Abstract
Lesions in the oral cavity of dogs can be erythematous, leukoplakic, or pigmented in coloration. The diagnosis of oral erosions, ulcers, and white lesions in contrast to pigmented lesions in veterinary practice can be challenging. The most benign-looking oral ulcers can be associated with local malignant or systemic disease. Many factors are important in the evaluation and correct diagnosis of oral lesions, including medical and drug history, description of the lesion, number of lesions, depth of the lesion, biopsy technique, and correct histologic interpretation. The goal of this paper is to create a decision tree to guide the classification and proper diagnosis of canine oral mucosal lesions.
A federal district court has again upheld provisions of a Texas veterinary practice act mandating that a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) be established in person rather than remotely.
The U.S. Department of Education is applying account adjustments to all income-driven repayment plan borrowers who have reached enough payments for forgiveness, but a pending lawsuit may stop implementation of the plan.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed the registration and affirmed the safety profile of the Seresto flea and tick collar after a multi-year review. At the same time, the EPA is requiring Elanco Animal Health, maker of the Seresto collar, to implement additional measures that will guard against any potential incidents in the future.
Roughly 11,000 veterinary practices each year experience a cyberattack, and with just over 800,000 complaints of suspected internet crime in 2022, odds are the average practice owner is at risk. At AVMA Convention 2023 in Denver, Clint Latham, founder of Lucca Veterinary Data Security, presented the session, “The Most Important Thing That No One is Talking About: The Current State of Cyber Security in Veterinary Medicine.”
Dr. Heather Bair-Brake, a public health veterinarian at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, talked about the hazards of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their potential impact on clinical practice in her session “Current Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Research Points to a Growing Threat in Animals” on July 14 at AVMA Convention 2023 in Denver.
It’s not about being perfect, according to Mariana Atencio, it’s about being perfectly you. Atencio gave the keynote presentation, “The Power of Authenticity: To Create Meaningful Connections, Foster Trust, and Inspire Others,” on July 14, which was sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Atencio is a bilingual reporter and motivational speaker.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward antibiotic use among board-certified veterinary dentists.
SAMPLE
104 veterinarians board certified by the American Veterinary Dental College.
METHODS
A 30-question survey was generated from an online platform and sent via email listserv to board-certified veterinary dentists. Responses were examined to identify patterns or correlations among the variables of interest.
RESULTS
There were 104 board-certified veterinary dentists who responded. The majority reported using prophylactic intraoperative antibiotics sparingly for dental procedures and predominately for patients with historic endocarditis or on immunosuppressive doses of steroids. For healthy patients, they reported that antibiotics are often prescribed during jaw fracture repair, maxillectomy/mandibulectomy, and treatment of stage 4 periodontal disease or periapical lucencies. Knowledge of antibiotic resistance and evidence-based antibiotic use were not significantly different between different practice sectors (academia vs private practice) or dependent on the duration of board certification. Dentists who did not believe antibiotics used postoperatively reduce local postoperative infection rates were less likely to prescribe injectable intraoperative antibiotics for the prevention of postoperative infection. No other variables were associated with the likelihood of prescribing intraoperative antibiotics. More than 95% of veterinary dentists surveyed agreed that specific antibiotic use guidelines for veterinary dentistry would help reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
There are differences among veterinary dentists regarding which procedures and patient-specific comorbidities they believe necessitate the use of prophylactic antibiotics. The development of a consensus statement and prospective studies of current antibiotic use are important next steps to improving antibiotic stewardship in veterinary dentistry.
