Massage therapy for dogs and cats.

Massage is gaining recognition as a beneficial modality for the treatment of many ailments due to recent scientific research in humans. We can infer that these benefits apply to dogs and cats due to their similar physiology and anatomy. Defined as the therapeutic manipulation of soft tissues, massage has many effects on muscle, the circulatory system, the autonomic nervous system, and the mind.

Nonpharmaceutical approaches to pain management.

A nonpharmaceutical approach to managing pain is one that does not employ a medication. The use of such approaches, in conjunction with pharmaceuticals as part of multimodal methods to managing pain, is becoming more popular as evidence is emerging to support their use. Cold therapy, for one, is used to reduce the inflammation and tissue damage seen in acute injuries and can be very effective at reducing acute pain.

Comparative evaluation of the liver in dogs with a splenic mass by using ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Evaluation of dogs with splenic masses to better educate owners as to the extent of the disease is a goal of many research studies. We compared the use of ultrasonography (US) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to evaluate the accuracy of detecting hepatic neoplasia in dogs with splenic masses, independently, in series, or in parallel. No significant difference was found between US and CT.

Short-term outcome after total elbow arthroplasty in dogs with severe, naturally occurring osteoarthritis.

Objective: To evaluate limb function in client-owned dogs before and after total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) for severe, naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA).

Study Design: Prospective clinical evaluation comparing limb function before and after surgery.

Animals: Twenty adult, large breed dogs with elbow OA.