Review(s)

Inducing parturition in the sow can be used to improve farrowing supervision, which may lead to moreweaned piglets. However, if not applied properly, it may lead to premature delivery. Therefore, induction ofparturition should be performed not earlier than two days before the average gestation length of the sows ofa farm.To induce parturition, different protocols, such as single administration of prostaglandins, doubleadministration of prostaglandin with 6-hour interval (split-dose technique) and a combination ofprostaglandins and oxytocin 24 hours later, and different administration routes, such as intramuscularinjection in the neck region and injection in the vulvar region, can be used. Other strategies exist but they areless effective and/or less frequently used.A single injection of prostaglandins results in 60% of the sows farrowing within working hours (22-32hours after injection). Using the split-dose technique or the combination of prostaglandins and oxytocin 24hours later, the percentage increases with 20%. The use of oxytocin however increases the risk of asphyxia inthe piglets, especially in case of inappropriate use. Whether farrowing induction should be applied and whichprotocol used depend on the herd and the preferences of the farmer.

Housing is a key factor in animal welfare as it determines whether or not cows spend time in a comfortableliving place. Appropriate housing results in healthy cows living in a comfortable barn, optimizing production andreproduction.This article reviews some critical points of housing dairy cattle. In particular, free-stall barns with cubicles arediscussed, as these are the most common barn type in Belgium. First, the dimensions and all parts of the free-stall areconsidered as not applying the recommended dimensions leads to adverse consequences for welfare, hygiene and udderand claw health. Next, different types of bedding material and floor type, including their advantages/disadvantages, arehighlighted. Finally, the effects of photoperiodicity and stocking density are discussed.

In Belgium, elective surgical procedures in very young small animals are rarely performed. Consequently, mostveterinarians have little experience in anesthetizing pediatric patients. This article describes potential problems ofanesthesia in kittens, which are mainly linked to their specific anatomy and physiology. Additionally, some practicalanesthetic protocols are highlighted. Combinations with ketamine are practical, economical and efficient options.

Recently, a novel virus has been identified among ruminants in Western Europe. This virus, the so-calledSchmallenberg virus, belongs to the family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus, serogroup Simbu and isclosely related to Akabane, Aino and Shamonda virus. In cattle, acute symptoms in the dam and adult animalsgenerally include high fever, milk drop and diarrhea. More importantly, infection during gestation may leadto abortion, stillbirth and congenital malformations. As all bunyaviruses, Schmallenberg virus also uses vectorsfor efficient transmission. Closely related viruses causing similar symptoms, such as Akabane and Akabane-like viruses, are mainly transmitted by Culicoides. It is very likely that Schmallenberg virus is transmittedby similar vectors. This review provides an overview of Bunyaviridae, their epidemiology, symptoms, preventionand control. Special emphasis is put on the Simbu serogroup of the Orthobunyavirus genus pointing outthe similarities between them and closely related members.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders in the dog. Although diagnosticsare relatively straightforward, treatment and especially adequate long-term monitoring arechallenging. To avoid complications, such as hypoglycemia, weight loss, diabetes ketoacidosis andurinary tract infections, adequate monitoring is indispensable. In this review different monitoringtools, such as history and clinical signs, single and serial blood glucose measurements, glycated bloodproducts, continuous glucose measurements and urine glucose will be evaluated. Because eachmonitoring technique has its limitations, the challenge for the veterinarian is to use an adequatecombination of these tools to obtain a good image of the patient’s glycemic status.

Nowadays, a valuable competition mare can produce offspring without interrupting its sport careerwhich is made possible by a technique called embryo transfer. The valuable mare is inseminated and anembryo is flushed seven days later. The early embryo is then transferred to the uterus of a recipient marethat carries the pregnancy to term.In 50% of the cases, flushing of the donor mare results in an embryo. After transfer, an average of70% of the recipient mares become pregnant. These percentages are influenced by several factors relatedto both the donor and recipient mares.

Antibiotics and chemotherapeutics with antibacterial activity are currently indispensable in veterinarymedicine. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance poses a threat to the health of both humans andanimals and to the animal food production as we know it today. The current review clarifies some basicterms and concepts with regard to antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, a summary is provided of howresistance can be determined and how the results of susceptibility testing should be interpreted.

There is an increasing interest in the use of antiviral agents for the treatment of viral infections in animals.To date, the veterinary clinical use of antiviral drugs has mainly been limited to the application ofdrugs developed for humans in companion animals. However, the research and development of antiviraldrugs against specific animal viruses are ongoing. The interest in the use of antiviral drugs is also growingin livestock farming, where viral infections often have a high economic and social impact. The developmentof drugs for food-producing animals in particular requires thorough knowledge of thepharmacokinetics and (eco) toxicity, for determining maximum residue limits (MRLs) and withdrawalperiods. Experience gained from human medicine shows that the therapeutic efficacy of antiviral drugs maydecrease with the emergence of less sensitive (resistant) virus variants. Therefore, the development ofdrugs with a high barrier to antiviral resistance, and especially for mass application in veterinary medicine,is very important. There are only a few studies on the efficacy of (human) antiviral drugs against animalviruses, and clinical trials are usually limited to efficacy and toxicity. There is a lack of scientific data onthe dosage and risk of resistance development of antiviral products in animals. Control of viral diseasesby means of an antiviral therapy appears to be attractive for multiple reasons, but a lot of research is requiredto achieve an appropriate practical application. This article provides a brief introduction on the developmentof antiviral resistance, and gives an overview of the literature on antiviral treatment options forthe most common viral diseases in domestic animals, with specific attention to the available data on antiviralresistance development.

Recent developments in the assisted reproduction in horses allow to breed foals from sub- and infertilemares, as well as from recently deceased mares or stallions. Oocytes can be obtained from live donormares by ovum pick-up (OPU), by flushing oocytes from follicles using a transvaginal or transabdominalapproach. Post mortem oocytes can be obtained by scraping the follicles. After oocyte maturation, theoocytes can be fertilized in vitro or can be transferred to the oviduct of an inseminated recipient mare (invivo). Since conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) is very unsuccessful in the horse, fertilization isperformed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). After ICSI, the fertilized oocytes can be transferredto the oviduct of a synchronized recipient mare or further cultured in vitro up to the blastocyst stage.Subsequently, obtained blastocyts can be transferred to the uterus of a recipient mare. In this article, in vitroembryo production in the horse is highlighted, and possible advantages and disadvantages and clinicaland scientific applications are reviewed.

In human medicine, cardiac biomarkers, such as natriuretic peptides and troponins, areroutinely used for the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of heart diseases. Similarly, thesebiomarkers are determined in small animals to differentiate non-cardiac from cardiac diseases.Knowledge about these biomarkers in horses is limited and requires further investigation.The first equine studies about atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and N-terminal ANP (NT-proANP)are promising, and show a clear correlation with atrial dimension size. Equine brain natriureticpeptides assays are still unavailable. The troponins, in particular troponin I, have been moreextensively studied in horses, and their use for the diagnosis of myocardial damage has been fullydemonstrated. They have replaced the less specific lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase isoenzymes,which makes the use of the last mentioned no longer legitimate. A final possible equinebiomarker is aldosterone. Reference values in horses have been established. However, in only onestudy, a correlation between aldosterone and cardiac disease has been reported.