VSUR 3rd LE

• Dairy vs. beef type


  Economic value of animal
• Racing horse vs. riding horse


  Economic value of animal
• Breeding boar vs. gilt


  Economic value of animal
• Function of animal

  • Breeding
  • Lactating
  • Racing
  • Food
  • Equestrian
• Handling of animal

  • Domestic vs. wild
  • Young vs. old
  • Docile vs. intractable
  • Standing vs. recumbent
• Surgical facilities

  • Open field vs. surgical room
  • Squeeze chute or surgical table
  • Analgesia or anesthesia
  • Availability of drugs
• Physical examination

  • Physical examination at rest
  • Examination in hand at a walk and trot
  • Examination during exercise
  • Rectal examination
• Diagnostic methods

  • Biopsy – infection vs. neoplasm
  • Endoscopy – exam of tubular organs
  • Electrocardiography – hurt murmur
  • Radiography – locomotor disorders
  • Ultrasonography – cardiac, abdominal, urogenital disorders
  • Hormone assays - cryptorchid
  • Exploratory surgery – abdominal disorders
• Food restriction

  • Simple procedure – withhold food for 12 hours
  • Abdominal surgery – withhold roughage for 48 hours, concentrate for 24 hours and water for 12 hours
• Clipping of surgical site

  • Performed night before surgery
  • With sharp well-defined edges
  • The only thing seen by client
• Position of the animal

  • Non-fatiguing position for surgical team
  • Avoid obstruction to breathing, circulation
  • Avoid concentrated pressure
  • Proper padding of animal
• Skin preparation

  • Aim – remove debris and reduce bacterial population
  • Scrubbing – three rinses of povidone iodine alternated with alcohol
  • Alcohol kills microorganisms and defats skin
  • Defatting helps surgical plastic drapes adhere better
• Surgical draping


  • Use of disposable plastic surgical adhesive drapes instead of cloth
  • Immobilizes bacteria to prevent access to surgical site and facilitates cleaning of surgical debris
• Postoperative rhabdomyolysis


  Tying-up syndrome, myopathy caused by local hypoxia of various muscle groups, leads to struggling in recovery stall, inability to use limbs, fear and panic
• Prevention of postoperative rhabdomyolysis

  • Decrease duration of surgery
  • Shift position of animal every 30 min
  • Provide adequate padding
• Treatments for postoperative rhabdomyolysis

  • NSAIDs (phenylbutazone or flunixin meglumine)
  • Analgesics (meperidine and acepromazine)
  • Slinging
  • Fluid therapy
• Wound infection classification

  • Clean: no infection is encountered, no break in septic technique, no hollow muscular organs are opened
  • Clean contaminated: a hollow muscular organ is opened with minimal spillage of contents
  • Contaminated: a hollow muscular organ is opened with gross spillage of contents or acute inflammation without pus formation
  • Dirty: pus is encountered at operation
• Other complications

  • Nosocomial infections – hospital acquired
  • Laminitis – carbohydrate overload, endotoxemia
  • Postoperative salmonellosis – in colic cases
• Surgical recovery in ruminants and swine

  • Allowed to stand and go away immediately after recovery
• Surgical recovery in horses

  • Dark padded recovery room
  • Carried by hoist to room while on oxygen
  • Held down until it starts to wake up
  • Supported and allowed to stand when able to stand on its own
  • Doors opened and horse is led out
• Restraint considerations

  • Safety of handler
  • Safety of animal
  • Accomplishment of intended procedure
  • Avoidance of over-restraint
  • Combination of restraint tools
  • No interference with physiological processes
  • Use of appropriate materials
• Tools of restraint

  • Psychological restraint
  • Diminishing sense perceptions
  • Confinement
  • Extension of arms
  • Physical barriers
  • Physical force
  • Chemical restraint
• Psychological restraint


  • Animal behavior
  • Voice quality
  • Mannerisms
  • Self-confidence
  • Animal weapons
• Diminishing sense perceptions


  • Decrease light
  • Decrease sound
  • Apply touch
  • Cooling
• Confinement


  • Squeeze cages
  • Squeeze chutes
  • Confinement bags
  • Plastic tubes
  • Wraps
• Extension of arms


  • Ropes
  • Snares
  • Nets
  • Tongs
  • Hooks
  • Leads
  • Chains
• Physical barriers


  • Shields
  • Head screen
  • Blanket
  • Bales of hay/straw
  • Wire panels/gates
• Physical force


  • Gloved hands
  • Rolled-up newspaper
  • Scoop shovel
  • House broom
  • Poles
  • Bars
• Chemical restraint


  • Analgesics
  • Pre-anesthetics
  • Anesthetics
• Physical restraint in dogs


  • Collars and chains
  • Carrying dogs
  • Handling vicious dogs
  • Muzzling a dog
  • Administering oral medication
  • Intravenous injection
• Physical restraint in cats

  • Carrying a gentle cat
  • Grasping an obstreperous cat
  • Restraining on a table
  • Holding a cat in lateral recumbency
  • Holding a cat for venipuncture
  • Wrapping cat in a towel
• Physical restraint in cattle


  • Handling a calf
  • Halter
  • Mouth gag
  • Tail restraint
  • Casting methods
  • Stocks
• Physical restraint in sheep

  • Holding sheep
  • Hoof trimming position
  • Holding for castration / docking
  • Shepherd's crook
• Physical restraint in horses

  • Halters and lip twitch
  • Skin twitch and ear hold
  • Lifting a leg
  • Holding a foal
  • Cradle and cross-tie
  • Slings
  • Casting
• Physical restraint in swine


  • Handling baby pigs
  • Holding medium-sized pigs
  • Directing pigs
  • Snout rope/ snubbing rope
  • Casting of pig
• Analgesia


  Absence of awareness of pain, relief of pain without loss of consciousness
• Local or Infiltration Analgesia


  Injection of surgical site directly with analgesic agent causing loss of sensation in a circumscribed area without sedation
• Regional Analgesia


  Desensitization by blocking major nerve/s to a given region, desensitized area far from injection site
• Local and regional analgesia in dogs


  • Topical analgesia
  • Field block
  • Nerve block
  • Intravenous limb analgesia
  • Epidural analgesia
• Regional analgesia in horses

  • Nerve blocks on the head
  • Local analgesia of the limbs
  • Paravertebral blocks
  • Caudal epidural analgesia
  • Cranial epidural analgesia contraindicated