Survey of equine castration techniques,preferences and outcomes among Australian veterinarians

Objectives

(1) To collect the perceptions of veterinarians performing equine castrations in Australia on techniques, preferences and outcomes, (2) to investigate veterinarian use and experience with the Henderson castrating instrument and (3) to investigate potential associations between demographics, castration methods and techniques, and complications.

Design

Online survey of members of the Australian Veterinary Association’s Special Interest Group, Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA).

Methods

A link to the survey was included in the EVA e‐newsletter and practices on the EVA website were contacted by telephone and follow‐up email. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine associations between ligation and complications. A generalised linear model with a negative binomial family was used to determine associations between count response variables and categorical independent variables.

Results

Responses were obtained from 138 veterinarians (response rate, 13.1%) who performed 5330 castrations over 12 months. Castrations were most commonly performed in the field, on anaesthetised horses, using emasculators, via an open approach and without ligation of the spermatic cord. Estimated complications after use of emasculators were swelling (25%), haemorrhage (5%) and infection (5%). The Henderson instrument was used by approximately 10% of respondents and its use for castration was associated with fewer reports of postoperative swelling compared with emasculators (P = 0.002). Rates of evisceration with the Henderson and emasculator methods were comparable (0.43% and 0.9%, respectively).

Conclusion

Castration preferences varied widely among survey participants. Reported complication types and rates were comparable to those reported previously in other countries. Perceptions that the Henderson instrument was associated with less swelling should be investigated further via a prospective controlled investigation.     

Early harvest and ensilage of forage sorghum infected with ergot (Claviceps africana) reduces the risk of livestock poisoning

Sorghum ergot produces dihydroergosine (DHES) and related alkaloids, which cause hyperthermia in cattle. Proportions of infected panicles (grain heads), leaves and stems were determined in two forage sorghum crops extensively infected 2 to 4 weeks prior to sampling and the panicles were assayed for DHES. Composite samples from each crop, plus a third grain variety crop, were coarsely chopped and half of each sealed in plastic buckets for 6 weeks to simulate ensilation. The worst-infected panicles contained up to 55 mg DHES/kg, but dilution reduced average concentrations of DHES in crops to approximately 1 mg/kg, a relatively safe level for cattle. Ensilation significantly (P = 0.043) reduced mean DHES concentrations from 0.85 to 0.46 mg/kg.     

Acute onset of pulmonary necrotising arteritis in a dog with a left-to-right patent ductus arteriosus

A 12-week-old, clinically normal Chihuahua was referred for investigation for a continuous heart murmur. Cardiac evaluation revealed an anatomically and haemodynamically typical left-to-right shunting patent ductus arteriosus. The continuous wave Doppler measurement of peak ductal jet velocity of 5.6 m/s was suggestive of a normal pulmonary to systemic arterial pressure ratio. The dog returned 16 days later with right heart failure and severe pulmonary hypertension. Marked reduction in left-to-right shunting was demonstrated and the ductal jet velocity had decreased to 2.5 m/s. Immediate ductus ligation, oxygen therapy before and after the operation, and administration of hydralazine failed to reduce pulmonary hypertension, and the dog was euthanased. Histopathological examination of the lung showed pulmonary necrotising arteritis with acute and chronic arterial lesions. Chronic pulmonary vascular changes related to high flow have been associated with altered nitric oxide and endothelin responses. These changes may be responsible for the acute onset of pulmonary hypertension due to relatively minor vascular insults in some human and veterinary patients with left-to-right shunts. The potential for acute progression supports the recommendations for early ductus ligation and the prognostic importance of detecting pulmonary hypertension presurgically in patent ductus arteriosus patients.     

Who's keeping the code? Compliance with the international code for the marketing of breast-milk substitutes in Greater Glasgow

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate compliance with the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in primary care, after the introduction of strict local infant feeding guidelines. DESIGN: An audit form was sent to all community-based health professionals with an infant feeding remit. Walking tours were conducted in a random sample of community care facilities. SETTING: Greater Glasgow Primary Care Division. SUBJECTS: (1) Primary-care staff with an infant feeding remit; (2) community health-care facilities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Contact with manufacturers of breast-milk substitutes (BMS) and BMS company personnel, free samples or incentives, and advertising of BMS. RESULTS: Contact with company personnel was minimal, usually unsolicited and was mainly to provide product information. Free samples of BMS or feeding equipment were rare but childcare or parenting literature was more prevalent. Staff voiced concerns about the lack of relevant information for bottle-feeding mothers and the need to support the mother's feeding choice. One-third of facilities were still displaying materials non-compliant with the Code, with the most common materials being weight conversion charts and posters. CONCLUSIONS: Contact between personnel from primary care and BMS companies was minimal and generally unsolicited. The presence of materials from BMS companies in health-care premises was more common. Due to the high level of bottle-feeding in Glasgow, primary-care staff stated a need for information about BMS.     

Factors leading to spatiotemporal variability of soil moisture and turfgrass quality within sand-capped golf course fairways

Precision irrigation utilizing soil moisture data and valve-in head sprinkler systems may be a viable solution for sustainable water management on complex turfgrass areas. There is currently no research investigating the factors that influence soil moisture and turfgrass quality variability within sand-capped golf course fairways to aid in precision irrigation-related management decisions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure several turfgrass and soil characteristics from two sand-capped fairways during dry down events from either rainfall or irrigation to determine their relationship and contribution to soil moisture and turfgrass quality variability. Considerable spatiotemporal variability was observed within the two fairways during the dry down periods. Factors that were found to have a significant influence on soil moisture and turfgrass quality were sand capping depth, elevation, and thatch depth, but these relationships were not consistent between rainfall versus irrigation events, days after dry down, or even the specific fairways. Also, the direction of many of the relationships were opposite of what was expected. These findings highlight the complexity of soil moisture and turfgrass quality variability on sand-capped golf course fairways. To incorporate soil moisture sensor technologies into large-scale precision irrigation practices, mapping soil moisture with an understanding of contributing factors is a necessary preliminary step. Although there are several current practical limitations, the information presented in this study provides a foundation for future research.

     

Parapoxvirus in goats: experimental infection and genomic analysis

Veterinary Research Communications -