A call to action to address critical flaws and bias in laboratory animal experiments and preclinical research.

During the design of hypothesis-driven, comparative laboratory animal experiments, investigators must control for cage effects, ensure full blinding and full randomization while adhering to established experimental designs, notably variations of the Completely Randomized Design and the Randomized Block Designs. Failure to meet these criteria introduces partial or complete confounding by multiple known and unknown variables, resulting in biased outcome measures and rendering valid statistical analysis impossible. Our analysis of a stratified, random sample of comparative laboratory animal experiments conducted in North America and Europe and published in 2022, shows that as few as 0-2.

Investigating the potential role of abrasion in the development of toe tip necrosis in beef cattle: an ex vivo study.

Objective: To compare regional stiffness of the white line (objective 1) and image-based metrics of damage (objective 2) of control claws and claws subjected to an abrasion simulator mimicking animals abrading their claws against a concrete surface commonly found in feedlots.

Methods: Sixteen (n = 16) cadaveric bovine hind limbs were acquired from participating commercial feedlots and separated into different testing groups: lateral claws subjected to an abrasion simulation (n = 8) and control claws manually rasped to the same level of wear found after the abrasion simulation (n = 8). Claws were subjected to indentation testing along the white line to determine regional stiffness (control = 8; abraded = 8) and contrast-enhanced, high-resolution imaging (control = 6; abraded = 6) where mean image intensity was used to characterize damage.

Hiring intentions and remuneration of veterinary practitioners in western Canada.

All private veterinary practices in western Canada (N = 1333) were surveyed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (January to November 2020) to generate data on the demographics of the profession, and to quantify past and present hiring intentions (demand) as well as remuneration for veterinary associates. The response rate was 39.5% (526/1333), 186 of which had hired at least one full- (FT) or part-time (PT) associate within the 12-month period preceding the completion of the survey.

Demographic survey of private veterinary practices in western Canada.

A workforce survey of private veterinary practices in western Canada was conducted in 2020. Data were obtained on 526 practices (response rate = 39.5%) and 1445 individual veterinary practitioners.

Ergonomic assessment of veterinarians during performance of bovine reproductive examinations.

Objective: To identify and quantify potential ergonomic hazards associated with routine reproductive examinations of cattle.

Sample: 7 bovine veterinarians.

Procedures: Each veterinarian was observed and videotaped during 2 bovine reproductive examination appointments.

Factors associated with the adoption of technologies by the Canadian dairy industry.

Data generated from Statistics Canada's 2016 Census of Agriculture and Census of Population were used to describe the adoption of 8 technologies by the Canadian dairy industry: computer/laptop, smartphone/tablet, auto-steering, auto-feeding, auto-environment, robotic milking, global positioning systems (GPS), and geographical information systems (GIS). Logistic regression was used to analyze the adoption of each technology by geographical region, operators' gender, operators' age, herd size, and number of operators per farm. Gender and age were marginally related to the level of adoption of each technology, whereas the number of operators per dairy farm and farm size were associated with increased adoption of most technologies.

Ownership structure and financial status of Canadian dairy operations.

The ownership structure and financial status of Canadian dairy farms is described using Statistics Canada 2016 Census of Agriculture data. As herd size increased, family corporation became the most common ownership model after accounting for herd location by region. Regardless of location, gross farm receipts, operating expenses and profit margin increased significantly with herd size.

Risk factors associated with work-preventing musculoskeletal discomfort in the upper extremities of bovine practitioners.

Objective: To identify risk factors associated with work-preventing musculoskeletal discomfort (MSKD) in the upper extremities (defined as neck, shoulders, upper back, arms, elbows, wrists, and hands) of bovine practitioners.

Sample: 116 members of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Procedures: Data from a previously described cross-sectional survey of western Canadian bovine practitioners underwent further analysis.

Complete Genome Sequences of 16 Mycoplasma bovis Isolates from Canadian Bison and Cattle.

Here, we report the complete genome sequences of 12 isolates cultured from Canadian bison and 4 cultured from Canadian cattle. The sequences are of value for understanding the phylogenetic relationship between cattle and bison isolates and will aid in elucidating the genetic basis for virulence and host specificity.

Comparison of Two Multilocus Sequence Typing Schemes for Mycoplasma bovis and Revision of the PubMLST Reference Method.

causes pneumonia, pharyngitis, otitis, arthritis, mastitis, and reproductive disorders in cattle and bison. Two multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes have been developed for , with one serving as the PubMLST reference method, but no comparison of the schemes has been undertaken. Although the PubMLST scheme has proven to be highly discriminatory and informative, the recent discovery of isolates missing one of the typing loci, , raises concern about its suitability for continued use.

Update on demographics of the Canadian Dairy Industry for the period 2011 to 2016.

Between 2011 and 2016, the number of dairy operations in Canada decreased by 13.3%. Mean herd size increased from 65 to 73 animals per farm.

Measuring behavioral and physiological responses to pain mitigation for ovariectomy in Bos taurus yearling beef heifers.

Ovariectomy (spaying) using the trans-vaginal dropped ovary technique (DOT) is performed to prevent pregnancy in cull female beef cattle that are not retained for breeding stock in areas practicing extensive grazing management. There are no reports describing analgesia for this surgical procedure. The objective of this study was to measure behavioral and physiological responses to determine whether an analgesic protocol of BXK [butorphanol (0.

Comparison of multilocus sequence types found among North American isolates of from cattle, bison, and deer, 2007-2017.

A prior multilocus sequence typing (MLST) study reported that isolates from North American bison possess sequence types (STs) different from those found among cattle. The 42 bison isolates evaluated were obtained in 2007 or later, whereas only 19 of 94 (~20%) of the available cattle isolates, with only 1 from North America, were from that same time. We compared STs of additional, contemporary, North American cattle isolates with those from bison, as well as isolates from 2 North American deer, all originating during the same timeframe, to more definitively assess potential strain-related host specificity and expand our understanding of the genetic diversity of .

Investigation of white line separation under load in bovine claws with and without toe-tip necrosis.

Objective: To compare the degree of white line separation created by increasing physiologic loads between bovine claws with and without toe-tip necrosis (TTN).

Sample: Cadaveric bovine hind limbs with (n = 10) and without (10) TTN.

Procedures: Hind limbs in which 1 or both claws had evidence of apical white line separation were considered to have TTN.

Changing demographics of the Canadian cow-calf industry for the period 2011 to 2016.

From 2011 to 2016, both the number of cow-calf producers and farm operations in Canada decreased by 12.4%. Furthermore, the current demographics portend a similar or greater loss in the number of producers and farms by the next census (2021).

Mistaken identity of an open reading frame proposed for PCR-based identification of Mycoplasma bovis and the effect of polymorphisms and insertions on assay performance.

Mycoplasma bovis is an important cause of disease in cattle and bison. Because the bacterium requires specialized growth conditions, many diagnostic laboratories routinely use PCR to replace or complement conventional isolation and identification methods. A frequently used target of such assays is the uvrC gene, which has been shown to be highly conserved among isolates.

Survey of western Canadian veterinary practices: A demographic profile.

A mixed-mode survey was used to describe the demographics of the veterinary profession in western Canada and to assess the demand for veterinary practitioners. Data were received from 655 practices (response rate = 52%), providing demographic data on 1636 individual practitioners. Most (60%) respondents self-classified their practices as exclusively small animal, while 25% and 4% were mixed animal or exclusively food animal practices, respectively.

The lesions of toe tip necrosis in southern Alberta feedlot cattle provide insight into the pathogenesis of the disease.

Gross and histologic postmortem studies were performed on the hind feet of feedlot cattle that had, or were free from, lesions of toe tip necrosis. The hind feet of feedlot cattle were collected by 3 veterinary feedlot practices in southern Alberta, Canada. Three studies of these feet were conducted: i) prediction of disease based on the presence or absence of apical white line separation, ii) gross assessment of the distribution and severity of lesions within affected claws, and iii) microscopic evaluation of the distal phalanx and surrounding soft tissues of affected claws.

Retrospective analysis of survey data relating to the employment conditions of Canadian veterinary graduates for the years 2008 to 2013.

Six years of survey data generated from the "Annual New Graduate Survey" were collated and analyzed for trends. Canadian veterinary colleges graduated 14.9% more veterinarians in 2013 than 2008; 79.

Demographics of the Canadian dairy industry from 1991 to 2011.

A retrospective study of the demographics of the Canadian dairy industry was conducted using data derived from Statistics Canada's Census of Agriculture from 1991 to 2011. This longitudinal study shows that Canada's dairy industry has undergone considerable consolidation. From 1991 to 2011, the number of dairy producers and dairy farms decreased by 48.

Demographics of the Canadian cow-calf industry for the period 1991 to 2011.

The Canadian cow-calf sector is about to undergo major transformative change because of shifts in Canada's population demographics. To understand the impact of this change on the Canadian beef cow-calf sector, Statistics Canada census data from 1991 to 2011 were analyzed for trends. From 2006 to 2011, the number of Canadian cow-calf producers and operations decreased by 24.

The career path choices of veterinary radiologists.

Concerns of a shortage of board certified specialists willing to work in academia have shadowed the medical and veterinary communities for decades. As a result, a number of studies have been conducted to determine how to foster, attract, and retain specialists in academia. More recently, there has been a growing perception that it is difficult for academic institutions to hire board certified veterinary radiologists.

The fecal microbiota of semi-free-ranging wood bison (Bison bison athabascae).

Background: The intestinal tract harbours a complex and diverse microbial population that is important for health, yet has been poorly described in many species. This study explored the fecal microbiota of semi-free-ranging Wood bison (Bison bison athabascae).

Results: A total of 2081936 16S rRNA (V4) sequences from 40 bison were evaluated.