2010 - 79 (3)

Paper in Dutch

Paper in Dutch

The aim of the study was to gather information on the functioning of the pig practitioners in the current pigsector in Belgium by means of a questionnaire. It consisted of 76 questions dealing with the studies of veterinarymedicine, the situation of the practitioners and the veterinary herd health guidance. Forty-three practitionerscompleted the questionnaire. On average, the respondents have 17 years of professional experience. Most of theveterinarians prefer that the current education system with the different main subjects in the last year of veterinarymedicine studies is maintained, a minority prefers to have more (19%) or less (36%) differentiation during the study.Of all veterinarians who obtained their DVM degrees after 1997, 19 out of 20 have followed one or more coursesrelated to pig medicine. Fifty-eight percent work as an independent practitioner and 42% as a practitioner associatedwith a feeding company. Forty-four percent work in a one-man practice and 56% in a group practice. Almost allveterinarians have a full-time job and work on average 54 hours per week. The respondents report to be the statutoryherd veterinarian of 43 pig herds on average. A solid professional knowledge combined with good social skills tocommunicate with the farmer are considered to be the most important factors for a successful herd health guidance.An important part of the income (43%) is obtained by selling veterinary drugs. Eighty-five percent of the practitionersreport that pig producers are not willing to pay for professional advice. The health status of the pigs in the herds isbest monitored by performing necropsies and by a diagnostic work-up of a representative number of pigs of the herd,rather than by investigating pigs in the slaughterhouse. The majority of veterinarians think that several aspects relatedto the practice situation as well as the herd health guidance can be improved (administration, payment, importanceof quality assurance labels for practitioners, medication, prescription of drugs). Eighty six percent of the respondentsprefer to continue with their current jobs. This is an indication of professional satisfaction and illustrates that thecurrent practitioners are positive and hopeful about their future in the pig production.

This case report describes the occurrence of clinically significant osteochondrosis of the seventh lumbarvertebra in a 10-year-old, female Beagle with progressive monoparesis, lumbosacral pain and urinaryincontinence.A presumptive diagnosis was made using radiography and computed tomography. The dog wassurgically treated by a dorsal laminectomy and the detached bone fragment was removed. A postoperativecomputed tomography scan demonstrated the complete removal of the osteochondrotic tissue. Although thedog recovered remarkably after surgery, she developed a clinical relapse after several weeks. The ownersdeclined further diagnostic tests and the dog was euthanized. Histopathological examination of the removedtissue was in agreement with a diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the seventh lumbar vertebra.

Seahorses have become an endangered species because of overfishing. Aquaculture could potentially compensatefor this decline, but its effect is limited since most seahorses raised in captivity die as from the age of 5 days. In thisstudy the histological analysis of the alimentary tract of larvae aged 7 and 33 days is described, to help to understandtheir digestive mechanisms. At day 7 a lot of mucins could be found in the oesophagus. They are suggestive of pregastricdigestion. At both ages, the stomach was observed as a sac-like distension cranially to the midgut, lackinggastric glands. A solid tubulus-shaped structure in between swimbladder and hindgut is suggestive of a regressingpneumatic duct.

This article describes the assessment of immunoglobuline (Ig) G concentration in the colostrum of Belgian bluebeef cows and an investigation of its association with serological status against helminth infections (i.e. Ostertagiaostertagi and Fasciola hepatica). In the discussion, we go more deeply into cow-related factors and environmentalfactors that are known to influence the bovine colostrum quality. Colostral Ig G concentrations were measured in 103cows and showed great variation: the majority of the colostra studied had a low (≤ 25 mg/ml; 36%) or moderate (26-50 mg/ml; 31%) concentration, and only 33% had a concentration which is considered to represent a colostrum ofhigh quality (> 50 mg/ml). This variation was not significantly related to the serological status against helminthinfections. Factors with known influence on bovine colostrum quality can be divided into cow-related factors (age,genetics, disease), seasonal factors, climate factors and management factors (lactation and dry-off management, feed,temperature and administration of hormones and vaccines). Knowledge of these factors can be used to improvecolostrum management in cattle farms.

Paper in Dutch

Sedatives and anesthetics can influence cerebral metabolism and respiratory and cardiovascular dynamics,which results in changes in cerebral perfusion. This is of major importance when functional brain imagingtechniques are used to measure cerebral blood flow or to evaluate neurotransmitter systems, and also duringneurosurgery. In the present review, the influences on brain perfusion of different sedatives including opioidsand anesthetics commonly used in veterinary medicine are summarized.

Diagnostic procedures aimed at in vivo evaluation of brain perfusion as an indirect measure of brainfunction are becoming available for use in small animal medicine, though in contrast with human medicine,these procedures frequently require anesthesia. Besides the direct influence of anesthetics on cerebralperfusion, anesthesia can also cause changes in blood pressure and in arterial carbon dioxide and oxygentensions. All these parameters have an influence on cerebral perfusion, so it is crucial to understand cerebralblood supply and its regulation when measuring cerebral blood flow.The requirements of anesthesia when using the different diagnostic techniques, together with the technicalproperties of these techniques, are highlighted in this paper.

Acute pancreatitis in 2 dogs is discussed. A possible underlying cause was present in 1 dog. The clinicalsigns and routine blood results were unspecific and insufficient to confirm the diagnosis. Acute pancreatitiswas diagnosed during exploratory celiotomy (case 1) and by abdominal ultrasonography (case 2). Aggressivemedical treatment consisted of fluid administration, analgesics, anti-ulcer therapy, antibiotics, transfusion offresh frozen plasma (FFP) and nutritional support. Despite the presence of negative prognostic factors,intensive therapy and monitoring resulted in complete recovery in both patients.