Risk factors for pet evacuation failure after a slow-onset disaster.

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for pet evacuation failure during a flood. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE POPULATION: 203 pet-owning households in a flooded region. PROCEDURES: Persons under evacuation notice because of a flood were interviewed by use of a random telephone survey. RESULTS: 102 households evacuated with their pets, whereas 101 households evacuated without their pets. Low pet attachment and commitment scores were significantly associated with a greater chance of pet evacuation failure. Risk of pet evacuation failure and lower attachment and commitment scores were also associated with pet management practices prior to the disaster, such as dogs being kept outdoors most of the time or owners not having carriers for their cats. More than 90% of owners made housing arrangements for their pets without assistance. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Predictors of pet evacuation failure are usually present before a disaster strikes and are potentially modifiable. Mitigation of pet evacuation failure should focus on activities that reinforce responsible pet ownership and strengthen the human-animal bond, including socializing dogs, attending dog behavior training classes, transporting cats in nondisaster times, and seeking regular preventive veterinary care. Most pet owners are self-reliant in disasters, and this behavior should be encouraged.     

Effect of Prosopis (mesquite) invasion and clearing on vegetation cover in semi-arid Nama Karoo rangeland,South Africa

The Nama-Karoo is the largest of the three biomes that comprise the semi-arid Karoo-Namib ecoregion of southern Africa. Large tracts of Nama-Karoo rangeland have been invaded by alien leguminous trees of the genus Prosopis. We assessed the impact of Prosopis invasion and clearing on vegetation cover in heavily grazed Nama-Karoo rangeland on two sheep farms in the Beaufort West district of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Our results suggest that, below critical threshold cover levels, Prosopis trees do not affect indigenous vegetation and add to overall rangeland vegetation cover. However, once Prosopis cover exceeds critical thresholds, the trees begin to negatively impact on indigenous vegetation (especially grasses) and overall vegetation cover. In addition, our data suggest that vegetation cover recovers after Prosopis clearing, being temporarily higher than pre-invasion levels possibly as a result of enhanced post-invasion soil fertility. Lastly, our results suggest that Prosopis trees reduce rangeland erosion potential at low cover and increase it after they exceed critical threshold cover. Information about thresholds of Prosopis impact can be used to direct clearing efforts for maximum benefit when resources are limited.     

Trade-offs among establishment success,stem morphology and productivity of underplanted Toona ciliata: Effects of nurse-species and thinning density

Toona ciliata (Australian red cedar), a valuable hardwood species, requires a nurse-tree overstorey to prevent damage from frost and drought in some regions of north-eastern Argentina. Different nurse-species offer different degrees of protection, resource competition, and thinning revenues. In addition, choice of nurse-species will influence trade-offs between T. ciliata establishment success, stem quality and productivity as well as revenue from intermediate and final harvests. We tested the effects of overstorey species and planting density on underplanted T. ciliata survival, stem morphology and growth. Initial stand densities of nurse-species Pinus taeda (625 stems/ha), P. elliottii × P. caribaea (625 stems/ha), and Grevillea robusta (833 stems/ha) were thinned by 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% in three experiments, each using a randomized block design. Initial mortality, light availability and growth of T. ciliata, as well as growth of its nurse-trees, were measured before and two years after thinning. In the third year, we characterized T. ciliata stem morphology (straightness and height-to-diameter-ratio) and destructively harvested a subsample of T. ciliata in order to investigate T. ciliata biomass production and allocation patterns in response to overstorey species, thinning density and light availability. T. ciliata mortality was lower when planted under G. robusta than the pines, and increased in plots with greater exposure to solar radiation. T. ciliata productivity was also greater under G. robusta than under the pines, and was generally greatest where any of the nurse-species were thinned by 75%. Stem form was best when growing under P. taeda and in stands thinned by 50%, regardless of nurse-species. With the exception of early mortality, light levels appeared to have limited effects on T. ciliata growth dynamics. Neither growth rate nor stem morphology was strongly correlated with light availability. Total overstorey basal-area was highest in P. taeda stands and individual overstorey tree growth generally increased with decreasing stand densities, except for slower height growth of G. robusta in more open stands. Thinning operations resulted in sawn-wood revenue for the pine species only. Because stand productivity and stem quality were optimized under different nurse-species and thinning treatments, we conclude that the choice of nurse-species and thinning intensity will depend on management objectives and will change with market preferences and conditions.     

Management of femoral artery thrombosis in an immature dog

Objective: To report a case of femoral artery thrombosis and its medical management in a young dog. Case summary: A 13‐week‐old, female Boxer puppy presented with hind limb paralysis after an abdominal crush injury. A left femoral artery thrombus was identified on ultrasound. No spinal trauma was visualized in imaging studies. Clinical management of arterial thrombosis in a 13‐week‐old puppy with streptokinase and dalteparin therapy is described. New or unique information provided: This paper describes an unusual presentation of arterial thrombosis. The medical management with streptokinase and dalteparin is also out of the ordinary. Images that document the development of compensatory circulation around the thrombosed vessel are included. Additionally, this paper also documents the altered development that occurred in this immature dog after the thrombotic event.     

Thromboelastography: a tool for measuring hypercoagulability, hypocoagulability, and fibrinolysis

Objective: To describe the technique of thromboelastography (TEG) and review the applications of this coagulation test in humans and small animals. Data sources: Data sources included scientific reviews and original research publications. Human data synthesis: TEG in humans has been used for documentation of hypercoagulable and hypocoagulable states and has been shown to be beneficial in patient management. Veterinary data synthesis: Clinical evaluation of TEG in veterinary medicine is limited; however, recent reports have documented evidence of hypercoagulability in dogs with parvovirus and protein‐losing nephropathy. Additionally, many of the research models may be relevant to veterinary patients. Conclusions: TEG provides information about coagulation that is not available through routine coagulation tests. The application of TEG monitoring to veterinary patients shows promise; however, prospective clinical studies are needed.     

Metal chelate molluscicides: The redistribution of iron diazaalkanolates from the gut lumen of the slug,Deroceras reticulatum (Müller) (Pulmonata: Limacidae)

Two related iron chelates, one toxic to slugs by ingestion, the other not, were introduced into the foregut of D. reticulatum. The subsequent movement and redistribution of the metal within the slug tissues was studied by labelling the chelates with the radioactive isotope ⁵⁵Fe. In slugs which survived treatment approximately half of the ⁵⁵Fe was voided in faeces. The iron retained became unevenly distributed, the highest concentration occurring in the digestive gland, irrespective of the chelate used. At high doses, slugs treated with tris(1-oxo-1,2-diazabutan-2-oxido)Fe(III) were fatally poisoned while those treated with the homologue, tris(1-oxo-1,2-diazaoctan-2-oxido)Fe(III) were not. Slugs killed by the toxic chelate consistently contained proportionally less iron in the digestive gland and proportionally more in the body wall and reproductive system. Dosing slugs already killed by carbon dioxide asphyxiation gave a similar pattern, suggesting that the greater mobility of the iron from the toxic chelate was not a function of the slugs' metabolism.