Assistive devices, orthotics, and prosthetics.

Deciding on which supportive device, orthotic, or prosthetic is best suited for a given patient is a complex process involving many different factors. The ability to manage biomechanical abnormalities successfully may be enhanced by an understanding of the properties of the various materials that comprise these devices, their effect on functional performance, and other associated patient factors. Veterinary health care providers are faced with the challenge of effectively addressing the physiologic and fiscal needs of the patient in a rapidly changing patient care environment.     

Logistics of companion animal rehabilitation.

Setting up rehabilitation services presents several challenges to the veterinary practitioner. Members of the rehabilitation team need to have a solid knowledge base of acute and chronic orthopedic and neurologic disorders and a knowledge of rehabilitation principles and applications.The working environment has to be adapted to patients with limited mobility, specific equipment and supplies are to be used, and a fee structure should be implemented. This article reviews these logistic aspects of companion animal rehabilitation.     

Effect of precalving intramammary treatment with pirlimycin in nulliparous Holstein heifers

A clinical trial was conducted to determine whether prepartum intramammary pirlimycin reduces the proportion of nulliparous heifers with intramammary infection (IMI) during early lactation and improves milk production. Quarter milk samples were collected from 428 heifers, systematically allocated to treatment and control groups, 6 to 12 d before the expected calving date and 2 to 8 d after calving. At the prepartum visit, heifers in the treatment group (n = 219) received an infusion of pirlimycin hydrochloride in all 4 quarters; the control heifers (n = 209) received no infusions. Intramammary infection was detected in 69% of the heifers and 33% of the quarters before calving. After calving, the proportion of treated heifers with IMI was significantly lower than the proportion of control heifers (31% versus 45%). Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 10% of the heifers and 3% of the quarters before calving. After calving, the proportion of IMIs due to S. aureus was significantly lower in the treated heifers than in the control heifers (5.6% versus 10%). Antibiotic treatment increased the percentage of cures and prevented new IMIs caused by gram-positive bacteria after calving. The incidence of new IMIs caused by gram-negative bacteria and yeast was higher among treated heifers than among control heifers. There was no overall effect of treatment on milk production, but there was a significant interaction effect of treatment and the interval between treatment and calving. An increase of 302 kg of milk was observed when antibiotic treatment was applied more than 1 wk before calving. Treatment did not affect the milk somatic cell count on the 1st 3 test days after calving.     

Addition of magnesium sulfate to intraperitoneal ropivacaine for perioperative analgesia in canine ovariohysterectomy

Magnesium may be used as an adjunctive analgesic for perioperative pain management because of its antinociceptive properties. This study investigated the analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal ropivacaine combined with magnesium sulfate in canine ovariohysterectomy. Forty-five dogs sedated with acepromazine/meperidine and anesthetized with propofol/isoflurane were randomly distributed into three treatments, administered intraperitoneally (n = 15 per group): saline solution (group S), 0.25% ropivacaine (3 mg/kg) alone (group R), or in combination with magnesium sulfate (20 mg/kg, group R-Mg). Intravenous fentanyl was given to control cardiovascular responses to surgical stimulation. Postoperative pain was assessed using an Interactive Visual Analog Scale (IVAS), the short form of the Glasgow Composite Pain Scale, and mechanical nociceptive thresholds. Morphine/meloxicam was administered as rescue analgesia. Intraoperatively, the R-Mg group required less fentanyl (p = .02) and exhibited higher incidence of hypotension (systolic arterial pressure <90 mm Hg, p = .006) compared with the S group. Lower IVAS pain scores were recorded during the first hour in the R-Mg group than the other groups (p = .007–.045). Postoperative rescue analgesia did not differ between groups. Intraperitoneal magnesium sulfate administration, in spite of decreasing intraoperative opioid requirements, increased the incidence of hypotension with minimal evidence of postoperative analgesic benefits.     

Diagnosis of gastrointestinal parasites in reptiles: comparison of two coprological methods

Background

Exotic reptiles have become increasingly common domestic pets worldwide and are well known to be carriers of different parasites including some with zoonotic potential. The need of accurate diagnosis of gastrointestinal endoparasite infections in domestic reptiles is therefore essential, not only for the well-being of captive reptiles but also for the owners. Here, two different approaches for the detection of parasite stages in reptile faeces were compared: a combination of native and iodine stained direct smears together with a flotation technique (CNF) versus the standard SAF-method.

Results

A total of 59 different reptile faeces (20 lizards, 22 snakes, 17 tortoises) were coprologically analyzed by the two methods for the presence of endoparasites. Analyzed reptile faecal samples contained a broad spectrum of parasites (total occurence 93.2%, n = 55) including different species of nematodes (55.9%, n = 33), trematodes (15.3%, n = 9), pentastomids (3.4%, n = 2) and protozoans (47.5%, n = 28). Associations between the performances of both methods to detect selected single parasite stages or groups of such were evaluated by Fisher''s exact test and marginal homogeneity was tested by the McNemar test. In 88.1% of all examined samples (n = 52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 77.1 - 95.1%) the two diagnostic methods rendered differing results, and the McNemar test for paired observations showed highly significant differences of the detection frequency (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

The combination of direct smears/flotation proved superior in the detection of flagellates trophozoites, coccidian oocysts and nematode eggs, especially those of oxyurids. SAF-technique was superior in detecting larval stages and trematode eggs, but this advantage failed to be statistically significant (P = 0.13). Therefore, CNF is the recommended method for routine faecal examination of captive reptiles while the SAF-technique is advisable as additional measure particularly for wild caught animals and individuals which are to be introduced into captive collections.     

Pre-parturition staphylococcal mastitis in primiparous replacement goats: persistence over lactation and sources of infection

This investigation reported for the first time the occurrence of intramammary infections caused by Staphylococcus in primiparous replacement goats before parturition and the persistence of clinical Staphylococcus aureus infection during the lactation period. Subclinical infections, mainly caused by coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS), did not persist during lactation. Genotyping analysis indicated that environment seems to play a moderate role as source of intramammary infections to goats before parturition, but causative agents of mastitis in lactating animals are not genotypically related to environmental staphylococci. The occurrence and persistence of intramammary infections in replacement goats demonstrate the need to consider those animals as potential sources of infections in dairy goat herds.     

Effect of sulphur levels on transgenic double-low Brassica napus plants expressing a seed-specific gene encoding a methionine-rich 2S albumin

The effects of supplying varying levels of sulphur to transgenic Brassica napus plants expressing the Brazil nut 2S albumin in their seeds were studied in the field. The aim was to determine if transgenic plants responded differently to such stress, and whether expression of the transgene would be effected. The transgenic plants were similar to normal plants in their response to sulphur stress. Increases in sulphur concentration were correlated with an increase in fresh and dry matter quantities as well as an increase in the carbon, nitrogen and sulphur levels in the vegetative parts of the plants. No effect on yield parameters was observed. Increasing sulphur levels resulted in an increase in the glucosinolate content, and shifts in fatty acid composition were observed. None of these changes could be correlated with the response of the transgene. The expression of the latter was altered at neither the mRNA nor The protein levels, presumably because the promoter used does not respond directly to sulphur level changes. The procedures used to create the transgenic plants in this work appear not to result in plants that respond to sulphur stress differently from normal plants in the ranges studied.     

Field evaluation of transgenic Brassica napus lines carrying a seed-specific chimeric 2S albumin gene

The agronomic performance of transgenic Brassica napus lines carrying chimeric 2S albumin seed protein genes was studied under field conditions. A total of 37 transgenic lines were compared to non-transformed lines. Plant development, morphological characteristics, yield parameters and seed composition were considered. Only a few transgenic lines differed from the control, and then only for particular parameters: four lines had altered leaf morphology, two differed in germination efficiency, one differed in yield, and three differed in some parameters of seed composition. These differences were not correlated with the presence or expression of the transgene and, thus, were more probably linked to cell- or tissue-culture effects, or to residual variation present in cv. ‘Drakkar’. A statistical interaction between variations in a limited number of seed composition parameters and cell haploid culture was observed. While the expression of the chimeric 2S albumin gene was not as high as hoped, this study demonstrates that transgenic lines can be isolated in which the intrinsic morphological and agronomic properties of the original lines are maintained.