2009 - 78 (4)

During the last decades, the use of ultrasound as a fast and accurate tool for pregnancy diagnosis in sows hasincreased. Ultrasonography has also shown to be an appropriate method to visualize the ovaries of gilts and sows toeither determine the time of ovulation or to diagnose ovarian dysfunctions. By monitoring the ovaries before thefirst insemination in gilts, or after weaning in sows, it is possible to estimate the time of ovulation and subsequentlyto determine the optimal time of insemination. Therefore ultrasound testing can be a helpful tool in herds sufferingfrom reproductive failure due to insufficient estrous detection and subsequently an incorrect insemination time.Ultrasonography can also be used for diagnosing ovarian abnormalities, such as ovarian cysts and inactive ovaries.In this way, it can be helpful in the decision to cull sows that are not suitable for breeding purposes. Ultrasoundtesting of the ovaries may therefore be advised as a tool to solve and prevent fertility problems in specific pig herds.

For approximately 50 years the caesarean section has been carried out in Belgium. Over the years the techniquehas changed and has been improved several times. At present caesarean sections are carried out as a routine operationdue to the evolution of the Belgian Blue breed. In this study the differences in protocol, materials and surgicaltechniques used by the veterinary surgeons have been examined by means of a questionnaire on the not-complicatedcaesarean section. In general there are differences between the methods applied by the veterinarians, but the majorityof these differences, for example the choice of disinfectants or antibiotics, hardly influence the results of caesareansection. However, leaving out some particular steps in the operation procedure, such as vaginal examination, canlead to an inferior result. The risks of leaving out these particular steps are also discussed. The main reasons forchoosing specific operation techniques or operation materials are time constraints, the level of experience of thepractitioner and the costs of the materials used.

A 4.5-year-old, healthy female intact ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was presented with a mass on the tipof its tail. Cytological, histopathological and immunohistochemical features were compatible with those of achordoma. The present case describes and illustrates cytology findings and diagnosis of chordoma, confirmedby histopathology and immunohistochemistry.

Umbilical cord constriction/torsion in the bovine can result in fetal death and abortion, mostly during the lastmonth of gestation. The resulting placental edema can cause major complications in case of caesarean section. Thiscase report describes a late abortion and placental edema associated with umbilical cord constriction in a BelgianWhite Blue cow.

Hypersensitivity to ivermectin and certain other drugs in Collies and related breeds is caused by a 4-basepair deletion mutation in the ABCB1 gene, better known as the MDR1 gene, encoding P-glycoprotein. Thereis no information available, however, regarding the presence of this mutation in dogs in Belgium. In this study,the ABCB1 genotype was assessed in 92 dogs of breeds suspected to possess the deletion mutation. The resultsindicated that the mutation was present in the Australian Shepherd, Collie, Shetland Sheepdog and SwissWhite Shepherd, but was not detected in the Bearded Collies, Border Collies and German Shepherds of thisstudy, which is in accordance with the findings in similar breed populations of other countries. In Belgium itis therefore important to take the ABCB1 genotype of the breeds involved into account, in order to use drugsin a safe and efficient manner and to improve the selection procedure in dog breeding.

Antibiotics and other antibacterials are often applied to the drinking water of food animals. This type of medicationis not always justified and allowed. Monitoring of drinking water for the presence of antibiotics may be indicatedin many cases. Microbiological growth inhibition tests are cheap and simple methods intended to detect antibacterialactivity in different matrixes. Therefore, a method intended for the detection of antibiotics in kidneys was modifiedand optimized for analyzing water.The detection limits of most antibiotics used in animal husbandry were much lower than the therapeutic concentrationsapplied in drinking water. However, with sulphadimidine, lincomycin and spectinomycin, the range wasrelatively narrow. Zinc bacitracin was not detected at the level used in the prevention of mucoid enteropathy of rabbits.Tests in a pig farm revealed high variability in the levels of amoxicillin and doxycycline in samples taken fromdifferent drinking nipples. This finding shows that not all animals were treated in the same way, and that they probablydid not receive identical doses. Neither amoxicillin, nor doxycycline was detectable three hours after treatment.Acidification of drinking water with organic acids produced small inhibition zones. Bacterial growth inhibitionin drinking water is not always due to the presence of an antibiotic, because false positive results may occur. Althoughthe method investigated is not quantitative, it is concluded that it may be useful in the monitoring of drinking watermedication in animal farms.

Paper in Dutch

Paper in Dutch