Objective To describe the use and outcome of percutaneous cystolithotomy (PCCL) for removal of urethral and bladder stones in dogs and cats. Study design Retrospective case series. Animals Sixty‐eight client‐owned dogs and cats. Methods Records were reviewed and analyzed for dogs and cats that underwent PCCL between January 2012 and December 2017. Signalment, clinical presentation, laboratory and imaging data, procedure time, use of lithotripsy, biopsy, perioperative and immediate postoperative complications, hospitalization times, stone composition, and urine culture results were recorded. Owners were contacted by phone or email 3 weeks after the procedure. Follow‐up communications with the owner and referring veterinarian were also recorded. Results Seventy percutaneous cystolithotomies were performed in 59 dogs and nine cats. The median duration of the procedure was 95 minutes (45‐420), and lithotripsy was required in 3% (2/70) of PCCL. Complications during the procedure were reported in one case. In eighty‐three percent of procedures (58/70), animals were discharged within 24 hours postoperative. Twenty‐four percent (16/68) of animals had minor complications (lower urinary tract signs), and one dog had a major complication (surgical wound dehiscence) during the 3 weeks after the operation. Long‐term follow‐up revealed stone recurrence in 21% of cases followed more than a year after the procedure (7/33). Conclusion Percutaneous cystolithotomy allowed removal of bladder and urethral stones with rapid postoperative recovery and few major perioperative or short‐term postoperative complications. Clinical significance Percutaneous cystolithotomy provides an attractive minimally invasive surgical alternative for removal of lower urinary tract stones in small animals.

No abstract

Objective To report a surgical technique for pancreaticoduodenostomy and its outcomes in a cat. Animals A 14‐year‐old domestic cat. Study design Case report. Methods A cat was referred to our hospital with a large abdominal mass. On ultrasonographic examination, this mass was identified as a large fluid‐filled cavity in place of the right pancreatic duct and involved the pancreatic and accessory pancreatic ducts. A small echoic cavity was observed in the left pancreatic lobe. Serous fluid was collected from the large cavity. On cytology, the small cavity was consistent with an abscess. A partial left pancreatectomy was performed to remove the abscess. The large cavity was excised with the remnant of the right pancreatic lobe and body. After ligation of the pancreatic ducts, the left pancreatic duct was isolated and an end‐to‐side pancreaticoduodenostomy was performed. Results The cat recovered without complications. Histological examination was consistent with chronic pancreatitis and peripheral inflammation. No evidence of postoperative pancreatic insufficiency was detected on clinical examination or laboratory findings. A focal ampulla‐like dilation of the pancreatic duct was noted on ultrasonography, with no other complications at the anastomosis. The cat presented 225 days postoperatively with respiratory distress. Multiple nodules were identified throughout the lung parenchyma on radiographs. Abnormalities on ultrasonographic examination included an enlarged liver infiltrated with nodules. Due to poor prognosis, the cat was euthanized. Final histopathological diagnosis was diffuse carcinoma. Conclusion Pancreaticoduodenostomy restored pancreaticointestinal continuity after extensive pancreatectomy involving the pancreatic ducts and resulted in long‐term survival in the cat reported here.

A free‐ranging juvenile hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) presented to the rehabilitation centre with a chronic full thickness laceration of the right carpal joint, leaving the distal part of the flipper attached by only 2 cm of soft tissue. Open luxation of the carpal joint was noted on radiographs. Surgical reconstruction was elected despite extensive transection and osteo‐articular damage. Soft tissues were debrided and sutured. A cerclage wire was used to improve bone apposition. A type II external skeletal fixator was placed to promote soft tissue healing and pseudojoint formation. The turtle adapted well to the external fixator. Osteolysis was documented on radiographs four weeks postoperatively, and lesions improved with florfenicol treatment. The fixator was removed 3.5 months after the procedure. A year postoperatively, the function of the operated limb was normal, and the turtle was released into the ocean.