Fracture management in alpacas and llamas.

Camelids are considered to be excellent patients for the treatment of orthopedic injuries. Clients will usually opt for treatment because of the relative high commercial value of most camelids. For these reasons, the veterinary surgeon has a full repertoire of internal and external fixation techniques to choose from when determining the ideal repair option.

Gastrointestinal surgery in alpacas and llamas.

The clinical signs associated with acute abdominal pain in South American camelids tend to be subtle and less frequent (similar to ruminants) as compared with that of horses. Abdominocentesis and transabdominal ultrasound are useful tools in determining the necessity of an exploratory laparotomy. Preoperative anticipation of the lesion location helps determine the surgical approach to the abdomen.

Minimally invasive field abomasopexy techniques for correction and fixation of left displacement of the abomasum in dairy cows.

To reduce the potential drawbacks associated with laparotomy techniques for correction and fixation of left displaced abomasums (LDA), minimally invasive techniques have been developed. This chapter reviews the toggle pin suture (TPS) and the laparoscopic abomasopexy procedures used in the field for correction and fixation of the abomasum for correction of left-displacement of the abomasum in dairy cows. The importance of case selection cannot be overestimated.

Bovine cesarean section in the field.

Cesarean section is perhaps one of the more challenging surgical procedures performed on the farm; the veterinarian often has far less control over the patient, availability of assistance, and environmental contaminants. A number of variables may affect the successful outcome of this procedure for both the calf and cow; case selection is the most important and often overlooked variable. In addition, patient and surgeon preparation, surgical technique, calf viability at the time of surgery, and exteriorizing the uterus can affect outcome.