Short-term radiographic and clinical outcome of tibial plateau levelling osteotomy stabilised with anatomically contoured six-hole locking compression plates for the treatment of small dogs with large tibial plateau angle suggests a very low risk of complications. Rotation beyond the "safe point" is necessary to perform full rotation in some cases, but does not appear to incur an increased risk of tibial tuberosity fracture.

Silicone tracheal stoma stents may be used as an alternative to conventional tracheostomy tubes in selected dogs with upper airway obstruction. Long-term use of the stent beyond five days is not recommended because of granulation tissue formation. The long-term consequences of partial tracheal ring resection are unknown.

The medical records of 12 dogs with chronic pyogranulomatous pleural disease unresponsive to medical management were reviewed retrospectively. Resection of the mediastinal pleura (mediastinectomy) was performed through a median sternotomy to remove all diseased and surgically accessible mediastinal pleural tissue. Dogs were re-examined two weeks postoperatively, and long-term outcome was evaluated by contacting owners by phone. Twelve dogs underwent mediastinectomy; additional surgeries included subtotal pericardiectomy (8), lung lobectomy (4) and partial diaphragmatic resection (2). Histology of resected tissue consistently revealed neutrophilic, pyogranulomatous cellulitis/serositis. Foreign material was evident in the mediastinal tissue of five dogs and microorganisms were recovered from three dogs. Two dogs developed pneumothorax immediately postoperatively; one dog developed haemothorax one month postoperatively and was euthanased. Median follow-up time was eight months (range: 6-43 months); eleven dogs were alive and considered to be symptom-free by their owners. Mediastinectomy resulted in complete resolution of symptoms in most dogs (92 per cent) and was associated with a low incidence of major complications. The results of this study indicated that mediastinectomy results in favourable outcome for dogs with chronic pleural pyogranulomatous pleural disease unresponsive to medical management.

Objective To describe and compare fluoroscopic guidance for placement of wide‐bore thoracostomy tubes (FGTT) to traditional, blind placement of thoracostomy tubes (BPTT). Study design Prospective clinical trial. Animals Twenty client‐owned dogs. Methods Dogs requiring medical management of pleural effusion received a BPTT, whereas dogs undergoing postoperative management of pneumothorax and/or pleural fluid after lateral thoracotomy received an FGTT. Time of placement, accuracy of positioning, radiation exposure, and complications were compared between groups. Results Initial placement of BPTT took a mean of 168 seconds (range, 89‐197), whereas adequate placement was radiographically confirmed at 20 minutes and 38 seconds (range, 7 minutes and 57 seconds to 39 min). Initial placement of FGTT took a mean time of 108 seconds (range, 50‐341, P = .17), and adequate placement was confirmed at 125 seconds (range, 50‐341, P < .001). Major errors in placement requiring removal and replacement occurred in 2 dogs for BPTT and in none for FGTT. Procedural complications did not differ between groups, and no postoperative complication occurred within the first 12 hours after placement. Radiation entrance surface dose was lower in the BPTT group (P = .004), but stochastic radiation doses did not differ. Conclusion Fluoroscopic guidance of wide‐bore thoracostomy tubes accelerated the time to accurate tube placement and alleviated the requirement for removal and replacement in this population. Although use of fluoroscopy increased radiation entrance surface dose, the dose was not clinically significant. Clinical significance Fluoroscopic guidance of wide‐bore thoracostomy tubes should be considered as an alternative to traditional, blind placement.

A five-year-old male neutered border collie presented with a soft tissue sarcoma in his right flank. CT revealed that the mass originated from the right rectus abdominis muscle. The mass was removed en bloc with 3 cm lateral margins and full-thickness abdominal wall resection. A 15 cm diameter full-thickness defect was created in the right caudal ventrolateral aspect of the abdomen, which was closed in one stage by transposition of the cranial and caudal bellies of the sartorius muscle. The recovery was favourable and the histopathology-immunohistochemistry results provided a final diagnosis of high-grade rhabdomyosarcoma and confirmed complete resection of the mass. The dog was fully ambulatory with no evidence of lameness, metastatic disease or recurrence of local disease 12 months postoperatively.