Postoperative prophylactic antibiotics were not associated with decreased surgical site infections following hemilaminectomy in dogs: a retrospective study.

Objective: To compare hemilaminectomy surgical site infection (SSI) rates in dogs treated with or without postoperative prophylactic antibiotics.

Methods: Medical records of 275 client-owned dogs from 1 tertiary referral hospital were retrospectively reviewed for dogs treated with thoracolumbar hemilaminectomy for intervertebral disk herniation between 2018 and 2023. Dogs were grouped according to whether they were treated with prophylactic postoperative antibiotics (group A) or not (group B). Relevant case details including dog signalment, duration of anesthetic procedure, method of incision closure, perioperative and prophylactic postoperative antibiotic prescription, and diagnosis of postoperative SSI (as defined by the CDC) were recorded. Wilson binomial CIs were calculated for SSI rates. Surgical site infection rates between dogs given or not given antibiotics were analyzed with a Fisher exact test.

Results: The overall SSI rate was 3% (8 of 275; 95% CI, 1% to 6%). The SSI rate in group A was 3% (5 of 147; 95% CI, 1% to 8%), which was not statistically different from the 2% SSI rate (3 of 128; 95% CI, 1% to 7%) in group B (P = .728). There was not a statistical difference in SSI rates between closure methods (intradermal absorbable, 1% [1 of 79]; cutaneous staples, 4% [7 of 184]; cutaneous nylon, 0% [0 of 12]; P = .611).

Conclusions: Overall hemilaminectomy SSI rates in this study were low, and prescription of prophylactic antibiotics was not associated with a decreased SSI rate.

Clinical relevance: Practicing antimicrobial stewardship through avoidance of antimicrobial prophylaxis in clean surgical procedures may not be clinically detrimental to outcomes in hemilaminectomy dogs.