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Abstract

Objective—To evaluate the microcrystalline sodium urate (MSU) method for inducing arthritis in parrots and to compare the analgesic efficacy of long-acting liposome-encapsulated butorphanol (LEBT), carprofen, or a combination of both.

Animals—20 Hispaniolan parrots.

Procedures—MSU was injected into a tibiotarsal-tarsometatarsal (intertarsal) joint to induce arthritis (time 0). Four treatments were compared (LEBT [15 mg/kg, SC] administered once at time 0; injections of carprofen [3 mg/kg, IM, q 12 h] starting at time 0; administration of LEBT plus carprofen; and a control treatment of saline [0.9% NaCl] solution). Weight load testing and behavioral scoring were conducted at 0, 2, 6, 26, and 30 hours.

Results—Injection of MSU into the intertarsal joint induced arthritis, which resolved within 30 hours. Treatment with LEBT or LEBT plus carprofen resulted in significantly greater weight-bearing load on the limb with induced arthritis, compared with the control treatment. Treatment with carprofen alone caused a slight but nonsignificant improvement in weight-bearing load on the arthritic limb, compared with the control treatment. Behaviors associated with motor activity and weight bearing differed between the control and analgesic treatments.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Butorphanol was an effective treatment for pain associated with arthritis, but carprofen administered every 12 hours was insufficient. Injection of MSU to induce arthritis in a single joint was a good method for evaluating tonic pain in parrots, and measurement of the weight-bearing load was accurate for assessment of arthritic pain; however, behavioral changes associated with pain were subtle.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of meloxicam in parrots with experimentally induced arthritis, with extent of weight bearing and rotational perch walking used as outcome measures.

Animals—15 adult Hispaniolan parrots (Amazona ventralis).

Procedures—Arthritis was experimentally induced via intra-articular injection of microcrystalline sodium urate suspension (MSU) into 1 intertarsal joint. Parrots were treated in a crossover design. Five treatments were compared as follows: meloxicam (4 dosages) at 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg (IM, q 12 h, 3 times) and 0.03 mL of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (IM, q 12 h, 3 times). The first treatment was given 6 hours following MSU administration. Lameness was assessed by use of a biomechanical perch to record weight-bearing load and a rotational perch to determine dexterity. Feces were collected to assay for occult blood.

Results—Parrots treated with meloxicam at 1.0 mg/kg had significantly better return to normal (baseline) weight bearing on the arthritic pelvic limb, compared with control parrots or parrots treated with meloxicam at 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/kg. All fecal samples collected from parrots following induction of arthritis and treatment with meloxicam had negative results for occult blood.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Meloxicam administered at 1.0 mg/kg, IM, every 12 hours effectively relieved arthritic pain in parrots.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate the antinociceptive effects and duration of action of nalbuphine HCl administered IM on thermal thresholds in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis).

Animals—14 healthy adult Hispaniolan Amazon parrots of unknown sex.

Procedures—3 doses of nalbuphine (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg, IM) and saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (control treatment) were evaluated in a blinded complete crossover experimental design by use of foot withdrawal threshold to a noxious thermal stimulus. Baseline data on thermal threshold were generated 1 hour before administration of nalbuphine or saline solution; thermal threshold measurements were obtained 0.5, 1.5, 3, and 6 hours after administration.

Results—Nalbuphine administered IM at 12.5 mg/kg significantly increased the thermal threshold (mean change, 2.4°C), compared with results for the control treatment, and significantly changed thermal threshold for up to 3 hours, compared with baseline results (mean change, 2.6° to 3.8°C). Higher doses of nalbuphine did not significantly change thermal thresholds, compared with results for the control treatment, but had a significant effect, compared with baseline results, for up to 3 and 1.5 hours after administration, respectively.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Nalbuphine administered IM at 12.5 mg/kg significantly increased the foot withdrawal threshold to a thermal noxious stimulus in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots. Higher doses of nalbuphine did not result in significantly increased thermal thresholds or a longer duration of action and would be expected to result in less analgesic effect than lower doses. Further studies are needed to fully evaluate the analgesic effects of nalbuphine in psittacine species.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate economic effects and health and performance of the general cattle population after exposure to cattle persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in a feedlot.

Animals—21,743 high-risk calves from the southeastern United States.

Procedures—PI status was determined by use of an antigen-capture ELISA (ACE) and confirmed by use of a second ACE, reverse transcriptase–PCR assay of sera, immunohistochemical analysis, and virus isolation from sera. Groups with various amounts of exposure to BVDV PI cattle were used. After being placed in the feedlot, identified PI cattle were removed from 1 section, but PI cattle remained in another section of the feedlot. Exposure groups for cattle lots arriving without PI animals were determined by spatial association to cattle lots, with PI animals remaining or removed from the lot.

Results—15,348 cattle maintained their exposure group. Performance outcomes improved slightly among the 5 exposure groups as the risk for exposure to BVDV PI cattle decreased. Health outcomes had an association with exposure risk that depended on the exposure group. Comparing cattle lots with direct exposure with those without direct exposure revealed significant improvements in all performance outcomes and in first relapse percentage and mortality percentage in the health outcomes. Economic analysis revealed that fatalities accounted for losses of $5.26/animal and performance losses were $88.26/animal.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—This study provided evidence that exposure of the general population of feedlot cattle to BVDV PI animals resulted in substantial costs attributable to negative effects on performance and increased fatalities.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To evaluate injection of microcrystalline sodium urate (MSU) for inducing articular pain in green-cheeked conures (Pyrrhura molinae) and the analgesic efficacy of liposome-encapsulated butorphanol tartrate (LEBT) by use of weight load data, behavioral scores, and fecal corticosterone concentration.

Animals—8 conures.

Procedures—In a crossover study, conures were randomly assigned to receive LEBT (15 mg/kg) or liposomal vehicle subsequent to experimental induction of arthritis or sham injection. The MSU was injected into 1 tibiotarsal-tarsometatarsal (intertarsal) joint to induce arthritis (time 0). Weight-bearing load and behavioral scores were determined at 0, 2, 6, 26, and 30 hours.

Results—MSU injection into 1 intertarsal joint caused a temporary decrease in weight bearing on the affected limb. Treatment of arthritic conures with LEBT resulted in significantly more weight bearing on the arthritic limb than treatment with vehicle. Administration of vehicle to arthritic conures caused a decrease in activity and feeding behaviors during the induction phase of arthritis, but as the arthritis resolved, there was a significant increase in voluntary activity at 30 hours and feeding behaviors at 26 and 30 hours, compared with results for LEBT treatment of arthritic birds. Treatment with LEBT or vehicle in conures without arthritis resulted in similar measurements for weight bearing and voluntary and motivated behaviors.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Experimental induction of arthritis in conures was a good method for evaluating tonic pain. Weight-bearing load was the most sensitive measure of pain associated with induced arthritis. Pain associated with MSU-induced arthritis was alleviated by administration of LEBT.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

Objective—To assess the pharmacokinetics of nalbuphine HCl after IV and IM administration to Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis).

Animals—8 healthy adult Hispaniolan Amazon parrots of unknown sex.

Procedures—Nalbuphine HCl (12.5 mg/kg) was administered IV and IM to all birds in a complete randomized crossover study design; there was a washout period of 21 days between subsequent administrations. Plasma samples were obtained from blood collected at predetermined time points for measurement of nalbuphine concentration by use of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated by use of computer software.

Results—Nalbuphine was rapidly eliminated with a terminal half-life of 0.33 hours and clearance of 69.95 mL/min/kg after IV administration and a half-life of 0.35 hours after IM administration. Volume of distribution was 2.01 L/kg after IV administration. The fraction of the dose absorbed was high (1.03) after IM administration. No adverse effects were detected in the parrots during the study.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In Hispaniolan Amazon parrots, nalbuphine appeared to have good bioavailability after IM administration and was rapidly cleared after IV and IM administration. Safety and analgesic efficacy of various nalbuphine treatment regimens in this species require further investigation to determine the potential for clinical palliation of signs of pain in psittacine species.

Full access
in American Journal of Veterinary Research

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To explore veterinarians’ mental health symptom burden during COVID-19 and identify differences in symptom burden, social support, help seeking, and incentives and barriers associated with receiving help across career stages.

SAMPLE

Online survey responses from 266 veterinarians between June 4 and September 8, 2021.

PROCEDURES

Respondents were grouped by career stage (early [< 5 years of experience], middle [5 to 19 years of experience], or late [≥ 20 years of experience]), and results were compared across groups.

RESULTS

Of the 262 respondents who reported years of experience, 26 (9.9%) were early career, 130 (49.6%) were midcareer, and 106 (40.4%) were late career. The overall mean anxiety and depression symptom burden score was 3.85 ± 3.47 (0 to 2 = normal; 3 to 5 = mild; 6 to 8 = moderate; and 9 to 12 = severe), with 62 of 220 (28.1%) respondents reporting moderate to severe symptom burden. Most (164/206 [79.6%]) reported not accessing behavioral health providers, and of these, 53.6% (88/164) reported at least mild symptom burden. There were significant differences in both symptom burden and mental health help-seeking intentions across career stages, with early- and midcareer (vs late-career) veterinarians reporting higher symptom burden (P = .002) and midcareer (vs late-career) veterinarians reporting higher help-seeking intentions (P = .006). Barriers and incentives for seeking mental health care were identified.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Findings revealed differences in symptom burden and intentions to seek mental health care across veterinary career stages. Incentives and barriers identified serve to explain these career stage differences.

Full access
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To establish a pathoepidemiological model to evaluate the role of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first 10 companion animals that died while infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the US.

ANIMALS

10 cats and dogs that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and died or were euthanized in the US between March 2020 and January 2021.

PROCEDURES

A standardized algorithm was developed to direct case investigations, determine the necessity of certain diagnostic procedures, and evaluate the role, if any, that SARS-CoV-2 infection played in the animals’ course of disease and death. Using clinical and diagnostic information collected by state animal health officials, state public health veterinarians, and other state and local partners, this algorithm was applied to each animal case.

RESULTS

SARS-CoV-2 was an incidental finding in 8 animals, was suspected to have contributed to the severity of clinical signs leading to euthanasia in 1 dog, and was the primary reason for death for 1 cat.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This report provides the global community with a standardized process for directing case investigations, determining the necessity of certain diagnostic procedures, and determining the clinical significance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals with fatal outcomes and provides evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can, in rare circumstances, cause or contribute to death in pets.

Free access
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes of dogs treated surgically for oral, nontonsillar, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and fibrosarcomas (FSAs) with outcomes of dogs treated with a combination of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy; to explore whether postoperative, hypofractionated radiotherapy improved outcomes of dogs with incomplete excisions; and to identify prognostic factors associated with outcome.

DESIGN Retrospective cohort study.

ANIMALS 87 client-owned dogs that had undergone maxillectomy or mandibulectomy for treatment of oral SCC or FSA between 2000 and 2009.

PROCEDURES Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses to evaluate potential prognostic factors associated with patient outcome.

RESULTS Median survival time (MST) for all 87 dogs was 2,049 days, but was not reached for dogs with SCC, and was only 557 days for dogs with FSA; tumor type was a significant predictor of survival time. Dogs undergoing postoperative radiotherapy after incomplete excision of oral SCCs had a significantly longer MST (2,051 days) than did dogs with incompletely excised tumors and no radiotherapy (MST, 181 days). Postoperative radiotherapy of dogs with incompletely excised FSAs did not appear to offer protective value (MST, 299 days with radiotherapy and 694 days without radiotherapy).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Wide-margin surgical excision should be considered the gold-standard treatment for dogs with oral SCC or FSA. For dogs with oral SCCs without clean surgical margins, survival times may be improved by providing postoperative, hypofractionated radiotherapy.

Full access
in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association