| JAVMA News | |
| Transactions at small animal practices declined slightly from 2007 to 2008, according to the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, and revenues increased only modestly with higher transaction charges. | |
| The American Association of Equine Practitioners sent a delegation to see firsthand the conditions of two horse slaughter facilities in Mexico. | See PAGE 576 |
| Letters to the Editor | |
| See PAGE 598 | |
| What Is Your Diagnosis? | |
 | See PAGE 603 |
| TIMELY TOPICS IN NUTRITION | |
| Probiotics in veterinary practice | |
| Probiotics are live microorganisms that have potential health benefits when administered in sufficient numbers. Commercially available probiotic products vary with regard to quality control, and safety is unknown. Nevertheless, use of probiotics enhances immune function in various species and appears to have a role in the treatment of certain gastrointestinal tract conditions. | See PAGE 606 |
| PUBLIC VETERINARY MEDICINE: PUBLIC HEALTH | |
| Epidemiology of rabies in skunks in Texas | |
| Rabies in skunks has important public health implications, and a greater understanding of the epidemiology of rabies in skunks will be useful in the planning and implementation of local, state, and national rabies control and prevention campaigns. Additionally, such information could be relevant to clinicians when discussing rabies prevention guidelines with their clients. | See PAGE 616 |
| Comparison of conventional and digital measurements of tibial plateau angle in dogs | |
| As digital radiography has become more widely available, there has been an increase in the use of digital methods for measuring tibial plateau angle in dogs. However, there are no published data on the reliability of digital TPA measurements. In a study involving 37 dogs with stifle joint abnormalities, radiographs of both stifle joints were obtained by conventional and digital means, and TPA was measured by 2 viewers with different levels of experience on 3 occasions. For both viewers and both limbs, conventional TPA measurements were significantly correlated with digital measurements all 3 times. Conventional and digital measurements obtained by viewer 1 were significantly different from values obtained by viewer 2. | See PAGE 622 |
| Evaluation of noninvasive oscillometric blood pressure monitoring in anesthetized boid snakes | |
| Monitoring of arterial blood pressure is an essential part of anesthetic monitoring, but is rarely performed in reptiles. In a study involving 4 boa constrictors, 2 carpet pythons, and 2 reticulated pythons anesthetized with isoflurane in which arterial blood pressure was measured directly (by means of an arterial catheter) and indirectly (by means of an oscillometric device and cuff placed on the tail), the oscillometric device consistently overestimated systolic arterial pressure and underestimated mean and diastolic arterial pressure. However, when systolic arterial pressure was > 100 mm Hg, the oscillometric device underestimated all 3 variables. Findings indicated that indirect measurements obtained with this device cannot substitute for direct measurements. | See PAGE 625 |
| Prevalence of intestinal nematode parasitism among pet dogs in the United States | |
| See PAGE 631 |
| Outcome of permanent tracheostomy for treatment of upper airway obstruction in cats | |
| Permanent tracheostomy is uncommonly performed in cats, possibly because of a belief that mucus will occlude the stoma after surgery, resulting in a poor outcome. A review of medical records for 21 cats that underwent permanent tracheostomy because of upper airway obstruction revealed high complication and mortality rates. Fourteen cats had dyspnea in the immediate postoperative period, most often as a result of mucous plugs. Eleven cats died; 7 cats were euthanized, most often because of progression of neoplasia; and only 2 were still alive at the time of the study. The remaining cat was lost to follow-up after discharge from the hospital. | See PAGE 638 |
| Use of kinetic gait analysis for differentiation of hind limb lameness and spinal ataxia in horses | |
| See PAGE 644 |
| Effect of 2 methods of LDA correction on postoperative abomasal emptying rate in lactating dairy cows | |
| Abomasal emptying rate decreases in cows with a left displaced abomasum and remains decreased immediately after surgical correction. In a clinical trial, 30 cows with an LDA were alternately assigned to undergo surgical correction by means of 2-step laparoscopy-guided abomasopexy or omentopexy via right flank laparotomy, with absorption of D-xylose solution injected into the abomasal lumen at the end of surgery used to assess abomasal emptying rate. Mean abomasal emptying rate was significantly faster and rumen contraction rate and milk yield increased faster after laparoscopy-guided abomasopexy, compared with values obtained following omentopexy. However, milk yield did not differ after the 2 procedures. | See PAGE 652 |
| A syndromic surveillance system for detecting disease in livestock entering an auction market | |
| Syndromic surveillance is the practice of tracking disease trends in a population through clinical data that precede definitive diagnosis but signal the possibility of disease. In a study to determine whether a syndromic surveillance system based on visual inspection alone could be used to detect disease among livestock entering an auction market, all livestock entering a single auction market in Colorado during 30 business days were visually inspected for clinical abnormalities. For all species combined, the most common disease syndrome was respiratory tract disease (218.9 observations/10,000 animal observation days), followed by thin body condition and abnormal ambulation or posture (80.7 and 27.2 observations/10,000 animal observation days). | See PAGE 658 |
| Outcome of performance-based removal and replacement decisions in commercial swine herds | |
| Sow removal can be considered a successful management strategy only if reproductive performance of replacement animals is greater than performance that could have been expected had removed animals remained in the herd. In a retrospective case-control study involving 3 commercial swine herds, reproductive performance was higher for replacement gilts than for control sows matched with case sows removed for reasons of fecundity. However, reproductive performance was higher for replacement gilts than for control sows matched with case sows removed for reasons of fertility in only 2 of the 3 herds, and in the 2 herds with case sows removed because of age, reproductive performance did not differ between replacement gilts and control sows. | See PAGE 665 |
| Nocardia arthritidis infection in the metatarsal III and IV bone of a heifer | |
| See PAGE 669 |
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