Avian care and husbandry.

Birds are becoming more popular as pets, and the need for veterinary professionals to learn more about these pets is crucial. This article introduces the veterinary staff to basic information required to provide high-quality care to avian patients. High-quality nutrition for a variety of species and ages is included in this article. The importance of proper husbandry and intellectual stimulation with toys is also discussed. Special emphasis is placed on instructions for clients when making appointments, as well as recognizing signs of illness for both clients and veterinary staff. Capture, restraint, and sample collection are an important part of this article, as well as medication administration, anesthesia, supportive care, preventive care and grooming. A variety of aspects concerning the care of the avian patient are covered for the benefit of the client and veterinary technician.     

Behavior of miniature pet pigs.

Pigs are clean, intelligent, and entertaining animals. Because they are domesticated animals, they are not even as unusual a pet as a hedgehog or snake. The animal lover that buys a pig on impulse, however, is likely to have a disappointing experience. Those who acquire a pet pig with the most common preconceived but inaccurate notions are even more likely to be quickly disenchanted with their "exotic pet." Many pet owners will complain of the size that their pig attains; but if the pig were more manageable and better behaved, its ultimate size would probably be of less concern. Given the proper environment, diet and veterinary care, the miniature pig can be a terrific pet.     

Wound management in teleost fish: biology of the healing process, evaluation, and treatment.

Wound healing, although similar to terrestrial vertebrates, occurs faster in fish species in a proper aquatic environment. Wound management must involve identification and correction of potential noninfectious and/or infectious causes of disease. Wound evaluation includes assessment of the wound as well as systematic examination of the patient, water quality conditions, and husbandry practices. Diagnostic evaluation should, at a minimum, include physical examination, skin/cornea (if indicated) scraping, and lesions cultures. The clinician should also consider full thickness wound biopsies, gill and fin biopsies, blood collection, and radiographs for systemic evaluation as well. Local wound management should follow basic principles of wound care including cleaning and lavage, debridement, primary closure if indicated, and local and/or systemic antiinfectives. Monofilament absorbable or nonabsorbable sutures are commonly used for primary closure of wounds. Diagnostic results, patient and client compliance, and economic impact should guide systemic methods of treatment for wound care. Options for systemic therapy include oral or gavage, parenteral, bath, or prolonged immersion treatments. With bath or prolonged immersion therapies, aquatic systems must be properly prepared for treatment. Treatment of identified pathogens, proper water quality and husbandry, supportive care and nutrition must all be provided to promote an ideal wound healing environment for the teleost fish.     

Common rodent procedures.

Rodents are commonly owned exotic animal pets that may be seen by veterinary practitioners. Although most owners presenting their animals do care about their pets, they may not be aware of the diagnostic possibilities and challenges that can be offered by rodents to the veterinarian. Understanding clinical anatomy, proper hand-ling technique, realistic management of emergency presentations,correct and feasible diagnostic sampling, anesthesia, and humane euthanasia procedures is important to enhancing the doctor-client-patient relationship, especially when financial constraints may be imposed by the owner.     

The owner of the pet with cancer

Cancer is an emotionally charged disease. During treatment, it is not uncommon for pet owners to engage veterinarians in frank discussions and emotional confrontations based on their fears and anxieties about cancer. Pet loss counseling skills are invaluable when dealing with clients after the death of their companion animal. Incorporating pet loss counseling into a veterinary practice is pragmatic as well as compassionate because clients who feel that they have received good emotional care in addition to medical care return to the veterinarian with new pets and recommend the practice to others.     

Ferrets: wound healing and therapy.

In all species of mammals, the stages of wound healing are the same, and both host factors and wound characteristics affect how wounds heal. The basic principles of wound care in ferrets, such as lavage, bandaging, and surgical closure, are similar to those in other species; however, knowledge of ferrets' anatomy and pathophysiology, as well as skin conditions commonly seen in ferrets, will help ensure proper wound healing.     

Extraction techniques

Dental extractions are a very common veterinary procedure. As common as they are, they are not a simple undertaking and should be approached with the same depth of preparation as any other surgical procedure. Regardless of size of the tooth, all extractions start with the 9 steps used for simple single-root extractions. These are: obtain consent, expose a dental radiograph, obtain proper lighting and visualization, administer proper pain management, cut the gingival attachment, elevate carefully, remove the tooth, perform alveoplasty, and close. Multi-root teeth require sectioning into single-rooted pieces, which are then treated as single-root extractions. Finally, some extractions (especially canine and carnassial teeth) are better performed after the creation of gingival flaps and removal of bone to ease the extraction process.     

Hepatic biopsy

Hepatic biopsy plays an integral part in the formation of the diagnosis, selection of the therapy, and determination of the prognosis in clinical cases of hepatic disease. It has been shown that results of hepatic biopsy correlate well with postmortem findings and findings of liver function tests. Hepatic biopsy is not difficult to perform and the benefits usually outweigh the risks and costs. The techniques described have many variations that are influenced by the experience and skill of the practitioner and the equipment available to the practitioner. It is the authors' opinion that, with the proper training, every practitioner can obtain hepatic biopsies and, thus, increase the quality of medical care to their patients.     

Emergency treatments for police dogs used for illicit drug detection

The key to saving police dogs that have been exposed to large quantities of illicit substances is rapid action. Removal from the gastrointestinal tract, adsorption, and catharsis are the first steps. Some of these measures can be instituted on site by the attending officer. In case of accidental drug exposures of a dog during a search, police officers should have on hand apomorphine, syringes for administration of the drug and rinsing of the conjunctival sac, activated charcoal, a saline cathartic such as sodium sulfate (not needed if the activated charcoal product contains sorbitol), a resuscitator bag, and a well-fitting canine face mask. If bags of drugs are ingested intact, immediate surgery by a veterinarian may be required to remove the bag and prevent an obstruction or rapid absorption of a lethal dose. Injectible medications to antagonize the effects of the drugs should be reserved for administration by a readily available veterinarian upon arrival of the dog at the veterinary hospital. Pharmacologic antagonistic agents may have adverse side effects, especially if used in the treatment of a drug exposure against which they are not specifically indicated. Proper dosage and route of administration are additional important factors with such treatment. The veterinarian must instruct the police officers on the proper use, dosages, and methods of administration of the detoxifying agents as well as the proper procedures for using the face mask and resuscitator bag before an emergency arises. The officer should also be aware of the clinical signs likely to be produced following exposure to the agents for which these dogs search.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Neuromuscular Blocking Drugs and the Critical Care Patient

As the management of critically ill and emergency patients intensifies and veterinary surgical procedures become more complex, more sophisticated methods of support are becoming necessary. Emergency and critical care patients are excellent candidates for the use of neuromuscular blocking drugs. The main advantage of the current generation of neuromuscular blocking drugs compared to earlier agents is that they provide muscle relaxation with little or no cardiovascular effects. The pharmacology and physiology of neuromuscular blocking drugs are discussed, and their use is described with specific references to critical care patients. Monitoring techniques are described and reversal of neuromuscular blockade as well as potential side effects and adverse reactions arediscussed.     

AVMA guidelines for dealing with AIDS-infected persons in the veterinary workplace

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a human disease; human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not infect animals other than nonhuman primates. Veterinarians and their employees are no more at risk by reason of their employment than are workers in offices. Cautions for health care workers do not generally apply to animal health care workers, but they are good rules to follow if it is necessary to render first aid for human injuries in the workplace. Veterinarians are advised to have properly equipped first aid kits available in case of need. Employees with HIV infection or AIDS should be treated in the same way that any other ill or disabled employee would be treated. They should be given the opportunity to continue work as long as they are able to perform most of the essential functions of their jobs. Their privacy must be respected, but if their condition becomes known, they must not be discriminated against by employers or other employees. All employees should be instructed in basic information regarding HIV infection and AIDS, so they understand what is and is not a hazard. They should also be trained to deal safely with human injuries and be informed of their rights and the rights of other employees in case one of them is infected with HIV.     

Invertebrate care.

Invertebrates are attracting increasing interest within the veterinary profession. They are also significant in their own right; as the Council of Europe's "Charter on Invertebrates" points out, they are the most important component of wild fauna as well as providing food, contributing to agriculture and forestry, and aiding medicine,industry, and crafts. Whenever invertebrates are kept in captivity they should be subject to high standards of management and care and veterinary attention-whether by the veterinarian or by the veterinary technician-should be based on sound biological and humanitarian principles.     

外泌体的生物学功能和调控机制研究进展

外泌体是直径30~100 nm的小囊泡,内含多种蛋白与核酸,分布与来源广泛。目前,对于外泌体的研究涉及间充质干细胞、骨细胞、癌细胞、心、肝、肺等几乎机体全部组织,外泌体在机体免疫应答、细胞迁移、细胞增殖分化、细胞凋亡、肿瘤侵袭等过程具有重要功能作用,为疾病诊治、组织修复治疗提供了新思路。外泌体主要通过内含的多种mRNA与miRNA发挥众多功能,不同来源、不同环境下其发挥作用不同。本文主要对外泌体的发生、分离纯化及功能调控机制进行综述,为选择合适的外泌体提取方法与更深入研究外泌体提供参考。     

Pet markets: permits and surveillance

When pets are sold on pet markets there are frequently situations that are not consistent with the laws concerned with animal welfare. Animals are not packed properly, tropical animals needing certain temperatures are sold outdoors under unsuitable weather conditions, animals are kept and transported in unsuitable containers, shy animals not used to market conditions or sick animals are being offered. Different possibilities to guarantee proper conditions for the animals are being described involving the organizer as well as the local veterinary authority surveying the market. Possible executive measures are presented.     

Emergency care for potbellied pigs.

Because of the limited number of veterinarians treating potbellied pigs, many pet pigs do not receive proper preventative health care. The potbellied pig's continued popularity among urban dwellers ensures that veterinarians who treat small and exotic animals will be contacted by owners of pet pigs with real or perceived emergencies. Regardless of their knowledge of swine, the information contained in this article should enable any veterinarian to provide basic emergency care for pet pigs.     

Potbellied pig husbandry and nutrition.

Vietnamese potbellied pigs, when appropriately cared for, make excellent pets for some people. However, their proper housing, care, and training is more challenging to the average person than that required for most traditional pets, such as dogs and cats. Failure to feed and house the pet pig appropriately results in the most common health and behavior problems. The obese, intractable pet pig gives little pleasure to a pet owner and appears to lead a very poor-quality life, frequently leading to the pet pig being given away or worse. Preventing health and behavior problems is easy if pet owners are armed with correct information early, either before or immediately after their acquisition of a pet pig. A veterinarian prepared to share this information can save the lives of many pigs as well as keep clients happy and coming back.     

Neonatal critical care.

The first few minutes after a neonate's birth may determine the quality of its entire life. Immediate care includes prevention of hypothermia, clearing of nasal and oral passages, stimulation of ventilation and oxygenation, and, in a few cases, advanced life support. Any additional stress during the first weeks of life can also result in neonatal morbidity and mortality. Care of the diseased newborn must focus not only on treatment of the underlying disease but on aggressive supportive care. A safe, warm, clean, proper environment and adequate nutrition are essential.     

Structure of the domestic animal stock in the old jurisdictions of the Federal Republic of Germany

After a short review of the size structure and the regional distribution of livestock holdings with cattle, pigs and poultry, the significance and distribution of those livestock holdings are presented, which according to their size and their density are excluded from certain national income compensations to German farmers because they are classified as not belonging to the farm sector proper by agricultural policy authorities. Compared to neighbouring member countries of the EC, the significance of these livestock holdings seems rather small. The introduction of the milk quota regime and the exclusion of larger livestock holdings from certain income compensations have retarded the process of structural change in livestock keeping since the middle of the 1980s. Among factors influencing the future development of the structure of livestock holdings, scientific and technical innovations in livestock breeding and husbandry as well as developments in the distribution of food will prevailingly intensify the tendencies of continuing concentration processes in livestock holdings whereas environmental legislation and agricultural price and market policies will probably counteract these tendencies.     

Surveillance for nosocomial infections in veterinary hospitals.

Surveillance for nosocomial infection and disease is a critical component in an integrated and highly effective infection control program. Surveillance activities provide a sensory role to guide ongoing control practices so that they are focused and efficient. Without input from surveillance results, infection control practices are likely to be guided more by emotion and opinion than by data and evidence. This article discusses issues to be considered when developing effective nosocomial infection surveillance programs as well as the historical perspective of surveillance efforts for nosocomial infection in human health care settings.