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OBJECTIVE To evaluate safety of stylet-in and stylet-out techniques for collection of CSF from the cisterna magna and to assess whether there were differences between techniques with regard to contamination of samples, sample quality, and efficiency of collection. ANIMALS 10 adult purpose-bred research Beagles. PROCEDURES A prospective crossover study was conducted. Preanesthetic physical and neurologic examinations and hematologic analyses were performed. Dogs were anesthetized, and collection of CSF samples from the cisterna magna by use of a stylet-in or stylet-out technique was performed. Two weeks later, samples were collected with the other sample collection technique. Samples of CSF were processed within I hour after collection. RESULTS Cellular debris was detected in higher numbers in stylet-in samples, although this did not affect sample quality. The stylet-out technique was performed more rapidly. No adverse effects were detected for either technique. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Both techniques could be safely performed in healthy anesthetized dogs. The stylet-out technique was performed more rapidly and yielded a sample with less cellular debris. Both techniques can be used in clinical practice to yield CSF samples with good diagnostic quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To describe surgical technique, biopsy sample quality, and short-term outcome o f minimally invasive small intestinal exploration and targeted abdominal organ biopsy (MISIETB) with use of a wound retraction device (WRD) in dogs. ANIMALS 27 client-owned dogs that underwent MISIETB with a WRD at I of 4 academic veterinary hospitals between January I, 2010, and May I, 2017. PROCEDURES Medical records w ere retrospectively reviewed, and data collected included signalment; medical history; findings from physical, ultrasonographic, laparoscopic, cytologic, and histologic evaluations; surgical indications, procedures, duration, and com plications; and short-term (14-day) outcomes. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate the normality o f continuous variables, and descriptive statistics were calculated for numeric variables. RESULTS Laparoscopic exploration was performed through a multicannulated single port (n = 18), m ultiple ports (5), or a single 6-mm cannula (4). Median length of the incision for WRD placement was 4 cm (interqu artile [25th to 75th percentile] range, 3 to 6 cm). All biopsy samples obtained had sufficient diagnostic quality. The 2 most common histologic diagnoses were lymphoplasm acytic enteritis (n = 14) and intestinal lymphoma (5). Twentyfive o f 27 (93%) dogs survived to hospital discharge, and 3 (12%) dogs had postsurgical abnorm alities unrelated to surgical technique. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that MISIETB with WRD was an effective method for obtaining diagnostic biopsy samples o f the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, and mesenteric lymph nodes in dogs. Prospective com parison betw een MISIETB w ith WRD and traditional laparotomy for abdominal organ biopsy in dogs is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acupuncture has been used as a treatment for pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA) for thousands of years; however, there is a lack of definitive evidence for this indication in humans or animals. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture on lameness and clinical function in dogs affected by naturally-occurring OA using objective outcome measures. A total of 32 client-owned dogs completed this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical trial, using a cross-over design. Participants were assigned to receive placebo or acupuncture treatment once weekly for 4 weeks in random order with a two-week wash-out period in between treatment phases. Outcome measures included ground reaction forces (GRF), subjective orthopedic scoring (SOS), activity counts (AC), and owner-completed clinical metrology instruments (CMI; Canine Brief Pain Inventory [CBPI] and Client Specific Outcome Measures [CSOM]). For statistical comparison, baseline GRF, SOS, and CMI data were compared to data obtained 1 week after each treatment phase. Similarly, total weekly AC of the final week of each treatment phase were compared to the baseline week. Results: Evidence of differences between baseline versus acupuncture and placebo treatments was not identified for the following outcome measures: GRF, AC, or SOS. However, evidence of differences was identified for some of the CMI scores, including the CSOM questionnaire which showed evidence of improvement when comparing baseline versus acupuncture (p = 0.0002) as well as between placebo versus acupuncture treatments (p = 0.035) but not between baseline versus placebo treatments (p = 0.221). Conclusions: The applied acupuncture protocol did not show improvement in function when using objective outcome measures for OA in dogs; however, certain CMI measurements recorded some degree of treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]