Modification of Domestic Animal Lameness Scales for Use in Asiatic Black Bears (Ursus thibetanus).

Lameness in animals is a welfare concern as it can be an indicator of pain. A standardized bear lameness scale would significantly improve the ability of facilities that house bears to monitor, manage, and treat lameness in their animals. The Animals Asia bear rescue center in Vietnam holds over 180 rescued bears with varying health and mobility conditions as a result of the illegal bear bile trade, and a reliable lameness assessment system was needed. Bear locomotion includes a lumbering gait, which differs from domestic animal locomotion, necessitating the modification of domestic animal lameness scales, and a five-point lameness scale was developed. Professionals from various veterinary-related backgrounds scored bear lameness videos to assess interobserver reliability and the intraclass correlation coefficient indicated good to excellent reliability. A 15-min training video with examples of lameness and grades was provided before assessment. The lameness scale developed herein addresses the lack of a published lameness scale for bears, and, due to the similar locomotion of the genus, can be used on any bear species. This scale is a consistent and reliable tool for evaluating and documenting lameness in addition to monitoring response to treatment. It will benefit bear welfare by indirectly characterizing the level of pain a bear is experiencing due to lameness as well as serving to document trends in pain status.

Early-life behavioral features are associated with chronic emesis in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Chronic emesis (CE) is a poorly understood condition in human and nonhuman primates that negatively impacts the quality of life. Early identification of risk factors for the development of CE is likely to improve the ability to manage CE cases successfully and is, therefore, desirable. Using a case-control study, we reviewed the necropsy records of the California National Primate Research Center and identified 24 animals with recorded CE, defined as five or more incidents of emesis in 1 month. A group of 89 healthy rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), comparable in age and percent time housed indoors, was similarly identified. Next, we investigated the association between the occurrence of CE during later stages of life after infancy and the behavioral temperament scores attained in infancy, age, sex, birth location, rearing condition, history of self-injurious behavior (SIB), and the number of lifetime sedation events. Our analysis revealed that CE was associated with degrees of temperament constructs obtained in infancy (data was available for n = 113), such as Confidence (odds ratio (OR) = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.18, 1.08, p = 0.07), Gentleness (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.96, p = 0.03), Nervousness (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 0.98, 4.23, p = 0.05), and Vigilance (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 015, 0.87, p = 0.02), suggesting that CE is linked to behavioral phenomenon measured in early life, long before it becomes a medical concern. Our data suggest that CE was positively correlated with a history of SIB (OR 4.26, 95% CI: 0.98, 18.47, p = 0.04). Accurate prediction of CE can then assist behavioral and colony management professionals in making informed decisions regarding the care of animals at risk of developing CE. Moreover, the novel information we reported here could have valuable implications in human medicine, where gastrointestinal distress is a common complaint affecting a person's quality of life.

Training Surgical Residents Utilizing an Animal Shelter Fracture Program.

Working relationships between veterinary medical teaching hospitals, animal shelters, and rescue groups are one way to increase veterinary students' and residents' hands-on training. The goal of this study is to describe the use of a shelter fracture program to improve the surgical skills of surgical residents. In this program, the participating shelter and rescue organizations electronically submit cases. Following evaluation of radiographs and case approval by the orthopedic faculty, the case is scheduled for a physical evaluation. A resident takes primary surgical care together with a fourth-year student rotating through the orthopedic surgery service to ensure the proper pre-, peri-, and post-operative standard of care. All care is overseen by the orthopedic faculty. A veterinary student-run fracture foster program allows students to gain additional experience in the pre-, peri-, and post-operative care of shelter animals. The total number of shelter animals treated during a 9-year period was 373, with a mean annual case load of 41.1 cases (± 10.3). During the same time period, a total of 435 client-owned cases underwent surgical fracture treatment, with a mean annual case load of 48 cases (± 11.7). Surgical resident and student surveys show that this program contributes to their knowledge, skills, and confidence in treating fracture patients. A successful cooperative program provides advanced surgical fracture treatment of shelter animals, improving animals' quality of life as well as surgical residents' and veterinary students' skills training.

SURGICAL AND POSTOPERATIVE TREATMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISC DISEASE IN A MOUNTAIN COATI (NASUELLA OLIVACEA) USING BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT AND PHYSICAL THERAPY.

A captive 8-yr-old female mountain coati, Nasuella olivacea, presented with intermittent paresis of the pelvic limbs. The coati was anesthetized for radiographs, which showed mineralized discs in the thoracolumbar region. After 3 mo of daily prednisone, its condition further declined. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed extradural disc herniation, spinal cord compression, and requirement for a left-sided hemilaminectomy. Postoperatively, the coati received prednisolone, gabapentin, tramadol, and clavamox. An established history of positive reinforcement training allowed caretakers to implement physical therapy walks and novel exercises designed for its condition. The coati showed improvement with appropriate proprioceptive positioning and improved balance. Intervertebral disc disease is common in dogs and cats, and although physical therapy is routinely implemented in recovering neurologic patients of those species, it is relatively new in zoologic medicine. This report highlights the benefits of behavioral management in postoperative management of nondomestic species.