Effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on health in the female dog-a scoping review.

Background: Effects of neutering on bitch health have been reported, and are suggested to relate to bitch age at the time of neutering for some diseases. However, variation between published studies in terms of study populations and methodologies makes comparison and consolidation of the evidence difficult.

Objective: A scoping review was designed to systematically search the available literature to identify and chart the evidence on the effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on five health outcomes: atopy, developmental orthopaedic disease (DOD), neoplasia, obesity and urogenital disease.

Does "Dr. Google" improve discussion and decisions in small animal practice? Dog and cat owners use of internet resources to find medical information about their pets in three European countries.

Modern dog and cat owners increasingly use internet resources to obtain information on pet health issues. While access to online information can improve owners' knowledge of patient care and inform conversations with their veterinarian during consultations, there is also a risk that owners will misinterpret online information or gain a false impression of current standards in veterinary medicine. This in turn can cause problems or tensions, for example if the owner delays consulting their veterinarian about necessary treatment, or questions the veterinarian's medical advice.

Assessment of potential maladaptive pain in dogs with elbow osteoarthritis using a von Frey aesthesiometer.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the possible presence of maladaptive pain in the thoracic limbs of dogs with elbow osteoarthritis (OA) using an electronic von Frey aesthesiometer (eVFA).

Methods: Twenty-eight client- and staff-owned dogs (OA, n = 14; controls, n = 14) were enrolled in the study. Every dog underwent a full orthopaedic examination, and then five von Frey measurements were obtained from each carpal pad of each dog.

Cat and dog owners' expectations and attitudes towards advanced veterinary care (AVC) in the UK, Austria and Denmark.

Modern veterinary medicine offers a level of care to cats and dogs similar to that available to their owners, including blood transfusions, chemotherapy and MRI scans. The potential benefits to the animals of owners who can afford such care are obvious, but there can also be negative consequences if owners with strong emotional attachments to their pets pursue treatments that significantly reduce the quality of the animal's life while attempting to prolong it. Moreover, caring for a chronically or seriously ill animal can lead to emotional distress and financial and practical challenges for the pet owner.

Do people really care less about their cats than about their dogs? A comparative study in three European countries.

Previous studies have shown that cat owners seem to care less about their cats than dog owners care about their dogs - both in terms of their emotional state of attachment and in their willingness to pay for services that potentially benefit the animals. One study speculated that this difference is "driven by the behavior of the pet" - that the behavior of dogs encourages care more than the behavior of cats - and therefore is a universal phenomenon. However, previous studies mostly relied on convenience sampling of owners and were undertaken in single countries.

Seeing the benefits, but not taking advantage of them: Dog and cat owners' beliefs about veterinary telemedicine.

Background: Telemedicine offers benefits to clients and their animals, but potential disadvantages are also being debated.

Methods: Using a questionnaire, we investigated dog and cat owners' (N = 2117) use of and beliefs about telemedicine and whether beliefs impact past and expected future use.

Results: Although the majority of owners are aware that telemedicine can lead to the risk of something being missed, they see great potential in remote consultation in terms of usefulness for follow-up appointments or improving access to a specialist.

Compete or Cooperate with 'Dr. Google'? Small Animal Veterinarians' Attitudes towards Clients' Use of Internet Resources-A Comparative Study across Austria, Denmark and the UK.

Veterinary medicine is increasingly affected by animal owners having the opportunity to become better informed on pet health issues by using various internet resources. Using an online questionnaire including a section on clients' use of internet resources to obtain medical information, this study aimed to investigate veterinarians' estimates of the percentage of clients using internet resources, how often clients question veterinarians' professional medical advice based on online information, and veterinarians' attitudes towards clients' use of internet resources, across Austrian, Danish, and UK veterinarians ( = 641). The results show that 48.

Digital opportunities to connect and complain - the use of Facebook in small animal practice.

Background: Social media is increasingly used in small animal practice, enabling veterinarians to connect with clients and promote their business online. It can also be used by clients to quickly distribute complaints via online communities.

Material/methods: Using a questionnaire study we investigated Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians' attitudes towards Facebook, the contents of clients' online complaints and how they were handled by veterinarians ( = 648).

Comparing veterinarians' attitudes to and the potential influence of pet health insurance in Austria, Denmark and the UK.

Background: Health insurance offers many benefits to clients and veterinarians, such as the ability to perform necessary and possibly cost-intensive medical interventions without financial constraints, or to potentially prevent euthanasia based on financial challenges. However, concerns about negative consequences, such as the overuse of diagnostic tests or overtreatment, have also been raised.

Methods: Using an online questionnaire distributed via e-mail, which included a section on health insurance, we investigated the relative number of insured dogs and cats treated by Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians (N = 636) and the attitudes of those veterinarians toward health insurance.

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.

The Effect of Calibration Method on Repeatability and Reproducibility of Pressure Mat Data in a Canine Population.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of two different pressure-sensitive walkway calibration protocols, while collecting gait data from a heterogenous group of dogs.

Study Design:  Fourteen dogs were walked across a high-definition pressure-sensitive walkway (Tekscan Strideway HRSW3) to obtain five valid trials from each dog. Two different calibration protocols were created following manufacturer recommendations: human step and phantom step using a custom-built three-legged device.

The gait dynamics of the modern broiler chicken: a cautionary tale of selective breeding.

One of the most extraordinary results of selective breeding is the modern broiler chicken, whose phenotypic attributes reflect its genetic success. Unfortunately, leg health issues and poor walking ability are prevalent in the broiler population, with the exact aetiopathogenesis unknown. Here we present a biomechanical analysis of the gait dynamics of the modern broiler and its two pureline commercial broiler breeder lines (A and B) in order to clarify how changes in basic morphology are associated with the way these chickens walk.

Functional anatomy of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) forelimb.

Despite the cheetah being the fastest living land mammal, we know remarkably little about how it attains such high top speeds (29 m s(-1)). Here we aim to describe and quantify the musculoskeletal anatomy of the cheetah forelimb and compare it to the racing greyhound, an animal of similar mass, but which can only attain a top speed of 17 m s(-1). Measurements were made of muscle mass, fascicle length and moment arms, enabling calculations of muscle volume, physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA), and estimates of joint torques and rotational velocities.

Functional anatomy of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) hindlimb.

The cheetah is capable of a top speed of 29 ms(-1) compared to the maximum speed of 17 ms(-1) achieved by the racing greyhound. In this study of the hindlimb and in the accompanying paper on the forelimb we have quantified the musculoskeletal anatomy of the cheetah and greyhound and compared them to identify any differences that may account for this variation in their locomotor abilities. Specifically, bone length, mass and mid-shaft diameter were measured, along with muscle mass, fascicle lengths, pennation angles and moment arms to enable estimates of maximal isometric force, joint torques and joint rotational velocities to be calculated.

The effects of selective breeding on the architectural properties of the pelvic limb in broiler chickens: a comparative study across modern and ancestral populations.

Intensive artificial selection has led to the production of the modern broiler chicken, which over the last few decades has undergone a dramatic increase in growth rate and noticeable changes in body conformation. Unfortunately, this has been associated with musculoskeletal abnormalities which have altered the walking ability of these birds, raising obvious welfare concerns, as well as causing economic losses. Here we present a comparative study of ancestral and derived muscle anatomy in chickens to begin to tease apart how evolutionary alterations of muscle form in chickens have influenced their locomotor function and perhaps contributed to lameness.

Canine stifle positive contrast computed tomography arthrography for assessment of caudal horn meniscal injury: a cadaver study.

Objective: To investigate the use of computed tomography (CT) arthrography in cadaveric canine stifles with particular emphasis on the diagnosis of meniscal injury.

Study Design: Prospective cadaver study.

Sample Population: Pelvic limbs from adult Beagles (n=10).

Ultrasonographic assessment of the canine sciatic nerve.

To describe the ultrasonographic technique for investigation of the canine sciatic nerve, four canine cadaver pelvic limbs, two live healthy dogs, and five canine patients with suspected peripheral sciatic nerve lesions were examined with a high-resolution linear ultrasound transducer. The caudal part of the lumbosacral trunk and the origin of the sciatic nerve were visualized through the greater ischiatic foramen. The two components of the sciatic nerve, common peroneal and tibial nerves, were distinguished along the entire length of the nerve, until they branched at the level of the distal femur.

A force plate study of avian gait.

Objective: To test the force plate as a gait analysis system for broilers and to determine how the ground reaction force (GRF) patterns change in these birds with growth and administration of analgesia.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-three male Ross 308 chicks were raised on either an ad libitum or restricted-feeding regime, and subsequently treated with carprofen or a placebo. Vertical, craniocaudal and mediolateral GRFs were measured as the birds walked across a standard force plate.

Evaluation of ground reaction forces produced by chickens walking on a force plate.

Objective: To evaluate the use of a force plate as a method for objective gait analysis in adult poultry, to characterize ground reaction forces (GRFs) produced in adult chickens during normal walking, and to assess the variability of GRFs.

Animals: 18 clinically normal 5-month-old Brown Leghorn hens.

Procedure: Vertical, craniocaudal, and mediolateral GRFs were measured as hens walked across a standard force plate embedded in the middle of a runway.