Small Animal Veterinary Research Articles

Small Animal Veterinarians' Communication With Dog Owners From a Motivational Interviewing Perspective.

Veterinary communication skills are fundamentally important in animal practice. Despite client-centered communication being recommended as the optimal medical communication style, a paternalistic approach is still common in veterinary medical encounters with pet owners. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered, evidence-based counseling method aiming to strengthen a person's motivation and commitment to behavior changes. In this exploratory study, the aim was to investigate Swedish small animal veterinarians' use of client centered communication with dog owners regarding dental home care in dogs. This was achieved by analyzing the use of MI-techniques among veterinarians without previous training or knowledge of the method. Individual telephone calls, reflecting a veterinary clinical scenario, between small animal veterinarians (n = 8) and a trained professional actor playing a dog owner were recorded and coded according to an MI coding protocol (MITI 4.2.1). In the present study, the degree of spontaneously used MI was low. From an MI-communication perspective, with a simulated dog owner, the veterinarians predominantly relied on asking questions, giving information, and persuasive talk. The veterinarians dominated the conversations and made minimal attempts to involve the dog owner resulting in a power imbalance between veterinarian and client. As the degree of spontaneously used MI was found to be low, MI-training may be required in order to apply the method in professional counseling. The veterinarians' communication pattern suggested a paternalistic communication style, when attempting to motivate a client to brush his or her dog's teeth. We suggest that Motivational Interviewing (MI) has a potential to improve veterinary communication and adherence to medical recommendations if introduced and implemented in veterinary practice.

Serial point-prevalence surveys to estimate antibiotic use in a small animal veterinary teaching hospital, November 2018 to October 2019.

BackgroundThere is no standardized methodology to measure antibiotic drug use (AU) in small animal veterinary hospitals.ObjectivesTo estimate AU prevalence in a small animal veterinary teaching hospital and characterize usage by indication and evidence of infection. To establish an AU measurement methodology for veterinary settings.AnimalsElectronic medical records of cats and dogs seen by primary care, urgent care, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, and surgery services during November 2018 to October 2019.MethodsOn 1 day each month, data (signalment, visit reason, diagnostics, and antibiotic details, including indication) were collected for all animals seen on study services.ResultsOf 168 inpatient dogs and 452 outpatient dogs, 98 (58.3%) and 107 (23.7%,) were receiving at least 1 antibiotic on the day of data collection, respectively. For cats 15/49 (30.6%) inpatients and 29/187 (15.5%) outpatients were receiving at least 1 antibiotic. Common drug classes prescribed for dogs were potentiated penicillins (28.7%), first‐generation cephalosporins (22.1%), and nitroimidazoles (14.7%), and for cats, common drug classes administered were potentiated penicillins (26.9%), fluoroquinolones (13.5%), and penicillins (11.5%). Common indications for antibiotics included skin, respiratory, gastrointestinal, perioperative, aural, and urinary conditions.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSerial point‐prevalence surveys (PPS) can estimate AU in a large specialty hospital setting and identify targets for antimicrobial stewardship. The methodology developed during this study can be adapted for use in private practice, including large animal practice. Mirroring methods used in human healthcare, the data collection tool can also be used to describe AU nationally through completion of national PPS.

Hand hygiene in small animal veterinary practices – more than a lick and a promise

Introduction: Hand hygiene (HH) is recognised as an important infection prevention and control practice to reduce the risk of pathogen transfer. Australian human health care facilities have allocated considerable resources and training to improve HH compliance. Small animal veterinary practices also have a need to demonstrate good HH. Formal HH training and auditing does not occur in veterinary practice.

A text-mining based analysis of 100,000 tumours affecting dogs and cats in the United Kingdom

Cancer is a major reason for veterinary consultation, especially in companion animals. Cancer surveillance plays a key role in prevention but opportunities for such surveillance in companion animals are limited by the lack of suitable veterinary population health infrastructures. In this paper we describe a pathology-based animal tumour registry (PTR) developed within the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) built from electronic pathology records (EPR) submitted to this network. From an original collection of 180232 free text (non-structured) EPRs reported between April 2018 and June 2019, we used specific text-mining methodologies to identify 109895 neoplasias. These data were normalized to describe both the tumour (type and location) and the animal (breed, neutering status and veterinary practice postcode). The resulting PTR, the largest of its kind for companion animals to date, is an important research resource being able to facilitate a wide array of research in areas including surveillance, clinical decision making and comparative cancer biology.

Concordance of the Histopathologic Diagnosis of Concurrent Duodenal and Ileal Biopsy Specimens in Dogs.

Simple SummaryCanine chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) is a gastrointestinal (GI) inflammatory condition that requires histopathology of intestinal biopsies for definitive diagnosis. This can be performed endoscopically or surgically; with the former being more common as it is less invasive. In recent years, research has identified that different types of inflammatory disease and histologic severity can exist at different locations within the GI tract, known as discordance. There is a lack of understanding of the clinical impact of lesion oversight in dogs with discordant biopsies between locations. Therefore, current recommendations are to procure endoscopic biopsies from both the upper intestinal (stomach and duodenum) and lower small intestinal tract (ileum) when possible. The rate of discordance between different GI locations has not been assessed in dogs with non-inflammatory enteropathies, i.e., neoplastic etiology, nor compared between endoscopic and surgically collected biopsy specimens. Here, we report that the rate of discordance between the duodenum and ileum in CIE is similar between endoscopic biopsy and surgical biopsy specimens and confirm that discordance between upper and lower GI biopsies exist for small-cell lymphoma. There were no clinicopathologic variables that were correlated with discordance. We conclude that for all dogs with chronic GI signs, concurrent duodenal and ileal biopsies should be performed.Histopathologic discordance between gastrointestinal (GI) locations in canine chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) has prompted recommendations to biopsy both the duodenum and ileum, while further evaluation is required for non-CIE. We aimed to determine the concordance of histopathologic diagnosis between duodenal and ileal endoscopic or full-thickness biopsy specimens for all dogs with CIE and GI neoplasia and to assess the association between histopathologic discordance between GI locations with clinicopathologic variables. Seventy-nine dogs were eligible, with endoscopic (74) or full-thickness (5) biopsy specimens. Clinicopathological data were recorded for all dogs. Concordance of histopathologic diagnosis was retrospectively assessed for concurrent duodenal and ileal biopsy specimens by a single board-certified veterinary pathologist using the modified World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Gastrointestinal Standardization Group guidelines. Sixty-seven dogs were diagnosed with CIE and 5 with enteric-associated T-cell lymphoma-2 (EATL-2). Concordance of histologic diagnosis between duodenal and ileal sites was similar between endoscopic (73.0%) and full-thickness (80.0%) biopsy groups. For the CIE cases, lymphoplasmacytic enteritis had the highest concordance (73.0%) and eosinophilic enteritis the least (16.7%). Of the 5 neoplastic cases, 5/5 (100%) were present at the duodenum but only 3/5 (60%) in the ileum. No clinicopathologic variables demonstrated a statistically significant association with discordance. We conclude that the level of discordance necessitates concurrent biopsy of both duodenum and ileum in all dogs with chronic GI signs. The rate of EATL-2 was lower than rates reported for cats.

Clinical findings associated with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide measurement in dogs and cats attending first opinion veterinary practices.

Clinical findings associated with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measurement in dogs and cats in primary practice, and their relevance to published measurement indications, have not been described. Using electronic health record data collected by the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network, appointments in which NT-proBNP was measured were identified using keyword-based text filtering. For these appointments, clinical findings were manually identified from each patient's clinical narrative (CN) and their frequencies described. CNs of 3510 appointments (357 dogs and 257 cats) from 99practices were evaluated. The most frequently recorded clinical findings in dogs were: heart murmur (n=147, 41.2% (95% confidence interval (CI)=36.1%-46.3%), coughing (n=83, 23.2% (95% CI=18.8%-27.6%)) and panting (n=58, 16.2% (95% CI=12.4%-20.0%)) and in cats: heart murmur (n=143, 55.6% (95% CI=49.5%-61.7%)), suspected thromboembolism (n=88, 34.2% (95% CI=28.4%-40.0%)) and weight loss (n=53, 20.6% (95% CI=15.7%-25.5%)). Dyspnoea and tachypnoea were infrequently reported in dogs (n=29, 8.1% (95% CI=5.3%-10.9%) and n=21, 5.9% (95% CI=3.5%-8.3%), respectively) and cats (n=26, 10.1% (95% CI=6.4%-13.8%) and n=36, 14.0% (95% CI=9.8%-18.2%), respectively). Clinical findings referable to cardiac disease were recorded contemporaneously with NT-proBNP measurement and suggested both published and other indications (coughing (in dogs and cats), and serial measurements and thromboembolism (in cats)) for testing.

Computed tomography findings in a cohort of 169 dogs with elbow dysplasia - a retrospective study

BackgroundCanine elbow dysplasia (CED) is a complex developmental skeletal disorder associated with a number of pathological conditions within the cubital joint. Because CED is a heritable disease, it is important to identify and remove the affected animals from breeding. The first objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of medial coronoid process disease (MCPD) without (MCD) or with (FMCP) fragmented medial coronoid process, osteochondrosis (OC) and/or osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), ununited anconeal process (UAP), radio-ulnar incongruence (INC R-U) and humero-ulnar incongruence (INC H-U) in dogs with the use of CT imaging. The second aim was to determine the influence of demographics on the prevalence of investigated pathologies in dogs with clinical evidence of elbow dysplasia.ResultsIn this retrospective study, CT data records of 169 dogs of different breeds presented to the small animal veterinary clinic from 2012 to 2018 were included. 69.23% of dogs diagnosed with CED were young (≤ 2 years old). The mean age of dogs presented with INC R-U was 1.68 ± 1.82 years, while in dogs without INC R-U the mean age was 2.64 ± 2.59 years. The mean age of dogs with INC H-U was 1.94 ± 2.06 years, while without INC H-U 3.29 ± 2.09 years. Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherd and Bernese Mountain dogs were most frequently presented with CED-associated lameness. In 122 dogs OA of varying severity was found.ConclusionINC H-U, FMCP and MCD were among the most frequently found components of CED found in the present study. OCD and UAP were the least frequently diagnosed. Dogs presented with INC R-U and INC H-U were significantly younger than dogs without these CED components. Boxers, Dog de Bordeaux, American Staffordshire terriers and mixed-breed dogs were diagnosed later in life than the other breeds. OA of varying severity was found in 72.18% of dogs. Males accounted for more than 75% of the study population.

Exploring Valued Personality Traits in Practicing Veterinarians.

We examined differences in valued Big Five personality traits of small animal veterinarians between members and nonmembers of the veterinary medicine community. Between fall 2019 and spring 2020, data were collected from an online survey sent to eligible persons across a US midwestern state. Eligible persons included veterinary office clients (i.e., pet owners) and persons practicing/training in veterinary medicine. Participants completed demographic questions and 10 Likert scale items about which Big Five personality characteristics they prefer in a veterinarian. Descriptive data were determined and checked for assumptions of linearity and normality. Data for the primary analyses were analyzed using Spearman's correlations and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. Participants who were members of the veterinary community of practice valued the characteristic openness more than clients but valued emotional stability less than clients. Moreover, tests revealed that young adults (aged 18-24) valued extraversion more than all other age groups but least valued agreeableness. Last, participants aged 55 and older valued agreeableness and emotional stability more than the 18-44 age groups. Findings indicate individuals from different membership and age groups have varying preferences in what personality traits they expect in a veterinarian. Clients care more about their veterinarian being able to handle adversity. Older adults want their veterinarian to be trusting and creative. These findings encourage veterinary medical education to spotlight the development of skills congruent with these desired personality traits. Gaining such skills will be useful for veterinarians who seek to grow or build lasting relationships with clientele and colleagues.

Longitudinal environmental Staphylococcus contamination in a new small animal veterinary hospital and utility of cleaning checklists.

Staphylococci are inhabitants of skin and mucous membranes with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) serving as important pathogens for animals and people, respectively. Previous research has identified the environment as potentially important in hospital-associated infections and zoonotic transmission in veterinary settings. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the longitudinal prevalence over repeated samplings of environmental coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CPS) in a new veterinary hospital and evaluate associations between contamination and environmental and clinical (caseload, cleaning checklists and staff numbers) factors. Cleaning and disinfection compliance, based on staff-completed checklists, were reviewed for the three shifts immediately prior to sampling. We hypothesized that over time, environmental contamination would increase as the clinic developed and caseload increased and compliance to cleaning checklists would decrease with increasing caseload. Over 18months, 351 environmental samples were collected at five sampling times (sampling occurred before opening the hospital and every 3 to 6months thereafter). Overall contamination with CPS was 30.8% (108/351), with SA (16.8%) and SP (13.1%) identified from the contaminated surfaces. Overall, methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA and MRSP) were infrequently recovered (combined n=3; <1%). Point prevalence of CPS contamination was relatively stable over the study period (22.5%-28.4%), with the exception of an increase at the fourth sampling (52.9%). Cleaning compliance varied over the study period (57.9%-100%); the lowest reported cleaning coincided with the highest proportion of CPS contamination. The most commonly contaminated surfaces were chairs (7/15; 46.7%), examination tables (19/47; 40.4%) and computers (12/35; 34.3%); these items were infrequently included on cleaning lists. Surfaces not included in the checklist were 2.3 times more likely to be contaminated by CPS than those that were included (OR: 2.3, CI 95%: 1.02 -5.35, p-value=.04). MRSA and MRSP were rarely isolated from the environment in the newly opened hospital, indicating it may take time for resistant strains to enter the environment and persist on surfaces. This study identified the possible utility of cleaning checklists for directing cleaning practices and reducing the environmental contamination.

Assessing Backyard Poultry versus Small Animal Knowledge of Veterinary Students regarding Husbandry, Prescription Drug Use, and Antimicrobial Resistance.

As backyard poultry (BYP) ownership has increased in the US, the demand for veterinarians who treat BYP has also increased. However, veterinarians who treat BYP remain scarce and are mostly small animal veterinarians and exotic animal practitioners who have limited training in food animal regulatory practices. To gauge whether veterinary students are interested in learning more about BYP and what BYP topics to include in an online training program for veterinary students, a BYP knowledge assessment was conducted. Pre-clinical veterinary students were asked to self-rate their level of knowledge on various topics for both small animal practice and BYP using Likert-type ordinal scales. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests of those Likert data showed significant differences (p < .01 at α = .05) between self-assessed knowledge of poultry and small animal medicine for all surveyed topics. Specifically, veterinary students ranked themselves as less knowledgeable on poultry concepts than on small animal medicine concepts. Nevertheless, students expressed interest in an online training program for treating BYP and drug residue avoidance in BYP, despite having chosen future career tracks that are not exclusively poultry. Specific topics students expressed interest in with respect to BYP training included anatomy, husbandry, prescribing medications, treatment options, food safety, antimicrobial resistance, and extra-label drug use.

Histopathological frequency of caninehepatobiliary disease in the United Kingdom.

Canine hepatobiliary disease is common; however, data determining disease frequency and breed predispositions are lacking. The primary objective was to identify the frequency of different hepatobiliary disease in a United Kingdom population of dogs and consequently determine breeds at both an increased and decreased risk of hepatobiliary disease. Anonymised histopathology reports from a commercial veterinary diagnostic laboratory, which were submitted between August 2013 and February 2018, were analysed. Data were retrospectively categorised into hepatobiliary diseases according to World Small Animal Veterinary Association Standards and the breed, age and genders recorded. Cases with incomplete data or no definitive diagnosis were excluded. Breed predisposition was calculated using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals against a United Kingdom-based control population of micro-chipped dogs. Histopathology results from 4584 cases met inclusion criteria. The most frequent histological diagnoses were reactive hepatitis (n=770); chronic hepatitis (n=735) and reversible hepatocellular injury (n=589). A number of breeds were shown to be at an increased or decreased risk of individual liver diseases. This is the first study to document the histopathological frequency of hepatobiliary diseases in a large cohort of dogs in the United Kingdom, as well as novel possible breed and age predispositions. Despite multivariable analysis not being performed to account for confounding factors, this information hopes to inform and support future investigations for hepatic disease in particular breeds and potential predispositions.

Managing conflicting ethical concerns in modern small animal practice-A comparative study of veterinarian's decision ethics in Austria, Denmark and the UK.

Small animal veterinarians frequently have to manage conflicting interests. Beside the key consideration of the patient’s interests, small animal veterinarians are often challenged to consider not only client’s emotional needs, but also their own personal aspirations to provide quality patient care and to make a good living as a professional. Further, veterinarians have an interest in continuous professional development and the use of the newest treatments, which may influence their decision-making process. Based on published work, we hypothesize the existence of four decision ethics orientations that veterinarians can use to manage potentially conflicting concerns. These are: the patient-focused, the client-empathetic, the client-devolved and the development-oriented decision ethics orientations. We surveyed small animal veterinarians in Austria, Denmark, and the UK using a questionnaire (N = 648), and successfully identified the four decision ethics orientations in all three countries. The patient-focused and client-empathetic decision ethics orientations are salient in all countries, whereas Danish and UK veterinarians are slightly more client-empathetic and client-devolved compared to their Austrian colleagues. Across countries our findings show that experienced and older veterinarians tend to be more client-empathetic. Younger and less experienced professionals are more development-oriented compared to their older and more experienced colleagues. In contrast to other studies investigating ethical issues in small animal practice, we found no evidence that gender plays a decisive role in the tendency towards any decision ethics orientation. We also show that veterinarians with a higher client-empathetic orientation and development-orientation more often discuss the possibility of health insurance with clients who do not have it. The present study provides a first empirical insight into how veterinarians manage challenging expectations and ethical concerns as part of decision making in modern small animal practice.

Rationale for hyperbaric oxygen therapy in traumatic injury and wound care in small animal veterinary practice.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is in wide use in human medicine around the world. Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy is available for veterinary use, it is still significantly underutilised. The physical principles, gas laws and physiologic mechanisms by which hyperbaric oxygen therapy is therapeutic, especially in traumatic injuries and complicated wound care, are discussed. Then, considerations are offered for the implementation of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in veterinary practices. Finally, a review of clinical indications for veterinary practices, including a presentation of select literature, is provided. Applying hyperbaric oxygen therapy in an earlier and more consistent manner could improve short‐ and long‐term outcomes in complicated wounds. The authors also hope this information may stimulate interest in the design of future, prospective studies for the various clinical situations described.

Surveillance of a vomiting outbreak in dogs in the UK using owner-derived and internet search data.

In early 2020, the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network reported evidence of an outbreak of acute prolific vomiting in dogs in the UK. The aims of this study were to investigate whether there was evidence for a vomiting outbreak in Dogslife and Google Trends data and to describe its characteristics. Incidence of Dogslife vomiting reports and the Google search index for 'dog vomiting' and 'puppy vomiting' between December 2019 and March 2020 was compared to the respective data from the same months in previous years. Risks for dogs vomiting and factors influencing veterinary attendance in Dogslife were identified using multivariable logistic regression. This study confirmed a vomiting outbreak was evident in UK dogs between December 2019 and March 2020 using data from Dogslife and Google Trends. The odds of a vomiting incident being reported to Dogslife was 1.51 (95% CI: 1.24-1.84) in comparison to previous years. Dogslife data identified differences in owner-decision making when seeking veterinary attention and identified factors associated with dogs at higher odds of experiencing a vomiting episode. Owner-derived data including questionnaires and internet search queries should be considered a valid, valuable source of information for veterinary population health surveillance.

Zoonotic Disease Management and Infection Control Practices Among Veterinarians in the United Arab Emirates.

This study was conducted to assess zoonotic disease management and infection control practices (ICPs) among veterinarians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A questionnaire was developed in SurveyMonkey, an online tool, and was distributed by email during February–May 2020 to 470 veterinarians practicing across the UAE. A total of 110 individuals completed the survey, giving a response rate of 23.4% (110/470). Results indicate that reported hand hygiene, sharps management, barrier or isolation practices, and personal choices for personal protective equipment (PPE) in common practice scenarios varied among practitioners. The majority (>75%) of veterinarians in all practice types reported always washing their hands before eating, drinking, or smoking at work. The survey revealed that 19% and 10% of large and small animal veterinarians indicated they sterilized and reused disposable needles. Veterinarians among all practices indicated high rates (75% to 80%) of recapping needles before disposal. When handling an animal suspected of having a zoonotic disease, most (90%) of small animal veterinarians reported always using practices such as isolating the animal and removing outwear before contact with other animals. However, only half (55%) of the large animal respondents reported always isolating the animal or sterilizing all equipment used on the animal of concern. Fewer than half of the large animal (35%) and mixed practice (44%) veterinarians indicated they would always be limiting human contact with the animal of concern. All of the small animal respondents reported full compliance with PPE while performing surgery and necropsy. Among large animal veterinarians, 44% reported not using respiratory or eye protection when aiding with parturition or handling conception products. Failure to use appropriate PPE when handling blood samples was the second most common noncompliant practice among large animal (39%) veterinarians and mixed practice (41%) respondents. Our study indicates a need for continuous education regarding ICPs in the veterinary community in the UAE. Better awareness of the risk of zoonotic disease exposure and options for managing this risk and liability issues could drive the adoption of infection control practices.

Prescription Pattern of Antimicrobial Use in Small Animal Veterinary Practice in Cameroon.

Retrospective data on antimicrobial use (AMU) within the period ranging from January 2012-December 2015 was collected to assess the antimicrobial prescription patterns in pets (cats and dogs) treated by 16 veterinary private practitioners in the 2 main urban cities of Cameroon (Douala and Yaounde). The vet practitioners were interviewed in order to analyze prescribing behavior and factors influencing antimicrobial prescription. Out of a total of 3928 antimicrobial prescriptions, 3673(93.5%) were recorded in dogs and 255 (6.5%) in cats during the study period in 7 veterinary clinics. The most prescribed antimicrobials were sulfamethoxypyridazine-trimethoprim (dog: 31.2%; cat: 28.6%), benzylpenicillin-streptomycin (dogs:19.0%; cat:21.9%) and marbofloxacin (dogs:18.3%; cats:16.1%). Almost, 64.6% of antimicrobial prescription in dogs was categorized as highly important antimicrobials and 34.9% as critically important antimicrobial agents. In cats, 77.9% of antimicrobial prescription was categorized as highly important antimicrobials and 22.1% as critically important antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobials were mostly used for gastro-intestinal disorders (31.9%) and skin diseases (24. 1%) in dogs while they were mostly applied for surgical problems (29.8%), musculo-skeletal disease (20.4%) and gastro-intestinal tract diseases (19.6%) in cats. Fluoroquinolones were administered as first option instead of third option. Antimicrobials were associated with other veterinary drugs (anti-inflammatory, internal and external parasite therapy) in 75.3% of cases. The prescription of antimicrobials was based on clinical diagnosis (symptom-based), ease of drug administration, owner's purchasing power and antibiogram. This study highlights the necessity to promote antimicrobial stewardship in pet medicine in Cameroon. Confirmatory diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing before antibiotic prescription should be encouraged. The uncontrolled use of critically important antimicrobials for human medicine and especially their indiscriminate use may favor the occurrence of AMR public health issues.

Bacterial zoonoses transmitted by household pets and as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant bacteria

Numerous individuals are committed to growing pet creatures like cats, dogs, and rats etc., pay care for them and as a result of this, there's a boost of their populace in advanced culture. The close interaction between family pets and individuals offers ideal conditions for bacterial transmission. Distinctive sorts of antimicrobial agents are exploited for animal husbandry and studies have revealed that many bacteria have attained confrontation against them viz., Staphylococcus intermedius, Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococci and multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhi etc. and a few of these are a prospective for zoonotic transmission. In the current review, the attention has been paid on how household pets, especially dogs disperse the antimicrobial resistance in contrast to that of food animals. A lot of evidences are accessible on food animals and nation-wide scrutiny programmes solely hub on food animals; therefore, for steerage antimicrobial use policy in small animal veterinary exercise as well as for gauging the chance of transmission of antimicrobial resistance to humans' statistics on pet animals are sincerely needed. Transmission of such organisms, especially pathogenic staphylococci, occurs between pets, owners, and veterinary staff, and pets can act as reservoirs of such bacteria; this may additionally have an impact on the use of antimicrobials in human medicine. There is a need to generate statistics concerning each the levels of carriage of such microorganism in pets and the risk factors associated with the switch of the microorganism to human beings who have contact with infected pets, as nicely as to improve hygiene measures in veterinary practice.

Antimicrobial drug resistance profile of isolated bacteria in dogs and cats with urologic problems at Chiang Mai University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Thailand (2012-2016).

The present study aimed to estimate the proportion of bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) in dogs and cats, assess risks associated with bacterial UTI, and to determine bacterial isolates' antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance pattern from the urinary tract of dogs and cats with urologic problems. The medical records from animals visiting Chiang Mai University Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital between January 2012 and December 2016 were reviewed. In total, 203 dogs and 49 cats with urinary tract diseases that had samples submitted for bacterial culture were identified;198 and 24 bacterial isolates were recovered from dogs' and cats' submitted samples, respectively. At least one episode of bacterial UTI was detected in 75.4% (95% CI: 69.4-81.3) of dogs and in 40.8% (95% CI: 26.6-55.1) of cats with UTI and submitted urine cultures. Of 242 submitted urinary samples from dogs and 60 urinary samples from cats, bacteria were identified in 74.0% (95% CI: 68.4-79.5) and 38.3% (95% CI: 26.0-50.6), respectively. The most common pathogen of bacteria positive cultured from dogs was Staphylococcus spp. (30.3%), followed by Escherichia coli (16.7%), and Proteus spp. (13.6%). For cats, the most common pathogen was Pseudomonas spp. (25.0%), followed by E.coli (20.8%) and Proteus spp. (16.7%). Staphylococcus spp. isolates from dogs and Proteus spp. isolates from cats were highly susceptible to Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC) at 88% and 75%, respectively. Of all isolated bacteria, 67.1% of the bacteria from dogs and 83.3% from cats were multidrug-resistant (MDR). The proportion of MDR-bacterial urinary tract infections in dogs and cats with urologic problems in this study was high. This observation raises concerns regarding the potential of zoonotic transmission of MDR-bacteria from these companion animals. The results suggested that AMC remains a good empirical drug for treating UTIs in dogs in this region.

Overview and Evaluation of Existing Guidelines for Rational Antimicrobial Use in Small-Animal Veterinary Practice in Europe.

Antimicrobial stewardship guidelines (ASGs) represent an important tool to help veterinarians optimize their antimicrobial use with the objective of decreasing antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to map and qualitatively assess the ASGs for antimicrobial use in cats and dogs in Europe. Country representatives of the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment (ENOVAT) were asked to identify ASGs published in their countries. All collated ASGs updated since January 2010 containing recommendations on antimicrobial therapy for at least three conditions affecting different organ systems in cats and dogs underwent detailed review including AGREE II analysis. Out of forty countries investigated, fifteen ASGs from eleven countries met the inclusion criteria. Several critical principles of antimicrobial use were identified, providing a framework that should assist development of stewardship guidance. The AGREE II analysis highlighted several methodological limitations of the currently available ASGs. This study sheds light on the lack of national ASGs for dogs and cats in multiple European countries and should encourage national bodies to prioritize guideline development in small animals. A greater awareness of the need to use a structured approach to guideline development could improve the quality of ASGs in the future.

Small animal disease surveillance 2020/21: SARS-CoV-2, syndromic surveillance and an outbreak of acute vomiting in UK dogs.

Small animal disease surveillance 2020/21: SARS-CoV-2, syndromic surveillance and an outbreak of acute vomiting in UK dogs.