Sang-Il Suh

Cardiorespiratory and anesthetic effects produced by the combination of butorphanol, medetomidine, and alfaxalone administered intramuscularly in Beagle dogs

This study evaluated anesthesia quality, degree of analgesia and cardiorespiratory parameters after intramuscular (IM) injection of a combination of butorphanol (0.1 mg/kg), medetomidine (10 µg/kg) and alfaxalone (1.5 mg/kg) in ten healthy adult Beagle dogs. Rectal temperature (T), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (fR), arterial pressure, arterial blood gases and M-mode echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) indices were measured before drug administration and every 10 min thereafter until extubation. Mean duration of anesthesia, recovery and analgesia were 89 ± 17, 6 ± 1 and 80 ± 12 min. HR, fR, partial pressure of arterial CO2 and O2, arterial pressure, and LV contractility were significantly altered during anesthesia. IM administration of the drug combination provided acceptable anesthesia, but produced substantial cardiorespiratory suppression.

Assessment of Clinical Outcome in Dogs with Naturally Infected with Dirofilaria immitis after American Heartworm Society Protocol vs Slow Kill Method

Heartworm disease (HWD) in dogs is a life-threatening mosquito-borne disease resulting in right-sided congestive heart failure and inflammatory pulmonary disease. Due to complications from adulticidal therapy with melarsomine, slow kill protocol either with preventive dose of ivermectin or combined with doxycycline has been proposed for an alternative adultcidal therapy in dogs with HWD. Therefore, this study evaluated the clinical outcome of adultcidal therapy in dogs with class II stage of HWD after treating either American Heartworm Society (AHS) or slow kill protocol for 10 months. Clinical outcome after therapy was evaluated by clinical, radiographic and echocardiographic examination along with hematology before (D0) and after therapy (D300). Although clinical signs associated with HWD were all resolved after therapy in both groups, the infection was not cleared out 67% of dogs treated by slow kill protocol at the end of therapy. Furthermore, pulmonary arterial flow of acceleration time to ejection time ratio (AT/ET) and the right pulmonary artery distensibility index (RPADI) have been firstly used for detecting pulmonary hypertension in this study group. The pulmonary hypertension was more common in dogs with mild clinical signs, although tricuspid and pulmonary regurgitation were not detectable in most dogs in this study. Our study findings suggested that the slow kill protocol might not be efficacious enough to clear out HWD in dogs and more attention on the presence of pulmonary hypertension might be necessary for effective management of HWD in dogs.

Crossed fused renal ectopia in a Persian cat

Case summary This report describes a rare case of crossed fused renal ectopia (CFRE) in a cat. A mature intact male Persian cat presented with bloody nasal discharge and ascites. Diagnostic studies revealed an ectopic left kidney fused with an orthotopic right kidney and a concurrent feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) infection. The FIP was responsible for clinical signs in this cat, while clinical signs associated with CFRE were not obvious. Despite receiving intensive treatment, the cat died. A post-mortem examination was not performed because the owners declined approval. Relevance and novel information To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of L-shaped CFRE in a cat. In addition, this report describes the CT features of L-shaped CFRE in a cat.

Evaluation of quality of anesthesia and analgesia and of vital signs after intramuscular administration of a combination of butorphanol, medetomidine and alfaxalone in cats.

This study evaluated the quality of anesthesia, duration of analgesia and changes in vital signs after intramuscular administration of a combination of butorphanol, medetomidine and alfaxalone in domestic cats. Ten healthy adult domestic cats (weighing 2.9 ± 0.5 kg) were used in this study. Rectal temperature (T), pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (fR) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) were measured and recorded prior to intramuscular (IM) administration of butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg), medetomidine (20 ug/kg) and alfaxalone (5 mg/kg) and then every 10 min until return of consciousness. Qualitative scores for induction of anesthesia and recovery were allocated, duration of anesthesia and recovery were calculated, and adverse events were recorded. A needle prick with a 22-gauge hypodermic needle was used to assess analgesia. Scores for induction and recovery quality were acceptable. No significant adverse events except nausea (7/10) and vomiting (5/10) were observed. The mean ± SD times from induction to extubation and to standing (full recovery) were 114 ± 8 and 125 ± 7 min, respectively. There were statistically significant changes in PR, fR and SAP after induction of anesthesia. The combination of butorphanol, medetomidine and alfaxalone provided acceptable quality of anesthesia and analgesia and exerted minimal cardiopulmonary effects in domestic cats.