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A 2.5-year-old female Valais black-nosed sheep was referred to the University Clinic for Ruminants at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, with a history of sudden lameness after shearing. The sheep showed a moderate mixed lameness of the right hind limb, the hip joint area was painful on palpation; the pelvic limb was presented as stretched as possible. After the clinical examination, the suspected diagnosis of a right-sided hip joint dislocation was made, which was subsequently confirmed radiologically (luxatio ossis femoris dextra to caudoventral and medial). An open, manual reposition was performed under general anesthesia. A toggle pin was used as a prosthetic ligament replacement for the femoral head ligament, further stabilization was achieved by means of an iliofemoral loop fixation within the fascia of the gluteal muscles.The movement possibilities of the sheep during the postoperative healing phase were severely restricted and 8 weeks of stall rest were ensured. The healing process was uncomplicated. Telephone enquiry 6 months following the surgical intervention revealed that the sheep was free of lameness, kept up with the herd, and displayed a normal general condition.The success of surgery and the use of the procedure in livestock practice is limited by the necessity of rapid intervention after the trauma has occurred, the willingness of the animal owner to bear the costs associated with the operation under general anesthesia as well as to ensure the long post-operative follow-up care with controlled restriction of movement., Competing Interests: Die Autoren bestätigen, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht.Dieser Artikel ist Dr. H. Strobel gewidmet, der uns leider viel zu früh verlassen hat. Wir werden sein großes Wissen und kollegiales Wirken sehr vermissen und ihn stets in Erinnerung behalten., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Hip laxity is one of the predisposing factors of canine hip dysplasia. The early diagnosis of hip laxity allows veterinarians to prevent the participation of dysplastic dogs in breeding programs, which could lower the disease's prevalence due to its genetic background. Furthermore, it allows them to plan preventive/therapeutic procedures for mild/near-normal hips to reduce the symptoms of the disease at older ages. A reliable screening program must be repeatable and reproducible, and intra- and inter-observer studies can help us to determine the best methods. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the radiographic parameters used for the early diagnosis of hip dysplasia in Rottweilers at 8 and 12 months of age with five observers to assess the interobserver agreements. According to our findings, there were high interobserver agreements at both ages for the quantitative values, such as the center edge angle (CEA), dorsal acetabular rim slope (DARS), distraction index (DI), and Norberg angle (NA), whereas we recorded from poor to moderate agreements for the qualitative values, such as the grading of the dorsal acetabular rim (GDAR), grading of the degenerative joint disease (GDJD), location of the center of the femoral head (LCFH), and sclerosis of the cranial acetabular rim (SCAR).

Canine hip dysplasia is a complex and multifactorial disease. The early diagnosis of dysplastic dogs under one year of age helps veterinarians to plan proper preventive/therapeutic methods. Having an accurate screening method increases the chance of the early detection of dysplasia. The goal of our study was to assess the inter-observer reliability of eight radiographic parameters in four-month-old Rottweilers. Radiographs of the 28 Rottweilers were investigated by five experienced observers. The radiographs were taken in ventrodorsal view with extended legs, frog-leg ventrodorsal view, distraction view, and dorsal acetabular rim view. Four quantitative parameters such as Norberg angle (NA), distraction index (DI), dorsal acetabular rim slope (DARS), and center edge angle (CEA) and four qualitative parameters such as sclerosis of the cranial acetabular rim (SCAR), location of the center of the femoral head (LCFH), grading of the degenerative joint disease (GDJD), and grading of the dorsal acetabular rim (GDAR) were evaluated. High inter-observer agreements were recorded for quantitative values, whereas the inter-observer agreement of the qualitative parameters was low. It can be deduced that the evaluated quantitative parameters are reliable, and a combination of these methods with clinical examinations might increase the accuracy of the examinations.

The assessment of limb conformations in veterinary orthopedics is a significant tool used to determine the quantitative degree of limb malalignments. As in human medicine, various studies have been undertaken in veterinary medicine to determine the values in different dog breeds and to determine the values in healthy and diseased dogs. The objectives of this systematic review were to evaluate the reported values in these articles separately, to compile the standard values, and to compare the values between dogs with and without various orthopedic diseases. All of the articles included in this systematic review were collected by screening the Scopus, PubMed/Medline, and Web of Science databases. The articles were evaluated according to the measured alignments, imaging methods, dog breeds, and the health status of the dogs. Each alignment was investigated separately, and the results are summarized. Twenty-nine studies were included in this systematic review. According to the studies, in the frontal plane, distal femoral alignments, as well as proximal and distal tibial alignments, corresponded to the severity of the medial patellar luxation. The difference between affected and non-affected dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease was limited to the proximal tibial alignments in the sagittal plane.

Canine hip dysplasia is a multifactorial disorder characterized by hip laxity and osteoarthritis. The early diagnosis of hip laxity is an important topic in small animal orthopedics. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between clinical orthopedic examinations and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) scoring method. Thirty purebred Rottweilers were examined at approximately four (20 ± 2 weeks), eight (35 ± 2 weeks), and twelve months of age (54 ± 1 weeks), respectively. The Ortolani, Barlow, and Bardens tests and reduction/subluxation angle measurements were performed at each time. FCI scoring was conducted at the third examination time. Positive correlations were recorded between the reduction angle and Ortolani test, reduction angle and FCI score, and Ortolani test and FCI score for the second and third examination dates. No correlation was observed between the subluxation angle and other methods. Despite previous studies reporting 16-20 weeks as the earliest age for diagnosing hip laxity in dogs, in our study, early diagnosis was possible from the age of 35 ± 2 weeks. This difference might originate from the small sample size, low number of the dogs with severe grades of laxity, and breed differences.

Objectives: This study aimed to verify if a significant difference exists between parameters in the early evaluation of normal and near-normal hip joints, to evaluate the influence of age and breed on the parameters, and to clarify the usefulness of a total score for differentiating between Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) grade A and B hips., Methods: A total of 231 dogs were classified according to whether they had FCI A or B hips at adulthood, with measurements obtained at 14-28 weeks of age. The total score was calculated by the summation of the following quantitative parameters: angle of subluxation (AS), angle of reduction (AR), laxity index (LI), and dorsal acetabular rim slope (DARS). Logistic regression analysis was performed to establish the probability of the study population to develop an FCI B hip based on the total score. This was repeated for the highest score in combination with the worst-rated hip and once more for breeds., Results: No correlation between age and the parameters was found in the cohort, or for FCI A and B. The values of all the parameters were significantly lower in the FCI A group than in the FCI B group (AR: 4.42° ± 6.0° vs 7.62° ± 7.2°; AS: 0.45° ± 1.9° vs 1.55° ± 3.8°; LI: 0.32 ± 0.1 vs 0.36 ± 0.1; DARS: 3.30° ± 1.8° vs 3.77° ± 1.9°; TS: 11.47 ± 8.3 vs 16.65 ± 10.9). Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers showed significant differences between parameters for both FCI grades. The range, where FCI A and B hips can be predicted on the basis of the total score, was different when assessed for the entire cohort, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers., Clinical Significance: Our results show that even in normal and near-normal hips, the parameters significantly differed in the early evaluation. Moreover, cutoff values should be set for different breeds in the prediction of the FCI grade during early evaluation for a better breeding selection regarding canine hip dysplasia, one of the most common orthopedic diseases among large and giant breed dogs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Measurement of fore and pelvic limb alignment in veterinary orthopedics is significant, as it is in human medicine. The establishment of reference ranges for alignments and comparing measured ranges in diseased animals to these reference values would allow veterinarians to specify the quantitative degree of an angular deformity, plan suitable treatments and evaluate treatment outcomes. Patellar luxation is a common orthopedic disease in small animal clinics. Severe grades of MPL may present with bone deformities or abnormal alignments; therefore, evaluation of the measurement methods of femoral and tibial alignment in dogs with different grades of patellar luxation to assess the accuracy and reliability of the measurements could be useful. In this retrospective study radiographs of 21 client-owned Chihuahuas that had been presented to the Small Animal Surgery of Vetmeduni Vienna from 2012-2016 with a diagnose of patellar luxation were selected. The measurements were performed on frontal, lateral and axial view radiographs to determine the femoral and tibial angles and to evaluate the intra- and inter-observer variabilities of the protocol. Radiographs of each dog were investigated by three observers. Intra-observer variability was based on measurements by each observer who repeated the protocol two times to evaluate repeatability. Inter-observer variability was based on the measurements between the three observers to evaluate the reproducibility of the protocol. The results of the study showed that 92.85% of inter-observer ICC (intra-class correlation coefficient) had high correlation, and the remaining 7.15% had good correlation. Intra-observer ICCs for measurements of the first observer were 28.57% high correlation and 50% good correlation. For the second observer, 100% high correlation was recorded, and for the third observer 71.42% high correlation and 14.28% good correlation was recorded. These results show that the selected methods have high correlation and could be used as a reliable method in veterinary orthopedics., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: Retrospective evaluation of the records of 32 small ruminant patients that were treated for limb fractures between 2001 and 2014., Materials and Methods: Records were analyzed regarding species, breed, and age of the animals, age, localization, and type of the fracture, the applied treatment method (conservative: using polyvinyl-chloride splints or casts; surgical: internal fixation techniques or limb amputation), and the final outcome., Results: The 16 goats and 16 sheep (18 male, 14 female) had a mean age of 1.5 years and a mean body weight of 37.8 kg. The age of the fracture ranged between one and 6 days in 23 animals (71.8 %), from 12 to 60 days in five animals (15.6 %), and was unknown in four patients (12.5 %). Of the 35 fractures (multiple fractures in three animals), 20 (57.1 %) were located at the rear limb and 15 (42.9 %) at the forelimb. Most frequently fractures involved the femur (28.6 %), followed by the radius and ulna (22.8 %), the metatarsus (20.0 %), and the metacarpus (14.3 %). Fractures were treated conservatively in 17 animals (63.0 %), whereas an internal fixation was performed in 10 animals, including in one sheep, which had been unsuccessfully treated by external coaptation first (n = 11, 40.7 %). Five animals were not treated because of concurrent additional disorders and a poor prognosis. The success rate was 94.1 % for conservative and 81.9 % for surgical treatment. In six animals (22.2 %), complications occurred during or after fracture treatment. Four of these cases had a good final outcome, whereas two animals had to be euthanized. The age and the body weight of the animals and the age of the fracture were not statistically correlated with the success of treatment., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Because of an overall treatment success rate of 92.6 %, it is strongly recommended that also in the practice, particularly conservative treatment of limb fractures in sheep and goats should be performed. In particular, metacarpal, metatarsal, and phalangeal fractures, which can frequently be diagnosed by careful and thorough palpation, have proved to be very suitable for conservative treatment. In contrast, internal fixation is the method of choice for proximal limb fractures.

Case History and Clinical Findings: A 3.3-year-old male alpaca, weighing 60 kg was referred for investigation of a severe left forelimb lameness of 4 weeks duration. A scapulohumeral subluxation had been diagnosed radiographically by the referring veterinarian., Clinical Findings and Diagnosis: Based on clinical, ultrasonographic and radiographic findings the diagnosis of cranio-lateral subluxation of the left humeral head was confirmed. In addition, a full thickness lesion (approximately 1×1 cm) of the articular cartilage on the caudomedial aspect of the humeral head was diagnosed by arthroscopy., Treatment and Outcome: Treatment included open reduction with internal fixation. Severe muscle contraction and local tissue fibrosis around the scapulohumeral joint (SHJ) required osteotomy of the acromion 3 cm proximal to the distal acromial edge, to allow adequate access. Internal stabilisation was achieved by placing tension band sutures between one cortical screw in the scapular neck and two cortical screws, with washers, craniolaterally on the greater tubercle of the humerus. Post-surgery, a carpal flexion sling was applied with the carpus maintained in 70° flexion for 4 weeks to avoid postoperative weight-bearing. An exercise programme was started 8 days after surgery and continued for 12 weeks. The alpaca had an uneventful postsurgical recovery and showed no lameness after 8 weeks. The long-term outcome was excellent; 21 months after surgery the alpaca was sound and the range of movement of the left SHJ was equal to the right SHJ., Clinical Relevance: Even in this chronic case of subluxation of the SHJ of 4 weeks duration, surgical treatment using osteotomy of the acromion, open reduction and internal fixation with extracapsular scapulohumeral tension sutures resulted in an excellent long-term outcome in this alpaca, despite the presence of a cartilage lesion.

A 7-year-old male Belgian Shepherd dog was presented with sudden onset of lateral recumbency and tetraparesis. At the level of the third cervical vertebra, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an intrameningeal and intramedullary mass lesion. The animal was subsequently euthanatized. A necropsy revealed a semitranslucent solid mass infiltrating dorsal and ventral dura mater and the spinal cord. Histologic examination revealed a lobulated pleomorphic mass, mainly resembling undifferentiated cartilage interspersed by spindle-shaped and polygonal cells with highly vacuolated cytoplasm (physaliphorous cells). Immunohistochemistry of the tumor cells demonstrated dual expression of vimentin and cytokeratin. Based on the histologic and immunohistochemical results, the diagnosis of a chordoma with chondromatous component was made.

A 15-month-old 25 kg female spayed American Staffordshire Terrier was examined to determine the cause of a six month period of lameness of the left pelvic limb. Signs of severe pain were evident on hyperextension and simultaneous internal rotation or abduction of the left hip joint; crepitus or instabiltiy was not detected. The diagnosis of avulsion fracture of the lesser trochanter was based on radiographs, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), supported by initial findings such as lameness and hip joint pain in extension. The dog was treated with strict confinement for eight weeks followed by a gradual increase in activity; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were given for one month. Three months later, the dog was clinically sound and unrestricted activity was resumed. Soundness was confirmed on follow-up 18 months after injury. CT and especially MRI were powerful diagnostic tools to identify chronic iliopsoas strains with an avulsion fracture of the lesser trochanter. Complete recovery ensued following conservative treatment only, despite the proximal diplacement of an avulsed segment of the lesser trochanter. Thus, traumatic injury to the iliopsoas muscle and to the lesser trochanter should be included as differential diagnosis in cases of hind leg lameness.