Effects of greeting and departure interactions on canine separation anxiety

Aaron Teixeira and Nathaniel Hall, Texas Tech University, Lubbock

Separation anxiety is a common problem for dog owners but little is known about the cause of this behaviour. The authors investigated whether greeting and departure interactions that generate highly excited states may be one factor leading to its development. However; when high and low arousal interactions were compared in a group of 12 newly adopted adult dogs, they found no evidence that anxiety was more likely to develop in the first group. Indeed, in the second part of the study they found that dogs with established issues with anxiety were more likely to have experienced calm interactions when their owners enters or leaves the home. These findings are significant as low-key interactions at these times are often recommended by behaviourists in the treatment of anxiety disorder

Journal ofVeterinary Behavior 41(1), 22-23

The rectal-interdigital temperature gradient as a diagnostic marker for shock in dogs

Jonathan Schaefer and others, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Shock is usually diagnosed through a combination of physical examination, perfusion parameters and laboratory findings and there is an ongoing search for novel markers of shock. The authors evaluate the use of differences between rectal and interdigital temperature measurements as an emergency room test. Their findings suggest that the RITG may serve as an additional method for evaluating circulatory shock but will not replace traditional techniques used in perfusion evaluation.

Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care https://doi:10.1111/ vec. 2992

Efficacy of a cold atmospheric plasma method for sterilising contaminated implants

Haileigh Avellar and others, Oklahoma State University Stillwater

Steam sterilisation in an autoclave is the established method for ensuring the safety of medical and surgical equipment but some items are not designed to withstand high temperatures. Cold atmospheric plasma is a novel alternative to the standard sterilisation method, involving partially ionised gas at normal room temperature and pressure.

Used on stainless steel implants inoculated with Pasteurella multocida before implantation into rabbits, the cold plasma process was as effective as steam sterilisation in preventing infection.

American Journal ofVeterinary Research 82(2), 118-124

Stability of cerebrospinal fluid samples in proprietary sample storage tubes

Laura Meier and others, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany

CSF examinations are usually undertaken within 30 minutes of collection because the low protein content of the fluid causes rapid degeneration of any nucleated cells in the sample. The authors investigated the stability of feline and canine CSF samples when stored in a proprietary storage tube,TransFix/EDTA. Their findings suggest that these tubes can be used for extended storage, prior to flow cytometric analysis, of lymphocytes and granulocytes but not in detecting monocytes. Microscopic cell counting and morphological cell assessment should be conducted on fresh samples.

BMC Veterinary Research https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02698-5

Prognostic value of blood cytology and biochemistry in captive chelonians

Violaine Colon and Nicola Girolamo, Tai Wai Small Animal Hospital, Hong Kong

While demand for high quality veterinary care for tortoises and turtles is increasing there is currently little published data on prognostic factors in these species. The authors examined the results of PCV and blood glucose analyses from 954 client-owned chelonians seen at two veterinary hospitals over a four-year period. They found that derangements of PCV and blood glucose were associated with increased risk of mortality and urge more aggressive testing and treatment in patients showing these signs.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 257(12), 1265-1272

Pilot study of a novel nutraceutical in the management of canine osteoarthritis

Thierry Beths and others, University of Melbourne

Osteoarthritis has a high prevalence in the domestic population and may require multimodal treatment to control the resulting pain. The authors describe a preliminary study on the efficacy of a novel nutraceutical agent derived from the Chinese cypress tree (Biota orientalis). In 50 dogs with established osteoarthritis treated for one month, the plant oil extract appeared to have positive effects on objective lameness scores and subjective quality-of-life questionnaire scores. They suggest that these promising results need to be confirmed in a randomised, placebo-controlled study

Australian Veterinary Journal https://doi:10.1111/avj.I3024

VOL 36 • May 2021 • Veterinary Nursing Journal