Australian Veterinary Journal最新文献

Introduction: Physiological responses to anaesthesia are described for the first time in eastern barred bandicoot (EBB; Perameles gunnii) and southern brown bandicoot (SBB; Isoodon obesulus).

Method: Two hundred and six field anaesthetics were carried out on free-ranging bandicoots (82 EBB and 66 SBB) in North West Tasmania. Animals were induced and maintained under general anaesthesia using isoflurane administered via a face mask.

Results: On average, animals required 3% isoflurane for anaesthesia maintenance and recovered within 2-3 min of isoflurane being discontinued. SBB had higher respiratory rates than EBB. Otherwise, we found no significant differences in anaesthetic parameters between the bandicoot species, between sexes or for females with pouch young. Hypothermia was the only anaesthetic-associated adverse event during this study, occurring in 26 anaesthetics (12.6%). At the start of anaesthesia, bandicoots had a mean body temperature of 35.0°C (SEM 0.8, SD 1.2), and 95% of animals lost temperature during anaesthesia. Bandicoots with an initial body temperature of less than 34.5°C had 20 times greater risk (odds ratio 20.52, 95% CI 5.58-77.19) of developing hypothermia (defined as T_b < 33°C). Heart rates ranged from 100 to >300 beats per minute, and respiratory rates ranged from 8 to 64 breaths per minute. Data support a heart rate reference interval of 140-285 (mean 208, SD 42.72) and a respiratory rate interval of 10-34 for SBB (mean 21, SD 8.89) and 8-20 for EBB (mean 12, SD 4.72) during maintenance of inhalant anaesthesia.

Conclusions: With hypothermia the only anaesthesia-related adverse event during this study, results support the safety of this form of chemical restraint in the field and provide empirical data that may be used to guide anaesthesia for bandicoots. Results suggest that standard inhalational anaesthetic protocols are suitable for bandicoots irrespective of weight, sex and reproductive status.

Australia's large populations of feral and extensively farmed livestock pose challenges to implementing response plans in the event of an Emergency Animal Disease outbreak. This study aimed to determine if a “Destroy and Let Lie” approach to carcass disposal (leaving carcasses in situ to decompose naturally after field euthanasia) would reliably inactivate Foot and Mouth Disease virus (FMDV) and African Swine Fever virus (ASFV) under Australian conditions. Ninety-five animals (24 each of cattle, sheep, goats and 23 pigs) were used across six trials, conducted in winter and summer, in three locations in Eastern Australia. After euthanasia, temperature and pH were measured at six internal anatomical sites hourly for 24 h, then less frequently for a further 24 h. Data were compared with published FMDV and ASFV inactivation thresholds to assess the likely effectiveness of field decomposition in reducing viral infectivity. Tissue pH levels generally declined for the first 6–12 h postmortem. Based on a pH threshold of <6, FMDV would be reliably inactivated in the thoracic and abdominal cavities and deep and superficial muscle sites. In contrast, no porcine tissues at any location in any season would provide inactivation of ASFV, based on a pH threshold of <3.9. “Destroy and Let Lie” appears to be a suitable approach to reduce risk of FMDV transmission from carcasses that cannot be disposed of using conventional means under Australian field conditions. This would not be the case for an ASF outbreak, where expected viral inactivation would be minimal.

Progressive feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection dramatically shortens the lives of infected cats, causing acquired immunodeficiency, aplastic anaemia, lymphoma, leukaemia and other myeloproliferative diseases. The potential impact of regressive FeLV infection on the development of disease remains largely unknown, although there is evidence it contributes to lymphoma development. Despite a perception that there has been a general decline in the incidence of progressive FeLV infection in Australia and New Zealand, it remains an important health threat and the risk of infection should not be ignored. Clinicians should therefore have a thorough understanding of the complexities surrounding the diagnosis, management and prevention of this disease. Point-of-care (PoC) antigen testing using whole blood is the first step to detect progressive FeLV infection. Clinicians should remember the increased rate of false-positive results using such kits when the disease being detected is at a low prevalence. We therefore advise that confirmatory FeLV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to detect proviral DNA is essential before a PoC-positive cat can be confirmed as being FeLV-infected. Critically, progressively infected cats should not be euthanased because of a positive FeLV diagnosis, as some cats will remain healthy for many years. Regressively infected cats should not be used as blood donors, so blood donor programmes should include FeLV antigen and provirus PCR testing in their standard screening protocols. No cure currently exists for progressive or regressive FeLV infection; therefore, veterinarians should advocate to minimise the exposure of cats to FeLV as a first-line preventative strategy. The most reliable way to achieve this is for cats to be kept indoors, or with secured outdoor access (e.g., cat enclosures and secure gardens). Cats kept in this manner do not require FeLV vaccination. All animal holding facilities should aim to individually house untested adult cats to limit the spread of FeLV infection. For at-risk cats that cannot be kept indoors/enclosed, or for cats that live together with known FeLV-infected cats, vaccination should be undertaken. Two pentavalent vaccines containing inactivated whole-FeLV are currently available in Australia, whereas no FeLV vaccine is currently available in New Zealand. Given the unavailability of monovalent FeLV vaccines, we endorse the use of a pentavalent vaccine in Australia only in FeLV-endemic catteries or in situations where there is a demonstrable and substantial risk of FeLV exposure. Manufacturers are encouraged to reintroduce efficacious monovalent FeLV vaccines in Australia and New Zealand. Further research into potential antiretroviral therapy to treat FeLV infections in cats is needed.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent and progressive degenerative joint disease in dogs, leading to chronic pain, reduced mobility, and diminished quality of life. Conventional management strategies primarily aim to alleviate and palliate clinical signs of pain and reduced mobility. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging regenerative therapy that has gained interest for its potential disease modifying effects, through modulating inflammation and promoting tissue repair. This paper provides a critical appraisal of current literature on the effectiveness of intra-articular injection of PRP compared to a placebo on the clinical outcomes of lameness and pain in dogs with OA. Findings from 7 studies indicate that current evidence supporting the effectiveness of PRP in reducing pain and lameness is weak. Further research in the form of large, randomised, blinded controlled clinical trials is required to further assess the efficacy of PRP.

A 9-year-old British Short Hair cat presented with a 12-month history of progressive exophthalmos to the right eye. A computed tomography (CT) scan was performed, and it revealed a large 3.1 × 2 × 2.3 cm peripherally contrast-enhancing right retrobulbar mass in the region of the zygomatic salivary gland. Preliminary results of a fine-needle aspirate (FNA) were inconclusive, so the mass was surgically excised via the right partial zygomatic ostectomy approach. Histopathological evaluation was consistent with benign ductal neoplasia of salivary gland origin.

This report is the first to document chylothorax after patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation in a dog with a persistent left cranial vena cava (PLCVC), highlighting potential complications arising from concurrent cardiovascular anomalies. A nine-month-old female desexed Pomeranian was referred for PDA. Echocardiography confirmed a left-to-right shunt with mild left-sided cardiac changes from volume overload. At left fourth intercostal thoracotomy, an aberrant vein (5 mm) coursing over the PDA within the mediastinum was retracted proximally to facilitate PDA ligation. Retraction was released before thoracotomy closure, and the vein remained grossly unaltered. The dog represented 3 days postoperative for dyspnoea and had bilateral chylous pleural effusion. Thoracic computed tomography with intravenous contrast identified a complete PLCVC, which was continuous with the left brachiocephalic vein and inserted into the right atrium without any venous connection to the normal right cranial vena cava. A thoracostomy tube was placed, and the chylothorax resolved spontaneously. Repeat echocardiogram eight weeks postoperative showed normal laminar trans-pulmonic flow and reversal of cardiac changes. It is hypothesised that an acute increase in hydrostatic venous pressure from transient obstruction of the PLCVC during intraoperative retraction impeded thoracic duct emptying into the venous system. This in turn may have caused chyle leakage through afferent lymphatics with chylothorax. It is unlikely PLCVC thrombosis was a cause given chylothorax was transient and the PLCVC was normal on computed tomography (CT); nor iatrogenic thoracic duct damage given the surgical approach was left-sided and the duct courses through the right.

Thong P, Hopper B, Tenni G, Lenard Z. Thoracic radiographic findings of canine spirocercosis in Australia. Aust Vet J. 2025;103(6):354-367. https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.13447

In the figure legend of Figure 6, the superscript number for the reference for the text “…(H) shows proliferative, curved new bone involving both the vertebral body and endplate with partial bridging; this was described as spondylosis deformans in this study, but spondylitis has been known to mimic this appearance.³⁷” is incorrect.

This should have read: “…(H) shows proliferative, curved new bone involving both the vertebral body and endplate with partial bridging; this was described as spondylosis deformans in this study, but spondylitis has been known to mimic this appearance.²⁶”, where the superscript number “26” references the correct article.

We apologise for this error.