Cadavers were compared with live anesthetized dogs for their effectiveness as models for surgical training of veterinary medical students. One group of students was trained using cadavers, and a peer group was trained using live anesthetized dogs. Both groups then performed an intestinal anastomosis using a live subject. The time to completion of the procedure was recorded. The anastomoses and celiotomy closures were evaluated. Each anastomosis was isolated and pressure tested. Reviewers blindly scored each surgical team's performance based on actual inspection of the surgical site and on viewing videotapes of the procedure. The participants' attitudes toward the use of live animals in teaching and research were documented before and after training. No statistically significant differences could be detected between the two groups. The results suggest that some substitution of cadavers for live dogs in surgical training might be feasible.

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Billroth II gastrojejunostomy was performed with surgical staplers in 6 dogs that were not irradiated and in 11 dogs that subsequently received radiation to the pancreas and proximal part of the duodenum. The dogs were monitored clinically for 135 days and then euthanatized and necropsied. Each gastrojejunostomy site was preserved in formalin and the stomal diameter was measured. No mechanical complications were encountered with the use of surgical staplers and no leakage was observed at the staple closure sites before abdominal closure. All dogs vomited approximately 100 ml of coagulated blood 4 to 8 hours after surgery, and 300 to 400 ml of brown fluid after approximately 24 hours. Vomiting was the most common clinical finding after the first 24 hours. Vomiting was subjectively graded from 1 to 3 with grade 1 representing the least severe problem and grade 3 the most severe. Grade 1 vomiting occurred in 12 of 16 dogs that survived 135 days; in the other four dogs, vomiting was classified as grade 2 or 3. All dogs with grade 1 vomiting had stomal diameters of 1.7 to 2.9 cm (mean, 2.2 +/- 0.4 cm standard deviation). Dogs with grade 2 or 3 vomiting had stomal diameters of 2.2 to 4.0 cm (mean, 3.2 +/- 0.8 cm standard deviation). The difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.005). The percentage of weight gained or lost was recorded for each dog. Two nonirradiated dogs gained body weight, whereas the other nonirradiated dogs and all irradiated dogs lost body weight.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)