Reducing estimated tail biting risk in German weaner pigs using a management tool
Publication date: Available online 12 November 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): A. Grümpel, J. Krieter, S. DippelAbstractThe tail biting management tool ‘SchwIP’ was developed to analyse estimated farm individual risk for tail biting and to support farmers to reduce risk. The risk factors included in SchwIP had been weighted by 61 experts regarding their strength of influence on tail biting. SchwIP was applied on 21 conventional farms throughout Germany that kept weaner pigs in closed barns. All farms were assessed with the SchwIP questionnaire and received farm-individual feedback and advice on how to red...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 13, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Lower odds of sole ulcers in the following lactation in dairy cows that received hoof trimming around drying off
Publication date: Available online 13 November 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): Peter T. Thomsen, Leslie Foldager, Peter Raundal, Nynne CapionAbstractSole ulcers negatively affect production and animal welfare in dairy cows. Hoof trimming around drying off is frequently recommended, but has not previously been evaluated scientifically. The association between hoof trimming around drying off and the odds of sole ulcers in the following lactation was evaluated based on recordings from 621,228 hoof trimmings in Danish dairy herds. Overall, 6.2% of cows had sole ulcers at the first hoof trimming 0-180 days in milk....
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 13, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Cerebrospinal fluid and blood lactate concentrations as prognostic biomarkers in dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin
Publication date: Available online 10 November 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): M. Portero, E. Martínez de Merlo, C. Pérez, M. Benito, M.A. Daza, C. FragioAbstractMeningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is a common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Several studies investigated finding prognostic factors, but results are contradictory. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of blood lactate (Blood-L) and cerebrospinal fluid lactate (CSF-L) in dogs with MUO for prognostic purposes. A total of 45 dogs with MUO (MUO group) and 11 with idiopathic epilepsy (IE group) were in...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 12, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Effect of inclusion or exclusion of epithelial cells in equine respiratory cytology analysis
Publication date: Available online 10 November 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): K.J. Allen, K.V. Tennant, S.H. FranklinAbstractPublished studies vary as to whether epithelial cells are included in differential counts for tracheal wash (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology in horses. The aim of this study was to determine whether inclusion or exclusion of epithelial cells affects interpretation of airway cytology. Using criteria of>20% TW neutrophils,>10% BAL neutrophils and/or>5% BAL mast cells to indicate airway inflammation, there was a change in categorisation from ‘normal’ to ‘abnormal’ in ...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 10, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Hematological, biochemical and microbiological evaluation of feline whole blood units collected using an open system and stored for 35 days
Publication date: December 2019Source: The Veterinary Journal, Volume 254Author(s): E. Spada, R. Perego, L. Baggiani, P.A. Martino, D. ProverbioAbstractDespite the increasing availability of feline blood, which is collected and stored for transfusion purposes, few studies have assessed the effect of storage on feline whole blood (WB) units. The purpose of this study was to investigate selected hematologic and biochemical changes during storage of feline WB units and to determine when they occurred. Data from a quality control program for WB units was used in this study. Twelve feline WB units, collected using an open syste...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 6, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

A novel blood-sampling technique in lactating sows: The mammary vein route
Publication date: Available online 4 November 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): A. Scollo, C. Bresciani, G. Romano, L. Tagliaferri, F. Righi, E. Parmigiani, C. MazzoniAbstractIn the pig industry, labour efficiency and animal welfare have become two of the most important factors for achieving technical goals and farming competitiveness. Blood sampling is one of the most common sample-collecting techniques, but routine on-field blood collection can be very demanding for farm operators and the welfare of the animals, in particular for lactating sows. The aim of this study was to describe and investigate the mammary...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 4, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Imatinib enhances the anti-tumour effect of doxorubicin in canine B-cell lymphoma cell line
In conclusion, imatinib reversed doxorubicin resistance by decreasing drug efflux in P-gp-overexpressing doxorubicin-resistant canine lymphoma cells. These results suggest that combining doxorubicin, one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs in the treatment of canine lymphoma, with imatinib might potentially overcome doxorubicin resistance in a clinical setting. (Source: The Veterinary Journal)
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 3, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Editorial Board
Publication date: November 2019Source: The Veterinary Journal, Volume 253Author(s): (Source: The Veterinary Journal)
Source: The Veterinary Journal - November 3, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Perinatal mortality risk factors in dairy calves
Publication date: Available online 8 October 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): Emma Cuttance, Richard LavenAbstractDairy calf mortality is an area of interest worldwide as animal welfare continues to increase in importance to the consumer. Perinatal mortality, defined as death of a full term calf either during parturition or shortly after (up to 48 h), is a major component of overall calf mortality with estimates of losses in large scale multi-farm studies suggesting that 2.4–9.7% of calves are lost across a wide range of different systems. In order to reduce perinatal mortality, we need to understand the ke...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - October 10, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Global gene expression profile in canine mammary carcinomas
Publication date: Available online 8 October 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): G.R. Varallo, B.V. Jardim-Perassi, P.A. Alexandre, H. Fukumasu, D.A.P.C. ZuccariAbstractMammary gland tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplastic diseases. Genetic studies make it possible to determine genetic profiles and identify new molecular markers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the gene expression profile of canine mammary carcinomas and identify potential prognostic markers. Twelve mammary cancer samples from bitches were collected for the evaluation of global gene expression. Microarray assays were performed using co...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - October 10, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Use of computational fluid dynamics to compare upper airway pressures and airflow resistance in brachycephalic, mesocephalic, and dolichocephalic dogs
This study evaluated air pressure and airflow resistance in the upper airways and trachea in nine sedated, sternally recumbent dogs of different skull types (dolichocephalic, n = 3; mesocephalic, n = 3; brachycephalic, n = 3). CT images were acquired from the nostrils to the caudal border of the lungs and geometrical reconstruction of the upper airway and trachea was performed. Analysis of computational fluid dynamics was performed using inspiratory flow adapted to bodyweight for each dog. Flow (L/min) and pressure (cmH2O) were computed for the entire upper airway and trachea. Resistance (cmH2O/L/min) was calcu...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - September 28, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Short-term surgical outcomes and histomorphological evaluation of thermal injury following palatoplasty performed with diode laser or air plasma device in dogs with brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome
Publication date: Available online 25 September 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): R. Tamburro, B. Brunetti, L.V. Muscatello, C. Mantovani, D. De LorenziAbstractBrachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a common disorder presenting enlarged soft palate, stenotic nares and abnormal turbinate growth. Surgical correction of BOAS abnormalities with caudal palatoplasty is an elective therapy. This prospective study aimed to compare the effect of an air plasma device and diode laser in dogs undergoing palatoplasty. Outcome measures were as follows: 1) intra-operative and immediate post-operative complication...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - September 27, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Thoracic computed tomographic interpretation for clinicians to aid in the diagnosis of dogs and cats with respiratory disease
Publication date: Available online 23 September 2019Source: The Veterinary JournalAuthor(s): Isabelle Masseau, Carol R. ReineroAbstractIn humans, high-resolution computed tomography (CT) is a key diagnostic modality for pulmonary disorders. Its success likely lies in excellent correlation of lung diseases with associated subgross anatomic changes, as assessed by histopathology, and because of a multidisciplinary approach between clinicians, radiologists and pathologists. Although thoracic CT studies have been performed in dogs and cats for nearly three decades, there is a lack of uniformity in both protocols for acquisitio...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - September 24, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Editorial Board
Publication date: October 2019Source: The Veterinary Journal, Volume 252Author(s): (Source: The Veterinary Journal)
Source: The Veterinary Journal - September 24, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Chemiluminescent ELISA with multi-epitope proteins to improve the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis
In this study, we adapted a chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CL ELISA), using two multi-epitope recombinant proteins (PQ10 and PQ20) and a crude Leishmania antigen produced using promastigotes of L. infantum, as antigens to detect CVL infection in animals from Belo Horizonte. To investigate cross-reactions, samples from dogs with other infections (babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and Trypanosoma cruzi) were tested. Assay performance validations were conducted to analyse parameters such as variability, reproducibility, and stability.CL ELISA sensitivity/specificity with PQ10 antigen was 93.1%/80.0%; with the PQ20...
Source: The Veterinary Journal - September 23, 2019 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research