The treatment of diarrhoea in the adult horse

The priority in treating the equine patient with acute diarrhoea is to stabilise the haemodynamic aberrations secondary to the fluid and electrolyte losses. Once this has been initiated and the patient is stabilised ancillary treatments may be beneficial. Besides the well established effects of NSAIDs and polymixin B on systemic inflammation, recent studies suggest that the use of DTOS to bind bacterial toxins and Saccharomyces boulardii to reduce the severity and duration of diarrhoea may be beneficial. The justification for using probiotic products is scant. There is no evidence to suggest that systemic use of antimicrobials benefits equine patients with colitis, with the exception of metronidazole in cases of clostridial diarrhoea. In light of their potentially detrimental effects, their use can, in the opinion of the authors, not be advocated. Better understanding of the pathways of systemic inflammation and more selective anti‐inflammatory drugs may be of great benefit in the future.     

Severe hyperkalaemia associated with renal dysplasia in a 2-day-old foal

A 2-day-old filly foal presented with signs of depression, recumbency and inappetence. Blood analyses revealed hypoalbuminaemia, hyperfibrinogenaemia, hyperglycaemia and hyperkalaemia. The foal deteriorated despite intensive treatment and was subjected to euthanasia. At post mortem examination, the urinary bladder, ureters and kidneys appeared normal grossly. Histologically both kidneys showed disorganised development with the presence of structures inappropriate for a foal of this age, including primitive glomeruli, immature renal tubules and persistent metanephric ducts. Based on these findings a diagnosis of bilateral renal dysplasia was made.     

Acute toxicity in five dogs after ingestion of a commercial snail and slug bait containing iron EDTA

This case series of five dogs describes the effects of ingesting large amounts of an iron EDTA snail-bait product. In all cases signs of toxicity occurred between 6 and 24 h after ingestion and included abdominal pain and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Two of the dogs had pretreatment serum iron levels measured and in both cases the levels were above normal limits. All of the dogs were treated with iron chelation therapy and supportive care including intravenous fluids, analgesics, gastric protectants and antibiotics. Chelation therapy with desferrioxamine mesylate did not cause adverse effects in any of the dogs and all survived to discharge. The effects of iron EDTA snail bait in dogs requires further study and minimum toxic doses need to be established.     

Demographic survey of veterinarians employed in western Canada

The objective of this study was to generate demographic data on veterinarians working in western Canada. A sample of 551 veterinarians was randomly selected from a population of 2474 veterinarians employed in western Canada, 425 (77.1%) of whom responded to the survey. The respondents were evenly split between males (53.1%) and females (46.9%). More than half (58.0%) of the private practitioners practised exclusively on companion animals (small animals and horses), while 2.9% devoted 100% of their time to food animals. There were 351 respondents who had had ≥ 2 employers since graduation; 80% of those who had begun their careers in companion animal (CA) practice had remained in this type of practice, while 54.3% of those who had begun their careers in mixed animal practice had switched to CA practice. Analyses of wage and workload data from 85 full-time veterinary employees showed that CA practitioners worked the fewest hours/week (47.0), had the least number of evenings on-call/month (3.7), and earned the highest hourly wage ($35.79) as compared with non-CA practitioners.     

Mycoplasma bovis and otitis in dairy calves in the United Kingdom

Signs of severe otitis media in 20% of dairy calves on one farm were associated with Mycoplasma bovis infection, based on isolation from the external ear canal and nares. Affected calves seroconverted to M. bovis and no other significant bacteria were isolated. Infection was considered likely to have originated from cows in the milking herd based on evidence of seroconversion and detection of infection in a milk sample. M. bovis infection should be considered when investigating otitis problems in calves.     

The effect of dosing with sodium hydroxide (NaOH−) on water pH and growth of Haliotis midae in an abalone serial-use raceway

Abalone culture systems are characterised by high water exchange rates as abalone are sensitive to changes in water quality. To reduce the costs of pumping, serial reuse systems have been tested. As water pH can decline in these systems, this study determined the effect of raising pH through the addition of sodium hydroxide (NaOH^?) on weight gain, length gain and feed conversion ratio of H. midae in a serial-use raceway. Dosing with NaOH^? increased pH by 0.3, 0.27 and 0.21 units at positions 1, 2 and 3 of a serial-pass system, respectively. Weight gain (Wg) and length gain (Lg) were correlated with pH (Wg: F _{1, 16} = 16.35, P = 0.0009, r ² = 0.51; Lg: F _{1, 16} = 16.16, P = 0.0009, r ² = 0.50), and using pH, dissolved oxygen and free ammonia nitrogen as independent variables suggested that water pH was the best predictor for abalone growth.     

The Effect of a Chronic Stressor, Lameness, on Detailed Sexual Behaviour and Hormonal Profiles in Milk and Plasma of Dairy Cattle

The objectives of the present study were to quantify the effects of a biological chronic stressor (lameness) on the duration and frequency of different oestrous behaviours in parallel with milk hormone profiles. Dairy cows 51.8 ± 1.4 days postpartum (n = 59), including 18 non‐lame control cows, were scored for lameness and closely observed for signs of oestrus having had their follicular phases synchronized by administration of gonadotrophin‐releasing‐hormone (GnRH) followed by prostaglandin F_2α (PG) 7 days later. Lameness shortened the period when herd‐mates attempted to mount the lame cows (1.83 ± 0.69 h vs 5.20 ± 1.53 h; p = 0.042) but did not affect the overall duration of total behaviours (lame 12.3 ± 1.3 h vs non‐lame 15.2 ± 1.3 h). Lameness also lowered the intensity of oestrus [1417 ± 206 points (n = 18) vs 2260 ± 307 points (n = 15); p = 0.029]. Throughout the synchronized oestrous period, lame cows mounted the rear of herd‐mates less frequently (p = 0.020) and tended to chin rest less (p = 0.075). Around the period of maximum oestrous intensity, lameness also diminished the proportion of cows mounting the rear of another cow and chin resting (p = 0.048, p = 0.037, respectively). Furthermore, lame cows had lower progesterone values during the 6 days before oestrous (p ≤ 0.05). Fewer lame cows were observed in oestrus following PG (non‐lame 83%, lame 53%; p = 0.030); however, if prior progesterone concentrations were elevated, lame cows were just as likely to be observed in oestrus. In conclusion, following endogenous progesterone exposure, lameness shortens the period when herd‐mates attempt to mount lame cows but does not affect the incidence of oestrous. However, lame cows are mounted less frequently and express oestrus of lower intensity. This is associated with lower progesterone prior to oestrus but not with abnormal oestradiol or cortisol profiles in daily milk samples.     

Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG is a potential probiotic for calves

Diarrhea is a common occurrence in neonatal calves. Several veterinary probiotics claiming to prevent or treat calf diarrhea are available, but have not been well studied. This study assessed the capability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (LGG) to maintain viability in the gastrointestinal tract of calves. We also determined whether LGG can be administered in an oral rehydration solution (ORS) without compromising the efficacy of the ORS or the viability of LGG, and whether LGG produces D-lactate or not. To investigate the intestinal survival of LGG, 15 calves were randomized into 3 groups and LGG was administered orally with their morning milk feeding on 3 consecutive days at a low (LD), medium (MD), or high (HD) dosage. Fecal samples were collected on days 0 (control), 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 and incubated for 72 h on deMan, Rogosa, Sharpe agar. Twenty-four hours after the 1st feeding, LGG was recovered from 1 out of 5 calves in the LD group, 4 out of 5 calves in the MD group, and 5 out of 5 calves in the HD group. To determine if LGG caused the glucose levels in the ORS to drop below effective levels, 1.5 L of the ORS was incubated with LGG for 2 h at 37 degrees C and the glucose concentration was measured every 20 min using a glucose meter. This ORS was then further incubated for 10 h and aliquots analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography to determine if D-lactate was produced by LGG. Glucose concentrations did not change over the 2 h of incubation, and no D-lactate was produced after 48 h. The LGG maintained viability in ORS. Therefore, this study demonstrated that LGG survives intestinal transit in the young calf, produces no D-lactate, and can be administered in an ORS.     

Measurement of portal and hepatic blood flows using a modified method for surgical placement of catheters in the major splanchnic vessels of sheep

A modified catheterization and para-aminohippurate dye dilution technique was used to measure portal and hepatic blood flows in sheep. Blood flows (mean +/- 1SD) for 7 healthy sheep were 1.54 +/- 0.71 L/min and 1.98 +/- 0.75 L/min for portal and hepatic flows, respectively. Blood flow measurement was facilitated when dye injection rates produced blood para-aminohippurate acid concentrations greater than 15 mg/L. Uniform mixing of dye with blood was confirmed in 1 sheep with 2 portal vein catheters. Surgery to place the catheters was facilitated by using a ventral para-costal approach. Blood gas analysis was useful in confirming the placement of the catheters. Useful catheter life in this experiment was 41 days, which was longer than in previous reports. Treating the catheters with an organo-silane preparation, protecting the catheters against dislodgement, and use of a belly bandage to minimize damage to the external parts of the catheter may have prolonged catheter life in this experiment.