VAC therapy can be used as an ancillary treatment for distal extremity wounds in dogs before surgical repair as well as a method for securing skin grafts to the wound bed.

Bilirubin was previously considered a toxin byproduct of heme catabolism. However, a mounting body of evidence suggests that at physiological doses, bilirubin is a powerful antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic agent. Recent clinical studies have shown that human beings with genetically-induced hyperbilirubinemia (Gilbert Syndrome) are protected against coronary heart disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether administration of exogenous bilirubin to normal rats would convey similar protective effects in an experimental model of coronary ischemia. We hypothesized that intraperitoneal bilirubin administration 1 h before injury would decrease infarct area and preserve left ventricular (LV) systolic function when compared to non-treated rats. Coronary ischemia was induced by temporary (30 min) ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in control or bilirubin treated rats, followed by a 1-h period of reperfusion. LV function was estimated by measurements of fractional shortening (FS) and fractional area shortening using echocardiography. LV function decreased in both experimental groups after ischemia and reperfusion, although in bilirubin-treated rats FS was less depressed during the period of ischemia (18.8 vs. 25.8%, p = 0.034). Infarct size was significantly reduced in the bilirubin treated group compared to the non-treated group (13.34 vs. 25.5%, p = 0.0067). Based on the results of this study, bilirubin supplementation appears to provide significant decrease in infarct size although protective effects on LV function were noted only during the period of ischemia. This result also suggests that lipid soluble antioxidant bilirubin prevents the oxidation of cardiolipin and decreases the infarct size in the heart during ischemia.

An intrathoracic mass was discovered as an incidental finding in a 14-year-old, spayed, female Rottweiler cross during evaluation of urinary incontinence. Computed tomography suggested a pericardial or pleural location and high adipose content of the mass. The mass was removed via lateral thoracotomy with partial pericardectomy and was diagnosed as a pericardial lipoma. The dog recovered well, and there was no evidence of recurrence approximately one year later. Adipose tumours of the heart and its associated structures are rare in dogs and have been associated with both successful and fatal outcomes.

Two dogs that had ingested foreign bodies were presented with vomiting. The foreign bodies appeared as metal and dense on abdominal radiographs. Abdominal exploratory identified intestinal perforation in one case and gastrointestinal tissue trapped between the two foreign bodies adhered to each other in the second case. The foreign bodies were identified as magnets in one case and magnets and other metallic foreign bodies in the second case. Both dogs had excellent outcomes following surgical intervention. These cases demonstrate the danger of tissue entrapment between the foreign bodies as a result of the magnetic attraction between two objects. Dogs that are presented with a history of or are suspect for ingesting multiple magnets or a magnet and metal foreign bodies should be treated with surgical intervention because of the risk of gastrointestinal perforation as a result of magnetic attraction between the foreign bodies.

Proximal tibial metaphyseal fractures are an uncommon injury that occur in skeletally immature dogs from minimal trauma. Proximal tibial metaphyseal fractures have a characteristic curvilinear fracture configuration that affects mainly small breed dogs with a predominance for terrier breeds.