Pulmonary oedema in Swedish hunting dogs

A syndrome of acute dyspnoea after hunting in 16 Swedish hunting dogs is characterised. Radiographic pulmonary infiltrates interpreted as pulmonary oedema were found in the acute stage. In 12 dogs, the infiltrates regressed after five to 14 days. Subendocardial necrosis and pulmonary oedema were found at postmortem examination in four other dogs with acute and recurrent dyspnoea after hunting, and myocardial fibrosis in a further three dogs with a history of recurrent dyspnoea after hunting; none of these pathological changes was seen in dogs which had no previous history of dyspnoea after hunting. A pathogenetic mechanism is proposed whereby high catecholamine levels, present during hunting due to the stress of excitement and exercise, cause acute cardiac and pulmonary lesions in some susceptible dogs, similar to neurogenic or postictal pulmonary oedema.     

Culling rate of Icelandic horses due to bone spavin

A survival analysis was used to compare the culling rate of Icelandic horses due to the presence of radiographic and clinical signs of bone spavin. A follow-up study of 508 horses from a survey five years earlier was performed. In the original survey 46% of the horses had radiographic signs of bone spavin (RS) and/or lameness after flexion test of the tarsus. The horse owners were interviewed by telephone. The owners were asked if the horses were still used for riding and if not, they were regarded as culled. The owners were then asked when and why the horses were culled. During the 5 years, 98 horses had been culled, 151 had been withdrawn (sold or selected for breeding) and 259 were still used for riding. Hind limb lameness (HLL) was the most common reason for culling (n = 42). The rate of culling was low up to the age of II years, when it rose to 0.05 for horses with RS. The risk ratio for culling was twice as high for horses with RS compared with horses without RS and 5.5 times higher for culling because of HLL. The risk of culling (prognostic value) was highest for the combination of RS with lameness after flexion test, next highest for RS and lowest for lameness after flexion test as the only finding. It was concluded that bone spavin affects the duration of use of Icelandic horses and is the most common cause of culling due to disease of riding horses in the age range of 7-17 years.     

Retention and distribution of dry powder and liquid formulations of insecticides and fungicides on commercially dressed cereal seed

Analysis of samples of seeds, mostly wheat, treated commercially with insecticides and fungicides showed that many carried much less than the theoretical dose, some less than one-tenth. The average loadings of seeds treated with dry powder formulations were nearly always small, but the distribution of insecticide between seeds was fairly uniform. The average loading of seeds treated with liquid formulations was closer to the target, but the distribution was irregular, most of the seeds carrying little insecticide and a few seeds amounts large enough to be phytotoxic. Insecticides applied as dry powders do not adhere strongly to the seeds, but they remain in association with seeds contained and carried in bags. Applied as liquids, insecticides are difficult to remove from seeds. The ratio of insecticide to fungicide on seeds dressed with powders containing both usually resembled the ratio in the original powder. With liquid seed dressings of insecticide and fungicide applied separately in different formulations, the ratio of insecticide to fungicide often differed widely from the theoretical. The average loading of fungicide was close to the target, but the average amount of insecticide was often much less. With either wet or dry dressings, the amount of pesticide on seeds was consistently greater from some merchants than from others. This was independent of the machinery used. Loadings were not consistently affected by type of seed-dressing machinery or formulation, stage of operation, weather or variety of seed.     

INTEROBSERVER VARIABILITY OF VERTEBRAL HEART SIZE MEASUREMENTS IN DOGS WITH NORMAL AND ENLARGED HEARTS

The vertebral heart size (VHS) method by Buchanan is based on anatomic landmarks. A potential source of variation among observers is differences in the selection of measurement points. The objective was to test variability between observers with different levels of training in thoracic radiology and small animal clinical practice. Fifty sets of thoracic radiographs of cavalier King Charles spaniels, were divided into five groups; (Normal) normal cardiopulmonary structures, (I) slight cardiomegaly, (II) moderate cardiomegaly, (II +) moderate cardiomegaly with congestive heart failure, and (III +) severe cardiomegaly with congestive heart failure. Cardiomegaly was confirmed by echocardiography to be caused by mitral regurgitation because of myxomatous mitral valve disease. Sixteen observers representing four levels of experience (four observers/level) evaluated the radiographs; (1) European Diplomates in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, (2) Experienced small animal clinicians, (3) Trainees in small animal clinical practice (4) Veterinary students. Almost identical mean VHS values were found among the four experience levels for each of the five groups of radiographs with a low coefficient of variation, range 1.5-3.2%. Mean difference among the 16 observers was 1.05 +/- 0.32 vertebrae (v). Mean difference among individuals in each observer group was approximately 0.5 v for all but the groups of trainees were the difference was 0.6-0.9 v. The conclusion is that VHS method for heart size is independent of observer experience but dependent of individual observers selection of reference points and transformation of long and short axis dimensions into VHS units.     

Using environmental factors to predict Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (Acari: Ixodidae) mortality

Background

Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (Latreille, 1806) can establish indoor populations, which increases the risk of pathogen transmission to humans and companion dogs. Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. ticks spend most of their life cycle off the host, which subjects developmental timescale to abiotic factors. Previous studies showed that both temperature and relative humidity (RH) influenced Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. survival time across all life stages. However, quantified relationships between environmental factors and Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. mortality is not currently available. Here, three Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. strains were evaluated for mortality under 20 combinations of five temperatures and four RHs. The data obtained were analyzed to quantify the relationship between environmental factors and Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. survival.

Results

Mortality probabilities did not show a consistent pattern between the three tick strains. Temperature, RH, and their interaction influenced Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. mortality probabilities across all life stages, with mortality probability generally increasing with temperature but decreasing with RH. With 50% and lower RH, larvae cannot survive for more than 1 week. However, mortality probabilities in all strains and stages were more sensitive to temperature than to RH.

Conclusion

This study identified the predictive relationship between environmental factors and Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. survival, which enables estimations of tick survival time under varied residential situations, allows parameterization of population models, and provides guidance for pest control professionals to develop efficient management strategies. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Search and identification methods that owners use to find a lost cat

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the process by which owners search for lost cats and identify factors associated with time to recovery. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Owners of 138 cats lost in Montgomery County, Ohio, between June 1 and September 30, 2005. PROCEDURES: A telephone survey was conducted. RESULTS: 73 of the 138 (53%) cats were recovered; median time to recovery was 5 days (range, 0.5 to 81 days). Most cats (48 [66%]) that were recovered returned home on their own or were found in the neighborhood (5 [7%]); most other cats were recovered through posting of neighborhood signs (8 [11%]) or calling or visiting an animal agency (5 [7%]). The highest success rate for any of the search methods that were used was only 12% (posting neighborhood signs). Only 26 of the 138 (19%) cats had some type of identification at the time they were lost (ie, identification tag, rabies tag, or microchip). Owners allowed 82 (59%) cats to spend at least some time outdoors. The percentage of sexually intact cats recovered by their owners (4/16 [25%]) was significantly lower than the percentage of neutered cats recovered (69/122 [57%]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that the percentage of lost cats recovered by their owners is low, possibly in part because of the lack of use of traditional identification methods and the general acceptance that cats may roam. Veterinarians can help educate owners about the importance of identification and the need to keep cats indoors.     

Search and identification methods that owners use to find a lost dog

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the process by which owners search for lost dogs and identify factors associated with time to recovery. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Owners of 187 dogs lost in Montgomery County, Ohio, between June 1 and September 30, 2005. PROCEDURES: A telephone survey was conducted. RESULTS: 132 of the 187 (71%) dogs were recovered; median time to recovery was 2 days (range, 0.5 to 21 days). Dogs were recovered primarily through a call or visit to an animal agency (46 [34.8%]), a dog license tag (24 [18.2%]), and posting of neighborhood signs (20 [15.2%]). Eighty-nine (48%) dogs had some type of identification at the time they were lost (ie, identification tag, dog license tag, rabies tag, or microchip). Owners had a higher likelihood of recovery when they called an animal agency (hazard ratio, 2.1), visited an animal agency (1.8), and posted neighborhood signs. Dogs that were wearing a dog license tag also had a higher likelihood of recovery (hazard ratio, 1.6). Owners were less likely to recover their dogs if they believed their dogs were stolen (hazard ratio, 0.3). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that various factors are associated with the likelihood that owners will recover a lost dog. Both animal agencies and veterinarians can play a role in educating dog owners on the importance of identification tags, licensing, and microchips and can help to emphasize the importance of having a search plan in case a dog is lost.