Surgical conditions of the skin, amputations Flashcards
AVMA position statement on declawing
- Surgical declawing is no ta medically necessary procedure for the cat in most cases
Inherent risks of surgical procedures
- Anesthetic complications
- Hemorrhage
- Infection
- Pain
What are alternatives for scratching behavior?
- Scratching posts, cardboard boxes, lumber of logs, and carpet or fabric remantns affixed to stationary objects
- APpropriate claw care (trimming claws every 1-2 eeks) should be provided
- Temporary synthetic nail caps are available as an alternative to onychectomy to prevent human injury or damage
What should be the housing of declaws cats?
- Indoor only and allowed outside only under direct supervision
When can surgical onychectomy be considered?
- Where scratching behavior is an issue as to whether or not a particular cat can remain as an acceptable household pet in a particular home
What is the scientific evidence that declawing leads to behavioral abnormalities compared to cats in control groups?
- No scientific evidence that declawing leads to behavioral abnormalities
What are veterinarians obliged to provide cat owners?
- Complete education about declawing
- It is not just removal of the claw but is a major surgery involving amputation
- Rarely medically necessary
- CDC doesn’t list declawing a a means of preventing disease in either healthy or immunocompromised individuals
- Declawing may warrant consideration as an alternative to relinquishment or euthanasia, but only after extensive education and presentation of other strategies to manage scratching bheavior
What is the word for the declaw procedure?
- Onychectomy
What is removed during onychectomy?
- P3 and the nail (dog) or claw (cat)
Indications for onychectomy?
- Nail bed trauma or infection in cats or dogs
- really questionable whether indoor cats are justified at all with declaw
Label the P2, P3, flexor process, and ungual crest on a diagram?
- Just do it
Anesthesia and analgesia required for onychectomy?
- General anesthesia
- Regional block
- Plus other pain medications including a post-op pain plan
Preparation for onychectomy
- Scrub but do not clip (too traumatic to tissues and will cause more irritation postop)
Where do you tourniquet for onychectomy and why?
- Tourniquet distal to the elbow to avoid nerve damage
How do you perform the amputation for an onychectomy?
- Use a laser, scalpel or Rescoe nail trimmers to disarticulate between P2 and P3
- Resco technique tends to leave the flexor process behind
- A scalpel can be used to remove any remaining P3
What can lead to postop lameness with onychectomy?
- DO not damage P2 or the digital pad
Closure options for onychectomy
- Single suture, surgical glue, or just a bandage
What do you need to do at the end of the onychectomy to make sure all digits have been declawed?
- Count at the end
What are primary complications with onychectomy?
- Hemorrhage
- Leave a part of the ungual crest
- Pad or nerve damage
- Bandage too gith
What to do for hemorrhage after onychectomy?
- This can be dramatic, especially if the cat is shaking its foot and gets the bandage off
- Cats should be kept in the hospital for 1-2 nights postop so if this happens, it’s not in the client’s home and you can address it promptly
What happens if a part of the ungual crest remains?
- Nail re-growth
- SQ keratinized tissue –> inflammation –> abscessation
- Treatment requires removing the nail and the ungual process remnant, leaving hte open wound to drain, and antibiotics
What happens with pad or nerve damage?
- Lameness (usually transient)
What happens if the bandage is too tight?
- Ischemic necrosis, feet can slough
- Very serious
Treatment options if you get sloughing of the feet?
- Debride, lavage, amputation
- Often need a graft
Which digit is the dewclaw?
- Digit 1
- May lack P1 and P2
What are the indications for dewclaw removal?
- Dewclaw prone to injury - dangling (often P3 only), active outdoor/hunting dog
- Risk of dewclaw avulsion, clipper trauma in dogs groomed frequently
- Breed standards (some breeds should have it)
When is neonate dewclaw removal done?
3-5 days old
Why is neonate dewclaw removal done at 3-5 days old?
- Hemorrhage is more significant past that age
Procedure for neonate dewclaw removal
- Local anesthesia +/- sedation
- Amputate with Mayo scissors, scalpel blade, or laser
- Hemostasis with pressure, stryptic powder, AgNO2, band-aid
- Approximate skin with a single suture, skin glue, or allow to heal on its own (i.e. second intention)
When is non-neonate dewclaw removal done?
12 weeks or older
What is the anesthesia for non-neonate dewclaw removal?
- general anesthesia
Describe the procedure for non-neonate dewclaw removal
- Make an elliptical incision for ease of closure, dissect the SQ, ligate arteries, disarticulate Metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joint with scalpel blade and suture SQ and skin closed
- Bandage and E-collar are essential - assume dogs will lick these surgery sites
What is a hygroma?
- Fluid-filled pseudocyst