Early postoperative hydrotherapy in dogs undergoing intervertebral disc surgery
USER-ALT Abtin Mojarradi and others , IVC Evidensia , Helsingborg
Hydrotherapy is an important element in the postoperative care of dogs treated for thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion . There are no current guidelines on when to begin this form of physiotherapy . The authors recorded the incidence of postoperative complications in 83 dogs undergoing disc surgery . In 26 cases , complications were reported , but the majority could not be directly attributed to the postoperative treatment . However , the timing of the postoperative care may have been a factor in one surgical site infection and one dog with a further extrusion of the treated disc . The authors urge caution until the risks and benefits of early hydrotherapy are investigated further .
Awareness of faecal microbiota transplantation among small animal practitioners
USER-ALT Silke Salavati Schmitz , Royal ( Dick ) School of Veterinary Medicine , Edinburgh
Faecal microbiota transplantation ( FMT ) has become an approved treatment for Clostridiodes difficile infections in human patients . The technique has been
applied in veterinary patients but is not yet widely used . The authors investigated the awareness of the procedure among small animal practitioners . There were 155 responses from 13 countries to an anonymous online questionnaire . The majority ( 71 %) had never used this method but , in those that had used it , chronic enteropathy was the most common indication followed by parvovirus infection and acute diarrhoea .
Effects of Cushing ’ s syndrome on cognitive function in dogs
USER-ALT Carolina Castilhos da Silva and others , Federal University , Rio Grande do Sul
Cushing ’ s syndrome is known to be associated with cognitive impairment in human patients but , to date , there have been no published studies reporting similar effects in dogs with the equivalent condition . The authors describe a matched case-control study involving 19 dogs with Cushing ’ s syndrome and 38 healthy controls . Their findings show that the disease may be linked with various neurological changes , including memory dysfunction , compulsive behaviour , depression and anxiety .
Assessment of the health impact of obesity in pet rabbits
USER-ALT Antonia Vania Adji and others , University of Copenhagen
Although rabbits are used as a laboratory model in studies of obesity in humans , there is little reliable data on the prevalence and effects of obesity in the pet rabbit population . The authors review current knowledge of the risk factors and health impact of obesity in this species . They identify links between obesity in rabbits and osteoarthritis , pododermatitis , hepatic lipidosis , atherosclerosis , insulin resistance and post-anaesthetic complications risk . They offer recommendations on the prevention and treatment of this condition in rabbits .
VOL 38 • July 2022
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