Posted on January 19th, 2012
The scale of the ethical challenges faced by veterinary surgeons and their perceived stressful consequences were investigated via a short questionnaire, completed by 58 practising veterinary surgeons.
Respondents were asked to report how frequently they faced ethical dilemmas, and to rate on a simple numerical scale (zero to 10) how stressful they found three common scenarios.
Fifty seven per cent of respondents reported that they faced one to two dilemmas per week, while 34 per cent stated they typically faced three to five dilemmas per week. Continue reading Survey of the frequency and perceived stressfulness of ethical dilemmas encountered in UK veterinary practice
Posted on January 15th, 2012
AIMS: To determine the perceptions of a sample of veterinarians in New Zealand regarding pain and pain management in rabbits and guinea pigs.
METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to all members of the Companion Animal Society, part of the New Zealand Veterinary Association. The questionnaire gathered information on the demographics of respondents, obtained an assessment by veterinarians of the level of pain associated with clinical procedures for rabbits and guinea pigs, established the willingness of respondents to perform these, obtained information on the anaesthetics and analgesics used during these procedures, and the factors associated with selecting different types of drug.
The level of knowledge of respondents and interest in continuing education regarding pain recognition and management in these species was also assessed. Continue reading Attitudes towards perception and management of pain in rabbits and guinea pigs by a sample of veterinarians in New Zealand
Posted on January 13th, 2012
 New Zealand’s Massey University has led the wildlife response to the oil spill caused by the grounding of the Rena cargo ship on Astrolabe reef at the entrance to the port of Tauranga, in October.
The National Oiled Wildlife Response Team is trained, managed and co-ordinated by specialists at the university’s New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre in Palmerston North, under contract to Maritime New Zealand.
Its members include vets, pathologists and wildlife technicians. Regional councils around the country also contribute personnel.
Wildlife veterinarians Kerri Morgan and Helen McConnell co-ordinate the wildlife response and are assisted by other university veterinary staff, including Brett Gartrell and veterinary residents and technicians.
Gartrell, who manages the wildlife response facility, said staff have treated more than 400 animals at the centre.
“We have a three stage system to stabilise, clean and then rehabilitate animals,” he said. “All animals affected by the oil are washed but it takes a number of days for them to regain waterproofing.”
Birds with specific health issues are held in an intensive care unit led by one of four Massey vets. Massey wildlife veterinarian Micah Jensen said the birds the unit have treated have had a range of ailments.
“There are birds that have picked up respiratory infections, one had a cloacal prolapse, another had a corneal ulcer,” Jensen said. Continue reading Massey vets on hand for oil spill response
Posted on January 11th, 2012
Owing to the development of greyhounds as racing sight hounds, these dogs have acquired unique physiologic adaptations that distinguish them from other breeds.
Reference intervals for many analytes in retired racing Greyhounds (RRGs) differ from those of other breeds; most of the hematologic differences have also been described in other sight hounds.
In this review, the authors provide . . . → Read More: Clinical pathology of greyhounds and other sight hounds
Posted on January 9th, 2012
 An expert panel led by NSW Health is continuing work to determine the source of a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak at Taronga Zoo.
In February media reported the TB diagnosis of Pak Boon, one of Taronga’s elephants.
In September Taronga issued a statement on its website which said a male chimp with the disease had been euthanased.
There have been no public health warnings about the presence of the disease at Taronga, drawing criticism from NSW Greens MP John Kaye, who said potential visitors to Taronga were denied the right to evaluate the risk of infection.
“The elephants and the chimps are in enclosures that are 50 metres apart, and there are two public walkways in between,” Kaye said.
“It is possible there is a risk to humans; not a great risk, but I think NSW Health and the zoo are making it impossible for clients to make their own assessments.”
Kaye has called on Health Minister Jillian Skinner to force the zoo to warn visitors of the presence of TB in two species, and therefore the possibility that the infection spread from one to the other.
He added that he is particularly concerned about school groups.
“Teachers and principals have to sign off on the well-being of children without being given full information, so I will continue to put pressure on NSW Health,” Kaye said.
“Australia has an excellent track record for infection control regarding TB, and it would be a terrible thing to compromise that record to support the profitability of the zoo.”
Taronga Media Relations Manager, Mark Williams, denied that profits have been put before public health. Continue reading Source sought for Taronga’s TB
Posted on January 7th, 2012
A University of Adelaide scientist says much more could be done to predict the likelihood and spread of serious disease – such as tuberculosis (TB) or foot-and-mouth disease – in Australian wildlife and commercial stock.
Corey Bradshaw and colleagues have evaluated freely available software tools that provide a realistic prediction of the spread of disease among animals.
They used a combination of models to look at the possible spread of TB among feral water buffalo in the Northern Territory.
In the 1980s and 1990s the government of the time began a broad-scale culling program, culling tens of thousands of buffalo.
“The cull successfully reduced or eradicated buffalo from major pastoral lands in the Northern Territory, taking tuberculosis with it, but since then there has been no major follow-up culling. The buffalo population is re-invading the formerly culled areas,” Bradshaw, Director of Ecological Modelling at the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute, said.
“Although Australia now trades its livestock under the ‘TB-free’ banner, the disease is prevalent throughout Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Realistically, it’s only a matter of time before it rears its ugly head again here. If it does, it could potentially cost our cattle industry billions of dollars.” Continue reading Call for new thinking on disease prediction and planning
Posted on January 5th, 2012
A survey has found that 63.4 per cent of Australian veterinarians experience depression, anxiety, stress or burnout, compared with 35.7 per cent in the general population.
The survey sponsored by Bayer Animal Health, Norbrook, Apex Laboratories and Boehringer Ingleheim, was published in the Australian Veterinary Journal. It is the first Australian study to confirm anecdotal reports of high levels of workplace stress.
Lead author Peter Hatch, a veterinarian and counsellor, said contributing factors include client expectations, disappointing clinical outcomes, long hours, on-call duties and professional and social isolation.
“When I first graduated I thought veterinarians would all talk and have a joke with one another, but practices tend to isolate themselves from others,” he said. “Vets tend to say g’day to each other but that’s as far as it often goes – there is an incredible lack of support and community.” Continue reading Survey documents high levels of stress, burnout in Australian veterinarians
Posted on January 3rd, 2012
 A vet from London’s Royal Veterinary College believes overeating could be the reason why Kazakhstan’s critically endangered saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) population has suffered its second mass die-off in a row.
At a critical disease workshop held recently in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Richard Kock rejected the original diagnosis of pasteurellosis being the cause of death, and instead concluded the animals’ own hunger and thirst post calving, and a desire to feed on rich, moisture- laden pasture, was more likely to blame.
Both the 2010 and 2011 die-offs occurred during May, and primarily involved female saiga and their offspring. An area in the region’s Zhanibek location, long recognised as principal habitat for the Ural saiga population due to its having several low lying areas of rich pasture, was the site of both mass mortalities. However a herd of approximately 4000 animals that pastured elsewhere after calving this year, remained healthy and unaffected.
“I’m not convinced after examining the evidence that the cause for this mass die-off was pasteurellosis, or any other primary bacterial or viral transmissable contagious disease for that matter. The epidemiology doesn’t fit well. I suspect this is a die-off associated with the specific location, and pasture conditions at the time,” Kock said. Continue reading Fatal feeding the cause of mass deaths?
Posted on January 1st, 2012
The Veterinarian would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a happy new year! All the best for you, your families – and your clients – in 2012!
. . . → Read More: Happy New Year!
Posted on December 29th, 2011
Pathogen-driven declines in animal populations are increasingly regarded as a major conservation issue. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened with extinction by devil facial tumor disease, a unique transmissible cancer.
The disease is transmitted through direct transfer of tumor cells, which is possible because the genetic diversity of Tasmanian devils is low, particularly in the major histocompatibility complex genes of the immune system.
The far northwest of Tasmania now holds the last remaining disease-free wild devil populations. The recent discovery of unique major histocompatibility complex genotypes in the northwestern region of Tasmania has raised the possibility that some animals may be resilient to the disease. The authors examined the differences in the epidemiology and population effects of devil facial tumor disease at 3 well-studied affected sites in eastern Tasmania and 1 in western Tasmania (West Pencil Pine). Continue reading Reduced effect of Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease at the disease front
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