Josh Loeb discusses a new paper examining risk factors for recurrence in English cattle herds experiencing a bovine TB breakdown.
Josh Loeb discusses a new paper examining risk factors for recurrence in English cattle herds experiencing a bovine TB breakdown.
Background: Folate deficiency has been reported in humans and dogs with immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA) but not in cats.
Methods: Cats with IMHA and without primary intestinal disease were included. Serum folate was measured at varying timepoints following IMHA diagnosis.
Results: Five cats (three with non-associative IMHA and two with possible concurrent acute pancreatitis) were followed for a median of 300 days (range: 40‒540 days). Serum folate concentration was evaluated 36 times (median: 6 per cat; range: 1‒19) and ranged from 5.1 to 20.1 ng/mL (median: 7.4 ng/mL), including nine samples in three cats receiving folic acid (400 µg/day). Hypofolataemia in the 27 samples without supplementation was detected in all cats on at least one occasion (median: 3 times; range: 1‒4) for a total of 13 episodes. The median time to detection was 13 days after diagnosis (range: 1‒310 days). The median haemoglobin concentration at the time of hypofolataemia was 7.01 g/dL (range: 3.9‒9.92 g/dL). Oral folate supplementation normalised folate concentration (median: 16.0 ng/mL; range: 11.8‒20.1 ng/mL) in all nine tested samples.
Limitations: Small sample size and lack of a control group prevented analysing the IMHA and folate link.
Conclusions: Hypofolataemia occurred in all five cats with IMHA, possibly due to increased demand.
BVA President Rob Williams emphasises the importance of seizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offered by the consultation on Defra's proposals for reforming the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
Background: Pigs pose distinct challenges to the anaesthetist due to their temperament, the limitations of manual restraint and species-specific anatomical features. Despite the importance of minimising stress during clinical procedures, gentle handling techniques tailored for pigs in a clinical setting have yet to be clearly described or systematically investigated.
Methods: Sixteen healthy domesticated pigs were prospectively enrolled in a clinical study evaluating 'combing' with a fork as a gentle tactile handling technique in a hospital setting and randomly assigned to either a combing or a control group. Responses were evaluated by a non-blinded, single observer using a seven-domain sedation scale and a dichotomous response scale.
Results: Sedation scores were significantly higher for combing than control. The onset of peak sedation time was significantly faster for combing than control (5 vs. 10 minutes). Fewer (12.5%) pigs in the combing group moved away from the injection compared to 75% of control pigs.
Limitations: Limitations included the injectable drug protocol used, the lack of blinding with a single observer aware of group allocation, and more than one individual performing the 'combing' protocol.
Conclusions: 'Combing', a gentle handling technique performed prior to intramuscular sedation, resulted in pigs being less reactive to the injection, and faster sedation onset.
Policy and public affairs manager Ben O'Halloran reports from this year's political dinner in London where reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act was at the top of the agenda.
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