Frequency: Quarterly E- ISSN: 2454-8049 P- ISSN: Awaited IBI Factor 3.2 Abstracted/ Indexed in: Google Scholar, InfoBase Index, EBSCO Information Services
Quarterly published in print and online "Inventi Impact: Veterinary Science" publishes high quality unpublished as well as high impact pre-published research and reviews catering to the needs of researchers and professionals. The journal focuses on research and development in the field of veterinary medicine and surgery covering all animal species, both domesticated and wild.
Background Lameness is a significant problem for the dairy industry worldwide. No previous studies have evaluated the prevalence of lameness or digital dermatitis (DD) in dairy cattle herds in Egypt. A total of 16,098 dairy cows from 55 dairy herds in 11 Egyptian governorates underwent visual locomotion scoring using a 4-point scoring system. Cows that had a lameness score ≥ 2 were considered clinically lame. Following manure removal with water and using a flashlight, the cows’ hind feet were examined in the milking parlour to identify DD lesions and classify with M-score. Furthermore, each cow was assigned a hock score (a 3-point scale) and a hygiene score (a 4-point scale). The cow-, within-and between-herd prevalence of lameness and DD and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The prevalence of hock lesions and poor cow hygiene was also calculated. Results Of the examined cows, 6,883 were found to be clinically lame (42.8%, 95% CI = 42.0–43.5%). The average within-herd prevalence of lameness was 43.1% (95% CI = 35.9–50.3%). None of the dairy herds recruited into the study were found to be free from clinical lameness. The average within-herd prevalence of DD was 6.4% (95% CI = 4.9–8.0%). The herd-level prevalence of DD was 92.7% (95% CI = 85.9–99.6%). Active DD lesions (M1, M2, M4.1) were identified in 464 cows (2.9%) while inactive lesions (M3, M4) were identified in 559 cows (3.5%). The within-herd prevalence of hock lesions (score 2 or 3) was 12.6% (95% CI = 4.03–21.1%) while a severe hock lesion had within-herd prevalence of 0.31% (95% CI = 0.12–0.51%). Cow-level prevalence of hock lesions was 6.2% (n = 847, 95% CI = 5.8–6.2%). The majority of examined cows had a hygiene score of 4 (n = 10,814, prevalence = 70.3%, 95% CI = 69.5–71%). Conclusions The prevalence of lameness was higher than prevalence estimates reported for other countries which could be due to differing management and/or environmental factors. DD was identified at lower prevalence in most herds but with high herd-level prevalence. Poor cow hygiene was notable in most herds. Measures to reduce the prevalence of lameness and to improve cow hygiene in dairy cattle herds in Egypt are therefore needed....
The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric values of the skull and the\nmandible of the common opossum from the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. The skulls\nand mandibles were obtained from ten opossums captured for research purposes. The skulls and\nmandibles were prepared and cleaned using standard method. Some anatomical landmarks of the\nskulls and mandibles were identified and measured. The results were important for identification\nof the common opossum via comparison and discussion of our results with that of other marsupial\nspecies. Furthermore, the results had clinical importance with regard to regional nerve blocks of the\ninfraorbital, inferior alveolar, and mental nerves for dental extraction and head surgery. This study\nconcluded that by using the anatomical landmarks of the infraorbital and mental foramina it will be\neasier for the veterinarian surgeons during the application of local anesthetic agent for the infraorbital,\ninferior alveolar, and mental nerve blocks....
Background: Horses are often fed high amounts of starch in their diets despite the well-established benefits of a fibre-based diet to promote gut health and animal welfare. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of two different diets – one based on high amounts of starch (HS) vs. one base on high amounts of fibre (HF) – on specific parameters of the gut environment across different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract. To this end differences in the gastrointestinal environment between HS vs. HF fed horses were assessed in terms of dry matter, organic matter and ash content; the particle size distribution and volatile fatty acid composition were also investigated. Results: Nineteen Bardigiano horses of 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age and destined to slaughter were divided into two group pens – one fed with high amounts of starch (HS; n = 9; 43% hay plus 57% starch-rich pelleted feed); vs. fed with high amounts of fibre (HF; n = 10; 70% hay plus 30% fibre-rich pelleted feed). Horses fed HS diet presented a higher dry matter content in the right dorsal colon. Moreover, they showed a higher organic matter and ash content in the sternal flexure, pelvic flexure, right dorsal colon and rectum. In these latter intestinal compartments, horses fed a HS diet also showed a higher proportion of particles retained on an 8 mm sieve and a higher proportion of particles that washed through the finest sieve (< 1 mm). Moreover, the total amounts of volatile fatty acids as well as valeric acid were found to be significantly higher in horses fed the HS vs. HF diet. Conclusions: A high-starch diet causes significant changes in the horse gut environment. We observed an increase in the dry matter content in the right dorsal colon, as well as reduced particle sizes and an increase in the production of valeric acid in all the gut compartments studied. High-starch diets should be avoided in favour of fibre-based diets with the goal of safeguarding gut health in horses....
Canine dirofilariosis is a life-threatening parasitic disease that is increasingly reported worldwide. Once diagnosed the main\ntreatment goals are to improve the animal�s clinical condition and to eliminate all life stages of the parasite with minimal\npost treatment side effects. This can be achieved through mechanical, surgical, or chemo therapeutical approaches.Currently,manual\nextraction is the preferred method to remove adult heartworms due to its diminished invasiveness, reduced damage to the vascular\nendothelium, and shortened anaesthesia duration. However, it remains an expensive technique that can be highly traumatic. To\naddress this issue, a nontraumatic homemade catheter-guided snare was developed for heart worm removal by adapting and folding\na 0.014-inch coronary wire (BMW, Abbott Vascular). Transvenous heart worm extraction was performed on a dog severely infected\nwith adult heartworms by inserting the modified snare into a 6-F Judkins right coronary guiding catheter BMW (Cordis) and\nadvancing it into the right ventricle under fluoroscopic guidance. Fifteen adult specimens of Dirofilaria immitis were successfully\nextracted from the pulmonary artery and right ventricle without complications. To assure the death of both larvae and adults,\npostoperative treatment was successfully managed using ivermectin, doxycycline, and melarsomine, with no recurrence after\nsurgery....
Background: Premilking udder preparation is essential for harvesting high-quality milk as gently, completely, and\nquickly as possible. The associations between characteristics such as teat-end shape and premilking stimulation on\nmilking characteristics and machine milking-induced changes to the teat tissue condition have not been rigorously\ninvestigated. The primary objective was to investigate the interactive effects of manual premilking stimulation (i.e.,\npreparation lag time) and teat-end shape on total milk yield, two-minute milk yield, milking unit-on time, and time\nin low milk flow rate. Our secondary objective was to study the association of manual premilking stimulation and\nchanges to the teat tissue condition after machine milking (i.e., short-term changes). In a longitudinal prospective\ncohort study, 384 milking observations from 129 cows were analysed. Holstein cows were housed in sand-bedded\nfree-stall pens, fed a total mixed ration, and milked 3 times a day. Cows were classified by teat-end shape into 1 of\n3 categories: pointed, flat, or round. Individual cow milking characteristics were recorded with electronic on-farm\nmilk meters. The duration of manual stimulation, preparation lag time, and presence of short-term changes were\ndocumented for each milking observation. General linear mixed models were used to study the interactive effects\nof preparation lag time and teat-end shape on milking characteristics.\nResults: There was an interaction between preparation lag time and teat-end shape for two-minute milk yield and\ntime in low milk flow rate. The preparation lag time effect was modified by teat-end shape, while no interaction\nwas observed for total milk yield or milking unit-on time. A generalized linear mixed model revealed that\npreparation lag time was associated with short-term changes in teat tissue condition, where the odds of short-term\nchanges decreased as preparation lag time increased.\nConclusions: In summary, cows with different teat-end shapes may require different premilking stimulation\nregimens. Increasing preparation lag time benefits teat tissue condition during machine milking. Further research is\nwarranted to optimize individual premilking stimulation in dairy cows....
Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common progressive joint disease in dogs and cats. The goal of OA treatment\nis to reduce inflammation, minimize pain, and maintain joint function. Currently, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory\ndrugs (e.g., meloxicam) are the cornerstone of treatment for OA pain, but side effects with long-term use pose\nimportant challenges to veterinary practitioners when dealing with OA pain. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is a\nnaturally-occurring fatty acid amide, locally produced on demand by tissues in response to stress. PEA endogenous\nlevels change during inflammatory and painful conditions, including OA, i.e., they are typically increased during acute\nconditions and decreased in chronic inflammation. Systemic treatment with PEA has anti-inflammatory and\npain-relieving effects in several disorders, yet data are lacking in OA. Here we tested a new composite, i.e.,\nPEA co-ultramicronized with the natural antioxidant quercetin (PEA-Q), administered orally in two different rat\nmodels of inflammatory and OA pain, namely carrageenan paw oedema and sodium monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced\nOA. Oral treatment with meloxicam was used as benchmark.\nResults: PEA-Q decreased inflammatory and hyperalgesic responses induced by carrageenan injection, as shown by: (i)\npaw oedema reduction, (ii) decreased severity in histological inflammatory score, (iii) reduced activity of myeloperoxidase,\ni.e., a marker of inflammatory cell infiltration, and (iv) decreased thermal hyperalgesia. Overall PEA-Q showed\nsuperior effects compared to meloxicam. In MIA-treated animals, PEA-Q exerted the following effects: (i) reduced\nmechanical allodynia and improved locomotor function, (ii) protected cartilage against MIA-induced histological\ndamage, and (iii) counteracted the increased serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1\nbeta, metalloproteases 1, 3, 9 and nerve growth factor. The magnitude of these effects was comparable to, or\neven greater than, those of meloxicam Conclusion: The present findings shed new light on some of the inflammatory and nociceptive pathways and\nmediators targeted by PEA-Q and confirm its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects in rodent OA pain\nmodels. The translatability of these observations to canine and feline OA pain is currently under investigation....
Background: Self-sucking is an abnormal behavior lead to important economic losses for dairy farms. The objective of this study was to evaluate tongue piercing as a novel technique to prevent self-sucking in cattle and buffaloes. The study was carried out on 26 cows and 4 buffaloes suffered from self-sucking. Tongue piercing was achieved by the application of an implant in the midline of the tongue and anterior to the frenulum linguae. With a follow up period of 6 months. Results: This implant produced mechanical disruption of the affected animals ability to curl their tongues, in a Ushape manner, subsequently it was impossible for these animals to cup their tongues and suck its own teats. Slight swelling around the piercing site of the tongue was observed among all animals on the first 3 days after surgery. No other complications have been reported. Conclusion: Tongue piercing is an effective, rapid, easy, minimally invasive technique to prevent self-sucking among cattle and buffaloes, moreover, the technique was more widely acceptable by the owners than other traditional and surgical methods....
Background Quality of life is an essential component of decision-making in veterinary oncology. Poor management of adverse events during chemotherapy can impair dogs’ quality of life and be life-threatening. Consequently, clientreported outcome measures (CROMs) are being proposed to help assess both clinical signs and quality of life. The purpose of this rapid review was to: (1) identify existing CROMs that have been used to assess dogs’ clinical signs and quality of life during chemotherapy; and (2) evaluate their methodological development to inform adaptation or development of a CROM for use in routine clinical practice, including remote monitoring. Databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PUBMED/MEDLINE) were searched for CROMs (questionnaires) completed by a non-expert family member about their companion dog. CROM content (domains measured) and scale quality were appraised. Results Ten CROMs were identified and three were variations of the same tool. Content of the CROMs varied considerably (range 3–17 domains) with gastrointestinal being the most frequently measured clinical sign cluster (9/10 studies), followed by mobility/ambulatory activity (7/10) and global quality of life (6/10). No CROMs adhered to quality standards for the development of questionnaires and most failed to include qualitative design methods and basic psychometric assessment to ensure reliability and validity (such as internal consistency, test-retest reliability or factor analysis). Conclusion The validity and reliability of existing chemotherapy CROMs for dogs remains under-tested. Although CROMs combined with remote digital monitoring have the potential to enhance patient care, as has been demonstrated with physician-based oncology, there is a need to apply quality standards to ensure optimal validation. Interdisciplinary collaborations would likely improve CROM quality and clinical utility thereby allowing veterinary healthcare professionals to better support their patients....
Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli are two of the main causes of foodborne\ndisease globally, and while they have been implicated as possible causes of foodborne disease within\nthe Caribbean region, the actual incidence is unknown. Trinidad and Tobago, one of the larger\ncountries in the Caribbean, has an estimated annual foodborne disease burden of over 100,000 cases\nand, similar to other countries, the etiology of most of these cases is unknown. Both pathogens\ncan reside as part of the normal gastrointestinal microflora of many wild and domestic animals,\nwith animals acting as reservoirs, spillover hosts, or dead-end hosts. Carriage in animal species can be\nasymptomatic or, in the case of Salmonella in particular, there may be clinical manifestation in animals,\nwhich resemble the disease seen in humans. In this review, we will focus on the epidemiology of\nthese two foodborne pathogens in Trinidad and Tobago and identify any knowledge gaps in the\npublished literature. The filling of this critical knowledge void is essential for the development and\nimplementation of appropriate mechanisms to reduce the dissemination and transmission of these\npathogens, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but also in the wider Caribbean....
Background: Brucellosis is a contagious zoonotic disease of great public health and economic significance especially in developing countries. The disease affects humans and several species of livestock and wildlife. Studies on Brucellosis in wildlife in Uganda have been limited to single populations particularly in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This study aimed at estimating the percentage of positive samples of Brucella spp. in wildlife in four major national parks of Uganda. This was a retrospective survey which utilized archived samples collected from wildlife during the annual disease surveillance activities between 2013 and 2017. Results: A total of 241 samples from seven species namely African buffalo (Syncerus caffer, n = 109), African elephant (Loxodonta africana, n = 22), giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi, n = 41), Uganda kob (Kobus kob thomasi, n = 36), lion (Panthera leo, n = 6), plain zebra (Equus quagga, n = 25), and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus, n = 2), were tested for antibodies using the Rose Bengal Plate Test. The overall percentage of positive samples in the four national parks was 31.1% (75/241; 95% CI: 25.6–37.2). Kidepo Valley National Park had a significantly higher percentage of positive samples of 55.9% (19/34; 95% CI: 39.5–71.1) compared to other sampled national parks (p < 0.05). Lions had significantly higher percentage of positive samples at 66.7% (4/6) than African buffalo at 48.6% (53/ 109, p < 0.0001). There were no antibodies for Brucella spp. detected in African elephant and bushbuck. Conclusion: This study shows variations in percentage of positive samples with Brucella spp. between species and across national parks and notably a high percentage with Brucella spp. in wildlife in Uganda than that recorded elsewhere in sub-Saharan region of Africa. Potential for transmission to other wildlife and spill over to livestock is high especially in national parks with high livestock-wildlife interaction....
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