JAVMA News
The AVMA's retiring CEO guided the Association through growth in membership and influence, which he says has been a wonderful ride and absolute honor. In other news, faster and cheaper genome sequencing is helping public health researchers identify risks of drug resistance and medical treatment failure.
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veterinary economics
Are veterinary students accumulating unreasonable amounts of debt?
Overall, AVMA senior student survey data suggest that the amount of educational debt new graduates accumulated was generally not unreasonable, given the expenses these students faced during their years of veterinary college training.
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Small Animals
Survey of practices and perceptions regarding feline onychectomy among private practitioners
Onychectomy has become an increasingly controversial procedure in cats, but little information exists on the percentage of veterinarians who perform this procedure. In a survey of 3,441 veterinarians, 2,503 (72.7%) reported performing onychectomies. Of 2,498 veterinarians who reported performing the procedure, 1,534 (61.4%) said that they performed < 1 onychectomy/month. Most (2,256/3,023 [74.6%]) respondents indicated they recommended nonsurgical alternatives. Responses regarding degree of pain associated with onychectomy and whether declawing is a form of mutilation, is necessary in some cats for behavioral reasons, or is a necessary alternative to euthanasia in some cats differed significantly between respondents who did and did not perform the procedure.
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Elective gastropexy with a reusable single-incision laparoscopic surgery port in dogs
In human patients, single-incision versus multi-incision laparoscopic procedures have been associated with more rapid recovery, decreased pain, and improved cosmesis. However, many single-incision ports are single-use, and high cost may limit their routine use in veterinary patients. A review of medical records of 14 dogs in which elective single-incision laparoscopic gastropexy was performed with a reusable conical port placed in a right paramedian location revealed that the procedure was feasible and effective in appropriately selected cases. Median duration of surgery was 76 minutes (range, 40 to 90 minutes). Intraoperative complications were minor and consisted of loss of pneumoperitoneum in 2 dogs.
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Equine
Use of a laparoscopic specimen retrieval pouch to facilitate removal of intact or fragmented cystic calculi from standing sedated horses
A review of medical records of 5 geldings and 3 mares with cystic calculi revealed that a laparoscopic specimen retrieval pouch was an effective, minimally traumatic method for retrieving cystic calculi. Direct access to the urinary bladder was gained in the geldings via perineal urethrotomy and in the mares by a transurethral approach. The pouch protected the urinary bladder and urethra from trauma during calculus removal and allowed for stabilization, containment, and fragmentation of calculi. For 4 geldings and 1 mare, fragmentation was necessary to facilitate calculus removal. Mean duration of surgery was 125 minutes, and trauma to the urinary bladder and urethra was limited to areas of hyperemia and submucosal petechiation.
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Treatment of sarcoids in equids
Most studies on sarcoid treatment in equids have focused on 1 or 2 selected treatments for specific sarcoid types or locations, making it hard to estimate overall success rates for treatment of sarcoids. In a review of medical records for 230 equids with 614 sarcoids subjected to a variety of treatments, the overall success rate (complete tumor regression without recurrence for ≥ 6 months) was 74.9% (460/614). Electrosurgical excision resulted in the highest treatment success rate (277/319 [86.8%]); whereas, the odds of treatment failure were significantly greater for intralesional injection of platinum-containing drugs, cryosurgery, and topical acyclovir treatment.
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Zoo Animals
Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus infection in six captive southern cassowaries
Within a 2-week period, 4 southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) at a Virginia zoo died subsequent to eastern equine encephalitis virus infection. Two additional cassowaries that died of EEEV infection at a conservation center in Florida were also identified. Both juvenile and adult birds were affected. Three of the 6 birds died acutely with no premonitory signs. Clinical disease in the other 3 birds was characterized by lethargy and ataxia; these birds died despite supportive treatment. Frequently observed histologic abnormalities were encephalitis, vasculitis, hepatitis, nephritis, and splenitis. A diagnosis of EEEV infection was confirmed by detection of serum anti-EEEV antibodies or detection of viral RNA in brain tissue.
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