Perceptions of competence among veterinary nursing students and registered VNs

Karen Dunne and others, Dundalk Institute of Technology

Regulatory authorities require veterinary nursing students to demonstrate clinical competence before being registered to practice their profession. However in common with other medical professions there is no commonly agreed definition of competence for VNs. The authors carried out a mixed methods study to assess the opinions of 66 registered VNs and 31 first year students in the Irish Republic. Their findings show that students perceived competence as primarily the ability to provide patient care, while registered VNs had a broader definition involving additional factors, such as leadership and confidence. They argue that educators and regulators should provide explicit descriptions of terms such as ‘competence' to avoid confusion and possible disillusionment among veterinary staff.

Irish Veterinary Journal, 73, 10

Pilot study on the ability of scent detection dogs to identify Covid-19

Paula Jendrny and others, University of Hannover Germany

Fast and reliable testing to identify symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers of infection is crucial in efforts to control the coronavirus-19 pandemic. The costs of mass testing using polymerase chain reaction methods may be prohibitive in developing countries and a cost-effective screening test is require urgently The authors assess the ability of trained dogs to detect coronavirus-positive samples of human respiratory fluids. Their findings suggest that dogs can discriminate between samples from infected and non-infected individuals with a sensitivity of nearly 83% and a specificity of more than 96%. Dogs may therefore provide a reliable screening method for detecting Covid-19 cases.

BMC Infectious Diseases, 20, 536

[It won't have escaped your notice that this is a strong alternative to the previous paper as the lead story Your choice will obviously depend on how widely this research is picked up and reported on before VNJ appears on the nation's breakfast tables]

Use of bodyweight in assessing the age of kittens

Brian DiGangi and others, University of Florida, Gainesville

Knowledge of the age of kittens can be important in planning treatment protocols such as vaccination or in deciding the animal's suitability for adoption. Unfortunately the date of birth of kittens in situations such as welfare shelters will often be unknown. The authors measured the bodyweights of kittens up to 20 weeks old and compared the findings with known dates of birth and age assessed by dental eruption. Their findings suggest that calculations based on bodyweight were effective in estimating age up to around 10 weeks but other factors may need to be taken into account for older kittens.

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 22(4), 322-328

Xylitol-based drinking water additive reduces plaque and calculus on the teeth of dogs

Candace Lowe and James Anthony University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Routine oral healthcare for veterinary patients can reduce the need for invasive procedures to treat dental disease. However owner compliance with standard options such as daily brushing tends to be low. The authors investigated the effects of administering a xylitol-based additive in the dog's drinking water A 90-day double-blind, crossover study demonstrated that the treatment resulted in a 5.1% reduction in mean tooth plaque score and a 14.9% decrease in mean calculus score. The additive was well-tolerated and was quick and easy to administer

Canadian Veterinary Journal 61(1), 63-68

Intravenous vitamin K in treating dogs with anticoagulant rodenticide toxicosis

Erin Mooney and others, University of Sydney

Dogs that have ingested anticoagulant rodenticides are usually treated with a plasma containing blood product to provide an immediate source of clotting factors and arrest any haemorrhages. Only later will they be given the vitamin K, necessary to activate endogenous clotting factors. The authors describe four cases in which dogs were treated with intravenous vitamin K, in lieu of plasma transfusion due to client cost constraints. One dog experienced a suspected anaphylactic reaction but all four dogs were successfully discharged within 48 hours.

Australian Veterinary Journal 98(6), 225-231

Evaluation of serum cortisol concentration as a prognostic indicator in dogs

Harry Swales and others, University of Liverpool

Serum cortisol levels are known to increase in human patients during the acute phase of systemic disease and have been shown to be a useful sign in assessing the patient's prognosis. The authors investigated whether the same association occurs in critically ill dogs. They examined the clinical records from 229 cases and found that median serum cortisol concentrations were indeed higher in those dogs that did not survive to hospital discharge. Hence, serum cortisol assays can be used as part of the overall assessment of prognosis in this species.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 256(9), 1034-1040

Comparison of methods for predicting survival of Chihuahua puppies

Jasmine Fusi and others, University of Milan, Italy

In common with other toy dogs, perinatal mortality rates in Chihuahuas are higher than in larger breeds. However prompt eval-uation and treatment of vulnerable puppies may improve survival. The authors compare the use of the Apgar (appearance, pulse, grimace, activity respiration) scoring system for evaluating neonate viability with standard bodyweight scores in puppies born by Caesarean section. Their results from a total of 176 clinically normal pups show that the Apgar system is a better predictor of survival at 24-hours than birthweight.

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 62, 39

Successful use of feline blood products in managing a ferret with haemoperitoneum

Amy Bell and others, Tufts University North Grafton, Massachusetts

Anaemia is a common finding in ferrets presenting as emergencies at veterinary hospitals and may result from a range of underlying conditions. Ferrets are an unusual species in appearing to have only one blood type, which has allowed the extensive and safe use of blood transfusions from other ferrets. The authors describe the management of a case of spontaneous haemoperitoneum secondary to a hepatic mass in which it was not possible to access a supply of ferret blood. The patient was given a xenotransfusion of type A feline blood and survived to be discharged four days later.

Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care 30(3), 336-341

Use in dogs of an analgesic formulation designed to prevent human opioid abuse

Butch KuKanich and others, Kansas State University Madison

Opioids used as analgesics in veterinary practice can provide a target for theft and could also be misused by those that work with or administer the drug. The authors investigate the effects of naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist developed to reduce the risk of opioid abuse in humans, on the analgesic properties of methadone/flucanazole in dogs. Their study suggests that in contrast to the situation in humans, methadone/flucanazole i
s readily absorbed and retains its analgesic properties when given in combination with naltrexone in dogs.

American Journal of Veterinary Research 81 (8), 656-664

Comparison of methods for measuring body temperature in guinea pigs

Ivana Levy and others, University of Illinois, Urbana

Measurements of core body temperature are a fundamental component of the physical examination of any veterinary patient. As a prey species, however, guinea pigs can often exhibit high stress levels during the handling and manipulation that may be required to obtain a rectal temperature measurement. The authors assessed the levels of agreement between rectal, axillary and inguinal measurements of body temperature in guinea pigs. Their findings showed that axillary and inguinal temperatures were consistently lower than rectal readings. They found that rectal measurements cause no overt harm and should remain the gold standard measure of body temperature in this species.

Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 34(1), 1-5

Staff attitudes to, and compliance with, the use of a surgical safety checklist

Hayley Kilbane and others, University of Bristol

Checklists have been identified as an important tool in avoiding errors during surgical procedures but the system will only work if properly implemented. The authors investigated attitudes towards the introduction of a checklist system in a large university hospital. Responses were received from every member of the team and all agreed that checklists would improve patient safety However, the survey identified a number of barriers to full implementation of the system and a disappointingly low compliance rate with only 8.4% of checklists correctly filled in. These observations should help in refining the checklist procedure.

Journal of Small Animal Practice 61 (6), 332-337

Postoperative regurgitation in brachycephalic dogs undergoing airway surgery

Renata Costa and others, Tufts University North Grafton, Massachusetts

Brachycephalic dogs are considered to be at high risk of developing perioperative complications such as regurgitation, aspiration pneumonia and respiratory distress. The authors examined the effects of a standardised perianaesthetic protocol involving metoclopramide and famotidine, and restrictive use of opioids, on the incidence of regurgitation in a series of 84 brachycephalic dogs. They found that the introduction of the standardised protocol did significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative regurgitation.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 256(8), 899-905

Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 35 • September-December 2020 •