Aspects of future animal health: the Animal Health Foresight Project

Against a background of social, political, and environmental change, the challenge to provide the most appropriate education for future veterinarians is daunting. A consideration of the multiple roles of veterinarians in our future society indicates that a different perspective is essential for progress to be made. One example of an approach to reach such a perspective is the Animal Health Foresight Project, which was jointly sponsored in 2005 by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the US Department of Agriculture. A new paradigm emerged from this study. This article explores the conclusions of this project and their potential implications for the future of animal health and for veterinary medical education. Outcomes of the Foresight Project led to the development of a new paradigm. The implications for and the possible influence on future animal health and on veterinary medical education are contemplated.     

What is natural? The need for a long-term perspective in biodiversity conservation

Ecosystems change in response to factors such as climate variability, invasions, and wildfires. Most records used to assess such change are based on short-term ecological data or satellite imagery spanning only a few decades. In many instances it is impossible to disentangle natural variability from other, potentially significant trends in these records, partly because of their short time scale. We summarize recent studies that show how paleoecological records can be used to provide a longer temporal perspective to address specific conservation issues relating to biological invasions, wildfires, climate change, and determination of natural variability. The use of such records can reduce much of the uncertainty surrounding the question of what is "natural" and thereby start to provide important guidance for long-term management and conservation.     

An approximately 15,000-year record of El Nino-driven alluviation in southwestern ecuador

Debris flows have deposited inorganic laminae in an alpine lake that is 75 kilometers east of the Pacific Ocean, in Ecuador. These storm-induced events were dated by radiocarbon, and the age of laminae that are less than 200 years old matches the historic record of El Nino events. From about 15,000 to about 7000 calendar years before the present, the periodicity of clastic deposition is greater than or equal to 15 years; thereafter, there is a progressive increase in frequency to periodicities of 2 to 8.5 years. This is the modern El Nino periodicity, which was established about 5000 calendar years before the present. This may reflect the onset of a steeper zonal sea surface temperature gradient, which was driven by enhanced trade winds.     

Preventing dental calculus formation in lemurs (Lemur catta, Eulemur fulvus collaris) and baboons (Papio cynocephalus).

The prevention of calculus accumulation in exotic animals is a relatively unexplored topic. A 6-mo study in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and collared lemurs (Eulemur fulvus collaris) and two studies in baboons (Papio cynocephalus) (7.5 wks and 6.5 mo) tested the benefits of a primate diet coated with 0.6% sodium hexametaphosphate (HMP) in controlling calculus in these species using a sequential crossover design. The control regimen was an identical, but non-HMP-coated, dry primate chow. At study initiation, the primates were given a thorough dental prophylaxis and provided with the control diet or experimental diet. At the conclusion of the test period, the animals were anesthetized and examined for clinical calculus independently by two examiners. The animals were then given another dental prophylaxis, provided the alternate ration, and the foregoing procedures were repeated. When the animals were provided the HMP-coated diet, significant reductions in calculus formation of 48-62% were observed in the lemurs and the baboons. No clinically significant changes were observed in body weights or in blood chemistry values as a result of ingestion of the HMP-coated regimen.     

Brightness of venous blood in South American camelids: implications for jugular catheterization

Objective  To compare the brightness of South American camelid venous blood to that of Equidae.
Study design  Prospective clinical evaluation.
Animals  Twelve South American camelids (eight llamas, four alpacas), eight horses and ponies (control group).
Methods  Appropriately sized catheters were placed in the jugular vein of each animal under local anaesthesia. The blood spilt before the catheter was capped was caught on a white tile. A sample of blood was drawn for blood-gas analysis. The brightness of the blood (both on the tile and in the syringe) was matched to a colour chart (1 = darkest red, 8 = brightest red) by a single observer under bright light conditions. Packed cell volume (PCV) and partial pressure of oxygen (PvO₂) in the blood were also measured on the syringe blood. Normally distributed data were compared using a two tailed t -test, and non-normally distributed data were compared using a Mann–Whitney U -test. Significance was set at p  < 0.05.
Results  Camelid venous blood was significantly brighter red than that of horses and ponies both on the white tile ( p  = 0.0003) and in the syringe ( p  = 0.0001). PCV was significantly lower in camelids (32 ± 4%) compared with horses (37 ± 5%). Partial pressure of oxygen values were similar between groups.
Conclusions and clinical relevance  Jugular venous blood in alpacas and llamas is significantly brighter red than that of horses. Colour should not be used as a sole determinant of venous or arterial catheterization in this species.