Antibiotic prophylaxis in veterinary cancer chemotherapy: A review and recommendations

Bacterial infection following cancer chemotherapy‐induced neutropenia is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in human and veterinary patients. Antimicrobial prophylaxis is controversial in the human oncology field, as any decreased incidence in bacterial infections is countered by patient adverse effects and increased antimicrobial resistance. Comprehensive guidelines exist to aid human oncologists in prescribing antimicrobial prophylaxis but similar recommendations are not available in veterinary literature. As the veterinarian's role in antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly emphasized, it is vital that veterinary oncologists implement appropriate antimicrobial use. By considering the available human and veterinary literature we present an overview of current clinical practices and are able to suggest recommendations for prophylactic antimicrobial use in veterinary cancer chemotherapy patients.     

The use of IV lipid emulsion for lipophilic drug toxicities

IV lipid emulsion (ILE) therapy is emerging as a potential antidote for lipophilic drug toxicities in both human and veterinary medicine. ILE has already gained acceptance in human medicine as a treatment of local anesthetic systemic toxicity, but its mechanism of action, safety margins, and standardized dosing information remains undetermined at this time. Experimental and anecdotal use of ILE in the human and veterinary literature, theorized mechanisms of action, current dosing recommendations, potential adverse effects, and indications for use in human and veterinary emergency medicine are reviewed herein.     

Recommendations for designing and conducting veterinary clinical pathology biologic variation studies

The recent creation of a veterinary clinical pathology biologic variation website has highlighted the need to provide recommendations for future studies of biologic variation in animals in order to help standardize and improve the quality of published information and to facilitate review and selection of publications as standard references. The following recommendations are provided in the format and order commonly found in veterinary publications. A checklist is provided to aid in planning, implementing, and evaluating veterinary studies on biologic variation (Appendix  S1 ). These recommendations provide a valuable resource for clinicians, laboratorians, and researchers interested in conducting studies of biologic variation and in determining the quality of studies of biologic variation in veterinary laboratory testing.     

The downward spiral of cattle veterinary practice

Farm work for the cattle veterinary practitioner has declined in recent years, and further decline seems inevitable. With fewer dairy farms, and cattle farmers calling upon the veterinary surgeon less frequently, mixed practices are able to compensate by spending ever more time on small animal and horse work. But as cattle farmers know full well that younger veterinary surgeons are getting ever less experience with cattle, they are even less inclined to consult them. Here, I review the reasons for the downward spiral, and look for some solutions.     

Thromboembolic therapies in dogs and cats: an evidence-based approach.

In veterinary medicine, we are forced to make use of less than ideal "evidence," such as extrapolation from experimental studies in dogs and cats without naturally occurring diseases and from clinical trials in other species (particularly human clinical trials), as well as limited information gained from veterinary clinical experience, small clinical trials, case studies, and anecdotal reports. In this article, specific treatment recommendations are made for each of the common thromboembolic conditions seen in dogs and cats. These recommendations are made with the important caveat that, to date, such suggested therapeutic approaches are based on limited evidence.     

The perception of veterinary medicine in the print media

Between January 2000 and October 2003, a print media data bank on published contributions was screened for the German key words "Tierarzt/Tier?rztin" and "Veterin?r/Veterin?rin" (veterinary surgeon) and related items. 267 articles have been found. Regarding the contents, the articles were characterised according to the content (VPH, surgeons, other), and the cause of the article. Regarding the surgeon part, mostly companion animals are dealt with. If it comes to VPH, primarily so called scandals such as misuse of therapeuticals or epidemics (BSE, FMD) have been reported. In the first instance these articles reflect only a temporary interest, and they do not give real insight into the daily work of the profession. As a consequence, public intelligence on veterinary medicine may be misled by such press articles, possibly generating wrong expectations in young people who might start with veterinary medicine. Institutional bodies should provide information, which covers the subject in a more realistic way in order to prevent a wrong understanding of the profession and to offer the whole scope of the public functions of veterinary medicine.     

Skin disorders of small mammals

Small mammals are frequently presented to the veterinary surgeon for skin disorders as children's pets, laboratory animals or commercial breeding groups. The role of the veterinary surgeon in these different categories is examined. Investigation and management of these disorders is discussed placing particular emphasis on a diagnostic approach and highlighting those areas which differ from canine and feline dermatology. Common dermatoses of these animals are described on an aetiological basis.     

A literature review of reports of the stability and storage of common injectable chemotherapy agents used in veterinary patients

Many chemotherapy drugs used in human patients are discarded after single use or within 24 h of reconstitution, as per the manufacturer's product label recommendations. This can be wasteful and costly to veterinary clients. This report reviews the published stability and storage data for 19 injectable chemotherapy drugs commonly used in veterinary medicine. Based on these data, storage procedures are presented, assuming aseptic technique and a closed system drug transfer device (CSDTD) are used for drug preparation and handling. Further studies on the risk of microbiological contamination of chemotherapeutics using a CSDTD, and validated high quality drug assays such as stability‐indicating high‐performance liquid chromatography, are required. The authors' intent is not to supersede product label recommendations, but to suggest that longer storage without significant loss of drug efficacy may be possible, thus reducing the costs of chemotherapeutics to some veterinary clients.     

农兽药多残留检测方法的研究进展

农药污染和兽药残留已对环境和人类健康构成严重威胁,农产品的质量安全问题日益突出,迫切需要开发简便、价廉、快速的农兽药多残留检测技术。目前,国内外在农兽药多残留检测方面的研究得到了长足的进展,研制出各种适合于农兽药多残留的检测方法。文章主要介绍了仪器分析法、免疫分析法在农兽药多残留检测中的研究进展和应用现状,讨论了各种检测方法存在的问题,并且对检测方法的发展进行了展望。     

Veterinary drug legal situation for oral medication in animal facilities in Germany

Oral medication of animal stocks can be administered via oral ready-to-use veterinary medicinal products or by using medicated feedingstuffs. The regulations contained in the German Drug Act (Arzneimittelgesetz - AMG) and the ordinances derived from the AMG are applicable to both types of medicinal product. The legal requirements relating to the manufacture, authorisation, marketing, dispensing and proper use of these medicinal products in respect of oral medication are dealt with in detail. Pursuant to Section 13 AMG, companies that manufacture medicated feedingstuffs require a manufacturing licence. To take into account the special features of these medicinal products, specific stipulations have been laid down regarding the manufacture and dispensing of medicated feedingstuffs by these companies. The use of medicated feedingstuffs is for various reasons in steep decline, while oral ready-to-use medicinal products are, according to reports on practice in the relevant sector, increasingly being used to treat animal stocks as well. When dispensing veterinary medicinal products, the veterinarian must comply with the state of the art and make sure that the animal keeper is able to use the drugs properly. In order to react to doubts regarding compliance with these legal requirements, recommendations for use of oral medication should be developed which provide veterinarians with an aid to assist them in deciding which type of drugs are most suited for the respective case, and what is to be complied with in their use. The recommendations for use are intended to facilitate the correct application of oral medication in respect of both types of veterinary medicinal product.     

ASVCP guidelines: quality assurance for point‐of‐care testing in veterinary medicine

Point‐of‐care testing (POCT) refers to any laboratory testing performed outside the conventional reference laboratory and implies close proximity to patients. Instrumental POCT systems consist of small, handheld or benchtop analyzers. These have potential utility in many veterinary settings, including private clinics, academic veterinary medical centers, the community (eg, remote area veterinary medical teams), and for research applications in academia, government, and industry. Concern about the quality of veterinary in‐clinic testing has been expressed in published veterinary literature; however, little guidance focusing on POCT is available. Recognizing this void, the ASVCP formed a subcommittee in 2009 charged with developing quality assurance (QA) guidelines for veterinary POCT. Guidelines were developed through literature review and a consensus process. Major recommendations include (1) taking a formalized approach to POCT within the facility, (2) use of written policies, standard operating procedures, forms, and logs, (3) operator training, including periodic assessment of skills, (4) assessment of instrument analytical performance and use of both statistical quality control and external quality assessment programs, (5) use of properly established or validated reference intervals, (6) and ensuring accurate patient results reporting. Where possible, given instrument analytical performance, use of a validated 1_3s control rule for interpretation of control data is recommended. These guidelines are aimed at veterinarians and veterinary technicians seeking to improve management of POCT in their clinical or research setting, and address QA of small chemistry and hematology instruments. These guidelines are not intended to be all‐inclusive; rather, they provide a minimum standard for maintenance of POCT instruments in the veterinary setting.     

Rabbit orthopedic surgery.

Orthopedic surgery in rabbits poses several unique parameters for the veterinary surgeon. It is imperative for the veterinarian to be knowledgeable about the anatomic features of the surgical repair site and to become familiar with a rabbit's pain and discomfort often associated with orthopedic injuries. Handling the perioperative and postoperative pain and potential GI disturbances are crucial for a successful outcome of the surgical case. This article is designed to help the veterinary surgeon prepare for the orthopedic surgical procedure and the peripheral physiologic needs of the rabbit from presentation through recovery.     

Problems concerned with the development of new drugs for the livestock industry

The paper considers the differences between the requirements of the development of new products for the livestock industry, as compared with those encountered in the medical field. It is emphasised that in many ways animal requirements are more straightforward and can be determined much earlier because it is possible to give the new chemical to the target species at the onset of an investigation. It is also suggested that where a recognised and tested human drug is to be developed for animal use, the process of investigation should be shorter as so much scientific detail has already been evaluated. Because the economic costs of the development of new veterinary drugs are high it is recommended that industry, the registration authorities, and the veterinary surgeon in practice should work closely together so as to ensure that a range of appropriate drugs is continually developed.     

Carl Troester, 1880-83 as veterinarian in Tokyo

Carl Troester (1856-1928), royal Prussian junior veterinary surgeon, has been sent by command of His Majesty to Tokyo to teach at the Agricultural Faculty Japanese students in veterinary medicine. Instruction language is English. The course of instruction comprises 36 hours per week. He gains the acknowledgement of his pupils and in 1883, on dismissal he has been received by the Tenno. His career at the military veterinary academy in Berlin leads to the position of veterinary brigadier and professor. With the construction of the sanitary institute he has raised himself a memorial.     

Response evaluation criteria for solid tumours in dogs (v1.0): a Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group (VCOG) consensus document

In veterinary medical oncology, there is currently no standardized protocol for assessing response to therapy in solid tumours. The lack of such a formalized guideline makes it challenging to critically compare outcome measures across various treatment protocols. The Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group (VCOG) membership consensus document presented here is based on the recommendations of a subcommittee of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) board‐certified veterinary oncologists. This consensus paper has used the human response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (RECIST v1.1) as a framework to establish standard procedures for response assessment in canine solid tumours that is meant to be easy to use, repeatable and applicable across a variety of clinical trial structures in veterinary oncology. It is hoped that this new canine RECIST (cRECIST v1.0) will be adopted within the veterinary oncology community and thereby facilitate the comparison of current and future treatment protocols used for companion animals with cancer.     

Epidemiological study of the characteristics of veterinarians who pursue a research career: part 2

This retrospective study investigated the characteristics associated with being a veterinary surgeon employed in veterinary research during 2001 to 2003. The main reasons for graduates entering a research career were having opportunities for more intellectual stimulation than was available in practice and having the opportunity to try a research career. Lack of funding and job insecurity were cited as the main factors that might cause a veterinary surgeon working in research to change career. The main reasons given by veterinary surgeons for not considering a research career were that they enjoyed veterinary practice, they liked the contact with animals and their owners, they considered they were not sufficiently academic, and they thought the salary associated with a research career was poor. The graduates working in research stated that the best aspects of their work were the greater intellectual stimulation and the more varied workload; the worst aspects were the conflicting work pressures and the lower salary.     

Survey of pet owners' expectations of surgical practice within first opinion veterinary clinics in Great Britain

O bjectives : The expectations of small animal pet owners in Great Britain were evaluated on a number of issues regarding aseptic practice and clinical management and compared with final year veterinary students' assessment of actual veterinary practice.
M aterials and M ethods : A survey was completed by 328 small animal pet owners and 56 veterinary practices in Great Britain. Questions from the pet owner survey related to expectations and opinions on a number of surgical issues and questions from the veterinary surgeon survey examined veterinary practice in relation to the same issues. Comparisons were made to determine whether there were any differences between pet owner expectations and veterinary student assessment of actual practice of small animal first opinion clinics.
R esults : In the majority of issues examined there was a significant mismatch between client expectation and provisions made. Of particular importance was the discrepancy regarding the use of surgical gloves and administration of analgesia.
C linical S ignificance : These results suggest that attempts should be made to understand and improve the disparity that exists between small animal pet owners and veterinary surgeons in Great Britain.     

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a veterinary orthopaedic referral hospital: staff nasal colonisation and incidence of clinical cases

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate staff nasal colonisation with meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a veterinary orthopaedic referral hospital, and its effect on the occurrence of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated postoperative wound complications in orthopaedic and spinal surgical patients. METHODS: Nasal bacterial swabs were collected from veterinary staff and environmental surfaces swabbed at six monthly intervals for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus monitoring over an 18 month period. The incidence of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated postoperative wound complications of two veterinary orthopaedic surgeons was reviewed for a period when one was positive for nasal meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. RESULTS: Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from a maximum of two out of 10 staff on each occasion. The persistently infected clinician was primary surgeon in 180 cases, of which four developed meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated wound complications. None of 141 operations led by the other surgeon developed meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated complications. This difference is not statistically significant (P=0.0974). The 95 per cent confidence interval for this odds ratio was 0.83 to 44.0. Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus resistance patterns of the human nasal isolates and three of four wound-associated isolates were similar. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Veterinary workers are at increased risk for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonisation, so it is likely that many veterinary patients are treated by meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-positive staff. Nasal colonisation of veterinary surgeons with meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus appears to present only a small risk to their patients when appropriate infection control procedures are followed.     

Assessment of companion animal quality of life in veterinary practice and research

O bjectives : Quality-of-life (QOL) assessment is a novel field in veterinary medicine. It shares similarities with the more established fields of human QOL assessment and animal welfare science and could prove similarly useful.
M ethods : This paper draws on existing literature on human QOL assessment, animal welfare, philosophy and animal QOL assessment.
R esults : It provides practical recommendations for QOL assessment in veterinary practice and in veterinary research on what should be assessed, how it should be assessed and who should assess it.
C linical S ignificance : These should assist veterinarians intending to develop their use QOL assessment.