In this episode of BoardsCast, we begin our exploration of Tobias Chapter 84 – Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and Hernias, reframing one of the most misunderstood principles in soft tissue surgery:

The abdominal wall doesn’t fail because the surgeon can’t close it.
 It fails because the tissues cannot withstand the tension being placed on them.

This episode breaks down the biomechanics, anatomy, and surgical strategy required to understand why closures break down — and how to prevent it.

You’ll learn:

• Why abdominal wall reconstruction is fundamentally a tension-management problem
• How the direction of muscle fibers predicts strength — and failure
• Why linea alba is king, rectus muscle is supportive, and obliques are deceptive
• How to evaluate tissue quality before you ever pick up a needle
• Why primary closure fails in chronic hernias or traumatic wall loss
• High-yield board concepts in hernia classification and abdominal wall anatomy
• How to approach closure in a way that aligns with force lines, not just incision lines

If you’ve ever struggled with hernia repairs or wondered why some closures fail despite “perfect” technique, this episode gives you the biomechanical insight Tobias wants surgeons to understand.

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In this BoardsCast episode, we tackle one of the most dangerous — and least discussed — realities in small-animal soft tissue surgery: many splenectomy patients don’t die from the spleen… they die from what happens after the spleen is removed.

Using Tobias Chapter 83 – Spleen as our framework, we break down the physiologic traps, hemodynamic crashes, and decision-making failures that turn an apparently successful splenectomy into a fatal outcome.

You’ll learn:

• Why removing a bleeding organ does not fix the shock state
• The hemodynamic trap: sudden loss of tamponade → catastrophic hemorrhage
• How surgeons over-resuscitate and trigger cardiovascular collapse
• Why post-ligation hypotension is a predictable — and preventable — event
• The difference between controlled hemorrhage, uncontrolled hemorrhage, and concealed hemorrhage
• How to anticipate coagulopathy, oxygen debt, and post-op arrhythmias
• The board-relevant patterns: “the dog died after a routine splenectomy” questions

This episode teaches you the physiology that saves lives — before, during, and after splenic surgery.

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In Part D of our Tobias Chapter 83 – Spleen series, we tackle one of the most essential surgical decisions in splenic disease:
When should you perform a partial splenectomy vs a total splenectomy?
The spleen is forgiving, redundant, and biologically fascinating — but your surgical strategy must match the underlying pathology.

You’ll learn:

• The physiologic consequences of removing vs preserving splenic tissue
• Why partial splenectomy is rarely indicated — but still worth knowing cold for boards
• Which conditions absolutely require total splenectomy
• Vascular anatomy that determines whether preservation is even possible
• How to perform partial resection safely when splenic preservation matters
• Board-relevant comparisons between partial, subtotal, and total splenectomy
• Postoperative considerations: blood storage, immune function, and recurrence risk

If you’ve ever wondered why so few patients get partial splenectomies — or whether you should attempt one — this episode brings clarity straight from Tobias Chapter 83.

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In this episode of BoardsCast, we continue our deep dive into Tobias Chapter 83 – The Spleen, shifting our focus to the dog who arrives pale, weak, tachycardic, and bleeding into the abdomen.
Splenic rupture and hemoperitoneum are emergencies, but not all bleeding dogs are the same, and not all of them should go straight to surgery.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between traumatic vs spontaneous splenic rupture
• How to stabilize the bleeding dog without worsening the hemorrhage
• Why some hemoperitoneum patients should not get immediate volume overload
• How to use FAST scans and PCV/TS trends to guide decisions
• When a ruptured splenic mass requires STAT splenectomy — and when it doesn’t
• The physiologic principles of shock, permissive hypotension, and oxygen debt
• Board-focused distinctions between surgical stabilization and medical stabilization

This episode reframes splenic bleeding as a hemodynamic problem, not just a surgical one.

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In Part B of our Chapter 83 series from Tobias & Johnston’s Veterinary Surgery (2nd ed), we step into one of the most anxiety-provoking topics in small animal surgery: splenic masses.
Are they benign? Malignant? Hemangiosarcoma hiding inside a hematoma?
Or is the spleen simply lying to you?

This episode cuts through the confusion with a structured, surgeon-focused approach to diagnosing and managing splenic masses.

You’ll learn:

• The true risk breakdown: benign vs malignant vs “impossible to tell”
• Why hemangiosarcoma mimics everything — and how it tricks clinicians
• Imaging patterns that help… and those that mislead
• What cytology and biopsy can (and cannot) tell you
• When splenectomy is urgent vs when you should stabilize first
• Prognosis, staging, and what to do when histopath doesn't match expectations
• The key “board buzzwords” for hemangiosarcoma, hematoma, nodular hyperplasia, and other splenic lesions

If you’ve ever looked at an ultrasound of a splenic mass and thought, “Well… maybe,” this episode gives you the clarity the spleen won’t.

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In this BoardsCast episode, we open Chapter 83 of Tobias & Johnston’s Veterinary Surgery (2nd ed) and tackle one of the most misunderstood organs in small-animal surgery: the spleen.
 

The spleen is rarely the true problem — it’s the manifestation of a systemic, vascular, or hematologic process. This episode breaks down why.

You’ll learn:

• How splenic anatomy and blood flow shape its disease patterns
• Why is splenic enlargement usually a secondary problem
• The difference between nodular hyperplasia, hematoma, torsion, and neoplasia
• What "double lesions" mean and why the boards love asking about them
• When splenic disease signals coagulopathy, immune dysfunction, or systemic instability
• How to interpret common clinical signs and imaging findings without jumping to hemangiosarcoma

Whether you're performing a splenectomy or deciding if you even should, this episode reframes the spleen as a diagnostic clue — not just a surgical target.

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In this BoardsCast episode, we continue our deep dive into Tobias Chapter 26: Neurologic Examination & Neuroanatomic Diagnosis, focusing on cranial nerve testing and the two most commonly misunderstood neurologic responses: the menace response and the pupillary light reflex (PLR).

These two tests look similar — bright light, hand wave, eyeball reaction — but they assess completely different pathways. And boards LOVE to exploit that.

You’ll learn:

• The functional roles of all 12 cranial nerves (in surgeon-friendly language)
• How to perform and interpret each cranial nerve test
• Why the menace and PLR rarely “match” — and why that's normal
• What afferent/efferent pathways each reflex evaluates
• How to use discordant findings to localize forebrain, brainstem, retinal, or nerve lesions
• The classic exam traps and how to avoid mislocalization

If you've ever mixed up which reflex needs a cortex or why a blind dog still has a normal PLR — this episode fixes that forever.

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In this BoardsCast episode, we wrap up our neuro-localization series by stepping out of the spine and into the brain. Using Chapter 26 of Tobias & Johnston’s Veterinary Surgery (2nd ed) as our guide, we translate neuroanatomy into simple, memorable, boards-ready patterns that distinguish forebrain, brainstem, cerebellar, and vestibular disease at a glance.

You’ll learn:

• The hallmark signs of each intracranial region — in plain English
• How to differentiate seizures (forebrain) from weakness (brainstem)
• Why cerebellar disease looks dramatic but is rarely weak
• How to split vestibular disease into central vs peripheral
• What cranial nerve deficits localize with precision
• What the boards love to ask about head tilt, menace response, and proprioception

If cranial neuro localization ever felt confusing, this episode turns it into a predictable, clinically useful checklist.

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 In this BoardsCast episode, we take the “UMN vs LMN” framework from Part B and apply it to the four major spinal cord regions surgeons must localize instantly. Using Chapter 26 of Tobias & Johnston’s Veterinary Surgery (2nd ed), we translate the entire spinal cord into four predictable “neuro boxes.”

You’ll learn:

• The hallmark signs of each spinal cord segment
• How gait, posture, reflexes, and proprioception change with each region
• Why C6–T2 is the most confusing — and the one boards love
• How to distinguish L4–S3 LMN paresis from orthopedic weakness
• When panniculus and cutaneous trunci testing truly help
• How to localize any case quickly using a flowchart mindset

If neuro localization ever felt overwhelming, this episode breaks it down into four clean, testable, reliable categories.

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In this BoardsCast episode, we continue our neurology fundamentals series by diving into one of the most powerful — and testable — distinctions in neuroanatomy: upper motor neuron (UMN) vs. lower motor neuron (LMN) dysfunction. Using Chapter 26 of Tobias & Johnston’s Veterinary Surgery (2nd ed) as our anchor, we break down how this single split explains tone, reflexes, gait, and prognosis.

You’ll learn:

• How UMN and LMN pathways function and fail
• What changes in tone, reflexes, and gait distinguish the two
• Why lesion localization depends on recognizing the pattern
• How to apply UMN vs LMN principles to spinal cord segments
• Classic exam traps — and how to outsmart them
• What board questions are really testing when they ask about reflexes

If neuro still feels fuzzy, this episode makes it click — one framework, one split, all the clarity you need.

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