Use of surgical lasers in small animal dermatology

In Pract. April 2023;45(3):144-154. 16 Refs

Jason Pieper¹

¹ Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, 1800 Christensen Dr, Ames, IA 50011, USA.

Author Abstract

Background: Use of lasers in veterinary medicine has significantly increased over the past decade. What was once a piece of equipment, almost exclusively used by veterinary specialists, has now become a common piece of equipment in general veterinary practices. It is imperative to know the appropriate situations and diseases for which lasers can be used.

Aim of the article: This article covers the basics of lasers, including discussion of both diode and CO₂ lasers. It also discusses several skin diseases and/or conditions in which lasers are commonly used.

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Endoparasites of rabbits and hares.
Accurate gross and microscopic identification of endoparasites in rabbits and hares is an important element of the diagnostic work of veterinary anatomic pathologists. Given the zoonotic nature of rabbit and hare endoparasites, such as C. hepatica, E. cuniculi, and others, veterinary pathologists are ideally poised to make valuable contributions to the understanding of the disease ecology of these pathogens in the context of a One Health research program.

The 4 prokinetic drugs metoclopramide, cisapride, pyridostigmine, and capromorelin do not increase fecal output or food intake in healthy New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
Every day, rabbits produced a median of 75 g (range, 9 to 145 g) of feces, 226 fecal pellets (range, 12 to 412 pellets), and 151 mL (range, 5 to 420 mL) of urine. Metoclopramide, cisapride, pyridostigmine, and capromorelin had no effect on fecal production (both weight and number of pellets), food intake, urine production, or water intake compared to placebo at 24, 48, or 72 hours after administration.

Companion animal veterinary personnel have occupational risk for tularemia and One Health role for tularemia prevention in Kansas.
Forty-three percent (47 of 109) of veterinarians reported diagnosing tularemia in cats and 13% (14 of 109) in dogs. Seven percent (8 of 109) of veterinarians reported having had tularemia. When performing procedures with a high risk of exposure, such as lancing abscesses in tularemia suspects, glove use was 100% but additional personal protective equipment was inconsistent, including eye protection (70%) and surgical face mask (59%).

Use of Dog Serologic Data for Improved Understanding of Coccidioidomycosis: A One Health Approach.
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Feline blood donation: Description and adverse reactions from 29 201 donation events between 2019 and 2023.
Adverse reactions were uncommon (0.29%, 2.88/1000 donor events) and most commonly were cardiorespiratory (0.08%, 0.75/1000 donor events) or behavioral (0.06%, 0.62/1000 donor events). The only risk factor significantly associated with adverse reactions was conscious donation, with conscious donors 4.4 times more likely to have an adverse reaction.