Appropriately prepared autologous PG, an inexpensive, readily available blood derivative, applied topically results in more rapid healing of chronic non-healing decubital ulcers in dogs than those treated by use of paraffin-impregnated gauzes.

The alpha2 adrenoceptor agonist medetomidine (MED) is an equal racemic mixture of two enantiomers, dexmedetomidine (DEX) and levomedetomidine (LEV); the LEV enantiomer is generally considered to be pharmacologically inactive, whereas the DEX enantiomer is active (Virtanen et al., 1988; MacDonald et al., 1991; Savola et al., 1991). Clinical studies in dogs and cats have shown that the pharmacodynamic effects of DEX are twice as potent as MED racemic mixture, therefore DEX administered at half the dose compared with MED for sedation; such as MED, DEX sedative and analgesic effects are antagonised by atipamezole (Cullen et al., 1996; Ansah et al., 1998; Kuusela et al., 2000; Ansah et al., 2000; Mendes et al., 2003; Granholm et al., 2006). DEX has been approved in Italy for clinical use in dogs and cats since 2008, and immediately we started to use it for dog and cat sedation. The DEX sedation effect in the dog is looked like MED, whereas the muscular relaxant effect in the cat was lower than MED. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the muscular relaxant effects in cats following DEX or MED used at bioequivalent dose

A 20-month-old male Rottweiler dog was presented with the complaint of chronic right forelimb lameness that was unresponsive to conservative treatment. Physical examination allowed for the topographical identification of the source of the problem as a firm enlargement of the soft tissues that was partially movable from humeral bone and compatible with an alteration of the triceps brachii muscle. Radiographic images showed signs that were highly suggestive of myositis ossificans. Computed tomography allowed for a more accurate characterization of the lesion, to exclude involvement of the elbow joint and humeral bone, and to localize anatomically the lesion in the caput accessorium and longum of the triceps brachii muscle. Surgical excision of the ossified portion of the triceps muscle was performed. Histological examination of the excised tissue substantiated the diagnosis of myositis ossificans. A one year clinical and radiographic follow-up examination showed a complete recovery, with no evidence of complications or recurrence. Despite myositis ossificans in dogs having previously been identified in the hindlimbs, this case of myositis ossificans circumscripta of the triceps muscle suggests that it may also occur in the muscles of the forelimb.

No abstract

To determine whether ozone (a powerful germicidal agent) administered by autohemotherapy would be useful for treat- 

ment of acute interdigital phlegmon (foot rot) in dairy cows, 60 animals affected by clinical signs of foot rot were used 

in this trial. Twenty dairy cows were assigned to one of the three treatment groups: ceftiour sodium 1.0 mg/kg Body 

Weight (B.W.) i.v. every 12 h; oxytetracycline 6.0 mg/kg B.W. i.v. every 24 h; ozone 60 mg in 1000 ml of blood by i.v. 

autohemotherapy every 24 h. Treatments stopped when animals were no longer lame. All the lameness stopped after 

three days of ceftiour treatment, three days of oxytetracycline treatment and one day of ozone autohemotherapy treat- 

ment. Use of ozone in autohemotherapy for dairy cow foot rot was as effective as ceftiour and oxytetracycline treatments, 

and resulted to be the best one because milk and meat obtained from dairy cows treated with ozone were not subject to 

withdrawal time.