SummaryReasons for performing study: Antimicrobial intravenous regional limb perfusion (IV-RLP) is clinically performed on anaesthetised or sedated horses with or without regional anaesthesia. To date, no scientific data is available on the clinical and pharmacokinetic effects of these anaesthetic protocols on antimicrobial IV-RLP, which is believed to result in better tourniquet efficiency due to decreased movement. Objective:To determine the effects of regional or general anaesthesia on the clinical and synovial pharmacokinetic parameters of amikacin administered by IV-RLP to horses. Methods:Eight healthy horses received 4 treatments of amikacin IV-RLP in a randomised, blinded, cross-over design: standing sedation without regional anaesthesia (CNT), standing sedation with intravenous regional anaesthesia (IVA), standing sedation with perineural regional anaesthesia (PNA) or general anaesthesia (GA). Synovial fluid amikacin concentrations were measured over 24 hours and regional pharmacokinetic parameters calculated. Heart and respiratory rates, visual analogue scale (VAS) of discomfort, number of times the limb was lifted and number of additional sedations administered were recorded. ANOVA cross-over analysis was applied with significance level at P < 0.05. Results:Amikacin concentrations and regional pharmacokinetic parameters did not differ significantly among treatments. Scores of VAS (mean ± SD) were significantly lower with PNA (19 ± 15) versus IVA (69 ± 36) or CNT (81 ± 13) (P < 0.001). Significantly less lifting of the limb (mean ± SD) occurred with PNA (20 ± 20) versus CNT (54 ± 22) (P < 0.04). Conclusions:Perineural regional anaesthesia before IV-RLP was most effective in providing comfort to standing, sedated horses without significantly affecting the regional pharmacokinetic parameters of amikacin. High variability of synovial amikacin concentrations was present.Potential relevance: The comfort of horses undergoing standing IV-RPL can be increased by performing perineural anaesthesia prior to treatment. The use of general anaesthesia for IV-RLP is not justified based on this study.

The combination of an intraoperative constant rate infusion of lidocaine and medetomidine did not adversely affect cardiovascular function in isoflurane-anaesthetised horses and improved the quality of recovery when compared to an intraoperative infusion of lidocaine alone.

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Objective To compare success and complication rates, based on staining of nerves and other structures, among three techniques of paravertebral brachial plexus blockade (PBPB) in dogs. Study design Prospective randomized design.Animals A total of 68 thoracic limbs from 34 dogs. Methods ResultsThe median (range) number of nerves stained was 2 (0-4) with BL, 1 (0-3) with NS and 1 (0-4) with US guided technique. No significant differences in staining of C6, C8 and T1 or other structures were found among techniques. Nerve C7 was more likely to be stained by BL (p=0.05). Time to perform the blocks was significantly different among techniques, with mean ± SD duration in minutes of 3.6 ± 1.8 with BL, 6.3 ± 2.7 with US and 12.2 ± 5 with NS. The most common complication was staining of the spinal cord (29%, 38% and 39% with BL, NS and US, respectively).Conclusions Success rates were low and complication rates were relatively high, based on staining, with the three techniques.Clinical relevance The use of more advanced techniques for PBPB in dogs is not justified according to this study. Clinical significance of the complications encountered in this study should be evaluated.

We evaluated behavioural changes in domestic cats during a short-term hospitalisation using a novel cat demeanour scoring system. Thirty-five, healthy client-owned cats admitted for neutering were enrolled. Cats were housed in a standardised cat ward for a short-term hospitalisation period (3-5 days) and demeanour scores were recorded once daily. The scoring system classified cats into one of five behavioural groupings: friendly-and-confident, friendlyand-shy, withdrawn-and-protective, withdrawn-and-aggressive, and overtly-aggressive. Total demeanour score decreased over time (P<0.001) and the demeanour category improved (P<0.001). The intra-class correlation was 0.843 (P<0.001) and kappa was 0.606 (P<0.001) suggesting good repeatability and agreement among investigators. The demeanour scoring system was effective in detecting behaviour change in healthy cats undergoing a short-term hospitalisation period. The findings suggest that healthy cats require two days to acclimatise to hospitalisation.