Working within the law: guidelines for veterinary surgeons and wildlife rehabilitators on the rehabilitation of wild mammals

In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the numbers of both veterinary surgeons and wildlife rehabilitators involved in the care and rescue of wildlife. Several publications are available offering practical advice on what to do, but many of the people working in this field are unclear as to which laws apply to wildlife rehabilitation. This paper provides a summary of the legal position as it relates to the rehabilitation of wild mammals in Britain.     

A survey of benzimidazole resistant nematodes in sheep in three countries of southern England.

Faecal samples were collected from 209 randomly selected sheep farms in southern England, and the nematode eggs extracted were tested by an egg hatch assay and by a larval development test for their resistance to benzimidazoles. Benzimidazole resistance was found on 35 per cent of farms tested in East Sussex, 44 per cent in Oxfordshire and 61 per cent in West Sussex.     

Experimentally induced cartilaginous fractures (osteochondritis dissecans) in foals fed low-copper diets

Four Thoroughbred foals were weaned from their dams when they were 1 day old and were fed a liquid milk-replacer diet containing approximately 1.7 micrograms of copper/g from plastic buckets for 4 to 7 months. They were kept in stalls with fiberglass walls and asphalt floors covered with rubber pads. Serum copper and zinc concentrations were determined 3 times/week by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and liver copper and zinc concentrations were determined similarly after acid digestion of tissues taken at necropsy. The amount of soluble collagen in articular cartilage and aortic tissue was determined after necropsy. Clinical signs of illness, particularly evidence of lameness, were monitored daily. The foals were weighed weekly, and growth rate was monitored by measurement of height at the withers. Packed cell volumes and total and differential WBC counts were measured each time blood was drawn for copper and zinc concentration determinations. The foals were examined by necropsy at the end of the experiment, and the tissues were examined histologically. The foals developed intermittent, but nondebilitating, diarrhea with the onset of low serum copper concentrations. Considering the totally liquid diet, the foals grew well. Serum copper concentrations decreased to less than 0.1 micrograms/ml in 13 to 16 weeks. Lameness was evident 2 to 6 weeks after serum copper concentrations decreased to their lowest value (less than 0.1 micrograms/ml). All foals developed stilted gaits and ultimately walked on the front of their hooves. Major hematologic changes and alterations of hair color were not evident. Soluble collagen of articular cartilage and aortic tissue increased from 340 to 600% greater than that of control foals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The interaction between bactericidal chemicals and the wound healing process of potato tuber tissue

In-vitro tests of dichlorophen against Erwinia carotovora, vars. atroseptica and carotovora, have shown good antibacterial activity; in-vivo tests on potato tubers, however, showed poor control of bacterial soft rotting. Under aerobic or near anaerobic conditions, wounded potato tubers dipped in dichlorophen showed significant increases in soft rotting over water-treated tubers. Under near anaerobic conditions, neither dichlorophen-dipped nor water-dipped tubers showed evidence of wound healing. However, when incubated aerobically, a distinct wound barrier was evident in the water-dipped but not the dichlorophen-dipped tubers. To investigate the possibility that dichlorophen was inhibitory to the initiation of wound healing, an image analysing computer was used to measure the accumulation of fluorescent products in the walls of sectioned tuber tissues treated with dichlorophen. Dichlorophen treatment resulted in very low levels of fluorescence, indicating little phenolic accumulation in the walls. Other bactericides also decreased fluorescence to some extent.     

Contribution of cobalamin analogues to plasma vitamin B12 concentrations in cattle

Plasma vitamin B12 concentrations in cattle were analysed by a radioisotope dilution assay using pig intrinsic factor and a microbiological assay using Euglena gracilis. Both assays provided similar results for samples of cattle plasma containing vitamin B12 concentrations ranging from 0.07 to 3.60 micrograms litre-1 (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001). The addition of excess cobinamide in the radioisotope dilution assay to block non-specific binding in the intrinsic factor preparation due to the presence of R-type binders, was used to determine the presence of cobalamin analogues. Cobalamin analogues accounted for up to 50 per cent of the total vitamin B12 concentration in samples of plasma from cows but were virtually undetectable in plasma from sheep.