The Veterinarian Magazine April 2024

TheVeterinarian ■ April 2024

■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

WSAVA introduces updated Melissa King for top role vaccination guidelines

Mary Marcondes

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has rolled out its latest edition of its Global Vaccination Guidelines, offering the most up-to-date scientific insights on vaccinating dogs and cats worldwide. Developed by the WSAVA’s Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG), the Guidelines are now accessible for free download from the WSAVA website, having undergone peer-review by the Journal of Small Animal Practice, the association's official scientific journal.

This updated version encompasses a range of enhancements and additional content, including: ■ A redefined definition of core vaccines ■ A fresh section on maternal antibody (MDA) ■ Updated segments covering current and emerging topics in canine and feline clinical vaccinology, along with insights into vaccine usage in shelters and sanctuaries.

The VGG has also crafted Regional Vaccination Guidelines for veterinarians in Asia and Latin America and is embarking on a four-year initiative aimed at bolstering understanding of infectious diseases across Sub-Saharan Africa and advising veterinarians on optimal vaccination practices.

As part of this initiative, a review of infectious disease prevalence and current vaccination practices in the region will be conducted, alongside the provision of continuing education on vaccination. In 2026, a comprehensive set of Regional Vaccination Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa will be published.

Establishing global benchmarks for companion animal veterinary care stands as a key objective for the WSAVA. The VGG, comprised of experts from around the globe, is dedicated to furnishing evidence-based scientific guidance to the global veterinary community on dog and cat vaccination.

The team includes Chair Mary Marcondes (Brazil), Richard Squires (Australia), Cynda Crawford (US), and Nathaniel Whitley (UK).

“We’re delighted to announce the publication of the 2024 WSAVA Global Vaccination Guidelines,” Marcondes said. “Representing several years of collaborative effort by the VGG, these guidelines offer the latest insights into vaccination practices for dogs and cats."

“We trust that the scientific evidence encapsulated within the Guidelines will render them a valuable and practical resource for veterinarians worldwide, contributing to the welfare of companion animals globally.”

“Evidence-based scientific vaccination guidelines are paramount to ensuring optimal vaccine practice for dogs and cats,” David Sutton of MSD, the Sole Partner of the VGG since its 2006 inception, said.

“We are honoured to support the work of the WSAVA’s Vaccination Guidelines Group and these significant new Guidelines, which will aid in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and furthering the wellbeing of small companion animals.”

Melissa King

wild (native, introduced and feral animals), companion animals, animals used for work, sport and recreation, and animals used in research and teaching.

The funding figures will be confirmed with the release of the budget in May, with the final AAWS strategy expected in 2027.

The government is seeking contributions to the strategy, with feedback and submissions open until 4pm 20 May on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website. There will be further consultation, engagement and opportunities with stakeholders over the next three years as the strategy is developed, including engagement with a broad range of stakeholders across government, industry, animal welfare groups, veterinarians, research bodies and First Nations people and the broader Australian public.

King previously held the position of CEO at Surf Lifesaving Australia for almost a decade, is a former Independent Director for the United Nations Association of Australia and has been on the board of the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) since December 2023.

“I am honoured to step into the role of CEO at the AVA. I look forward to working alongside the dedicated Board, membership and AVA team to continue advocating for Australia's veterinary professionals and amplifying their invaluable contributions to society,” King said.

AVA President Diana Barker outlined the importance of the role for the future of the AVA. “It is a pleasure to welcome Melissa to the AVA as Chief Executive Officer.

Her impressive leadership credentials will ensure the AVA continues to be a respected voice and powerful advocate for Australia’s veterinarians. The AVA Board has a clear vision to build a stronger, more effective AVA and we are delighted to have a CEO of Melissa’s calibre to drive this vision and improve outcomes for the veterinary sector,” Barker said.

For further information visit www.agriculture.gov.au.

■ JULIA GARDINER

To download the updated guidelines, visit www.wsava.org

Government announces funding for renewed welfare strategy The Australian Government has announced a commitment of $5m over four years for development of a renewed Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS), which will provide a framework for a national approach to animal welfare in Australia. It has been a decade since the previous AAWS lapsed in 2014.

Development of the renewed strategy will be jointly led by Federal, State and Territory governments, and will be informed by consultation, engagement and feedback. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said it particularly encourages individuals and organisations involved in Australia’s animal welfare system to make a submission.

The newly proposed AAWS will include all animals and will be released in chapters, each dedicated to one of six animal groups livestock and production animals, aquatic animals (including aquatic animals in production and wildlife), animals in the

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has announced the appointment of Melissa King to the role of Chief Executive Officer, following an extensive search by recruitment firm Brown & Chase. King succeeded Acting CEO Michael Gattas in late March.

The AVA was founded in 1921, as a not-for-profit organisation to represent Australian veterinarians working across private practice, government, academia and industry. As of 2024, the body represents more than 8500 members.

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News

Dogs may understand more than we know Few dog owners would disagree their dog can instantly recognise the words for ‘walk’, ‘dinner’ or ‘ball’, for example, but a study led by researchers from Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University wanted to take this recognition a step further, and find out what might be happening in a dog’s brain in respect of name recognition, and if they were reacting to the word’s sound, or if they had a genuine understanding of the word.

Published recently in the journal Current Biology, the study found that when dogs heard certain words, brain activity recordings suggested a matching mental representation in their minds was activated.

Co-first author Marianna Boros, a junior research fellow at the University’s Department of Ethology, said dogs did not only react with learned behaviour to certain words without really understanding their meaning, a memory of the object was activated in the animal’s brain when dogs heard the object’s name.

“It didn’t matter how many object words a dog understood – known words activate mental representations anyway, which suggests this ability is generally present in dogs and not just in some exceptional individuals who know the names of many objects,” she said.

Non-invasive brain imaging was the technique used to measure brain activity in a study that involved 18 dog owners saying words for toys their dogs knew, and then presenting the objects

to them. Sometimes the matching toy was presented, while at other times the dogs were presented with a mismatched object.

The brain recording results showed a different pattern in the brain when the dogs were shown a matching object versus a mismatched one. This correlated with similar word understanding tests with individuals who do not speak, like infants, and that are widely accepted as evidence the words are understood.

The researchers said the discovery that dogs as a species may generally have a capacity to understand words in a referential way, just as humans do, may reshape the way we think about the uniqueness of how humans use and understand language.

Co-first author Lilla Magyari, also from ELU, and an Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger’s Faculty of Social Sciences, said the research was important for dog owners but also had important implications for theories and models of language evolution.

“Because typical dogs learn instruction words rather than object names, and there are only a handful of dogs with a large vocabulary of object words, our research definitely showed it’s not uniquely human to have this type of referential understanding of object words. Dogs can understand more than they show signs of knowing.

They don’t merely learn a specific behaviour to certain words, they might actually understand the meaning of some individual words as humans do,” she said.

The researchers are now curious to discover if this ability to understand referential language is specific to dogs or could be present in other mammals as well. They hope future research will examine how this ability emerged and if it is dependent on dogs’ unique experience of living with people.

■ ANNE LAYTON-BENNETT

Extinction looms large for our birds AVA survey into When celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio take to social media to champion Tasmania’s swift parrots, a species that faces extinction, awareness of the threat becomes global. The seriousness of the threat to birds was confirmed in a study published recently in the journal Emu – Austral Ornithology. It found Australian birds living on islands are among the species considered the most vulnerable to extinction and Tasmania’s swift parrots and orange-bellied parrots have been listed as critically endangered for some years according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s criteria, with just 750 swift parrots estimated to be left in the wild.

Lead author George Olah, an Early Career Researcher Award Fellow at the Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment, said although Australia had over 750 bird species many of them faced an uncertain future.

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“The numbers are quite sad. By 2020 eight species were already considered extinct, and 74 were threatened with extinction, but some species are more prone to extinction risk than others, and our study identified three significant factors,” Olah explained.

Habitat loss, human persecution and introduced predators were found to be the main threats to birds globally, and species with a larger body size and lower fecundity rates were associated with a greater risk of extinction. Bird species that struggled to adapt to habitat cleared for agriculture were also under threat, as were those with evolutionary distinctiveness.

“The more able birds are in finding food in agricultural areas, and able to adapt to take advantage of new agricultural lands - perhaps after some of their habitat has been destroyed to make way for it - the less endangered they were predicted to be, but the burden of extinction risk seems to disproportionately impact species that have high uniqueness,” Olah said.

Researchers came up with a score based on aspects such as the number of other species there were within the larger bird family, with indications that some shared traits formed a larger pattern. Slow breeders that had a larger body size, and were possibly longerlived, generally found it harder to cope with environmental changes.

The study calculated the IUCN’s Red List for all Australian birds and found the increase in extinction risk that occurred between 2010 and 2020 was over 50 per cent due to the 2019-2020 bushfires. The greatest increases overall were in Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales where drought and wildfires were pronounced.

Olah said the study highlighted the importance of phylogenetically informed conservation prioritisation as the loss of evolutionary uniqueness would have major consequences for Australia’s bird diversity, and that would influence ecosystem functioning.

unpaid work now open

■ ANNE LAYTON-BENNETT

■ JULIA GARDINER

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has launched a survey in collaboration with the University of Melbourne to identify the amount of unpaid work done by veterinarians. In 2003, “pro bono” veterinary services by privately owned veterinary practices were approximated at $30m, up from $17m in 1999.

The anonymous survey has launched on the AVA website and forms part of a PhD carried out

by Kristen Steele, an AVA Senior Advocacy Officer. The aim of the survey is to collect data to demonstrate and quantify the amount of public good and personal investment that veterinarians do that isn’t compensated. It comes on the back of recent calls from the industry for the Australian government to ease the financial burden on veterinary students to attract more candidates to the profession to help relieve the current shortage of vets, particularly in regional and rural areas.

“Veterinarians are essential for the health and well-being of both animals and humans. I hope this allows us to demonstrate our important role in the community and assists us in gaining the support we need to be sustainable,” Steele said.

The AVA identifies some examples of unpaid work as including treatment of wildlife, stray and lost animals, discounted services, school talks, time spent volunteering on ethics committees, advisory boards, AVA committees or boards, biosecurity, veterinary or nurse student training in private facilities and responding in disaster situations.

It is hoped data collected will be invaluable in the AVA’s ongoing advocacy for the profession and lobbying of government for funding towards aspects of this unpaid work, and to provide recommendations, direct future research and advocate for the Australian veterinary profession to service the community more sustainably.

APRIL 2024 TheVeterinarian 3

Recognising Excellence in Veterinary Business Leadership On behalf of the entire team at Lincoln Institute of Veterinary Business, we would like to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishment of all Lincoln Leadership Accredited Practices, representing the highest level of veterinary business leadership accreditation possible within the veterinary industry.

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Vet Call (West Footscray) Vets on Eyre Wangaratta Veterinary Clinic Warby Street Veterinary Hospital Wayville Animal Hospital West Blacktown Veterinary Hospital West Queanbeyan Veterinary Hospital Yass Valley Veterinary Your Family Vet (Horsham)

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Mayfield Veterinary Hospital McIvor Road Veterinary Centre Mona Vale Veterinary Hospital Mowbray Veterinary Clinic My Local Vet (Capalaba) Noah’s Ark Veterinary Services Northern Illawarra Veterinary Hospital Pet Doctors (Palm Beach) Petstock Erina Petstock Gosford PetStock Management Group WA Ripley Veterinary Hospital Rose Bay Veterinary Hospital Snowy Vets Southern Downs Veterinary Services Springwood Veterinary Clinic Stanthorpe Veterinary Care Station Street Veterinary Clinic Stephen Terrace Veterinary Clinic Stockton Veterinary Hospital Stuggletown Veterinary Hospital Sugarland Animal Hospital Summer Hill Village Vet Tallebudgera Veterinary Clinic Taringa Veterinary Surgery The Rabbit Doctors Turramurra Veterinary Hospital Unley Veterinary Surgery Uralla Veterinary Clinic

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News

Come into my parlour…

Most of us try to avoid accidentally stumbling into spider webs, whether we fear or are fans of the creatures, but researchers from Western Australia’s Curtin University have found spider webs could be a clever and non-invasive tool to learn more about wildlife, as they are natural traps for tiny bits of environmental DNA from vertebrates. The results of their study were published recently in the journal iScience.

Researchers obtained spider webs from Perth Zoo for the study, as well as from a woodland locality less than 50 km away. The Zoo provided eDNA from 61 different vertebrates and produced, ‘a highly distinct species composition’, whereas the woodland habitat

yielded vertebrate eDNA from 32 different bird and native mammal species.

Lead author Joshua Newton, a PhD candidate at Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said the research showed spider webs were not only beautiful but they also allowed scientists to monitor different animals without disturbing them.

“These webs, often overlooked in biodiversity studies, proved to be reservoirs of genetic information.

Environmental DNA is composed of miniscule fragments of DNA left behind by organisms in the form of shed skin cells, hair or bodily fluids, and the webs act as passive biofilters,” Newton explained.

With only trace amounts of DNA

needed to identify species, the study’s data showed that biodiversity assessments could be strengthened because of improved detection and monitoring of rare, cryptic, or protected species. This could provide opportunities for researchers to develop new ways to survey wildlife in challenging and inhospitable environments.

According to co-author and research supervisor Morten Allentoft, head of the TrEnD Lab at Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, it was the ubiquitous presence of spider webs in many natural and anthropogenic environments, and in an array of microhabitats worldwide, that they were naturally selected to act as sticky traps.

“We had this crazy idea that spider webs would capture airborne DNA from local vertebrates. Our

Survey highlights economic and staff challenges Covetrus, the global animal health technology and services company, has released its annual insights into trends in the veterinarian space, taken from survey responses of veterinary practice owners, practice managers, veterinarians, and other practice staff, such as nurses and administrators across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

From the 270 responses, the survey found that the biggest anticipated challenges for 2024 were economic conditions and the cost of living, the global veterinary shortage and staff recruitment and retention, and staff burnout and mental health.

Paolo Lencioni of APL Accountants and Profit Diagnostix said economic conditions

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are impacting the industry in multiple ways.

“High interest rates [are] making it harder for practices to repay their loans or invest in their facilities. Moreover, clients are leaving practices or switching to other providers, we’re seeing 30 per cent attrition versus previous years of 25 per cent, thereby reducing the revenue and loyalty of the customer base. The demand for veterinary services has also decreased, as shown by the lower number of invoices and patients, indicating a recessionary environment,” Lencioni said.

Peter Dickson, Country Manager for VetFamily, said practices need to focus on marketing their services to clients for when economic circumstances improve.

initial results from Perth’s hills were promising with a bunch of local wildlife detections, but the true potential of this method unfolded when we repeated the spider web sampling in Perth Zoo and suddenly got giraffe and rhinoceros DNA in the webs. Our research helps to widen the scope of eDNA-based biodiversity monitoring and has highlighted the efficacy of spider webs in capturing vertebrate eDNA,” Allentoft said.

The study also identified invasive species such as red foxes, house mice and black rats, further showcasing the potential of spider webs as tools for ecological monitoring.

■ ANNE LAYTON-BENNETT Reference Further details are available at doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.108904

“I believe that ‘education and communication’ is in fact part of the solution. The opportunity for practice owners is to continue to communicate with pet parents even when they aren’t visiting the clinic. For example, topical pet health information sent at the right time including new products, this will keep you and your business top of mind for when there is an improvement in the disposable income position,” Dickson said.

The survey also identified an appetite for the uptake of new technologies to help ease the workload of staff, with more than 80 per cent of participants confirming they are looking to make their practices more efficient by optimising their technology. Potential uses of technology include the use of AI To page 30

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News

Assessing blue whale populations Jaw dropping

Although the world’s largest living mammal was protected from commercial whaling in 1966 – 20 years before the 1986 global moratorium on whaling was implemented through the International Whaling Commission – the blue whale’s recovery has been slow. Researchers from Flinders University conducted a major new study to assess the status of blue whale populations (Balaenoptera musculus) now global warming, pollution, underwater noise, disrupted food sources, shipping and other human activities such as entanglement in fishing gear, present further threats to the species’

survival. The results were published in the journal Animal Conservation.

Scientists compared the number, distribution and genetic characteristics of blue whale populations from around the world. They found the greatest differences were among the eastern Pacific, Antarctic subspecies and pygmy subspecies of the Indian and western Pacific.

For biodiversity to be maintained, first author Catherine Attard from FU’s College of Science and Engineering, said it was important that all whale groups were conserved since the study indicated natural selection in different environments contributed to driving genetic differences between the high-level groups.

“Within these regions there were differences between the eastern North and eastern South Pacific, and among the eastern Indian Ocean, the western South Pacific and the northern Indian Ocean, but no differences in the Antarctic group,” she said, adding that despite no evidence of inbreeding being found significant environmental challenges for the endangered species remained.

The study found an unexpected similarity between the eastern South Pacific and eastern North Pacific blue whales, which suggested they were part of the same subspecies, rather than their current classification as separate subspecies. To page 30

Heat stress from ocean warming harms octopus vision While climate change has led to an increase in the abundance of octopuses, heat stress from projected ocean warming could impair their vision and impact the survivability of the species.

“We found several proteins important for vision that were affected by thermal stress,” Qiaz Hua, a recent PhD graduate from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences, said.

“One of them is a structural protein found in high abundance in animal eye lenses to preserve lens transparency and optical clarity, and another is responsible for the regeneration of visual pigments in the photoreceptors of the eyes.

“The levels of both of these proteins were significantly reduced under projected ocean warming conditions, which suggests that octopus vision is likely to be impaired under thermal stress.”

Octopuses are highly visual animals, with 70 per cent of the octopus brain dedicated to vision – which is 20 per cent more than in humans.

“The primary functions of vision include but are not limited to visual acuity, discrimination of brightness, depth perception, motion detection and polarisation, and it is crucial for detecting predator and prey as well as for communication,” Hua said.

“Having impaired vision will affect an octopus’s chances of survival in the wild through increased predator risk as well as lower foraging success.”

To make this finding, the research team, including academics from the University of South Australia, University of California Davis,

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A newly hatched Octopus berrima. Picture Qiaz Hua

and the South Australian Research and Development Institute’s aquatic sciences division, exposed Octopus Berrima embryos to different temperature treatments, a control 19°C exposure, 22°C to model current summer temperatures, and 25°C to model projected summer temperatures “The future-projected temperature was based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s projected increase of about 3°C of warming by 2100,” Hua said.

In addition to impaired vision, Hua found increased ocean water temperatures would have a negative effect on octopus broods. To page 30

We are all familiar with the expression ‘eyes too big for one’s stomach’ but a recent study

by Flinders University researchers has found the term can be tweaked, and applied to rockwallabies when it comes to their dietary choices.

Study leader and lead author Rex Mitchell, Research Associate at FU’s College of Science and Engineering and the Morphological EvoDevo Lab, made the discovery while investigating how two dwarf species of rock-wallaby were able to feed themselves on the same type of foods as their much larger cousins. His team found the clue lay in the examination of their skull size.

“We already knew that smaller animals have a harder time eating the same foods as larger ones, simply because their jaws are smaller. For example, a chihuahua wouldn’t be able to chew on a big bone as easily as a German Shepherd,” he explained.

For the study the scientists scanned the skulls of 370 rock-wallaby individuals, including those from all 17 species of the genus Petrogale.

A comparison of skull features confirmed their suspicions: aside from typical differences in brain and eye size, common in bigger and smaller animals, there were also differences in skull features that related to feeding.

Co-author Vera Weisbacker, an Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology at FU’s College of Science and Engineering, said some tiny species of rock-wallaby, such as the nabarlek, were able to eat similar foods to those consumed by relatives that were eight times larger.

“We suspected that something happened in the evolution of their jaws to allow them to stick to these diets,” she said.

The study showed there were clear indicators that two dwarf rock-wallaby species had adaptations to harder biting, with shorter, rounder snouts and teeth positioned at the back of the jaw where they were more effective at harder bites. Surprising differences were in tooth sizes, with nabarleks having much larger teeth for their size than any of their larger relatives.

Nabarleks are also the only marsupial known to grow new molars continuously through their lives. The other dwarf species was found to have the largest premolars, potentially indicating different adaptations to vegetation types. Larger premolars are better at slicing through leaves and twigs of shrubs, while larger molars are better for grinding up grass and other plants that grow closer to the ground.

Mitchell said the findings were important because the functional effects of skull size on skull shape were often ignored, with differences in size not usually considered to be related to feeding adaptations. He said the study revealed some differences in the skulls not only showing how hard a skull can bite, but that smaller animals needed to have harder-biting skulls than larger animals to eat the same kind of foods.

“Many animals that need to bite harder into their foods tend to have bigger teeth for their size,” he said.

■ JULIA GARDINER

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News

CANA calls for desexing, adoption and support amid surge in surrender of unwanted cats

National animal welfare charity Companion Animal Network Australia (CANA) is advocating for desexing, adoption and support amid a surge in surrenders of kitten and cats that are ‘no longer wanted’.

“We are seeing a large spike in cats and kittens being relinquished to our member shelters around the country, intensifying the stress they are already experiencing,” Trish Ennis, CEO of Australia CAN said.

“The increase in the numbers of unwanted kittens is a result of cats breeding all year round due to warmer weather. We are urging people to desex their pets, consider adoption and support animal welfare charities so they can continue to help save lives.”

CANA members that rescue cats and companion animals are Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (NSW), Animal Welfare League Queensland (AWLQ), Animal Welfare League South Australia (AWL SA), Saving Animals From Euthanasia (SAFE) Inc (WA) and

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Lort Smith Animal Hospital (Vic).

(Member Dogs’ Homes of Tasmania only rescues dogs.)

According to data consolidated from the five members of Australia CAN for YTD February 2024, there’s already a 48 per cent increase in cat and kitten surrenders nationally compared to the same period last year.

In Feb 2024 alone, 42 per cent of cats surrendered to the five members were due to “no longer being wanted” – with 84 per cent relating to kittens. Other reasons for surrender that month include financial (11.7 per cent), owner medical (10 per cent), renting issues (eight per cent) and change in circumstances (six per cent).

AWLQ is currently over capacity with cat surrenders and only accepting cats and kittens on a case-by-case basis.

In NSW, Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SDCH) received 220 kittens between December 2023 and February 2024 – averaging 17 kittens per week, Melissa Penn, Managing Director of SDCH said.

“Female cats are able to have around 180 kittens in their life, and they can start reproducing from as young as four months old.

Cat populations get out of control very quickly, and without enough homes wanting to take them,

they end up in shelters – if they are lucky!” she said.

In WA, SAFE Inc Founder Sue Hedley OAM said it’s devastating for veterinarians, council rangers, SAFE and other animal rescue services to have to euthanise friendly cats.

“As a society, this toll is heavier now than it was when I founded SAFE 21 years ago,” she said. “If we all take proactive measures, like being vigilant with homeless cats and kittens ensuring they reach rescue services for desexing and rehoming, it is bound to yield a positive impact. SAFE Inc is committed to assisting in the desexing of owned female cats as part of our collective effort to tackle the issue of overpopulation.”

The number of cats and kittens ending up in shelters sends a strong message about the importance of desexing, Ennis said.

“Unwanted litters place significant strain on rescue organisations and shelters, many of which are already operating at full capacity and unable to accommodate all animals in need,” she said. “The most effective method to curb the overpopulation of stray cats (and dogs) is through desexing.”

Pet adoption also directly helps animal welfare charities by freeing up space to accommodate more animals in need.

“Our priority is to find loving homes for all our current adult cats (and dogs) in order to continue our promise to take on other animals requiring our help,” Caroline Esera, AWLQ Marketing and Communications Manager, said.

“We encourage people to consider adopting a sweet forever feline.

Because when you adopt a shelter cat, you’re saving two lives: the pet you adopt and the next homeless animal you help make room for.”

Animal lovers can also support animal welfare organisations by volunteering, donating or leaving a gift in their will or trust. Workplace Giving is also a great way for companies to support the animal welfare charities their employees care about.

“Together Australia CAN members have more than 300 years of combined experience in caring for animals in need! Our members provide rescue, shelter, rehoming, foster care, health and enrichment to more than 50,000 animals every year!” Ennis said. “Supporting animal welfare organisations aid in the implementation of spay and neuter programs, education initiatives and advocacy efforts at reducing the suffering of animals and promoting responsible pet ownership.”

Support the direct care of CANA member agencies at www.australiacan.org.au.

APRIL 2024 TheVeterinarian 9

T IFAW ANIMAL RESCUE PROGRAM OFFICER

E F I L E H T N I Y A DA H C A E L T R E B O OF R

his month, The Veterinarian is exploring a day in the life of Robert Leach, an Animal Rescue Program Officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

While not technically a veterinarian, Leach has worked in the veterinary and animal welfare sectors for years, though in a very different and far less predictable way from how a regular vet or vet nurse might. For example, around the time of interviewing him, Leach was receiving notifications of two earthquakes in Taiwan that had put Japan on tsunami alert. As a disaster responder, Leach is equipped and trained to deploy the appropriate IFAW team to assist if needed – in this case the IFAW China team – and was assessing what IFAW’s next steps might be.

Leach began his career in human nursing, completing a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame Australia. “I quickly realised my passion was working with animals,” he said.

“After a few years of transferring my skills to veterinary clinics, I retuned to study and graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master of Veterinary Studies in 2017.” Over the past decade, Leach has worked in veterinary nursing, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Australia and overseas, including several years in Africa. Before joining IFAW, Leach was Programs Manager for Vets Beyond Borders, where he managed veterinary programs across the globe and led the Australian Veterinary Emergency Response Team through the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires and subsequent disasters. He now describes himself as a “project manager, disaster responder, amateur vegan powerlifter, and father of six pets (and some plants!).”

Leach said a major drawcard for him leaving the four walls of a veterinary clinic and moving to a not-for-profit role was working with people to make a positive impact on the lives of animals.

“While I found it incredibly rewarding to help the animals that came through the clinic door every day, I was drawn to the not-for-profit sector because I have witnessed how even minor adjustments to policies can effect such great change,” he said. Working at IFAW was particularly attractive to Leach because the organisation has a strategic focus to balance conservation and animal rescue. “Both are vitally important yet compete for resources and priority,” Leach said. “At IFAW, there’s a confident and successful combination of pursuing both aims.”

A typical day at IFAW for Leach is split fairly evenly between Australian wildlife programmatic work and disaster response and resilience projects across Oceania. “I’ve come to learn that programmatic work in the animal charity sector is more often working with people than with the animals themselves,” he said. “Sadly, our native wildlife is facing a plethora of challenges: from urban expansion leading to ever-increasing vehicle strikes of animals, to native forest logging dwindling already fragmented and limited animal habitats, to more frequent and extreme climate events. Our wildlife is up against all of these things.” As a result, Leach sees his role as helping to generate large scale impacts for animals by engaging with the humans behind the decisions. “If we’re to inspire and enact change, it will have to come from working with the changemakers themselves,” he said.

One of the most challenging aspects of Leach’s role is that in emergency contexts, funding for wildlife is limited at best, and is often separated from and prioritised lower than resourcing the standard animal emergency response. Another challenge for Leach is ensuring that he is across existing government guidelines and policies so that IFAW is able to identify gaps where they might be able to fill or provide support – even when resources are limited. “I see my role as ■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

being a conduit between on-the-ground wildlife rehabilitators and the government agencies that influence wildlife emergency responses,” Leach said. “I help make sure they are both speaking and understanding the same language while ensuring wildlife groups, particularly the smaller ones, have a voice at the table.”

Even though working in the disaster response space is inherently unpredictable, having to actively deploy IFAW teams is – luckily – a relatively infrequent circumstance in Leach’s workday. More often than not, he works on disaster preparedness activities, predominately with Australian-based partners focused on native wildlife conservation and rescue. Some of these activities include equipping wildlife rescuers with training for wildlife search and

the highlights of my time at IFAW so far was deploying to New Zealand following Cyclone Gabrielle and assisting the government and our partners in a temporary animals shelter set up to care for injured and displaced animals rescued from floodwaters,” Leach said.

“I often meet the best types of people while on deployment in disasters – it’s so lovely to see the best of humanity, where people are banding together to help animals and communities during such devastating circumstances.”

Fortunately, following the recent Taiwanese earthquakes, Leach and the IFAW China team were able to remain on standby. That said, it is a

and they’re also very charismatic. I spent several years living and working around southern African countries, and I can still vividly picture the times young elephants would mock-charge at me. My mind was confused: I didn’t know whether to be scared by them, or just happily accept being nudged by a tiny elephant.

If you could transform into any animal, what would you be and why?

Without question, I would transform into a snake. I admire them so much! They’re carnivores, yet they’re doomed to slither around to catch their prey. They have no legs, no wings, yet they have still managed to evolve into a fascinating stealthy hunter – not to mention having adapted their appearance to produce species with some really interesting colours and patterns. I’d like to transform into a snake to experience a day in their life and also their determination, overcoming all the challenges against them as carnivores.

If you are interested in learning more about IFAW’s current campaigns, donating to the organisation, or exploring how you can become more directly involved, please visit www.ifaw.org/au for more information.

■ JAI HUMEL

rescue, or for evacuating themselves and the animals in their care during emergencies.

“While I’m more often behind my computer working with our partners and government agencies, there are also opportunities for me to spend time at our partner facilities,” Leach said.

“That’s when I get to roll up my sleeves, put my wildlife rehabilitation and vet nursing hats on, and help animals. Those experiences provide me with instant gratification and are great reminders of why I am doing this work.”

Leach identifies getting on the ground and meeting IFAW partners as one of the most rewarding aspects of his role, especially when he can see their work and care for animals in need firsthand. Similarly, he enjoys being able to support partner organisations with vital emergency resources to help them care for disaster-impacted animals, or to assist with rebuilding destroyed enclosures. “One of ■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

relief to know there are people ready to mobilise whenever and wherever they are needed, ready to use their skills to help animals affected when disaster strikes.

And now, to finish up our Day in the Life with Robert Leach, we turn to our usual (and admittedly slightly cheesy) Creature Questions: Do you currently have any pets?

I have two domestic short hair cats. One is a retired blood-donor cat at the vet hospital I used to work at, and the other needed a new home after his original human sadly passed away. I also have four backyard hens who are retired factory layer hens.

What is your favourite animal?

I would have to say a juvenile elephant!

They’re so cute with their floppy trunks, APRIL 2024

TheVeterinarian 11

Mark Bryan qualified in Glasgow in 1988, and moved to New Zealand in 1995.

Kiwi Post

The past few years have been tough for rural veterinarians, both here in New Zealand and across the world. Covid brought increased costs, reduced work, and isolated us even more.

The dairy payout and beef and lamb schedules continue to hover at unsustainable levels.

And the ongoing challenges of finding and persuading vets to stay and make a life amongst all of this continue unabated.

Recently, Fonterra launched its Scope 3 emissions targets for its dairy farm suppliers.

Essentially, Fonterra is aiming to reduce its on-farm emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

Although Fonterra has a number of climate initiatives- including being net zero by 2050 – it is the on-farm or Scope 3 emissions targets which will really impact us as vets.

Importantly, what it’s aiming to do in this target, is reduce its emissions intensity by 30 per cent by 2030. In this context, emissions intensity measures the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by forest, land and agricultural activities (FLAG), per kg of milk. Actually, it will measure this as tonne of CO2 equivalents per tonne of fat and protein corrected milk – or tCO2e/tFPCM. This may all sound a bit convoluted- and if you believe that we can survive in a non- dairy world then perhaps it is. But we will need to continue to produce food, and so how we produce food and the carbon efficiency of producing food is going to be increasingly important. (The water efficiency of how we produce food is also likely to become increasingly important, but that is for another day.)

And, given that over 80 per cent of Fonterra’s emissions are direct from on farm, this makes focussing on this part of their Scope 3 emissions a key part of any sustainability initiative. (Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions produced by a business operation but not directly due to that business. In veterinary business, an example of Scope 3 would be the emissions caused by the

production and supply of pharmaceuticals and consumables, or travelling to conferences etc.

Scope 1 would be those emissions produced by the activity of the clinic itself such as fuel for vehicles, anaesthetic gases etc.)

This may sound like another set of rules for farmers which they will either ignore or grumble about, or ignore and grumble about. But, perhaps surprisingly, most farmers seemed to have accepted this set of goalposts with remarkable magnanimity. This could be because dairy farmers in New Zealand are currently behaving in a quite unusually positive manner a combination of the honeymoon glow of a new, possibly less anti-farming government, coupled with the steadily rising payout. Or it could be because of Fonterra’s approach to presentation which was clear and effective, and which highlighted a clear pathway to delivery.

And they needed to do that. On the face of it, a 30 per cent reduction in emissions in the next 6 years is quite scary. So, for starters, it’s a 30 per cent reduction from a base year of 2018.

So farmers who have been journeying towards lower emissions for the past six years have already captured some of this. And many have, with reduced Nitrogen fertilisers, and a lurch towards regenerative and organic farming, and riparian planting.

Second, as mentioned, it’s a 30 per cent reduction in emissions intensity. So, producing milk more efficiently- surely the goal of every dairy farmer- will move them along this timeline. And third, around half of this goal of 30 per cent is hoped to be achieved by the farmer doing nothing – approximately seven per cent will be achieved by the adoption of novel technologies such as methane inhibitors and other innovations. All the farmer has to do is adopt them. And a further 8 per cent is attributed to historical land use change to dairying, which will reduce over the next few years as they are fully

accounted for under a 20-year emissions window.

But that still leaves 15 per cent which requires action. And this is where it gets exciting and where we come in as vets. Approximately half of this 15 per cent is estimated to be gained by riparian planting and increasing forest development and regeneration on lessthan-optimal grazing areas of farms. I guess we could get involved with this, but I’d prefer to leave this hard yakka to the farmers themselves with the help of some of their willing staff members.

The final seven per cent is intended to be achieved through improved on-farm practices, particularly around animal health and performance. This is our lane, and one that we need to get particularly excited about as vets.

A small shift in 6-week pregnancy rates will have a significant impact on emissions efficiencies.

And any improvement in general cow health and improved mortality rates will also both contribute towards this goal- as well as improving cow welfare.

In fact, pretty much everything we would normally recommend as best practice for dairy farms – and in fact what we have been recommending for the past 20 years – would help towards this seven per cent reduction. In one simple set of environmental goals, Fonterra has handed our dairy vets the best opportunity we’ve had for decades to implement the on- farm change we have been trying to facilitate over that period.

I’ve not always been Fonterra’s greatest fan over the years, and it’s fair to say the emergence of Fonterra as the rural veterinarian’s best advocate is not something I had on my ‘rural veterinary sustainability’ bingo card. But with this new initiative they’ve not only given us a great opportunity for relevance, but they’ve approached it with a desire to cooperate, educate and support. All we need to do now is turn up. Let’s hope we can.

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Is there a topic you’ve wanted to tell everyone about?

Have you ever thought you would like to write a clinical review but don’t know where to start?

Do you have a hobby or history that you think vets everywhere would like to learn more about?

Then don’t delay – email The Veterinarian at editor@vetmag.com.au and let us know – because your words could be in the pages of next month’s issue!

12 TheVeterinarian APPRIL 2024

■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the second most common form of acquired heart disease in dogs1

Treating early with VETMEDIN® is proven to delay the onset of clinical signs by 63% and extend life in preclinical DCM.1 To learn more about identifying preclinical DCM in dogs, scan the QR code to visit Boehringer Ingelheim Cardiology Hub. If you do not have an Animal Health Academy account, please register using the access code “myAcademy”.

For more information talk to your Boehringer Ingelheim Territory Manager today or call our Customer Care Team on 1800 808 691.

Reference: 1. Summerfield N.J., Boswood A., O’Grady M.R., et al. (2012) Efficacy of pimobendan in the prevention of congestive heart failure or sudden death in Doberman Pinschers with preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (the PROTECT study). J Vet Intern Med, 26(1):1337–1349.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Australia Pty. Ltd. Level 1, 78 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113. Toll Free 1800 808 691. Vetmedin® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH – used under licence. AU-CAN-0058-2023

■ EDITED BY JENI HOOD BSc (Hons) BVMS PhD

Abstracts

Exploring epigenetic and genetic modulation in animal responses to thermal stress

Dental disease in companion rabbits under UK primary veterinary care: Frequency and risk factors

There is increasing evidence indicating that global temperatures are rising significantly, a phenomenon commonly referred to as 'global warming', which in turn is believed to be causing drastic changes to the global climate. Global warming (GW) directly impacts animal health, reproduction, production, and welfare, presenting several challenges to livestock enterprises. Thermal stress (TS) is one of the key consequences of GW, and all animal species, including livestock, have diverse physiological, epigenetic and genetic mechanisms to respond to TS. As a result, TS can significantly affect an animals' [sic] health, immune responsiveness, metabolic pathways etc. which can also influence the productivity, performance, and welfare of animals.

Moreover, prolonged exposure to TS can lead to transgenerational and intergenerational changes that are mediated by epigenetic changes. For example, in several animal species, the effects of TS are encoded epigenetically during the animals' growth or productive stage, and these epigenetic changes can be transmitted intergenerationally. Such epigenetic changes can affect animal productivity by changing the phenotype so that it aligns with its ancestors' environment, irrespective of its immediate environment.

Furthermore, epigenetic and genetic changes can also help protect cells from the adverse effects of TS by modulating the transcriptional status of heat-responsive genes in animals. This review focuses on the genetic and epigenetic modulation and regulation that occurs in TS conditions via HSPs, histone alterations and DNA methylation.

Background: Some prior evidence has suggested that lop-eared rabbits and those with brachycephalic skull conformations have a higher dental disease risk. This retrospective cohort study reports the frequency and conformational risk factors for primary-care veterinary diagnosis with dental disease in companion rabbits in the UK.

Wang Jianfang1, Sayed Haidar Abbas Raza1 2 3, Sameer D Pant4, Zhao Juan5, Ajit Prakash6, Sameh A Abdelnour7, Bandar Hamad Aloufi8, Zeinab M H Mahasneh9, Ahmed A Amin10, Borhan Shokrollahi11, Linsen Zan12 Mol Biotechnol. 2024 Mar 25.doi: 10.1007/s12033-024-01126-5.

1College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F

University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.

2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Nation-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Machining and Safety of Livestock and Poultry Products, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

3Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, 512005, China.

4Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia.

5College of Animal Science and Technology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

6Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA. 7Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt.

8Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.

9 Department of Animal Production, School of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.

10Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

11Hanwoo Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, Pyeongchang-gun, 25340, Republic of Korea.

12College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China. zanlinsen@163.com.

Sheep fatigue during transport: Lost in translation?

Although sheep are commonly transported long distances, and sheep welfare during transport is a topic of research and policy discussion, the subject of their fatigue during transport has been under-researched. The current qualitative study, focused on the EU and UK, aimed to critically analyse stakeholder views on issues relating to sheep fatigue, including behavioural indications of fatigue, the interplay between fatigue and other factors, and the practicalities of identifying fatigue in commercial transport conditions. To page 30

14 TheVeterinarian APRIL 2024

Methods: Anonymised VetCompass clinical records were manually reviewed to confirm dental disease cases. Risk factor analysis used multivariable binary logistic regression modelling.

Results: From 161,979 rabbits under primary veterinary care in 2019, the 1-year period prevalence of overall dental disease was 15.36 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval [CI]: 14.78-15.96).

The prevalence of dental disease affecting incisors was 3.14 per cent (95 per cent CI: 2.87-3.44), and for cheek teeth it was 13.72 per cent (95 per cent CI: 13.17-14.29). Neither lop-eared conformation nor brachycephalic skull conformation was significantly associated with increased odds of dental disease. Dental disease odds increased as age increased and decreased as bodyweight increased.

Limitations: This study retrospectively accessed clinical records, so breed names may sometimes be imprecise.

Conclusion: The high overall prevalence of dental disease represents a major welfare concern for all companion rabbits, regardless of conformation. This information can be used to encourage regular routine dental assessment of rabbits of all conformations to promote earlier diagnosis, paying particular attention to older rabbits and those with low bodyweight.

Maria A Jackson1, Charlotte C Burn1, Joanna Hedley2, Dave C Brodbelt1, Dan G O'Neill1 Vet Rec. 2024 Mar 16;194(6): e3993.doi: 10.1002/vetr.3993.

1Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal

Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK. 2Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.

Evaluation of indicators of acute emotional states in dogs A complete assessment of animal welfare requires not just an understanding of negative emotional states, such as fear and anxiety, but also of positive states, such as calmness and happiness. However, few studies have identified accurate and reliable indicators of positive emotional states in dogs. This study aimed to identify parameters that may serve as indicators of short-term emotional states in dogs. Using a cross-over design, 60 dogs living at a research facility were exposed to six different 10-min scenarios expected to elicit responses varying in emotional valence and arousal. A range of behavioural and physiological parameters were collected and their relationship to anticipated emotional valence and arousal was analysed using linear and logistic mixed models. Cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, heart rate variability, panting, whining, and body shake all demonstrated significant differences based on arousal levels, but only within negative valence scenarios. Scores from a qualitative behavioural assessment (QBA) were associated with both emotional valence and arousal and were considered the best indicator of positive valence. Activity, ear temperature, and sitting were associated with positive high arousal, although this may have been influenced by differing levels of movement induced during these scenarios. Meanwhile, heart rate, secretory immunoglobulin A, standing and lying all showed similar changes associated with arousal for both positive and negative valence scenarios.

This study provides a critical first step towards identifying evidence-based indicators of short-term emotional states in dogs, while highlighting considerations that should be made when employing these parameters, including the To page 30

■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

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Abstracts

Impact on life expectancy was the most important information to clients when considering whether to take action for an overweight or obese dog Objective: To determine dog owner preferences for information communicated during veterinarian-client obesity-related conversations within companion animal practice.

Sample: Dog owners recruited using snowball sampling.

Methods: A cross-sectional online questionnaire was distributed to dog owners. A discrete choice experiment was used to determine the relative importance, to participating dog owners, of information about selected weight-related attributes that would encourage them to pursue weight management for a dog when diagnosed as overweight by a veterinarian.

Results: A total of 1,108 surveys were analysed, with most participating dog owners residing in Canada. The most important weight-related attribute was life expectancy (relative importance, 28.56 per cent), followed by the timeline for developing arthritis (19.24 per cent), future quality of life (18.91 per cent), change to cost of food (18.90 per cent), and future mobility (14.34 per cent).

Clinical relevance: Results suggest that dog owners may consider information relating to an extension of their dog's life as the most important aspect of an obesity-related veterinary recommendation.

By integrating dog owner preferences into discussions between clients and veterinary professionals about obesity, there is the potential to encourage more clients to engage in weight management efforts for their overweight or obese dog.

Abby R Davies1, Katja A Sutherland1, Catherine N H Groves1, Lauren E Grant1, Megan L Shepherd2, Jason B Coe1 J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2024 Mar 19: 1-10.doi: 10.2460/javma.23.12.0697.

1Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.

2Veterinary Clinical Nutrition PLLC, Christiansburg, VA.

The most common congenital malformations in dogs: Literature review and practical guide Congenital malformations can affect almost seven per cent of canine newborns. The increase of commercial dog breeding and inbreeding used to maintain the striking characteristics of each breed, the appearance of malformations has become increasingly common, especially in brachycephalic dogs. The causes are diverse, and include genetic, nutritional, iatrogenic, and infectious factors, often making it difficult to establish a cause-consequence relationship. The high mortality associated with malformations comes not only from the fact that some are incompatible with life, but also because even if many undergo surgical treatment or correction, they require specific management, monitoring, and clinical treatment for an indefinite period of time. The most common malformations such as cleft lip and palate, hydrocephalus and anasarca have been studied for a long time, and it is currently known that brachycephalic dogs have a greater predisposition, however, for other less common conditions as gastroschisis and hypospadias, there is [sic] only a few case reports. The appearance of congenital defects in a litter leads to financial losses for the breeder, emotional losses for the owner and the veterinarian and harms the well-being of that individual.

For this reason, the aim of this review article is to gather relevant information on the characteristics, diagnosis, and management of the main malformations in puppies. It is essential that the veterinarian is prepared to diagnose and treat these conditions, reducing negative impacts on animals and owners.

Marina Vilela Estevam1, Gilson Helio Toniollo1, Maricy Apparicio2 Res Vet Sci. 2024 Mar 13:171: 105230.doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105230.

1Department of Pathology, Reproduction and One Health, São Paulo State University - FCAV Unesp, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.

2Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction, São Paulo State University - FMVZ Unesp, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.

Electronic address: maricy.apparicio@unesp.br.

■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour with divergent epithelioid differentiation in a cat Divergent differentiation, mainly towards various subsets of mesenchymal cells, is encountered sporadically in human malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs) but this is the first report of epithelioid components within this neoplasm in a cat. An eight-year-old spayed female domestic shorthaired cat was presented for surgical removal of a subcutaneous mass on the right flank. Morphological and immunohistochemical analysis revealed a malignant neoplasm with spindloid cells intermixed with an epithelioid component that had squamous differentiation. There was intense immunolabelling of vimentin, S100 protein, neuron-specific enolase, laminin and glial fibrillary acidic protein in the spindloid cell component and for cytokeratin (CK) AE1/AE3 and CK5/6 in the epithelial elements. Melanomaassociated antigen, desmin, á-smooth muscle actin, CD18, CD31, ionized calcium binding adapter molecule-1 and CK8/18 were not expressed, which helped differentiate the tumour from other feline spindloid cell neoplasms. These features are characteristic of divergent epithelioid differentiation of MPNST. Francisco Rodríguez Guisado1 J Comp Pathol. 2024 Mar 26:210: 25-28.doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2024.02.007.

1Institute for Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña S/N, Gran Canaria, Arucas, Spain. Electronic address: francisco.guisado@ulpgc.es.

Free article

Serologic, virologic and pathologic features of cats with naturally occurring feline infectious peritonitis enrolled in antiviral clinical trials Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a multisystemic, generally lethal immuno-inflammatory disease of domestic cats caused by an infection with a genetic variant of feline coronavirus, referred to as the FIP virus (FIPV). We leveraged data from four different antiviral clinical trials performed at the University of California, Davis. Collectively, a total of 60 client-owned domestic cats, each with a confirmed diagnosis of naturally occurring FIP, were treated with a variety of antiviral compounds. The tested therapies included the antiviral compounds GS-441524, remdesivir, molnupiravir and allogeneic feline mesenchymal stem/stroma cell transfusions. Four client-owned cats with FIP did not meet the inclusion criteria for the trials and were not treated with antiviral therapies; these cats were included in the data set as untreated FIP control cats. ELISA and Western blot assays were performed using feline serum/plasma or ascites effusions obtained from a subset of the FIP cats. Normalized tissue/effusion viral loads were determined in 34 cats by a quantitative RT-PCR of nucleic acids isolated from either effusions or abdominal lymph node tissue.

Twenty-one cats were PCR "serotyped" (genotyped) and had the S1/S2 region of the coronaviral spike gene amplified, cloned and sequenced from effusions or abdominal lymph node tissue. In total, 3 untreated control cats and 14 (23.3 per cent) of the 60 antiviral-treated cats died or were euthanized during (13) or after the completion of (1) antiviral treatment. Of these 17 cats, 13 had complete necropsies performed (10 cats treated with antivirals and 3 untreated control cats). We found that anticoronaviral serologic responses were persistent and robust throughout the treatment period, primarily the IgG isotype, and focused on the viral structural Nucleocapsid and Membrane proteins.

Coronavirus serologic patterns were similar for the effusions and serum/plasma of cats with FIP and in cats entering remission or that died. Viral RNA was readily detectable in the majority of the cats in either abdominal lymph node tissue or ascites effusions, and all of the viral isolates were determined to be serotype I FIPV. Viral nucleic acids in cats treated with antiviral compounds became undetectable in ascites or abdominal lymph node tissue by 11 days post-treatment using a sensitive To page 30

APRIL 2024 TheVeterinarian 17

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MASTITIS – Double dose in severe infections plus appropriate antibiotic – Milk Withholdholding Time 12 hours: NO milk withholding time when the period from treatment to the next milking is longer than 12 hours

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Lameness and foot rot (with an antibiotic) Post calving pain management of the cow Pain management following de-horning or castration Pain related to Pink Eye inflammation

TOLFLAM

MELOXICAM

Storage conditions – ‘Store below‘

30°C

25°C

Number of approved doses to be administered

2

1

Meat WHP days after treatment

10

8

Milk Withholding Time

12h/Nil1

96-144h2

Time for use after opening

6 months

28 days

S S E N K C I S Y A THREE D , 3 DAYS TREATMENT ONE INJECTION

1. Milk WHP NIL when period after treatment and next milking more than 12 hours.

2. One meloxicam injection has a Milk WHP of 96 hours.

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Management

Overcoming Stockholm Syndrome in business ownership “Stockholm Syndrome” is a term used to explain a psychological phenomenon where hostages can sometimes develop positive feelings and a bond with their captors.

Strangely enough, it is possible for the phenomenon to extend its grip into aspects of our lives – like business ownership.

Initially, business owners talk about their business like it is a jailer, keeping them away from their family, friends, sports, and hobbies. Business owners will tell everyone of the stresses and burdens of ownership, the compromised weekends and holidays answering emails and dealing with issues back in the practice. They will say that it is a necessary evil in their lives to facilitate their financial freedom.

Yet strangely, when they have achieved financial freedom and can afford to retire, when they are reaching the final decade or so of their career – and all things point to it being a good financial time to start looking at selling – many business owners will choose to delay or avoid exit planning and hold onto business ownership far longer than they need to.

Simon Palmer is the Managing Director of Practice Sale Search, Australia’s largest vet practice brokerage. If you’d like more information on practice sales or want to have a confidential discussion about your practice’s circumstances, email Simon Palmer at info@practicesalesearch. com.au or call 1300 282 042.

Why is this?

For many, whether they can admit it to themselves or not, business

owners can get to a point where their “jail” has become the only home they know. A place where they have earned a respected identity, where they have predictability, and their lives make sense. They get to a point where they have dedicated so much time and energy to the practice over the years that they have compromised their other passions in pursuit of their career.

Even though selling makes total sense for their financial wellbeing, health, and stage of life, they simply can’t picture themselves without their business any more. And this can lead to many detrimental consequences.

Understanding how Stockholm Syndrome can manifest in business ownership is crucial for safeguarding a business owner’s mental health and promoting effective financial decision-making when it comes to selling your practice.

So, what can we do about it?

Here are three ways that you as a business owner can ensure that you don’t fall victim to this syndrome: 1. Make a point of actively maintaining your identity beyond the business Business owners need to make a conscious effort to maintain hobbies, interests, family roles, community involvement and relationships

outside of the practice. Prioritising time in these other parts of your life will help you reduce the importance of the practice as part of your identity and help mitigate the fear of loss of purpose or identity crisis that is often experienced during retirement.

2. Embrace a post-sale transitional period ■ Embracing transition periods post sale, by gradually reducing involvement in the business for a few years before full retirement, can help you: ■ Make the practice more attractive and get better offers from buyers, as it can significantly minimise the risk of buying the practice.

■ Gradually acclimatise to changes in your lifestyle and routine, reducing the shock of sudden retirement.

■ Dedicate time to the cultivation of post-sale identity described in point 1.

3. New chapter mindset Instead of viewing retirement as an endpoint, frame it as a new chapter, filled with opportunities for growth, exploration and selfdiscovery. Cultivating gratitude for past accomplishments and excitement for future possibilities can help business owners embrace the sale of their business with optimism and enthusiasm.

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APRIL 2024

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Wellness

Healthy sleep habits for veterinary professionals Sleep is a vital aspect of overall well-being, yet veterinary professionals often face challenges in maintaining healthy sleep habits due to the demanding nature of their profession. The impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive function, mood, and overall health cannot be overstated. In this article, we'll explore the importance of prioritizing sleep for veterinary professionals and offer evidence-based tips for improving sleep quality.

The impact of sleep deprivation Numerous studies have highlighted the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function and mood. Research conducted by the Sleep Health Foundation in Australia found that sleep-deprived individuals experience impairments in memory, attention, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities. For veterinary professionals, whose work requires precision and critical thinking, these cognitive impairments can have serious consequences for patient care.

Moreover, inadequate sleep has been linked to mood disturbances such as irritability, mood swings, and increased stress levels. Veterinary professionals already face high levels of stress and emotional demands in their work, and sleep deprivation exacerbates these challenges, leading to burnout and decreased job satisfaction.

Evidence-based tips for improving sleep quality 1. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Establishing a regular sleep-wake cycle helps regulate your body's internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

2. Create a relaxing bedtime routine: Engage in relaxing activities before bed to signal to your body that it's time to wind down. This could include reading a book, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation.

3. Minimise screen time before bed: Exposure to blue light from electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers can interfere with your body's production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.

Limit screen time at least an hour before bedtime to promote better sleep quality.

4. Create a comfortable sleep environment: Make sure your bedroom is conducive to sleep by keeping it dark, quiet, and cool. Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows that support restful sleep.

5. Limit stimulants and alcohol: Avoid consuming caffeine and alcohol in the hours leading up to bedtime, as they can disrupt sleep patterns and contribute to poor sleep quality.

6. Exercise regularly: Engaging in regular physical activity can improve sleep quality and duration. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, but avoid vigorous exercise close to bedtime, as it may interfere with sleep.

7. Seek professional help if needed: If you're experiencing persistent sleep problems or symptoms of a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea, don't hesitate to seek help from a healthcare professional. They can provide personalized recommendations and treatment options to improve your sleep.

Conclusion Prioritising healthy sleep habits is essential for veterinary professionals to maintain cognitive function, mood, and overall well-being. By implementing evidence-based strategies such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and minimizing screen time before bed, veterinary professionals can improve their sleep quality and better cope with the demands of their profession.

References 1. Sleep Health Foundation. (2021). Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Disorders. Retrieved from https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/ sleep-deprivation-and-sleep-disorders.html 2. National Sleep Foundation. (2021). How to Sleep Better. Retrieved from https://www. sleepfoundation.org/how-to-sleep-better 3. American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

(2017). Sleep Hygiene. Retrieved from https://aasm.org/sleep-hygiene/ 4. Australian Government Department of Health. (2020). Physical Activity Guidelines.

Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/ health-topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/ physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines

■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

APRIL 2024 TheVeterinarian 21

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Clinical Feature

Ultraviolet light as a critical component of companion bird husbandry Why it matters Proper husbandry of any species is the key to ensuring healthy, well-adjusted pets. The closer we come to recreating the conditions of the species in the wild combined with the benefits of modern science, the more likely the animals are to not merely survive, but also thrive.

While we have made enormous strides in avian nutrition over the past 40 years with the advent of formulated diets, little attention has been paid to the role that sunlight plays in metabolism and behavior.

Many of our pet birds are hatched and live their entire lives indoors with no exposure to UVB lighting or the sun.

Cases of hypocalcemia, rickets, eggbinding, stunting syndrome and nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism are frequently blamed on diet without looking at all the contributing factors.

Nutrition is key to animal welfare and does not stop with feeding only, we must consider the whole environment with all that we provide to our pets and consider how well this mimics or replicates what is provided to them in the wild.

How it works Birds rely on both dietary intake and cutaneous absorption to maintain adequate Vitamin D levels.

Most birds possess a uropygial gland found at the base of the tail, which aids in the endogenous synthesis of Vitamin D3 when exposed to sunlight (UVB). The secretion of this gland contains Vitamin D precursors (7-dehydrocholesterol), which are converted to the active form of Vitamin D3 when exposed to ultraviolet light (either sunlight or UVB) and warmth. During subsequent preening, this active form of Vitamin D3 is ingested by the bird1.

Avian epidermal cells undergo both lipogenesis and keratinization and have been called “sebokeratinocytes”2. The skin acts as a sebaceous secretory organ, with the sebum serving as a moisture barrier and helping maintain the pliability of the keratinized epidermis. Birds secrete 7-dehydrocholesterol onto featherless areas of skin with 30x more 7-dehydrocholesterol on the featherless leg skin than on the back3. It is worth noting that several species of pet birds, such as African Greys and Macaws, have bare facial patches which may allow for more direct exposure to UVB. This explains how species that lack a uropygial gland can still maintain water resistance in the feathers and have the ability to produce precursors to Vitamin D3.

The process of converting precursors to active Vitamin D is so effective that it has been shown that poultry have NO dietary requirement for Vitamin D3 if they are supplied with adequate UVB radiation.3 Relationship to diet The addition of a UVB light-producing source appears to have at least some benefit independent of diet.

In a study by Stanford utilizing African Grey Parrots, the provision of a pellet diet with an increased Vitamin D3 and calcium content significantly increased the plasma concentration of ionized calcium and 25 hydroxycholecalciferol over a seed-fed group. The addition of 12 hours daily of artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVB) significantly increased the ionized calcium concentration independent of the diet fed.

Additionally, plasma 25 hydroxycholecalciferol (circulating D3) significantly increased in the seed group after the provision of UVB radiation.

This study concluded that the provision of adequate dietary calcium and D3, plus UVB radiation are essential for the prevention of disorders of calcium metabolism in captive African Grey Parrots.3 In contrast to dietary sources of Vitamin D, hypervitaminosis D (“overdosing”) does not occur with solar or UVB exposure. UVB and short-length UVA convert excess Vitamin D into ■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

Figure 1. Orange Fronted Conure (Eupsittula canicularis) basking under a linear bulb emitting UVA and UVB light

harmless by-products.4 This is known to be a self-regulated and recycling process.

Behavioural changes of birds exposed to sunlight It has been observed that some male canaries that had stopped singing started to sing within hours of being provided with a UVB light.

A canary that has been kept indoors, when taken into the sun, will spread all the feathers of the wings into a parabola shape and tilt to follow the sun, exposing as much of the preen-oil-covered feathers as possible to the rays.

Figure 2. A Canary spreading its wings to maximize exposure of the preen-oil-covered feathers to the UVB light

This behaviour is similar to the behaviour of reptiles such as chameleons who will flatten out and turn towards the sun when basking to maximize exposure.

Anecdotally, birds that are exposed to the sun will begin to preen vigorously and increase activity level.

More than one type of UV light In addition to the need for UVB light, birds utilize UVA light in many ways.

Birds possess a fourth ocular cell within the eye (tetrachromacy) that humans (trichromacy) do not possess. Humans can see around 1 million colours, but not deep blues into ultraviolet or high reds into infrared, whereas tetrachromates, such as birds, can see further into the blue spectrum and infrared, up to potentially 100 million colors.5 This superior vision allows birds to see fluorescent markings on potential mates that are invisible to our eyes. It has been shown that 72% of parrots have UV-reflective plumage.3 This explains how many of the monomorphic species can differentiate sex easily between pairs. The provision of fullspectrum+UVB lighting unveils fluorescent markers and enables birds to more easily pick partners and recognize their mate even within a flock.

UV also provides cues to food ripeness and in the case of raptors, urine trails left by rodents, but only in the presence of proper UVA lighting.5 It is reasonable to conclude that UVA light allows birds to see as they are meant to see the world.

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Clinical Feature Any lighting solution we choose should therefore provide both UVA and UVB light in the correct proportions.

How pet owners can supply UVB Placing a cage near a window or in a sunroom will not provide a benefit as most windows filter out the beneficial UVB and UVA rays. They do let infrared rays through, however, which is the reason cages placed near windows can easily overheat.

There are essentially two ways to supply UV radiation to our pets.

Natural sun exposure Taking your bird outdoors two or three times a week for a 30-minute+ session (although any amount is beneficial).

■ Birds should always be caged and protected, as well as supervised. In addition to terrestrial predators (cats, rats, raccoons), raptors will readily strike a caged bird with unfortunate consequences.

■ If the weather is warm, a bath can be offered to realize benefits to the feathers and skin in addition to UV. In any case, a dish for drinking water should be provided.

■ Create a temperature gradient by partially covering or placing part of the cage in the shade so that the bird can escape overheating. Even when the air is cool, radiant heat can build up in the body. It is not necessary to have direct sun as scatter reflection will bounce off surfaces such as walls and cage bars. Even cloudy days can offer a benefit.

■

Exposure to artificial UVB (UVB fixtures and bulbs) When adding artificial lighting sources, it is important to recognize that all bulbs are not equal.

There are two types of bulbs, and it is understood that linear UVB bulbs are superior to compact fluorescent bulbs. This is because they cover a wider area of the body and thus produce more usable light. Therefore, whenever possible a linear bulb is always best.

LINEAR BULBS Among linear bulbs, you may encounter T8, T5 or T5HO (high output) bulbs. The T5HO bulb produces more than twice the amount of UVB radiation than the T8, so the type of bulb is important.4 COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULB If a compact fluorescent bulb is the only option, the 3U lamp shape is more efficient than the pigtail shape, especially when used with a reflector. All types should be positioned horizontally to maximize light projection as shown below.

LED BULBS There have been attempts to create LED UVB bulbs. Despite being labelled “Full Spectrum”, it is currently impossible within physics to create LED solutions that can match the spectrum of the sun in UV, as T5 lamps do very well.5 MERCURY VAPOUR LAMPS Mercury vapour lamps give off UVB but also substantial heat and thus are unsuitable for pet bird cages.

How to choose a bulb The choice of bulb and/or fixture will depend on your caging and goals for lighting. Electrical cords and bulb components must be kept away from the reach of beaks and feet which may determine which type of fixture will work best. Distance from bulb to bird’s head must be consistent with manufacturer’s specifications.

Bulbs designed for reptiles may be used; however, the distance between the bulb and the bird may need to be greater depending on the strength of the bulb.

Bulbs have a finite lifespan as the phosphors inside the tube become depleted due to the processes used in creating the radiation until it eventually wears them out. However, the bulb will continue to emit visible light long past the time that the UVB is no longer being produced.

It is recommended that a bulb be replaced when it produces less than 70% of the initial level of UV. Bulb longevity and cost are due to the quality of the phosphors used in them. Some manufacturers recommend replacing their bulbs after 6 months while others guarantee a year.

Arcadia, Exo-Terra and Zoomed offer an email bulb replacement reminder service that will alert you when it is time to change the bulb.

Ideally, one can measure the UV output with the Solarmeter 6.5 (or 6.5R) which easily captures the bulb’s current UVB output, sometimes allowing the use of the bulb to be extended for a longer period. While not inexpensive, this is a valuable tool in the serious keeper’s kit and may prove cost effective when monitoring bulbs in the long term. It is also the only way to be certain that the bulb is working properly, as defective bulbs do exist even when purchased brand new.

What level of UV is recommended?

There has been little research on what level UV index is most beneficial for birds while also being safe. However, this has been extensively studied and researched in reptiles. If we consider many of our pet birds to be forest/temperate species (from areas of high solar activity but spending time in dappled sun and shade) a UV index of 2-4 as measured by a Solarmeter 6.5 would be reasonable compared to reptiles from the same areas. There would logically be a need for a higher level of UVB for desert species such as cockatiels and budgerigars due to exposure in their natural environment.

Manufacturer specifications for popular bulbs are found below:

Figure 3. Conure enjoying a bath while receiving natural UV

Figure 4. African Grey receiving sun under supervision ■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

Setting up the lights Several key factors greatly affect how much radiation reaches your bird: Keep these points in mind when setting lights up for the enclosure.

Reflectors: The use of a reflector can double the quantity of available light.4 Distance from the bulb to the bird’s head.

Barriers between the bulb and the bird: A bulb sitting on wire mesh can reduce the output by 30-50%.4 Age of Bulb: Most bulbs have a “burn-in” period of approximately the first 100 hours when they produce higher UV and should be kept at a further distance from the animal. Consult manufacturer’s instructions regarding this.

However, in the keeping of pet birds that are housed in the fixed, small environment of a cage, pending further research, a modest index would be prudent. In addition, the bird must have adequate space to escape the bulb and the ability to self-regulate exposure as they would in the wild.

Sheryl Calway of Oakmount Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Department, Oakmount Veterinary Hospital (part of IVC Evidensia) recommends that her avian patients have access to a UVI of 1-2 most of the day (10-12 hours), with bulbs always positioned overhead and other perches available away from the bulb.7 APRIL 2024 TheVeterinarian 25

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Clinical Feature This is a reasonable starting value and points to the need for further research into this essential component of avian husbandry.

Figures 6-8 demonstrate variations in UVB strength among bulbs. Figure 6 is a new bulb bought from Amazon represented as a “UVB bulb for reptiles”. The target UVI for the species in question is 3.0.

About the Author Donna Garrou has kept and bred birds and reptiles for more than 30 years. She has been the chief surgical technician for 17 years at The Bird Clinic avian-only practice in Orange, CA and is the developer of Kitty Kollar (www.kittykollar.com), the first esophageal tube protective collar for animals.

Donna Garrou

References 1. Stephen J Birchard and Robert G. Sherding, 2006. Saunders Manual of Small Animal Practice.

3rd edition. St. Louis, MO: Saunders. 1888 p.

2. Wrench, R., J. A. Hardy, and R. I. C. Spearman. 1980. Sebokeratocytes of avian epidermis with mammalian comparisons. In R. I. C. Spearman and P. A. Riley (eds.), The Skin of Vertebrates, pp. 47–56. Symp. Linn. Soc. Lond., No. 9. Academic Press, London.

3. Michael Stanford. 2005. Calcium metabolism in grey parrots: the effects of husbandry. The royal college of veterinary surgeons. Volume 2.

[Internet] Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238760404_Calcium_ metabolism_in_grey_parrots_the_effects_of_ husbandry.

4. John Courteney-Smith. 2018. The Elements Series, Part 1; Fire: the sun, its use and replication within reptile keeping. Cambridge, UK: Arcadia Reptile c/o Monkfield Nutrition. 201 p.

5. Arcadia Bird website. 2024. Benefits of lighting. Retrieved from http://www.arcadiabird.com/ advise/benefots-of-lighting/.

6. John Courteney-Smith. 2013. The Arcadia Guide to MBD and Its Elimination in Captivity.

Cambridge, UK: Arcadia Products PLC. 111p.

7. Sheryl Calway, BVMS, MRCVS, PgC (EAS), RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Department. 2024. Interpersonal correspondence via email between the author, Donna Garrou, and Dr. Calway. England, UK, Personal Email.

Figure 6. The ideal UVI of 3.0 measured by the Solarmeter 6.5R is achieved at 3”/7.6 cm. from the cage top and then decreases rapidly to unacceptable levels. An animal sitting more than 3” away from the top would receive inadequate levels of UVB even with a brand-new bulb

Figure 7. At a distance of 8”/20cm UVI is only 1.8 ■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

Donna Garrou has kept and bred birds and reptiles for more than 30 years. She has been the chief surgical technician for 17 years at The Bird Clinic avian-only practice in Orange, CA and is the developer of Kitty Kollar (www.kitty kollar.com), the first esophageal tube protective collar for animals.

Figure 8. Perfect 3.0 UVI as far as 9”/22.86cm

Additional Reading 1. T. Bailey and C. Lloyd. The importance of lighting for zoological collections in the Middle East [Internet]. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Wildlife Middle East. Volume 3. Issue 3.

December 2008. Available from vol3-issue 3-collections-in-middle-east.pdf (reptileuvinfo.com) 2. Frances Marian Baines. 2016. How much UV-B does my reptile need? The UV tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research. Vol 4 No 1. P 42-63 [Internet] Available from https://www.jzar.org/ jzar/article/view/150.

3. John Courteney-Smith. How important is UV lighting for parrots? [Internet] Cambridge, UK: The Bird School. 2012. Available from http://thebirdschool.com/parrot-health/howimportant-is-uv-lighting-for-parrots/.

4. J.T Lumeij/A. Rijnberk and FJ Van Sluijs, 2009. Medical history and physical examination in companion animals. 2nd edition. The Netherlands: Springer Dordrecht. 344 p.

5. Gopinathan K. Menon, Jaishri Menon. 2015.

Avian epidermal lipids: functional considerations and relationship to feathering. American Zoologist Journal. Volume 40. Issue 4. Pages 540-552 [Internet] Available from https://acedemic.oup.com/icb/article/40/4/540/101541.

6. Sebokeratocytes of avian epidermis with mammalian comparisons. In R. I. C. Spearman and P. A. Riley (eds.), The skin of vertebrates, pp.

47–56. Symp. Linn. Soc. Lond., No. 9. Academic Press, London.

APRIL 2024

TheVeterinarian 27

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BUSINESS

Virgin Australia lets pets on planes Virgin Australia has unveiled its ambitious plan to become the pioneer airline in Australia to introduce flights with pets onboard. The ground-breaking service, eagerly awaited by pet lovers nationwide, is pending regulatory approval and is anticipated to commence within the next 12 months.

A recent social media survey conducted

by Virgin Australia revealed overwhelming support for the initiative, with 85 per cent of the airline's Facebook followers expressing their enthusiasm for pets in cabin flights.

Subsequent research conducted among Australian pet owners reaffirmed this sentiment, with nearly 70 per cent indicating their willingness to travel with their pets in the cabin. Additionally, 57 per cent of respondents expressed their intent to fly more frequently if such a service were available.

The concept of pets onboard flights is wellestablished in North America, with major carriers like United Airlines and Air Canada already offering similar services for domestic flights.

To ensure the comfort and safety of all passengers, Virgin Australia has outlined specific parameters for pets in cabin flights: The service will be limited to small cats and dogs and will be available on select domestic routes.

Pets will occupy designated rows and must remain in approved pet carriers under the seat in front of the owner for the duration of the flight. Free roaming and sitting on laps will not be permitted.

Virgin Australia Group CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka, expressed her excitement about the groundbreaking initiative, highlighting the airline's commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its passengers.

“Our love for animals has always been in the Virgin Australia DNA, and we are thrilled to embark on this journey to introduce Australia’s first-ever pets in cabin flights,” Hrdlicka said.

She added, “Almost 70 per cent of Australian households have a pet, so this announcement is really significant for a large proportion of the country. It’s also a great thing for pet-friendly accommodation providers who will benefit greatly from increased connectivity and the ease for travellers to fly with their pets. It really will be a whole new economy for pet travel in Australia.”

Melbourne Airport CEO, Lorie Argus, expressed the airport's readiness to support Virgin Australia in implementing the pets in cabin concept, emphasizing the importance

of providing adequate facilities and infrastructure to accommodate the new guests.

“We’ve been investing significant effort into providing relief areas for assistance animals, and these facilities have ample capacity to serve Virgin Australia’s new guests," Argus said.

“We expect the pets in cabin concept will prove a popular offering, and we look forward to working with Virgin Australia to make it a reality.”

Further information regarding pets in cabin flights, including eligible routes and associated costs, will be announced in the near future.

UK recognition for VET.CT founder

Victoria Johnson (centre)

Founder and CEO of VET.CT, Victoria Johnson, has been named as winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Bupa everywoman in Technology Awards 2024. The awards shine a spotlight on the tech industry’s most exceptional talent from the UK and beyond, bringing the industry together to recognise and reward outstanding performance in this constantly evolving sector.

Since founding VET.CT in 2009, Victoria has led this innovative veterinary teleradiology, specialist consultancy and education company to a global team of more than 280 people, striving to make the veterinary world a better place through its services. The unique combination of cutting-edge technology and a strong sense of shared purpose, company culture and

values, result in the consistent delivery of trusted knowledge, support and reassurance to veterinary teams at the point of need.

Victoria was quick to extend the award to her team, saying; “Everything we are achieving through VET.CT is only possible thanks to the awesome tech team and the radiologists, specialists and operations team they interact with to deliver great services to our clients.

Through VET.CT, I want to show it’s possible to have a successful company delivering high quality clinical services, while doing the right thing for its people, the veterinary industry and the animals we serve.”

More information about the awards can be found at: www.everywoman.com/everywoman-in-technology-awards/2024-winners/.

From Radio Systems to PetSafe

Vettr acquired by Vimian Group

Radio Systems Corporation and Radio Systems Australia have rebranded as PetSafe Brands, reaffirming their commitment to innovative pet care solutions. With over three decades of expertise, PetSafe Brands leads the global market in pet supplies.

Originally founded in Knoxville, Tennessee, PetSafe Brands has expanded globally, with a significant presence in Australia since 2012. The Australian division plays a crucial role in overseeing operations in both Australia and New Zealand, contributing to the local economy and pet care industry.

CEO Rob Candelino expressed pride in the company's evolution. "PetSafe Brands reflects our commitment to innovation and growth,” he said The rebranding emphasizes the company's position as a leader in pet care solutions.

PetSafe Brands is renowned for its category-leading innovations, including the introduction of the first pumpless fountain and a 100% all-natural, high-performance cat litter. These advancements underscore the company's dedication to pet well-being and sustainability.

In March, Vimian Group signed an agreement to acquire Vettr, a member services platform for veterinary clinics based in Brisbane, Australia. The company has annual revenues of around $1.6m.

Vimian’s Veterinary Services segment VetFamily has acquired Vettr. Founded in 2013, Vettr is a family-owned company offering procurement and support services to around 200 veterinary clinics across Australia.

Vettr complements VetFamily’s Australian services platform Independent Vets of Australia (IVA), acquired in July 2021.

The CEO David Butchart will continue to lead the company as part of VetFamily and Vimian Group.

“With Vettr and IVA combined, we establish a strong footprint as a leading service provider to independent veterinary clinics across Australia. We are excited to welcome Vettr to the Vimian family,” Alireza Tajbakhsh, CEO of VetFamily, said.

The acquisition will have a marginal impact on Vimian Group's earnings per share in the current financial year. The acquisition was consolidated into Vimian Group’s Veterinary Services segment in early April.

Innovations from PetSafe Brands include: ■ The first pumpless fountain

■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

■ A 100 per cent all-natural, high-performance

cat litter

■ The world's smallest Bark Collar ■ Expansion of the ScoopFree line, offering

self-cleaning litter boxes CMO Molly Landman emphasizes the company's commitment to pet safety and health, aiming to reach more consumers through strategic partnerships and innovative marketing channels.

Director AU and NZ, Kevin Jorgensen, sees the rebranding as an exciting chapter in the company's journey, highlighting its focus on innovation and enhancing the bond between pets and their owners.

Marketing Manager AU and NZ, Sarah Ambler, echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the company's commitment to keeping pets happy, healthy, and safe in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.

As PetSafe Brands continues to lead the way in pet care solutions, pet owners can look forward to a future filled with ground-breaking innovations.

APRIL 2024 TheVeterinarian 29

News Survey highlights economic and staff challenges From page 5

to communicate with clients and providing the option of telemedicine for the convenience of clients based remotely, or as a more flexible option than the traditional in-person clinic visit.

Technology is not seen as a complete solution though, with 48 per cent of veterinary clinics ranking spending on staff in general as their top priority, as it leads to results for their businesses.

The report recognises that the data collected from Australian respondents reflects the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), in their 2021 Workforce Survey Report which highlighted a critical veterinary shortage, which has led to the NSW parliament establishing an inquiry from summer 2023, into the shortage across all aspects of veterinary practice, including small and large animal practice, government, academia, research, industry and pathology.

“Our staff are our biggest asset.

Investing in their health, skills and knowledge is by far the best use of our money and time.

When staff are equipped to perform the work, we are asking of them, our business benefits.

Keeping well trained staff interested and invested in our business is our goal,” Graham Lauridsen of Tropical Vets said.

■ JULIA GARDINER

Abstracts - features of cats From page 17

quantitative RT-PCR assay.

The most common pathologic lesions identified in the necropsied cats were hepatitis, abdominal effusion (ascites), serositis, pancreatitis, lymphadenitis, icterus and perivasculitis. In cats treated with antiviral compounds, gross and histological lesions characteristic of FIP persisted for several weeks, while the viral antigen became progressively less detectable.

Brian G Murphy1, Diego Castillo1, N E Neely2, Amir Kol 1, Terza Brostoff1, Chris K Grant3, Krystle L Reagan4 Viruses. 2024 Mar 17;16(3): 462.doi: 10.3390/v16030462.

1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. 2School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. 3Custom Monoclonals International, 813 Harbor Boulevard, West Sacramento, CA 95691, USA. 4Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. 30 TheVeterinarian APRIL 2024

Assessing blue whale populations From page 7

Senior author Luciana Möller from FU’s Molecular Ecology Lab, and Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, said the finding was unexpected given that blue whale populations were understood to have opposite breeding seasons when their populations existed on the other side of the equator.

“While eastern Indian and western Pacific blue whales have the lowest genetic diversity of the high-level hierarchical groups, which is likely due to climate-induced diversification rather than anthropogenic impacts, our study identified the eastern Indian Ocean, western South Pacific Ocean and potentially western Indian Ocean as different populations within the Indo-western Pacific,” she said.

In addition to generating the largest global genomic dataset to date for blue whales, the study also incorporated information from recent satellite tagging, acoustics and stable isotopes research to link the genetic results to blue whale population calls and typical migratory and breeding patterns.

Co-author Luciano Beheregray, founder of FU’s Molecular Ecology

Lab, said that genomics was a vital tool with unparalleled power to determine population differentiation, connectivity and other characteristics able to inform the conservation management of biodiversity.

“Whole-genome population studies and comparisons with environmental conditions are needed to better understand adaptations in blue whales and other baleen whales.

Localised depletion of blue whales could occur if these threats are concentrated in areas containing populations with limited connectivity to animals in surrounding regions.

Thus, describing the spatio-temporal patterns of population differences within a species and their geographic boundaries can inform management decisions on the timing and location of human activities to minimise impacts on these wide-ranging whale species,” he said.

The study recommended that national management bodies minimise human activities that can impact these management groups when the blue whales are within their jurisdiction.

■ ANNE LAYTON-BENNETT

Heat stress from ocean warming harms octopus vision From page 7

“We found a high mortality rate under future warming conditions.

Out of three replicate octopus broods, none of the eggs hatched for two of them and less than half of the eggs hatched for the remaining brood,” Hua said.

“In the broods where none of the eggs hatched, the mothers died naturally while the eggs were still in early development stages.

“Because maternal care of embryos occurs in octopuses, global warming could have a simultaneous impact on multiple generations, with the low survival rate of the embryos caused by the direct effect of thermal stress as well as the indirect effect of thermal stress on the mothers.

“Our study shows that even for a

highly adaptable taxon like octopuses, they may not be able to survive future ocean changes.”

Other effects of higher temperatures which have been observed in octopuses include a higher metabolic rate, reduced size at maturity, and even a range shift in the distribution of some species.

“We hope that future research would examine a combination of environmental stressors including ocean acidification, warming, and deoxygenation,” Hua said.

“It would also be useful to do a transgenerational experiment to see if sensitivity or tolerance to the environmental stressors is passed down from one generation to the next, which help us understand the impacts on the continuation of the species.”

Abstracts - evaluation of emotional states in dogs From page 14

influence of coder bias, food provision, exercise, and external temperature.

Overall, it is recommended future dog emotion and welfare research use a combination of parameters including indicators of both emotional valence and arousal.

Hannah E Flint1, Jennifer E Weller2, Nia Parry-Howells2, Zack W Ellerby2,

Stephanie L McKay2, Tammie King2 Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 17;14(1): 6406.doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56859-9.

1Waltham

Petcare Science Institute, Waltham on the Wolds, LE14 4RT, UK. hannah.flint@effem.com.

2Waltham Petcare Science Institute, Waltham on the Wolds, LE14 4RT, UK.

Abstracts - sheep fatigue during transport From page 14

Insight into stakeholder perceptions of these issues could contribute to the body of knowledge regarding sheep fatigue during transport, potentially playing a part in future efforts to improve fatigue understanding and detection. Eighteen experts from different stakeholder groups were interviewed. Reflexive thematic analysis of interview data yielded four themes and three sub-themes.

The first theme, “Let's anthropomorphise it a little bit”, underscores the pervasiveness of anthropomorphism and suggests using it in a conscious and deliberate way to drive stakeholder engagement and policy change. The second theme, “We think that they're like we are and they’re not”, cautions against wholesale transfer of human experiences to animals. The third theme, ‘See the whole animal', advocates using Qualitative Behaviour

TheVeterinarian Sydney Magazine Publishers Pty Ltd ACN 102752787 ISSN 1447-9768 PO Box 6130 West Gosford NSW 2250 Tel: 0432 575 877 Publisher - James Martin Email: james.martin@vetmag.com.au Editorial Advisory Board Thomas Donnelly BVSc DipVP DipACLAM Nicholas Kannegieter BVSc DipVetClinStud PhD FACVSc David Lidbetter BVSc MVS FACVSc DipECVS Dip ACVS Angus Martin BVSc Mary Porter BVSc (Hons) MACVSc Jeffrey Smith BVSc FACVSc Dip ACVO David Vella BSc BVSc (Hons) DABVP Designer - Anne Norrell Email: annenorrelldesign@gmail.com To have your say, email editor@vetmag.com.au Printed by Newstyle Printing 41 Manchester St, Mile End SA 5031 Post Print Approved PP255003/06488 All material in The Veterinarian is subject to copyright and must not be reproduced wholly or in part without the written permission of the Editor.

Views expressed in The Veterinarian are not necessarily those of The Veterinarian or Sydney Magazine Publishers Pty Ltd. Subscriptions - Clem Martin Tel: 02 9487 6627 Email: clem.martin@vetmag.com.au

SUBSCRIBE NOW! Mail PO Box 6130 West Gosford NSW 2250 Phone (02) 9487 6627 www.theveterinarian.com.au Subscriptions Australia $93.50 for 1 Year $138.60 for 2 Years $182.60 for 3 Years New Zealand $105 (AUD) 1 Year $160 (AUD) 2 Years $210 (AUD) 3 Years USA/Canada (airmail) $135 UK/Europe (airmail) $135 .

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Analysis (QBA), proven reliable in other contexts, to deepen and enrich our current understanding of fatigue.

The fourth theme, ‘Fatigue “never comes up”, highlights the fact that fatigue is rarely if ever discussed in the context of sheep transport. These themes suggest several avenues for future research, including developing QBA-based assessments for fatigue to improve welfare during transport.

Katia Colitti1, Malcolm Mitchell2, Fritha Langford3 Anim Welf. 2024 Mar 11:33: e13.doi:10.1017/awf.

2024.13.

1The

University of Edinburgh, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Roslin, Midlothian, UK. 2Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, UK. 3Newcastle University, School of Natural and Environmental Science, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. ■ www.theveterinarian.com.au

Wolverine (Gulo gulo) Wiih a name based on the Latin term for glutton, the wolverine is the largest land-dwelling Mustelid, a muscular carnivore and solitary animal. It has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion with its size, and has the ability to kill prey many times larger than itself. (This type of wolverine does not possess adamantium claws.) Picture Ninara

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