Assessing Differences in Understanding of Companion-Animal Preventive Care between a Veterinary Health Care Team and Pet Owners in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Preventive health care visits to primary care veterinary practices in the United States have been on the decline over the past decade. One of the main factors that has been identified is a lack of understanding by pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care. The Partners for Healthy Pets Opportunity Survey was adapted for use in this study to determine whether there were differences in perceptions of a veterinary health care team between team members and clients, specifically regarding preventive care specifically within the Community Practice service of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Results of this cross-sectional study revealed that the clients and veterinary health care team tended to be aligned in most areas regarding companion-animal preventive care. There were some specific areas that differed, including a disconnect regarding components of feline wellness visits, reliable sources of medical information, and strength of recommendations from the veterinary health care team. The Partners for Healthy Pets Opportunity Survey could be adapted for use in other university-based companion-animal general-practice teaching environments to better understand differences between clients and the veterinary health care team regarding preventive care and thereby improve educational and service goals of primary care veterinary education. Efforts to better understand and mitigate potential communication gaps between pet owners and veterinary health care teams have the potential to improve preventive care not only in university-based practice but also in private clinical practice.

Ultrasonographic and endoscopic guidance in diagnosis of Helicobacter gastritis presenting as a mass lesion in a dog: A case report.

This case documents a previously undescribed presentation of Helicobacter spp. gastritis. An 8-year-old female spayed golden retriever with chronic vomiting was found to have a cluster of multiple, round, well-defined, hypoechoic foci of varying sizes surrounded by gas within the lumen of the stomach on ultrasonographic examination. Further endoscopic examination revealed multiple raised mass-like lesions in the fundus on endoscopic examination. Histopathological findings were consistent with Helicobacter spp. infection. The dog was treated with both amoxicillin 400 mg and clarithromycin 180 mg BID for 21 days and omeprazole 20 mg SID for 34 days. After the treatment, the vomiting and fundic lesions were resolved on ultrasonographic examination. This case represents a novel gross morphologic presentation for Helicobacter spp. gastritis that responded to appropriate therapy and highlights how early intervention with advanced imaging can aid in diagnosis and treatment.

Veterinary medical student perceptions of companion animal primary care as a career choice over an academic year.

Despite companion animal primary care being the most common career choice for veterinarians, relatively little is known about students' perception of this career choice. In this study, the authors examined students' (233 at Time 1 and 119 at Time 2) perceptions of careers in companion animal primary care and whether perceptions changed over the course of an academic year or differed by year in veterinary school. The study was conducted by an online questionnaire sent to the student email listserv and the results analyzed by Mixed ANOVAs for each perception outcome. The study concluded that a majority of veterinary students have companion animal primary care as their preferred career choice and have a positive perception of it as a career choice. This positive perception increased over the course of an academic year, but did not differ significantly by year in school. First year students had a decrease in perception of level of training over time. This study sets a baseline for students' perceptions of companion animal primary care as a career choice at one college of veterinary medicine.

Diagnostic accuracy of a point-of-care test using voided urine samples for detection of bacteriuria in dogs with signs of lower urinary tract disease.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial urine culture is recommended in dogs suspected of having urinary tract infection (UTI), but there is expense and delay in obtaining such results. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic performance of a rapid immunoassay (RIA) dipstick for detection of bacteriuria using voided urine from dogs with clinical signs of lower UTI. ANIMALS: Twenty-four client-owned dogs. METHODS: Voided urine was collected and the RIA performed within 30 minutes. Urine collected by cystocentesis was submitted for aerobic urine culture. McNemar's test and kappa coefficient were calculated to determine agreement between the 2 tests. RESULTS: Nine of 21 dogs (43%) had UTI verified by aerobic urine culture. There was 1 false-negative and no false-positive RIA results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the RIA were 89%, 100%, 100%, and 92%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This RIA is promising for correctly identifying whether or not voided urine samples from dogs with lower urinary tract clinical signs have true bacteriuria in a rapid, inexpensive manner. Additional patients should be enrolled in a similar study to determine if diagnostic performance is robust in a large population.

Acute hindlimb lameness in a 6-month-old cat.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 6-month-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat was presented for investigation of acute right hindlimb lameness and paresis. WHAT IS YOUR DIAGNOSIS?: Readers are encouraged to review the case history and consider what their diagnostic suspicion is. Also what is the preferred treatment for this injury? And what is the primary cause of this injury?

Sleep Quality and Sleepiness Among Veterinary Medical Students Over an Academic Year.

Good sleep health is a key component to good personal well-being. It has been postulated that veterinary students have poor sleep health, but few measurements have been undertaken. This study measured Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale values at multiple points throughout an academic year for students in a veterinary medical curriculum. Students were found to have overall poor sleep quality and above average to excessive daytime sleepiness. Further investigation is necessary to determine specific causes as well as what action can be taken to improve student sleep health.

Evaluating Checklist Use in Companion Animal Wellness Visits in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital: A Preliminary Study.

The number of companion animal wellness visits in private practice has been decreasing, and one important factor cited is the lack of effective communication between veterinarians and pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care. Checklists have been widely used in many fields and are especially useful in areas where a complex task must be completed with multiple small steps, or when cognitive fatigue is evident. The use of checklists in veterinary medical education has not yet been thoroughly evaluated as a potential strategy to improve communication with pet owners regarding preventive care. The authors explored whether the use of a checklist based on the American Animal Hospital Association/American Veterinary Medical Association canine and feline preventive care guidelines would benefit senior veterinary students in accomplishing more complete canine and feline wellness visits. A group of students using provided checklists was compared to a control group of students who did not use checklists on the basis of their medical record notes from the visits. The students using the checklists were routinely more complete in several areas of a wellness visit vs. those who did not use the checklists. However, neither group of students routinely discussed follow-up care recommendations such as frequency or timing of follow-up visits. The study authors recommend considering checklist use for teaching and implementing wellness in companion animal primary care veterinary clinical teaching settings.

Long-term Formation of Aggressive Bony Lesions in Dogs with Mid-Diaphyseal Fractures Stabilized with Metallic Plates: Incidence in a Tertiary Referral Hospital Population.

The incidence of complications secondary to fracture stabilization, particularly osteolytic lesions and bony tumor formation, has long been difficult to evaluate. The objective of this study was to describe the long-term incidence of aggressive bony changes developing in dogs with long bone diaphyseal fractures stabilized by metallic bone plates compared to a breed-, sex-, and age-matched control group. The medical records of a tertiary referral center were retrospectively reviewed for dogs that matched each respective criterion. Signalment, history, cause of death (if applicable), and aggressive bony changes at previous fracture sites were recorded. Ninety dogs met the criteria for inclusion in the fracture group and were matched with appropriate control dogs. Four of the dogs in the fracture group developed aggressive bony changes at the site of previous fracture repairs most consistent with osseous neoplasia. One lesion was confirmed with cytology as neoplastic. The population of dogs was mixed with regard to breed and body weight, but all dogs with aggressive bony lesions were male. Incidence of aggressive bony lesion formation in the fracture group was 4 (4.4%) and was 0 (0%) in the control group; three (75%) of the affected dogs in the fracture group included cerclage as a component of their primary fracture stabilizations. Incidence of aggressive bony lesions in the fracture group compared to the control group was determined to be statistically significant (p = 0.0455), as was the incidence of cerclage among dogs affected by aggressive bony lesions compared to the rest of the fracture group (p = 0.0499). Development of aggressive bony lesions is an uncommon complication of fracture fixation. Additional research is needed to further identify and elucidate the long-term effects of metallic implants in dogs.

Cryptorchidism.

Cryptorchidism is a common clinical problem in dogs and cats. Retained testes can be unilateral or bilateral, are usually small and atrophied, and vary in location. These factors make diagnosis and surgical removal challenging in some animals. Diagnosis is confirmed using a variety of modalities, including diagnostic imaging in difficult cases. Surgical removal of the affected and normal testes is the treatment of choice. The surgical approach and technique used depend on the location of the retained testis.