In this issue

Musculoskeletal (MS) injuries are a major economic cost to the Thoroughbred racing industry. In this study, training and injury data were collected at fortnightly intervals from 14 trainers at 5 racetracks in New South Wales.1 The study included horses that were eligible to race as 2-year-olds and the incidence rates of initial injuries were assessed according to age-class and sex. The time to recovery, from the time the first MS injury resulted in the horse leaving the stable for more than 7 days to a start in a race or barrier trial, was calculated using survival analysis. Shin soreness was the most common MS injury and 428 injuries were recorded in 248 racehorses. Two-year-olds were 2.99-fold more likely than 3-year-olds to sustain their first MS injury; 70% of affected racehorses returned to racing after their first MS injury and 55% had recovered within 6 months. The authors conclude that it is impossible to determine if the increased risk in 2-year-olds was related to age, the start of training or both. They note that other factors related to the trainer may influence the time to the recovery, and that additional research is needed to understand the determinants of time to recovery. It is thought that elbow dysplasia (ED) may be related to incongruity of radius and ulnar lengths, and articular formation in the elbow joint, but there is little information about bone lengths in Labrador dogs. Digital calliper anthropometric measurements of the Labrador scapula, humerus, ulna and radius, or their ratios, were used in this study to assess their relationship with ED.2 The study included 103 Labrador dogs (41 dogs, 62 bitches) that had been previously classified by a specialist radiologist, using the ED radiological scores derived by the International Elbow Working Group, which includes fragmented coronoid process, osteochondritis dessicans, incongruity and ununited anconeal process. Results showed that 20 bitches (32%) and 11 (27%) dogs were diagnosed radiographically with ED, a non-statistically significant difference. There was trend in male dogs for a difference in the ulna:radius ratio (P = 0.06), but not in bitches. The authors report the new finding that the scapula length was significantly shorter for affected bitches, but not for male dogs with ED. Hypothyroidism is a common canine endocrine disease and diagnosis can be difficult, as reference ranges may be strongly influenced by breed. It has been suggested that Basenji dogs may have lower serum concentrations of total thyroxine (TT4) than the normal reference range and that this may lead to a risk of misdiagnosing hypothyroidism in asymptomatic patients. Blood samples were taken from 113 Basenji dogs in Australia to determine haematocrit and serum concentrations of TT4, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and cholesterol.3 Of 8 dogs that had abnormal elevated TSH concentrations and subnormal TT4 concentrations, 5 were further examined by dynamic endocrine testing using recombinant human (rh) TSH. Results show that 85/113 (75%) of TT4 values were lower than the normal laboratory reference range of 17 to 37 nmol/L. TSH concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 5.37 ng/mL (median 0.16; mean ± SD, 0.3 ± 0.6). The authors conclude that Basenji have a similar reference range for serum TSH, but a considerably lower reference range for TT4 (2–27 nmol/L) than most dogs, similar to the sight hounds. They note that serial TSH determinations, as well as TT4 concentrations, are essential to properly assess thyroid function. They conclude that TT4 determinations alone are only of use when the value is within the reference range, in which case a diagnosis of hypothyroidism is unlikely. The ‘pour on’ formulation of eprinomectin has been shown to be effective at a dose 0.5 mg/kg bodyweight in cattle, but may not be as effective in goats. This study4 from Spain investigated the effect of eprinomectin (1.0 mg/kg) on goats experimentally infected with the nematode Haemonchus contortus. Faecal analysis showed that a single dose of eprinomectin ‘pour-on’ delayed the onset of shedding of eggs for between 10 and 17 days. Menangle virus (MenV) has been isolated from stillborn piglets with deformities and antibodies have been detected in flying foxes (Pteropus spp.). In this study, serum samples were collected from 306 flying foxes in northern and eastern Australia and tested for antibodies against MenV, and virus isolation was attempted from tissues and faeces from 215 Pteropus spp. in New South Wales.5 Faecal samples from 68 individual Pteropus spp. and four pools of faeces were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Antibodies against MenV were detected in 46% of black flying foxes, 41% of grey-headed flying foxes, 25% of spectacled flying foxes and 1% of little red flying foxes. This included positive samples collected from a colony next to a piggery that had reproductive disease caused by MenV. Virus-like particles were detected using electron microscopy in the faeces from Pteropus spp. and immunogold staining was positive in faeces and urine using sera from sows that had been exposed to MenV. The virus was not able to be isolated from the faeces or tissues. A case report of a young adult neutered Boxer dog presented with a papular dermatitis on the dorsal back and ventral neck that had developed while the dog was being treated with cyclosporine for atopic dermatitis, and cephalexin for secondary superficial staphylococcal pyoderma.6 Histopathology demonstrated pyogranulomatous dermatitis with focal furunculosis, with bacterial rods on stained samples. Bacterial culture from skin biopsy punch samples showed a pure growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which was sensitive to a variety of antimicrobials. The authors report that treatment was successful after cyclosporine was discontinued, with an extended 9-month course of enrofloxacin. Giardia and Trichomonas spp. are flagellated Orders of protozoa with different morphological and biological features. A 10-week-old female Ocicat was presented at a feline veterinary practice for failure to thrive and diarrhoea.7 Direct faecal examination identified numerous trophozoites that were atypical for Giardia sp., as well as Giardia cysts. The failure to thrive and diarrhoea resolved following treatment for giardiasis. Further culture of trophozoites in In Pouch™ medium, PCR testing and molecular sequencing of PCR amplicons on faecal samples from the kitten and 15 other Ocicats from the same cattery, confirmed infection with Tritrichomonas, thought to be Tritrichomonas foetus. The authors note that this is the first report in Australia of feline trichomoniasis, and note that although it may have been an isolated infection from an imported cat, further transmission is likely as some of the kittens had been re-homed before the diagnosis was made. They also stress the important differences between bovine and feline trichomonads, suggesting that transmission between the two hosts is unlikely. A review of the code of practice for pigs has suggested that the status quo should be maintained in respect of the use of sow stalls, until there is irrefutable scientific evidence in favour of change. In this opinion piece,8 the authors note that the new code permits sows to be confined in stalls for 16 weeks of pregnancy, to the next 10 years. They make the case that stalls were introduced without any independent scientific assessment of their impact on sow welfare, but were adopted because they were thought to improve efficiency of pork production. The authors quote European and American studies that have also investigated sow stalls. They agree that science has an important role to play, but consider that the purely scientific perspective must be tempered by ethical and moral aspects. They consider that the scientific review for the code lacks balance and suggest that this may have been avoided if the code had been based on an independent scientific review. An editorial commenting on this paper follows.

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