Nation-Wide Variation in Presence of Legislation or Protocols for EMS Care of Operational Canines.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Deployment of law enforcement operational canines (OpK9s) risks injuries to the animals. This study's aim was to assess the current status of states' OpK9 (veterinary Emergency Medical Services [VEMS]) laws and care protocols within the United States. METHODS: Cross-sectional standardized review of state laws/regulations and OpK9 VEMS treatment protocols was undertaken. For each state and for the District of Columbia (DC), the presence of OpK9 legislation and/or care protocols was ascertained. Information was obtained through governmental records and from stakeholders (eg, state EMS medical directors and state veterinary boards).The main endpoints were proportions of states with OpK9 laws and/or treatment protocols. Proportions are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Fisher's exact test (P <.05) assessed whether presence of an OpK9 law in a given jurisdiction was associated with presence of an OpK9 care protocol, and whether there was geographic variation (based on United States Census Bureau regions) in presence of OpK9 laws or protocols. RESULTS: Of 51 jurisdictions, 20 (39.2%) had OpK9 legislation and 23 (45.1%) had state-wide protocols for EMS treatment of OpK9s. There was no association (P = .991) between presence of legislation and presence of protocols. There was no association (P = .144) between presence of legislation and region: Northeast 66.7% (95% CI, 29.9-92.5%), Midwest 50.0% (95% CI, 21.1-78.9%), South 29.4% (95% CI, 10.3-56.0%), and West 23.1% (95% CI, 5.0-53.8%). There was significant (P = .001) regional variation in presence of state-wide OpK9 treatment protocols: Northeast 100.0% (95% CI, 66.4-100.0%), Midwest 16.7% (95% CI, 2.1-48.4%), South 47.1% (95% CI, 23.0-72.2%), and West 30.8% (95% CI, 9.1-61.4%). CONCLUSION: There is substantial disparity with regard to presence of OpK9 legal and/or clinical guidance. National collaborative guidelines development is advisable to optimize and standardize care of OpK9s. Additional attention should be paid to educational and training programs to best utilize the limited available training budgets.

Welfare Assessment of Invertebrates: Adapting the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) for Zoo Decapods and Cephalopods.

Consumer demand for invertebrates is on the rise as their numbers in the wild dwindle. However, with the growing conservation efforts of modern zoos and aquariums, and evidence from over 300 studies showing that invertebrates are capable of sentience, public interest, and moral concern for welfare of invertebrates have increased. The challenge for zoos and aquariums is in developing an objective and repeatable method for evaluating welfare that can be applied to invertebrates in zoological collections. Recently introduced into zoological collection management is the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG). The AWAG helps to identify negative and positive welfare states, through assessing animal- and environmental-based indicators to make changes that lead to a better quality of life. Originally developed for the assessment of laboratory primates, the system has been successfully adapted to assess a variety of taxa across different environments, facilitated by the development of cloud-based software. In this study, the AWAG has been adapted to assess the cumulative lifetime experience of captive decapods and cephalopods at two different institutions, Marwell Zoo and National Marine Aquarium. This study has provided further evidence that the AWAG is adaptable and demonstrates the first time any objective scoring system has been successfully adapted for use in invertebrates. Through graphical representation, the results show that the AWAG identifies changes in welfare scores that can be attributed to specific events and can be used to predict the future vulnerability of species to welfare changes and suggest alternative management methods. This monitoring tool provides a versatile method of implementing practical welfare monitoring in zoos and aquariums.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN ESCHERICHIA COLI AND ENTEROCOCCUS SPP. ISOLATED FROM UNGULATES AT A ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Increase of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to health. The AMR profile of bacteria isolated from domesticated animals and free-ranging wildlife has been studied, but there are relatively few studies of bacteria isolated from captive wild animals. Understanding the dynamics of AMR in different populations is key to minimizing emergence of resistance and to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobials. In this study, fecal samples were collected from 17 species of healthy ungulates from a zoological collection in southeast England, which yielded 39 Escherichia coli and 55 Enterococcus spp. isolates for further analysis. Antibiotic sensitivity was investigated using agar disk diffusion. Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to a range of antibiotics, with resistance to ampicillin being the most common (28%). All E. coli isolates were susceptible to apramycin, enrofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and florfenicol. None tested positive for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase or AmpC activity. Seven of 39 (18%) E. coli isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotic classes. The E. coli isolates were further analyzed using multilocus sequence typing, which identified four pairs of identical sequence type isolates and 27 diverse strains. The Enterococcus spp. isolates were resistant to a range of antibiotics, with resistance to cefpodoxime seen in 95% of isolates. All Enterococcus spp. isolates were susceptible to ampicillin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and vancomycin. This study identified multidrug-resistant phenotypes in enterobacterial isolates that were like those commonly found in domestic ungulates. There was no apparent spatial clustering of the resistance profiles within the zoo. Review of the medical records of individual animals showed no direct relation to the AMR profiles observed. Observed resistance to antibiotics rarely or never used may have been due to coselection or directly acquired from other sources.

Assessment of Welfare in Zoo Animals: Towards Optimum Quality of Life.

Zoos are required to maintain a high standard of animal welfare, and this can be assessed using a combination of resource-based and animal-based indices usually divided into behavioural indicators, physiological indicators and clinical/pathological signs. Modern animal welfare assessments should aim to encompass positive affective states and the indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed. When developing factors to be scored for each species, there is huge variability in the available information about the natural biology for some zoo species and even less information concerning those animals in captivity. Wild baselines are not always the most accurate indicator of what is right for an animal in captivity, which makes the identification of factors to include within species-specific welfare assessment even more challenging. When planning a welfare strategy for any species, it is important that the full range of their biological requirements and needs are considered, but this can be challenging for some zoo species and it is not possible to define a “one size fits all” welfare strategy. The different approaches for welfare assessment are reviewed, including the development of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid which offers an evidence-based tool for continual welfare assessment, using technology where appropriate, to facilitate decision making and lead to improvements in the animals’ quality of life.

PITUITARY PARS INTERMEDIA DYSFUNCTION (EQUINE CUSHING'S DISEASE) IN NONDOMESTIC EQUIDS AT MARWELL WILDLIFE: A CASE SERIES. ONE CHAPMAN'S ZEBRA ( EQUUS QUAGGA CHAPMANI) AND FIVE PRZEWALSKI's HORSES ( EQUUS FERUS PRZEWALSKII).

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as equine Cushing's disease, is widely reported in middle-aged to older domestic equids but to date reported in only one nondomestic equid, the onager ( Equus hemionus onager). This case series reports clinical, hematological, and pathological findings consistent with PPID in two further equid species: one Chapman's zebra ( Equus quagga chapmani) and five Przewalski's horses ( Equus ferus przewalskii). The case series reports basal adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) testing as a method to diagnose and monitor PPID in zoological equids and the use of pergolide mesylate to reduce basal ACTH concentration and reduce clinical signs associated with PPID. Gross and histopathological examinations of the pituitary gland in four of these cases revealed either pars intermedia adenomas or adenomatous hyperplasia, similar to pathological findings in domestic equids affected by PPID. These findings suggest that clinicians working with nondomestic equids should be aware of this condition and consider screening for it routinely, particularly given that improvements in management and veterinary care for exotic animals are resulting in a more aged captive population. Early diagnosis and treatment of PPID may prevent the development of painful clinical sequelae and therefore improve the welfare of zoo equids.

Evaluating distracted driving behaviors in parents of children in suburban and rural areas of Alabama.

BACKGROUND: Distracting driving is considered a dangerous epidemic in teenage drivers and adult drivers nationwide. Cell phone use, such as talking and texting is one of the most common driving distractions among adult and teenage drivers. Using the model of a previously published study from New Haven, Connecticut, we sought to investigate the driving behaviors of parents while transporting their children in Alabama. METHODS: A comparison study was conducted of 150 participants from suburban (n = 86) and rural (n = 64) clinics in Alabama. Participants were recruited to complete a survey regarding their cell phone usage while driving with children. The inclusion criteria were having children younger than 18 years, a valid driver's license, and cell phone and English speaking. The survey consisted of 10 questions focusing on parental driving behaviors. Following the survey, an educational intervention was provided. A Z test proportions was used to compare the responses. RESULTS: Ninety percent of the suburban parents reported cell phone use while driving their children as compared with 86% of the rural parents. A significant difference was found between suburban parents and rural parents for cell phone use in speaker mode (Z = 3.35; p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval, 13-45), reading and sending texts while driving (Z = 4.1; p < 0.001; 95% CI, 19-51), and surfing the Internet (Z = 4.9; p < 0.001; 95% CI, 25-57). There was no statistical significance noted for the following: use of Bluetooth device, talking on the cell phone when parked/at red light, and texting while parked/at red light. CONCLUSIONS: Cell phone use among parents while transporting children is common in the state of Alabama. Parents living in suburban areas use cell phones in the speaker mode, read and send text messages, and surf the Web more often when compared with parents in rural areas. Further research on how to best implement injury prevention interventions should be done to target high-risk areas with distracted driving behaviors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III.

Trauma ultrasound in civilian tactical medicine.

The term "tactical medicine" can be defined in more than one way, but in the nonmilitary setting the term tactical emergency medical services (TEMS) is often used to denote medical support operations for law enforcement. In supporting operations involving groups such as special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams, TEMS entail executing triage, diagnosis, stabilization, and evacuation decision-making in challenging settings. Ultrasound, now well entrenched as a part of trauma evaluation in the hospital setting, has been investigated in the prehospital arena and may have utility in TEMS. This paper addresses potential use of US in the tactical environment, with emphasis on the lessons of recent years' literature. Possible uses of US are discussed, in terms of both specific clinical applications and also with respect to informing triage and related decision making.