Background: Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (CEHPSS) are rare in cats.Outcome after attenuation of CEHPSS with thin film has been described in a small number of cases.Objectives: To describe the clinical presentation, postoperative complications, and outcome of cats treated with thin film to attenuate CEHPSS.Animals: Thirty-four cats with CEHPSS were identified from the database of 3 institutions over 9 years.Methods: Retrospective study. Medical records were reviewed to identify cats with a diagnosis of a CEHPSS that underwent surgical attenuation. Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts were suspected from clinical signs, clinicopathologic findings, and diagnostic imaging, and confirmed at exploratory laparotomy. Cats treated with thin film band attenuation were included. Postoperative complications and follow-up were recorded.Results: Complications were recorded in 11 of 34 cats. Deaths related to CEHPSS occurred in 6 of 34; 4 cats did not survive to discharge. Persistent seizures were the cause of death in 4 cats. Seizures were recorded in 8 of 34 cats after surgery; all these cats received preoperative antiepileptic drugs. Serum bile acid concentrations normalized in 25 of 28 of the cats for which data was available. Three cats had persistently increased serum bile acid concentrations and underwent a second exploratory laparotomy. One had a patent shunt, the other 2 had multiple acquired portosystemic shunts. Median follow-up was 8 months (0.5-84 months).Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts attenuation using thin film in cats carries a good short-and mid-term prognosis if they survive the postoperative period. Seizures were the most common cause of death. K E Y W O R D S bile acids, feline, seizures, shunt closure, thin film Abbreviations: CEHPSS, congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts; CPSS, congenital portosystemic shunt.

OBJECTIVES To describe the presentation, diagnosis, cause, complications and outcome in 14 dogs that presented with a parotid sialocoele and that were treated by complete parotidectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Multi‐institutional retrospective study. RESULTS Each dog presented with a non‐painful, fluctuant, soft tissue mass over the lateral aspect of the face in the region of the parotid salivary gland. Diagnosis was made by sialoradiography (3/14), CT (3/14), ultrasound (11/14) and MRI (2/14). The cause of the sialocoele could be determined in 8 of 14 patients and included: foreign body (2/14), sialolithiasis (1/14), neoplasia (3/14), salivary gland lipomatosis (1/14) and trauma (1/14). Treatment incurred one anaesthetic complication (regurgitation) and seven postoperative surgical complications [self‐limiting seroma formation (2/14), haemorrhage (1/14), wound dehiscence (1/14), abscessation 7 months postoperatively (1/14) and facial nerve paralysis (2/14)]. Sialocoele did not recur in any dog during a median follow‐up time of 14 months. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Parotidectomy has been considered a technically challenging procedure but can have a good success rate with long‐term resolution of the clinical symptoms. Intra‐ and postoperative complications are reasonably common.

Objective: To determine the frequency and type of healing complications arising after the use of the caudal auricular axial pattern flap to close defects on the head in dogs and cats. Material and MethOds: Multi-centre retrospective cohort study. Centres were recruited by the Association for Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery Research Cooperative. Medical records of 11 centres were reviewed, and data from all dogs and cats treated with a caudal auricular axial pattern flap were retrieved. The following data were recorded: signalment, reason for reconstruction, flap dimensions, anatomic landmarks used, histological diagnosis, flap healing and whether revision surgery was required. results: Twenty-eight cases were included: 16 dogs and 12 cats. Flap length: width ratio was approximately 3:1 and flap length extended to the scapular spine in most cases. Optimal wound healing occurred in five of 16 (31%) dogs and six of 12 (50%) cats. Wound dehiscence without flap necrosis occurred in one of 16 (6%) dogs and one of 12 (8%) cats. Wound dehiscence with flap necrosis occurred in 10 of 16 (63%) dogs and five of 12 (42%) cats. Revision surgery was performed in eight of 16 (50%) dogs and three of 12 (25%) cats.clinical significance: The caudal auricular axial pattern flap can provide full thickness skin coverage for large defects on the head in dogs and cats. Partial flap necrosis is a common complication, and revision surgery may be required in order to achieve final wound closure.

K-wires can be used successfully as alignment aids during CCWO and help to create a significantly more orthogonal osteotomy. This allows a significant reduction in the difference between the preoperative and postoperative angles of valgus or varus, which may reduce the risk of developing a clinically important iatrogenically introduced valgus/varus deformity postoperatively.

Stabilization of vertebral bodies with precontoured SOP placed through bilateral thoracotomies may be considered as a treatment option for dogs with thoracic kyphosis and secondary myelopathy.

SummaryFeline combined diaphyseal radial and ulnar fractures were reviewed in a retrospective study of cases that were admitted to two university teaching hospitals. A high incidence of complications was noted, with 6/26 (23.1%) of cases requiring revision surgery. Open fractures were significantly more likely to require revision surgery. The two main repair methods were external skeletal fixation (ESF) or radial plating. The success rate was greater for radial plating, with only 1/10 (10%) cases requiring revision versus 4/14 (28.6%) for ESF. However, ESF tended to be applied to the more complicated fractures. Stabilisation of both bones proved to be an effective repair strategy with only 1/8 cases (12.5%) requiring revision versus 5/18 cases (27.8%) where only one bone was stabilised. Synostoses and radiohumeral luxation were noted as complications associated with the fractures stabilised by ESF. Final limb function following recovery was assessed as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in 93.3% of cases.

Differences in mechanical properties exist between nominally identical suture materials from different manufacturers.

An 11-year-old female domestic shorthair cat with a previous history of having been spayed, presented with signs of abdominal distension, lethargy and anorexia of 1 week's duration. On the basis of radiological and ultrasonographic findings a tentative diagnosis of pyometra was made. Exploratory coeliotomy revealed a 900 degrees left horn uterine torsion along the longitudinal axis. Ovariohysterectomy was performed without correction of the torsion. To the authors' knowledge this is the first case report of uterine torsion in a non-gravid cat.