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  • Author or Editor: James P. Dickey x
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Abstract

Objective—To determine whether administration of killed West Nile virus vaccine was associated with pregnancy loss among broodmares.

Design—Retrospective cohort study.

Animals—595 mares.

Procedure—Records of pregnant mares with known vaccination history from 4 farms were reviewed. Information obtained from 595 mares included mare's identification; farm; age; breed; reproductive status; last breeding date; date last known pregnant; vaccination date; age of conceptus at vaccination; vaccination during the early embryonic, early fetal, and late fetal periods; and whether an early embryonic death (EED), early fetal loss (EFL), or late fetal loss (LFL) occurred. The relationships between the dichotomous outcomes of loss (eg, EED, EFL, LFL) and independent categoric variables (eg, vaccination during the early embryonic, early fetal, or late fetal periods) were examined.

Results—Vaccination of pregnant mares during any period of gestation was not associated with increased incidence of pregnancy loss.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Many mares are already pregnant at the onset of mosquito season, when mares are more likely to be vaccinated than at other times. Our findings provide evidence that vaccine administration will not compromise pregnancy in horses. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2004;225:1894–1897)

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in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Abstract

Objective—To characterize injuries (on the basis of type and severity of injury and affected region of the body) among dogs participating in agility training and competition events and examine associations between injury characteristics and perceived causes of injury.

Design—Internet-based, retrospective, cross-sectional survey.

Animals—3,801 privately owned dogs participating in agility training or trials.

Procedures—A retrospective electronic survey was developed to investigate demographic factors for dogs and handlers, frequency of participation in agility training and competition, and perceived causes and characteristics of injuries acquired by dogs during agility-related activities. Respondents were handlers recruited through member lists of large canine agility associations in Canada and the United Kingdom and through promotion on an agility blog site. Associations between cause and anatomic site or type of injury and between injury severity (mild vs severe) and setting (competition vs practice) were investigated.

Results—Surveys were received from 1,669 handlers of 3,801 agility dogs internationally. Handler-reported data indicated 1,209 of 3,801 (32%) dogs had ≥ 1 injury; of 1,523 analyzed injuries, the shoulder (349 injuries), back (282), and neck (189) regions and phalanges (202) were predominantly affected. Soft tissue injuries (eg, strain [muscle or tendon injury; 807], sprain [ligament injury; 312], and contusion [200]) were common. Injuries were most commonly incurred during interactions with bar jumps, A-frames, and dog walk obstacles (260, 235, and 177 of 1,602 injuries, respectively). Anatomic site and type of injury were significantly associated with perceived cause of injury.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—These findings provided a basis for further experimental studies to identify specific mechanisms of various types of injury in dogs that participate in agility activities.

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in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Abstract

Objective—To identify potential risk factors for agility-related injuries among dogs.

Design—Internet-based, retrospective, cross-sectional survey.

Animals—3,801 privately owned dogs participating in agility training or trials.

Procedures—A retrospective electronic survey was used to investigate potential risk factors for injury among dogs participating in agility-related activities. Respondents were handlers recruited through member lists of large canine agility associations in Canada and the United Kingdom and through promotion on an agility blog site. Variables evaluated included demographic information for handlers and dogs, exposure variables (eg, frequency of agility practice and competition in the past year), and use of preventive measures intended to keep dogs fit for agility (warmup, cooldown, or conditioning exercises; alternative therapeutic treatments [eg, acupuncture, massage, or chiropractic care]; or dietary supplement products).

Results—Data were collected from 1,669 handlers of 3,801 agility dogs internationally; 1,209 (32%) dogs incurred ≥ 1 injury. Previous injury (OR, 100.5), ≤ 4 years of agility experience for dogs (OR, 1.5), use of alternative therapeutic treatments (OR, 1.5), and Border Collie breed (OR, 1.7) were associated with increased odds of injury. Handlers having 5 to 10 or > 10 years of experience (OR, 0.8 and 0.6, respectively) and dogs having > 4 years of experience in the sport (OR, 0.6) were associated with decreased odds of injury.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Specific factors were associated with agility-related injuries in dogs. Educational prevention strategies should target at-risk populations in an effort to reduce potential injuries. Future research should focus on the biomechanical factors associated with agility-related injuries.

Full access
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association