications (e.g., bile reflux, afferent loop syndrome, dumping syndrome), with none observed in discharged patients.

🔍 Key Findings

• Remote respiratory function grading (RFG) had poor to moderate reliability compared to in-person assessment.
• Expert graders had higher agreement with in-person scores than novices (Cohen’s kappa 0.37–0.48 vs. 0.21–0.47).
• Interobserver agreement was moderate among experts (Fleiss’ kappa = 0.59) and poor among novices (Fleiss’ kappa = 0.39).
• Remote recordings suffered from background noise, short clip durations, and technical limitations of electronic stethoscope recordings.
• Final RFG scores were based on the highest grade across categories (respiratory noise, inspiratory effort, dyspnea/cyanosis/syncope).
• Clinical impact: Only in-person grading reliably supports decisions for surgical intervention or breeding restrictions.

🔍 Key Findings

• Cats with linear (LFBO) and discrete (DFBO) small intestinal obstructions had similar survival (98.2% vs. 97%, p = 1.0).
• Postoperative complications were not significantly different between LFBO and DFBO cases (p = .1386).
• Intestinal dehiscence was rare (only 2 cats), both in DFBOs, with no statistical difference between groups.
• Red rubber catheter technique (RRCT) successfully removed LFBOs in 83% (20/24) of attempts.
• All failed RRCTs occurred in cats with perforations or tissue nonviability.
• Cats with failed RRCTs had longer clinical signs pre-surgery (median 6.5 vs. 2.0 days).
• Surgical time was longer in LFBO cats (median 77 min vs. 58 min, p = .0018).
• Preoperative septic peritonitis was rare (4/169 cats), but occurred only in linear or mixed FBO cases.

🔍 Key Findings Summary

• 86 elbows assessed: 32 Guide Dogs, 11 Border Collies
• Guide Dogs showed significantly higher HU values in:
  • MCP: min (p = 0.022), mean (p < 0.01), max (p < 0.01)
  • Humeral trochlea: mean (p < 0.01), max (p < 0.01)
• Results imply breed-associated HU variation, not necessarily pathologic sclerosis
• Relevance: Important to avoid false positives for elbow dysplasia during CT-based breeding screens
• Good interobserver agreement for mean HU values (ICC ~0.82–0.90)