Does manuka honey improve the speed of wound healing in dogs?

There is currently no published peer-reviewed evidence comparing the rate of healing of acute superficial wounds in dogs managed with and without medical-grade manuka honey. Therefore, the choice of wound management strategy should be based on other forms of evidence, such as expert opinion and narrative reviews

Biosecurity on Cattle Farms: A Study in North-West England

Few studies have considered in detail the range of biosecurity practices undertaken on cattle farms, particularly within the UK. In this study, 56 cattle farmers in a 100 km² area of north-west England were questioned regarding their on-farm biosecurity practices, including those relating to animal movements, equipment sharing and companies and contractors visiting the farms.There was great variation between farms in terms of the type of, and extent to which, biosecurity was carried out. For example, the majority of farmers did not isolate stock bought onto the farm, but a small proportion always isolated stock. Many farmers administered treatments post-movement, primarily vaccinations and anthelmintics, but very few farms reported carrying out any health checks after moving animals on. In addition, there appeared to be much variation in the amount of biosecurity carried out by the different companies and contractors visiting the farms. Deadstock collectors and contracted animal waste spreaders, although likely to have a high potential for contact with infectious agents, were reported to infrequently disinfect themselves and their vehicles.These findings suggest that although certain biosecurity practices are undertaken, many are carried out infrequently or not at all. This may be due to many factors, including cost (in time and money), lack of proven efficacies of practices and lack of relevant education of veterinary surgeons, producers and other herd health specialists. Further research exploring the reasons for the lack of uptake is imperative if preventive medicine is to be utilised fully by the farming industry

Contacts between cattle farms and their role in pathogen transmission

This project was designed to address the lack of knowledge on the contact structures existing between farms in the UK, which were mfluential on disease transmission during the 2001 foot nouth disease epidemic. The primary aun of this project was to investigate the direct and indirect contacts between cattle farms regionally, by collecting mformation from 56 cattle foldings in a discrete area of north-west England via mterview-based questionnaires. These Dntacts were examined using network analysis techniques to highlight individuals or contact types that might be likely to transmit disease. Factors impacting on the likelihood of such contacts spreading disease such as on-farm biosecurity were also examined, along with producers' attitudes towards such measures

An Evidence-Based Rapid Review of Surgical Techniques for Correction of Prolapsed Nictitans Glands in Dogs

© 2018 by the authors. Prolapsed nictitans gland (PNG) is an important ocular condition of dogs. Various surgical interventions have been described, but effective technique is currently considered to be a matter of personal clinician preference. The aim of this rapid review was to evaluate existing peer-reviewed evidence of effectiveness for surgical techniques and their subsequent effects on quantitative and clinical lacrimal outcomes for PNG.We performed a structured bibliographic search of CAB Abstracts, PubMed, and Medline using terms relevant to dogs, nictitans gland, and surgery on 13 September 2017. Included studies were assessed for study design, reporting characteristics, surgical techniques, and surgical and lacrimal outcomes. Fifteen of three hundred fifteen identified studies were eligible for inclusion. Seven different replacement techniques were identified, along with gland excision. All studies were observational or descriptive, with the exception of a single crossover trial. Outcomes reporting was heterogeneous and provided limited detail on lacrimal outcomes or on breed propensity for recurrence. Insufficient data precluded comparison of techniques for either surgical failure rates or lacrimal outcomes, although proportional meta-analysis yielded an overall failure rate of 3% (95% CI 1-7%) for the Morgan's pocket procedure. Improved reporting of veterinary surgical studies will improve evidence appraisal and synthesis, as well as reduce potential sources of bias

Oxytocin versus carbetocin administered to cows after uncomplicated calvings and subsequent fertility

BestBETs for Vets are generated by the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nottingham to help answer specific questions and assist in clinical decision making. Although evidence is often limited, they aim to find, present and draw conclusions from the best available evidence, using a standardised framework. A more detailed description of how BestBETs for Vets are produced was published in VR, April 4, 2015, vol 176, pp 354-356

Diagnostic testing in first opinion small animal consultations

DIAGNOSTIC testing is a vital part of the decision-making process, which aims to increase diagnostic certainty, assist management and treatment decisions and provide a prognosis (Radostits and others 2000). A wide range of tests are available, with variable accuracy, expense and risk to the patient, but it is currently unclear how veterinary surgeons are making decisions about which tests to carry out. Understanding the decision-making process is vital in order to ensure that the decisions made during the consultation are based on the best relevant evidence. However, before decision-making around diagnostic testing can be understood, it is neccessary to know which tests are performed most frequently. This may be useful for veterinary practices, for example, when making business decisions surrounding diagnostic equipment and in-house training, and could also help direct veterinary curricula and research. The aim of this study was to describe the diagnostic tests commonly performed in a convenience sample of first opinion small animal consultations. Data collection took place over 16 weeks (two weeks each in eight different practices) as part of data gathered for a larger project (Robinson and others 2014a). A previously developed data collection tool (Robinson and others 2014a) was used to record consultation data by direct observation. Data were recorded on all health problems discussed, including the reason for presentation (the presenting problem) and all additional problems discussed (non-presenting problems). For each health problem discussed, the type of diagnostic test(s) was recorded by selecting one option from: None; In-consultation; Post-consultation; Both. Clinical examination, as defined by Robinson and others (2014b), was not considered to be a diagnostic