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OBJECTIVE To evaluate a novel 2-catheter technique for urethral catheterization in female cats and small dogs and compare the time required for and success rates achieved by use of the novel technique versus traditional methods (blind technique in cats and digital palpation in dogs) as performed by personnel (catheter placers [CPs]) with different levels of experience in urinary catheter placement. ANIMALS 39 healthy sexually intact female animals (24 cats and 15 dogs weighing < 10 kg). PROCEDURES 2 CPs were board certified in veterinary surgery, I of whom had experience with the novel technique, and the other did not. The third CP was a veterinary surgical intern who was unfamiliar with the novel technique. For each animal enrolled in the study, I CP performed catheterization with the novel technique and traditional methods. Data recorded included the time required for successful catheterization and whether a successful catheterization was achieved within a 3-minute time limit. RESULTS The overall success rates were 79.5% (31/39 animals) with the novel technique and 43.6% (17/39 animals) with traditional methods. Median times for successful catheter placement were 48 seconds for the novel technique and 41 seconds for traditional methods. Among CPs, success rates or times to successful catheter placement did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Study results suggested that the novel 2-catheter technique for urethral catheterization may be a more efficient option than traditional methods for gaining access to the urinary bladder in cats and small dogs, particularly when patient size limits use of instrumentation or digital palpation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Compare veterinary student success at urethral catheterization of small female cats and dogs using traditional and novel 2-catheter techniques., Animal: Healthy anesthetized female cats ( n = 23) and dogs ( n = 6) weighing < 10 kg undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy., Procedure: Two junior (Year 3) veterinary students with no previous urethral catheterization experience participated. Each pet was catheterized by 1 student using both the traditional blind technique and the novel 2-catheter method (placement of a large red rubber catheter into the vaginal canal prior to insertion of the conventional catheter). Technique order was randomized and attempts for each technique was allowed for up to 3 min. Time to successful catheterization and catheterization success within the allotted time were recorded., Results: Successful urethral catheterization was performed using the traditional blind and novel 2-catheter techniques in 56.3 and 87.5% of cases, respectively., Conclusion: Students had a higher rate of successful catheterization with the 2-catheter catheterization technique in this report., Clinical Relevance: Urethral catheterization in small female cats and dogs is technically challenging, which is compounded by the inability to consistently and reliably palpate loco-regional anatomic landmarks due to the small sized vestibules. Data from this report will be used to design future studies to assess the utility of this novel urethral catheterization technique for teaching inexperienced students this challenging clinical skill., (Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.)

Cavitary pulmonary lesions can result from the localized breakdown of pulmonary parenchyma or be caused by the expulsion of a necrotic part of a mass. The objectives of this study were to describe the clinical and computed tomographic characteristics for cases of cavitary pulmonary adenocarcinoma and find associations between the features and those identified in human pulmonary cavitary soft tissue lesions. Five cases were identified that had a cavitary pulmonary mass on thoracic computed tomography (CT) and histopathology of the lesions. Three dogs and 2 cats had cavitary pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Common features of CT in these cases included lesions in the caudal lung lobes, lobular and spiculated lesion margins, air bronchograms within the mass, pleural tags, heterogeneous contrast enhancement, and ground glass opacity in the surrounding parenchyma. The findings of this case series suggest there are similarities in the CT characteristics of malignancy in human and animal cavitary pulmonary masses., (Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.)