Objective To determine whether the sensitivity of clinical examination for assessing upper airway disease severity in 3 breeds of brachycephalic dogs can be improved by incorporating an exercise test (ET) or by auscultation of a laryngeal stridor to predict laryngeal collapse. Study design Prospective clinical study. Animals Client‐owned brachycephalic dogs (n = 44 ET; n = 57 laryngeal stridor assessment). Methods In the first part of the study, clinical examinations were performed at rest and after 5‐minute walk and 3‐minute trot tests, and a grade reflective of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) severity was assigned. Whole‐body barometric plethysmography was used as a comparative, objective measure of disease severity. In the second part of the study, the degree of laryngeal collapse present in dogs undergoing BOAS surgery was compared to pre‐exercise and postexercise laryngeal stridor detected during functional testing. Results The sensitivity of clinical examination for BOAS diagnosis was 56.7% pre‐ET, 70% after a 5‐minute walk test, and 93.3% after a 3‐minute trot test. The sensitivity of laryngeal stridor as a predictor of laryngeal collapse was improved after exercise (70%) compared with before exercise (60%). Specificity of laryngeal stridor for laryngeal collapse was 100% (pre‐exercise and postexercise). Conclusion The sensitivity of clinical examination for BOAS diagnosis was improved by inclusion of an ET, particularly the 3‐minute trot test. Audible laryngeal stridor was highly specific but only moderately sensitive for laryngeal collapse. Clinical significance Inclusion of a 3‐minute trot test and careful auscultation for laryngeal stridor are recommended during BOAS assessment of brachycephalic dogs.

OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes of dogs treated surgically for oral, nontonsillar, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and fibrosarcomas (FSAs) with outcomes of dogs treated with a combination of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy; to explore whether postoperative, hypofractionated radiotherapy improved outcomes of dogs with incomplete excisions; and to identify prognostic factors associated with outcome. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 87 client-owned dogs that had undergone maxillectomy or mandibulectomy for treatment of oral SCC or FSA between 2000 and 2009. PROCEDURES Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses to evaluate potential prognostic factors associated with patient outcome. RESULTS Median survival time (MST) for all 87 dogs was 2,049 days, but was not reached for dogs with SCC, and was only 557 days for dogs with FSA; tumor type was a significant predictor of survival time. Dogs undergoing postoperative radiotherapy after incomplete excision of oral SCCs had a significantly longer MST (2,051 days) than did dogs with incompletely excised tumors and no radiotherapy (MST, 181 days). Postoperative radiotherapy of dogs with incompletely excised FSAs did not appear to offer protective value (MST, 299 days with radiotherapy and 694 days without radiotherapy). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Wide-margin surgical excision should be considered the gold-standard treatment for dogs with oral SCC or FSA. For dogs with oral SCCs without clean surgical margins, survival times may be improved by providing postoperative, hypofractionated radiotherapy.

Full-thickness skin grafting had a higher success rate in cats than in dogs. Skin grafts applied to the antebrachium, compared with other locations on the distal aspects of the limbs, were associated with a poorer prognosis.

The guided synthesis and partial characterization of Ag and Au nanoparticles using UV–vis and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies (SERS) is described in this article. The experiment asks students to search literature for a synthetic preparation for Au and Ag nanoparticles, for organic molecules to adsorb to the nanoparticles, and for routes to characterize their nanoparticles and nanoparticles conjugates. After successful synthesis as determined by UV–vis absorption peaks has been achieved, students bind organic molecules (ones in which literature has proven to bind to Au and Ag nanoparticles) to the nanoparticles in solution. Once binding has been determined via a slight shift in the original nanoparticles' UV–vis absorption peak, students determine SERS activity through use of a modular Raman system that uses a 514.5-nm Ar+ laser. The experiment may be modified depending on instructor preference to focus on one of three areas: inorganic syntheses (Au and Ag nanoparticles), investigating the site through which functional groups of organic molecules bind, or investigating enhancement factors of different metallic nanoparticles by SERS. These studies can be achieved within five to six, three-hour laboratory periods.