Business of Orthopedics

In humans, tear volume increases during emotional arousal. To our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated the relationship between emotional arousal and tear volume in animals.

Objective-To investigate the safety and efficacy of oral administration of the serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor trazodone hydrochloride to facilitate confinement and calming after orthopedic surgery in dogs. Design-Prospective open-label clinical trial. Animals-36 client-owned dogs that underwent orthopedic surgery. Procedures-Starting the day after surgery, dogs were administered trazodone (approx 3.5 mg/kg [1.6 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h) with tramadol (4 to 6 mg/kg [1.8 to 2.7 mg/lb], PO, q 8 to 12 h) for pain management.

Objective-To determine the optimal method for use of the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) to quantitate responses of dogs with osteoarthritis to treatment with carprofen or placebo. Animals-150 dogs with osteoarthritis. Procedures-Data were analyzed from 2 studies with identical protocols in which owner-completed CBPIs were used. Treatment for each dog was classified as a success or failure by comparing the pain severity score (PSS) and pain interference score (PIS) on day 0 (baseline) with those on day 14.

Objective-To identify potential risk factors for agility-related injuries among dogs. Design-Internet-based, retrospective, cross-sectional survey. Animals-3,801 privately owned dogs participating in agility training or trials. Procedures-A retrospective electronic survey was used to investigate potential risk factors for injury among dogs participating in agility-related activities. Respondents were handlers recruited through member lists of large canine agility associations in Canada and the United Kingdom and through promotion on an agility blog site.