Assessment of potential maladaptive pain in dogs with elbow osteoarthritis using a von Frey aesthesiometer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the possible presence of maladaptive pain in the thoracic limbs of dogs with elbow osteoarthritis (OA) using an electronic von Frey aesthesiometer (eVFA). METHODS: Twenty-eight client- and staff-owned dogs (OA, n = 14; controls, n = 14) were enrolled in the study. Every dog underwent a full orthopaedic examination, and then five von Frey measurements were obtained from each carpal pad of each dog. A maximum test threshold of 400 g was set and approved by an ethics committee. RESULTS: eVFA thresholds were significantly lower (p < 0.001) in dogs with OA (median 248 g, range 128-369 g) than in control dogs (median 390 g, range 371-400 g). In the OA group, the sensory threshold was significantly lower (p = 0.048) in the more severely affected limb than the less severely affected limb. LIMITATION: The low maximum threshold required for ethical approval may influence the variability in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with elbow OA had significantly lower sensory thresholds than control dogs, which is compatible with the presence of maladaptive pain, potentially due to central sensitisation. Further research is required to evaluate the potential use of the eVFA for monitoring clinical progression and treatment response in dogs with elbow OA.

Cat and dog owners' expectations and attitudes towards advanced veterinary care (AVC) in the UK, Austria and Denmark.

Modern veterinary medicine offers a level of care to cats and dogs similar to that available to their owners, including blood transfusions, chemotherapy and MRI scans. The potential benefits to the animals of owners who can afford such care are obvious, but there can also be negative consequences if owners with strong emotional attachments to their pets pursue treatments that significantly reduce the quality of the animal's life while attempting to prolong it. Moreover, caring for a chronically or seriously ill animal can lead to emotional distress and financial and practical challenges for the pet owner. A questionnaire was used to survey cat and dog owners from representative samples of citizens in the UK, Austria and Denmark, to investigate owners' expectations and attitudes towards advanced veterinary care, and the factors that might influence those views. Overall, 58.4% of the pet owners surveyed believed that their pets should have access to the same treatment options as humans, while 51.5% believed that they should have access to the same diagnostic tests as humans. Owners were most likely to be neutral on the question of whether advanced veterinary care has 'gone too far' (45.3%), and to disagree with the statement that advanced care is 'unnecessary' (40.1%). In all three countries, the level of attachment owners had to their pets was most strongly associated with attitudes towards advanced care, with owners scoring higher on Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS) being more likely to expect advanced care to be available. Other factors such as owner age, living situation (alone or not), income or possession of pet insurance were less consistently with owner attitudes. Our findings will help inform veterinarians and other health care providers about pet owner expectations and attitudes towards advanced veterinary care, and contribute to the debate on increasing specialisation within the profession.

Seeing the benefits, but not taking advantage of them: Dog and cat owners' beliefs about veterinary telemedicine.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine offers benefits to clients and their animals, but potential disadvantages are also being debated. METHODS: Using a questionnaire, we investigated dog and cat owners' (N = 2117) use of and beliefs about telemedicine and whether beliefs impact past and expected future use. RESULTS: Although the majority of owners are aware that telemedicine can lead to the risk of something being missed, they see great potential in remote consultation in terms of usefulness for follow-up appointments or improving access to a specialist. However, only 12% of dog owners and 6% of cat owners have used telemedicine, and around 25% of owners who have never used it would be willing to use it in the future. Owners with a larger number of recent veterinary visits were more likely to have used telemedicine. LIMITATIONS: Although a definition of 'telemedicine' was provided, respondents may have had different perceptions of what this meant. CONCLUSION: Owners of dogs and cats recognise the potential benefits of telemedicine, but there is a mismatch with the actual uptake. This not only raises questions about the current availability of telemedicine but also should increase veterinary professionals' understanding of its potential benefits in veterinary practice.

Do people really care less about their cats than about their dogs? A comparative study in three European countries.

Previous studies have shown that cat owners seem to care less about their cats than dog owners care about their dogs - both in terms of their emotional state of attachment and in their willingness to pay for services that potentially benefit the animals. One study speculated that this difference is "driven by the behavior of the pet" - that the behavior of dogs encourages care more than the behavior of cats - and therefore is a universal phenomenon. However, previous studies mostly relied on convenience sampling of owners and were undertaken in single countries. Based on responses to a questionnaire from cat and dog owners drawn from representative samples of citizens (18 to 89 years of age) in three different European countries, Denmark, Austria and the United Kingdom, we tested the degree to which owners care about their cats and dogs. We used four different measures: Lexington attachment to pets scale (LAPS), possession of pet health insurance, willingness to pay for life-saving treatment, and expectation of veterinary diagnostic and treatment options. Dog owners had higher LAPS scores in all countries. However, the difference between dog and cat owners was greater in Denmark than in Austria and the United Kingdom. More dogs than cats were insured in all three countries, but the ratio was much less skewed in favor of dogs in the United Kingdom compared to Denmark. In terms of expensive life-saving treatment, in every country, more dog owners than cat owners were willing to spend over a certain amount, but the differences were much more pronounced in Denmark compared to the United Kingdom. In Denmark and Austria, dog owners expected more veterinary treatment options to be available, but species made no difference to the expectations of UK owners. People care more about their dogs than their cats in all countries, but with a clear cross-country variation and a very modest difference in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it does not seem to be a universal phenomenon that people care much less about their cats than their dogs. This finding has practical implications for future efforts to expand the level of veterinary services provided for cat owners.

A Prospective Cohort Study Investigating the Impact of Neutering Bitches Prepubertally or Post-Pubertally on Physical Development.

No previous large prospective cohort studies have been identified that have investigated the impact of the surgical neutering of bitches before or after known puberty on their growth and physical development. This study was designed to examine the data on physical development, vulval size, and conformation for bitches neutered by ovariohysterectomy before puberty (PPN, n = 155) or after puberty (control, n = 151) using a prospective cohort study design. Data were gathered at six- and 17-months of age using bespoke physical assessment forms and digital images of the vulva. PPN bitches had greater changes in height measurements (mean difference = 2.039, SEM = 0.334, 91% CI = 1.471 to 2.608, p < 0.001) and smaller changes in the measurements of vulval length (mean difference = -0.377, SEM = 0.079, 91% CI = -0.511 to -0.243, p < 0.001) and width (mean difference = -0.221, SEM = 0.063, 91% CI = -0.328 to -0.113, p < 0.001) between six- and 17-months of age than for the control bitches. Although not significant, the PPN bitches were taller (mean 58.5 vs. 56.6 cm) and heavier (mean 28.3 vs. 27.3 kg) with smaller vulval size measurements (mean vulval length 2.8 vs. 3.2 cm, mean vulval width 1.7 vs. 2.1 cm) at 17-months of age. At 17-months of age, significantly more PPN bitches had vulvas that appeared juvenile (Yates' Chi-square = 14.834, D.F. = 1, p < 0.001) and recessed (Yates' Chi-square = 7.792, D.F. = 1, p = 0.005) at the physical assessment, and significantly more PPN bitches had vulvas that appeared 'recessed/inverted' on the examination of digital images (Chi-square = 9.902, D.F. = 1, p = 0.002). The results from this study suggest no contraindications to prepubertal ovariohysterectomy for large breed bitches. However, any longer-term health implications of these differences in physical development need to be investigated and better understood prior to recommendations being made.

Effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on female dog behaviour-A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: There are contradictory findings in the literature relating to the effects of timing of neutering on bitch behaviour that make decision making regarding neutering timing difficult. METHODS: A scoping review was designed to identify and chart the evidence on the effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on the behaviour of female domesticated dogs. A protocol was registered, and literature searches were conducted in CAB Abstracts, Medline and Web of Science. Studies were reviewed against the inclusion criteria. Data on study and population characteristics and behavioural outcomes were extracted for the final included studies. RESULTS: A total of 1048 publications were reviewed; 13 were retained for inclusion and charting. Only one of the two studies that classified bitches as pre- or postpubertal presented results for the analysis of behaviours. The remaining 11 studies classified bitches by age at neutering. LIMITATIONS: Since the scoping review searches were conducted, further relevant studies may have become available. The search strategy may not have identified all available literature; however, databases were used that provide high levels of coverage of veterinary literature. CONCLUSION: This scoping review identified a lack of evidence to document the impact of neutering bitches before or after puberty on behaviour.

A prospective cohort study investigating the peri- and postoperative outcomes following ovariohysterectomy in bitches neutered prepubertally or post-pubertally.

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate perioperative and postoperative outcomes for bitches that were neutered at different times in relation to puberty (rather than age). Three hundred and six Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches were neutered before (prepubertal neuter [PPN], n = 155) or after puberty (Control, n = 151) by experienced veterinarians at one of four veterinary practices (VP1-4). Data were gathered from veterinarians at the time of neutering and from bitch caregivers for the 14-day period after neutering using purpose-designed questionnaires. PPN bitches had shorter surgery durations than Control bitches (OR = 0.877, 91% CI = 0.800 to 0.961, P = 0.015). Longer surgery durations were reported for bitches that had intraoperative complications (OR = 1.620, 91% CI = 1.397 to 1.879, P < 0.001). Shorter surgery durations were reported for VP1 compared to all other veterinary practices (OR = 1.189 to 1.534, P < 0.001). There was no difference in the number of PPN or Control bitches that had perioperative complications (PPN: 3.9%, n = 6; Control: 7.7%, n = 11) and no bitch had more than one perioperative complication reported. For the 14-day postoperative period, fewer PPN (1.3%, n = 2) compared to Control bitches (8.9%, n = 13) had wound discharge (Chi-square = 11.151, D.F = 1, P = 0.001) or showed inappetence (PPN: 2.9%, n = 4; Control: 17.3%, n = 19, Chi-square = 14.884, D.F. = 1, P < 0.001). There was no difference in the number of PPN and Control bitches that had redness or swelling of the wound (52 PPN, 48 Control), showed attention to the wound (6 PPN, 6 Control), required veterinary attention (25 PPN, 23 Control), or that showed any other unusual behaviours: discomfort (27 PPN, 16 Control), uncharacteristic irritability (2 PPN, 4 Control), or uncharacteristic licking or chewing of parts of the body (15 PPN, 6 Control). Bitches neutered at VP2-4 were more likely to have wound redness or swelling reported than those neutered at VP1 (OR = 3.109 to 4.076, P = 0.003). Future studies should consider the impact of veterinary practice on results. These results for peri and postoperative complications could suggest that prepubertal ovariohysterectomy may be a suitable option for neutering bitches. However, it is recommended that they be interpreted together with evidence relating to the impacts on other factors including behaviour and longer-term health in order to make fully informed decisions.

Compete or Cooperate with 'Dr. Google'? Small Animal Veterinarians' Attitudes towards Clients' Use of Internet Resources-A Comparative Study across Austria, Denmark and the UK.

Veterinary medicine is increasingly affected by animal owners having the opportunity to become better informed on pet health issues by using various internet resources. Using an online questionnaire including a section on clients' use of internet resources to obtain medical information, this study aimed to investigate veterinarians' estimates of the percentage of clients using internet resources, how often clients question veterinarians' professional medical advice based on online information, and veterinarians' attitudes towards clients' use of internet resources, across Austrian, Danish, and UK veterinarians (n = 641). The results show that 48.8% of respondents estimated that 40-79% of their clients use internet resources to find medical information. Further, 70-80% of respondents stated that they are occasionally challenged by clients questioning their advice based on online information. Although veterinarians recognized the potential advantages related to clients' use of internet resources, such as an increased acceptance of advanced diagnostics and treatments, they also highlighted clients' increased expectations or false impressions of small animal practices as potentially negative aspects in this context. As internet use increases, it seems likely that these issues will become increasingly important in the future.

A Prospective Cohort Study Investigating the Behavioural Development of Bitches in a Guide Dog Training Programme Neutered Prepubertally or Post-Pubertally.

There are few studies that investigate the effect of neutering bitches before or after puberty. The majority of current literature examining the impact of the timing of neutering on health and behaviour has used age rather than the onset of puberty as the key variable. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the effects of timing of neutering in relation to puberty on behaviour in female dogs reared and trained in an assistance dog programme. The study examined data for bitches neutered before or after puberty to compare scores for six behavioural factors (training and obedience, aggression, fear and anxiety, excitability, attachment and attention-seeking, and social behaviour) measured at 1 and 3 years of age. Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches were neutered before (n = 155) or after (n = 151) puberty. Neutering before or after puberty had no impact on mean scores for the six behavioural factors at 1 or 3 years of age. When examining the change in behavioural factor scores between 1 and 3 years of age, only aggression behavioural factor scores were influenced by neutering before or after puberty. Bitches neutered after puberty were less likely to have aggression factor scores that increased between 1 and 3 years of age (OR = 0.959, 90% CI = 0.924 to 0.995, p = 0.06). However, the majority of bitches scored "0" for aggression at both time points (indicating no aggression behaviours were observed), and the number of bitches for which scores increased between 1 and 3 years of age was low (before puberty = 20, after puberty = 9). This is consistent with very mild aggressive behaviours being observed in a small number of animals and is, therefore, of questionable concern. The results suggest that, for Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches, neutering before or after puberty has little to no effect on future behaviour. It is recommended that decisions about the timing of neutering are not informed solely by impacts on behaviour, but that they also consider evidence relating to the impacts on bitch health and well-being.

Digital opportunities to connect and complain - the use of Facebook in small animal practice.

BACKGROUND: Social media is increasingly used in small animal practice, enabling veterinarians to connect with clients and promote their business online. It can also be used by clients to quickly distribute complaints via online communities. MATERIAL/METHODS: Using a questionnaire study we investigated Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians' attitudes towards Facebook, the contents of clients' online complaints and how they were handled by veterinarians (N = 648). RESULTS: In Denmark and the UK, around 90% of practices had a Facebook page, in contrast to 40% of Austrian practices. Most Danish and UK veterinarians agreed that the use of Facebook was relevant and expected by clients. Agreement was lower among Austrian veterinarians, probably reflecting the lower uptake of social media there. In particular, younger veterinarians and those who actively used Facebook for the practice, could see benefits. In all three countries, we found that clients most frequently complained about treatment costs. Most veterinarians preferred to actively deal with clients' complaints, either replying online or discussing them directly. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend future research focusing on veterinarians' personal use of social media and on clients' use of and attitudes towards social media in the veterinary context.

Comparing veterinarians' attitudes to and the potential influence of pet health insurance in Austria, Denmark and the UK.

BACKGROUND: Health insurance offers many benefits to clients and veterinarians, such as the ability to perform necessary and possibly cost-intensive medical interventions without financial constraints, or to potentially prevent euthanasia based on financial challenges. However, concerns about negative consequences, such as the overuse of diagnostic tests or overtreatment, have also been raised. METHODS: Using an online questionnaire distributed via e-mail, which included a section on health insurance, we investigated the relative number of insured dogs and cats treated by Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians (N = 636) and the attitudes of those veterinarians toward health insurance. Further, using a case vignette, we examined whether coverage by health insurance may influence treatment suggestions. RESULTS: Even though veterinarians in all three countries believe that health insurance reduces stress since clients' financial resources will be less important, we found that Austrian veterinarians are more likely to agree that health insurance is unnecessary compared to Danish and UK veterinarians. Further, many raised the concern that insurance policies influence clinical decisions; and less than half supported the idea of making insurance mandatory. A majority of veterinarians in Austria and the UK thought that insurance can lead to the overuse of diagnostic tests, and in the UK a majority also thought that it can lead to overtreatment. Using case vignettes, we found that veterinarians were significantly more likely to suggest a CT scan to a client with an insured animal, in contrast to a client with stated financial limitations. Further, UK veterinarians were more likely to suggest a CT scan to a client with an insured animal, in contrast to a client without insurance. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we found that veterinarians, in general, were in favour of health insurance, and that greater coverage may increase more cost-intensive veterinary care. Our findings also raise a potential ethical challenge of health insurance causing differential access to clinical care for patients.

Managing conflicting ethical concerns in modern small animal practice-A comparative study of veterinarian's decision ethics in Austria, Denmark and the UK.

Small animal veterinarians frequently have to manage conflicting interests. Beside the key consideration of the patient's interests, small animal veterinarians are often challenged to consider not only client's emotional needs, but also their own personal aspirations to provide quality patient care and to make a good living as a professional. Further, veterinarians have an interest in continuous professional development and the use of the newest treatments, which may influence their decision-making process. Based on published work, we hypothesize the existence of four decision ethics orientations that veterinarians can use to manage potentially conflicting concerns. These are: the patient-focused, the client-empathetic, the client-devolved and the development-oriented decision ethics orientations. We surveyed small animal veterinarians in Austria, Denmark, and the UK using a questionnaire (N = 648), and successfully identified the four decision ethics orientations in all three countries. The patient-focused and client-empathetic decision ethics orientations are salient in all countries, whereas Danish and UK veterinarians are slightly more client-empathetic and client-devolved compared to their Austrian colleagues. Across countries our findings show that experienced and older veterinarians tend to be more client-empathetic. Younger and less experienced professionals are more development-oriented compared to their older and more experienced colleagues. In contrast to other studies investigating ethical issues in small animal practice, we found no evidence that gender plays a decisive role in the tendency towards any decision ethics orientation. We also show that veterinarians with a higher client-empathetic orientation and development-orientation more often discuss the possibility of health insurance with clients who do not have it. The present study provides a first empirical insight into how veterinarians manage challenging expectations and ethical concerns as part of decision making in modern small animal practice.

The Effect of Calibration Method on Repeatability and Reproducibility of Pressure Mat Data in a Canine Population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of two different pressure-sensitive walkway calibration protocols, while collecting gait data from a heterogenous group of dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Fourteen dogs were walked across a high-definition pressure-sensitive walkway (Tekscan Strideway HRSW3) to obtain five valid trials from each dog. Two different calibration protocols were created following manufacturer recommendations: human step and phantom step using a custom-built three-legged device. Each calibration protocol was repeated five times, by three different operators, and then individually applied to the raw canine gait data. The software then automatically generated values for peak vertical force, vertical impulse and peak pressure for each trial. RESULTS: To control for the different bodyweight of the dogs, forces are reported as a percentage of bodyweight. Values for peak vertical force percentage of bodyweight, vertical impulse percentage of bodyweight and peak pressure were significantly different between calibration protocols, but the results were linearly correlated. Both calibration protocols were highly repeatable and highly reproducible. CONCLUSION: Both the step and phantom calibration protocols individually generated highly repeatable and reproducible results, which were not affected by different operators. A linear correlation was identified which may make it possible to apply a correction factor to enable comparison of results between different studies.

Nanoscale Coatings for Ultralow Dose BMP-2-Driven Regeneration of Critical-Sized Bone Defects.

While new biomaterials for regenerative therapies are being reported in the literature, clinical translation is slow. Some existing regenerative approaches rely on high doses of growth factors, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in bone regeneration, which can cause serious side effects. An ultralow-dose growth factor technology is described yielding high bioactivity based on a simple polymer, poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), and mechanisms to drive stem cell differentiation and bone regeneration in a critical-sized murine defect model with translation to a clinical veterinary setting are reported. This material-based technology triggers spontaneous fibronectin organization and stimulates growth factor signalling, enabling synergistic integrin and BMP-2 receptor activation in mesenchymal stem cells. To translate this technology, plasma-polymerized PEA is used on 2D and 3D substrates to enhance cell signalling in vitro, showing the complete healing of a critical-sized bone injury in mice in vivo. Efficacy is demonstrated in a Münsterländer dog with a nonhealing humerus fracture, establishing the clinical translation of advanced ultralow-dose growth factor treatment.

Canine Ovariohysterectomy: A Survey of Surgeon Concerns and Surgical Complications Encountered by Newly Graduated Veterinarians.

The objective of this study was to document newly qualified veterinarians' concerns and surgical complications encountered during canine ovariohysterectomy (cOVH) during the first year of general practice. A questionnaire investigating concerns about cOVH procedures was sent to all final-year veterinary students (group 1) enrolled at five UK universities. Participants were later asked to complete a similar questionnaire 6 months (group 2) and 12 months (group 3) after graduation, which involved grading their concern about different aspects of the cOVH procedure and reporting surgical complications encountered after completing three cOVHs. Responses were compared between different time points. There were 196 respondents in group 1, 55 in group 2, and 36 in group 3. Between groups 1 and 2, there was a statistically significant reduction in the respondents' levels of concern in every aspect of cOVH (p<.05). Between groups 2 and 3, there was no statistically significant change in respondents' levels of concern in any aspect of cOVH (p≥.21). There was a significant reduction in the number of complications encountered by veterinarians in group 3 (39/102, 38.2%) compared to those in group 2 (117/206, 56.8%) (p=.002). Employers should anticipate high levels of concern regarding all aspects of cOVHs in new graduates, and supervision during the first 6 months may be particularly useful.

The gait dynamics of the modern broiler chicken: a cautionary tale of selective breeding.

One of the most extraordinary results of selective breeding is the modern broiler chicken, whose phenotypic attributes reflect its genetic success. Unfortunately, leg health issues and poor walking ability are prevalent in the broiler population, with the exact aetiopathogenesis unknown. Here we present a biomechanical analysis of the gait dynamics of the modern broiler and its two pureline commercial broiler breeder lines (A and B) in order to clarify how changes in basic morphology are associated with the way these chickens walk. We collected force plate and kinematic data from 25 chickens (market age), over a range of walking speeds, to quantify the three-dimensional dynamics of the centre of mass (CoM) and determine how these birds modulate the force and mechanical work of locomotion. Common features of their gait include extremely slow walking speeds, a wide base of support and large lateral motions of the CoM, which primarily reflect changes to cope with their apparent instability and large body mass. These features allowed the chickens to keep their peak vertical forces low, but resulted in high mediolateral forces, which exceeded fore-aft forces. Gait differences directly related to morphological characteristics also exist. This was particularly evident in Pureline B birds, which have a more crouched limb posture. Mechanical costs of transport were still similar across all lines and were not exceptional when compared with more wild-type ground-running birds. Broiler chickens seem to have an awkward gait, but some aspects of their dynamics show rather surprising similarities to other avian bipeds.

High speed galloping in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and the racing greyhound (Canis familiaris): spatio-temporal and kinetic characteristics.

The cheetah and racing greyhound are of a similar size and gross morphology and yet the cheetah is able to achieve a far higher top speed. We compared the kinematics and kinetics of galloping in the cheetah and greyhound to investigate how the cheetah can attain such remarkable maximum speeds. This also presented an opportunity to investigate some of the potential limits to maximum running speed in quadrupeds, which remain poorly understood. By combining force plate and high speed video data of galloping cheetahs and greyhounds, we show how the cheetah uses a lower stride frequency/longer stride length than the greyhound at any given speed. In some trials, the cheetahs used swing times as low as those of the greyhounds (0.2 s) so the cheetah has scope to use higher stride frequencies (up to 4.0 Hz), which may contribute to it having a higher top speed that the greyhound. Weight distribution between the animal's limbs varied with increasing speed. At high speed, the hindlimbs support the majority of the animal's body weight, with the cheetah supporting 70% of its body weight on its hindlimbs at 18 m s(-1); however, the greyhound hindlimbs support just 62% of its body weight. Supporting a greater proportion of body weight on a particular limb is likely to reduce the risk of slipping during propulsive efforts. Our results demonstrate several features of galloping and highlight differences between the cheetah and greyhound that may account for the cheetah's faster maximum speeds.