Acupuncture for general veterinary practice.

Since the International Society of Veterinary Acupuncture (IVAS) was founded in 1974, acupuncture (AP) has received greater acceptance by veterinary professionals throughout the world. This article introduces some important animal diseases that respond well to AP therapy. These include resuscitation of small animals, treatment of anoestrous gilts and sows, bovine reproductive disease, canine vertebral problems and equine backpain, etc. Conventional medicine considers these to be difficult cases to treat. Veterinarians have become more aware of the benefits of AP especially for those diseases, thanks to the efforts of experienced practitioners and scientists, and the many published reports on veterinary AP that have introduced some good indications for AP therapy in veterinary practice. Possible mechanisms behind the effectiveness of AP are discussed. This article aims to introduce veterinarians to good indications for AP to initiate their interest in the practice of AP. Although this is a rapidly expanding field, a long march must begin with one step. We wish this article to be the shoes for such a march. For more information on veterinary AP, contact IVAS , P.O. Box 1478, Longmont, CO.. 80502, USA (http://www.ivas.org), or your national veterinary acupuncture society (http://www.komvet.at/ ivadkom/vapsocs.htm).     

Basic concepts in statistics for veterinary ophthalmologists

Abstract This review article provides a comprehensive coverage of basic statistical procedures commonly used in biologic experiments and is intended to be a basic guide to the selection of appropriate tests and also to aid the reader in the evaluation of published studies. The focus is on the use, interpretation and presentation of the main statistical tests and their key concepts for the practicing veterinary ophthalmologist. Several examples derived from actual ophthalmic research are presented in the text. Lastly, the article discusses computer-based statistical analysis, provides a list of different software available and gives a practical example of a 'real life' statistical analysis.     

A survey of caesarean operations on cattle in general veterinary practice

The animal most frequently requiring operation for dystocia in this survey of 133 cases was the Friesian/Holstein heifer. In 38 per cent of cases the reason for surgery was an oversized calf and in 84 per cent the operation was performed on the farm of origin. The majority of the dams were operated on while standing, using a left flank incision, and under paravertebral or field infiltration with local anaesthetic solution. Exteriorisation of the uterus did not appear to be essential except when the calf was dead. Ninety-five per cent of the calves alive in utero and 91 per cent of the dams survived, although 30 per cent of the dams suffered ill-health afterwards. In nine cases neither dam nor calf survived. The fertility indices of those which were rebred were not markedly affected, but milk production was reduced by an estimated 12 per cent of the potential yield.     

Disinfection for dermatomycoses in veterinary practice

Sporulating cultures of two strains of Trichophyton equinum, two strains of Trich. mentagrophytes and one strain of Microsporum canis were tested by a simple dipping technique for their sensitivity to ten currently used disinfectants. Antifungal effects on all cultures of dermatophytes were observed already after one-minute treatment with 0.5%-4% peracetic acid, 4% formaldehyde solution and concentrated solution of Lastanox super. The above strains were inactivated after five-minute treatment with 1% and 2% formaldehyde solution, 20% Iodonal B solution and Ajatin solution with 10% active substance. Fungistatic effects of various intensity were observed in the other disinfectants.