
ESSENTIAL SOFT TISSUE
SURGERY FOR THE DOG AND CAT



ESSENTIAL SOFT TISSUE
SURGERY FOR THE DOG AND CAT
Registration Provides Immediate Lifetime Access
To This Online Course
RACE accredited 20 hours CE
We have an incredible announcement to make and as always having registered for our previous courses you get notified early and have access to a limited preregistration at a steep discount.
Watch for an email Friday announcing a brand new RACE accredited 20 hour course series by Tufts University Surgeon, John Berg.

WATCH A BRIEF 70-SECOND PREVIEW OF ONE
OF THE SEGMENTS OF THIS COURSE
DR. BERG’S BIO
Dr. Berg is a 1981 graduate of Colorado State University. He completed a rotating internship at Cornell University in 1982 before returning to Colorado State for his surgery residency. Following his residency, he spent a year in referral practice at South Shore Veterinary Associates, south of Boston, and joined the faculty of Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 1987.
He teaches and practices small animal soft tissue surgery and has a special interest in surgical oncology. During his time at Tufts, he has twice received the Pfizer Distinguished Teaching Award, as well as several other teaching awards.
He is the author of numerous original articles and book chapters on a variety of topics in soft tissue surgery and surgical oncology. Dr. Berg served as the Chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts from 1998 until 2011. He is an ACVS Founding Fellow in Surgical Oncology and an honorary member of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology.
ESSENTIAL SOFT TISSUE SURGERY FOR THE DOG AND CAT
Please Click on The Check Mark for all of The topics
under each Course Segment
• Gastrointestinal Surgery
4 RACE CE Hours
Enterotomy
- Types of GI foreign bodies
- Pathophysiology of intestinal obstruction
- Diagnosis of foreign body obstruction
- Antibiotics, suture material and needles
- Indications for surgery for foreign bodies
- Assessing intestinal viability
- Postop feeding
- Intestinal incisional dehiscence
Esophageal feeding tube
- E tube indications
- Advantages of e tubes
- Special equipment
- E tube feeding
Intra abdominal biopsy techniques
- Special equipment
- Risk of dehiscence after intestinal biopsy
- Role of mesenteric lymph node biopsy
- Liver biopsy interpretation
- Risks of pancreatic biopsy
Gastrotomy
- Clinical signs of gastric foreign bodies
- Potentially life threatening gastric foreign bodies:
- Expansile foreign bodies
- Post – 1982 pennies
- Multiple magnets
- Teriyaki sticks
- Imaging of gastric foreign bodies
- Results of endoscopy for gastric
- foreign bodies
- Gastrotomy: needles, suture material, antibiotics, suture patterns Postoperative feeding
Intestinal resection and anasotmosis
- Indications
- Intestinal tumors types in dogs and cats, signs, diagnosis
- The GIST concept
- Roles of surgery in feline gi lymphoma
- Assessment of intestinal viability
- Long term survival of dogs and cats with intestinal tumors
Subtotal colectomy in cats
- Background – idiopathic megacolon
- Rule outs
- Medical management
- Dietary management
- Indications for subtotal colectomy
- Risks of colonic surgery
- Anatomy
- Prognosis
Red rubber catheter technique for removing linear foreign bodies
- Background – linear foreign bodies
- Radiographic and ultrsonographic appearance of linear foreign bodies
- Disadvantages of removal of linear foreign bodies with multiple enterotomies
- Management of intestinal perforation
Gastric dilatation volvulus
- Risk factors for GDV
- Lifetime risk for GDV in large and giant breed dogs
- Signs of GDV
- Radiographic appearance of GDV
- Systemic sequelae of GDV
- Gastric decompression; orogastric tube vs trocarization
- Determining of the direction of volvulus and repositioning the stomach
- Assessing splenic and gastric viability
- Methods of gastric resection
- Incisional gastropexy
- Mortality rate of GDV
• General Soft Tissue Surgery
8 RACE CE Hours
Cervical abscesses: Exploration and closed suction drainage
- Cause of cervical abscesses
- Rule outs and workup for dogs with cervical swelling
- Passive vs active (closed suction) drains
- Chinese finger trap stitch for securing drains
- Aftercare and prognosis
Perineal hernia repair
- Causes, signs and diagnosis of perineal hernias in dogs
- Mangement of urethral obstruction associated with perineal hernia
- Anatomy relevant to internal muscle transposition
- Management of bilateral hernias
- Complications of surgery
- Management of recurrent hernias
- Perineal hernias in cats: causes, signs and repair
Forelimb amputation
- Indications for forelimb amputation
- Behavior of osteosarcoma
- Talking to owners about amputation and osteosarcoma
- Contraindications to amputation
- Delayed bleeding in greyhounds following surgery
- Pain management in dogs undergoing amputation
- Postoperative care
- Response of osteosarcoma to chemotherapy
Hindlimb amputation
- Indications for hindlimb amputation
- Behavior of osteosarcoma
- Talking to owners about amputation and osteosarcoma
- Contraindications to amputation
- Delayed bleeding in greyhounds following surgery
- Pain management in dogs undergoing amputation
- Postoperative care
- Response of osteosarcoma to chemotherapy
Tail amputation
- Indications for tail amputation
- Tail amputation and prognosis in screw tailed English bulldogs
Diaphragmatic hernia repair
- Pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Radiography, ultrasound and other imaging techniques
- Timing of surgery
- Chronic traumatic diaphragmatic hernias
- Anesthetic considerations, re expansion pulmonary edema
- Aftercare and prognosis
Wound soaker catheter
- Advantages of wound soaker catheters
- Catheter options
- Principles of catheter placement
- Dosing of local anesthetics
- Aftercare
Basic surgical skills
- Holding thumb forceps and needle holders
- Instrument square knot, instrument surgeon’s knot
- Simple interrupted skin sutures
- Cruciate skin sutures
- Simple continuous pattern
- Simple continuous closure of subcutaneous tissue
- Two hand square knot
- Two hand surgeon’s knot
Prepping yourself and the patient for surgery
- Putting on a cap and mask
- Scrubbing in
- Putting on a gown and gloves
- Preparation of the patient
Digit amputation (and other techniques for managing tumors of the feet)
- Indications for toe amputation
- Subungual squamous cell carcinoma in dogs
- Melanoma of the digit in dogs
- Digital metastases of primary lung tumors in cats
- Radiographic appearance of digital malignancies
- Aftercare and prognosis
- Digital pad transfer for metacarpal or metatarsal pad defects
- Partial foot amputation (amputation of 2 toes)
Mass excision: Soft tissue sarcomas and mast cell tumors
- Principles of tumor excision
- Selection of patients that need CT/MRI
- Definition of wide margins
- Margin classification scheme
- Orienting incisions with lines of tension
- Managing wounds using second intention healing
- Submitting excised tumors for histopathology
- Interpretation of histologic margin analysis results
- Options when margins are histologically incomplete
- STS and MCT local recurrence rates
- Influence of histologic grade on outcome for STSs and MCTs
Getting sick cats through surgery
- Assessing blood loss during surgery
- Prevention of hypothermia
- Measurement of blood pressure
- Identifying hypotension
- Treating hypotension
- Transfusing cats
- Tracheal tears resulting from endotracheal intubation
- Brain damage resulting from mouth gags (mouth speculums)
- Anatomic differences between dogs and cats
Organ torsions
- Torsion vs volvulus
- Mesenteric volvulus
- How much intestine can I safely resect?
- Colonic displacement
- Splenic torsion
- Liver lobe torsion
- Lung lobe torsion
Management of septic abdomen
- Causes of septic abdomen
- Clinical signs
- Abdominal fluid analysis
- Selection of initial antibiotics
- Surgical treatment and drainage options
- Prognosis
Salivary mucoceles
- Causes
- Clinical presentation
- Rule outs
- Cytology, ultrasound
- Surgical anatomy
- Aftercare and prognosis
Parathyroidectomy
- Normal calcium regulation
- Overview of hyperparathyroidism
- Rule outs for hypercalcemia
- Signs of hyperparathyroidism
- Interpretation of PTH/PTHrP
- Neck ultrasound
- Surgical anatomy
- Prevention/management of postop hypocalcemia
• Urogenital Surgery
4 RACE CE Hours
Cesarean section
- Normal gestation and parturition
- Causes and signs of dystocia
- Medical treatment of dystocia
- Indications for C section
- Anesthesia for C section
- En bloc ovariohysterectomy
- Care of neonates
- Prognosis for mother and neonates
Episioplasty
- Recessed vulva in dogs
- Preoperative patient preparation
- Prognosis following episioplasty
The spay/neuter controversy
- Effect of spaying on mammary cancer in dogs and cats
- Effect of neutering on other cancers
- Effect of neutering on non cancerous diseases
- Effect of neutering on behavioral issues and dog on human bites
- My summary recommendations regarding spaying and neutering
- Ovariectomy vs. ovariohystectomy
- Ovary sparing spay
- Vasectomy
Episiotomy
- Indications for episiotomy
- Overview of vaginal tumors in dogs
- Surgical technique and prognosis
Cystotomy
- Types/causes of uroliths in dogs and cats
- Choice of suture pattern
- Choice of suture material
- Aftercare
Scrotal urethrostomy
- Types/causes of uroliths in dogs
- Urohydropulsion of uroliths
- Urethrostomy vs. urethrotomy
- Scrotal vs. prescrotal urethrotomy
- Prevention of hemorrhage
- Aftercare
Perineal urethrostomy
- Causes of feline urethral obstruction
- Indications for PU
- Timing of PU
- Technical errors that cause strictured PU’s
- Aftercare
- Management of strictured PU’s
Nephrectomy
- Indications for nephrectomy
- Indications for renal scintigraphy to assess the opposite kidney
- Interpretation of renal scintigraphy
- Preoperative care
- Anatomy relevant to nephrectomy
- Prognosis for dogs with renal cancer
Ruptured bladder repair
- Causes of ruptured bladder
- Clinical signs of ruptured bladder
- Abdominal fluid analysis
- Use of urea, creatinine and potassium in diagnosing uroabdomen
- Timing of surgery
- Initial stabilization and urinary diversion
- Imaging of uroabdomen patients
- Urethrocystograms and microbubble studies
- Aftercare and prognosis
• Surgery of the Ear, Airway, Spleen and Liver
4 RACE CE Hours
Arytenoid lateralization
- Laryngeal anatomy
- Current concept of the cause of laryngeal paralysis
- Laryngeal examination
- Emergency treatment of laryngeal paralysis
- Postoperative care
- Prognosis and complications
Soft palate resection and correction of stenotic nares
- Components of brachycephalic airway syndrome
- Clinical signs of brachycephalic airway syndrome
- Gastrointestinal signs in brachycephalic airway syndrome
- Emergency management of brachycephalic airway syndrome
- Indications for surgery for overlong soft palate and stenotic nares
- Techniques for soft palate resection
- Basics of surgical lasers and laser safety
- Techniques for correction of stenotic nares
Tracheostomy tube placement
- Indications for tracheostomy tubes
- Emergency tracheostomy
- Controlled tracheostomy
- Tube types and selection
- Ventilating through a tracheostomy tube
- Tubes for flabby necked dogs
- Making the tracheal incision
- Tube maintenance
- Tube removal
Total ear canal ablation
- Causes of end stage otitis externa
- Diagnosis of end stage otitis externa
- Antibiotic selection
- Prognosis/complications following TECA
- TECA in cats
Ventral bulla osteotomy
- Indications for ventral bulla osteotomy
- Otitis media with minimal otitis externa
- Inflammatory polyps in cats:
- Nasopharyngeal polyps
- Ear canal polyps
- Removal of polyps by traction vs. ventral bulla osteotomy
- Outcome for cats treated for inflammatory polyps
Aural hematoma
- Relevant anatomy of the pinna
- Cause of aural hematoma
- Treatment options:
- Aspiration/corticosteroids
- Passive drain
- Teat cannula
- C02 laser
- Surgical repair
- Aftercare
Splenectomy
- Behavior of hemangiosarcoma (HSA)
- Ruleouts for canine splenic masses
- Overview of splenic hematoma
- Preoperative care
- Vascular anatomy of the spleen
- Use of surgical staplers and vessel sealing devices
- Interpretation of histopathology results
- Prognosis and adjuvant therapy for HSA
- Feline splenic mast cell tumor
Gall bladder mucoceles and cholecystectomy
- Possible causes of gall bladder mucoceles
- Clinical presentation
- Ultrasonographic appearance
- Deciding whether surgery is indicated
- Deciding whether intraop biliary lavage is indicated
- Considerations prior to surgery
- Anatomy of the gall bladder
- Technique for cholecystectomy
- Technique for biliary lavage
- Prognosis
Liver lobectomy
- Types/behavior of canine liver tumors
- Signs and clinical pathology of liver tumors
- Vacuolar hepatopathy and HCC in Scotties
- Imaging of liver masses in dogs
- Roles of cytology and biopsy
- Client communication re. liver lobectomies
- Basic liver anatomy
- Liver lobectomy techniques
- Staplers and vessel sealing devices in liver lobectomy
- HCC prognosis
- Feline liver masses

ESSENTIAL SOFT TISSUE
SURGERY FOR THE DOG AND CAT
Registration Provides Immediate Lifetime Access
To This Online Course
RACE accredited 20 hours CE
