Effects of a local anaesthetic and NSAID in castration of piglets, on the acute pain responses, growth and mortality

The present study addresses the questions whether on-farm use of local anaesthesia with lidocaine leads to a reduction in pain responses during castration, and whether the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam improves technical performance after castration of piglets. Five treatments were included in the study: (1) castration without anaesthesia or analgesia (CAST), (2) castration after local anaesthesia with lidocaine (LIDO), (3) castration after administration of meloxicam (MELO), (4) castration after lidocaine and meloxicam (L + M) and (5) sham castration (SHAM). To reduce litter influences, each treatment was present in each of the 32 litters (n = 32 per treatment). During castration, vocalizations were recorded continuously. Blood samples were collected 15 min before and 20 min after castration for determination of plasma levels of total cortisol, glucose, lactate and creatine kinase (CK). Mortality was registered and piglets were weighed several times to calculate growth. Several aspects of vocalizations during castration showed consistent and significantly different levels in CAST compared with LIDO, L + M and SHAM. CAST piglets squealed longer, louder and higher. Vocalizations of MELO piglets most resembled those of CAST. An increase in cortisol was seen in all treatments. However, in SHAM piglets this increase was significantly lower than in the other treatments. LIDO piglets showed a significantly smaller increase in plasma cortisol levels compared with CAST and MELO. L + M piglets differed significantly only from the SHAM group. Lactate levels differed significantly between LIDO and MELO, the level in LIDO being decreased after castration. In the other treatments an increase was measured. No treatment effects were found in plasma glucose and CK levels, nor in growth and mortality of the piglets. In conclusion, on the basis of vocalizations and plasma cortisol, local anaesthesia with lidocaine reduces pain responses in piglets during castration. A positive effect of meloxicam on technical performance was not foun

Infections with helminths and/or protozoa in cats in animal shelters in the Netherlands

To determine the prevalence of infections with helminths and protozoa in cats in animal shelters, faecal samples from 305 cats from 22 animal shelters in the Netherlands were examined, using a centrifugation-sedimentation-flotation-technique. The association between potential risk factors and the occurrence of an infection was also tested. Infections with helminths and/or protozoa were found in 160 samples (52.5%). Toxocara cati was found in 86 cats (28.2%), Cystoisospora felis in 59 cats (19.3%), Cystoisospora rivolta in 43 cats (14.1%), Capillaria spp. in 34 cats (11.2%), Ancylostoma tubaeforma in 9 cats (3.0%), Taenia taeniaeformis in 9 cats (3.0%), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in 8 cats (2.6%), Giardia intestinalis in 3 cats (1.0%), Dipylidium caninum in 2 cats (0.7%) and Toxoplasma gondii in 1 cat (0.3%). The highest prevalence was seen in kittens and stray cats. The main preventive factor against infection was a short stay in a shelter

Infections with endoparasites in dogs in Dutch animal shelters

Faecal samples from 224 dogs from 23 animal shelters in the Netherlands were examined for endoparasites. In total 20.5% of the faecal sample were positive for helminth and/or protozoa infections. Eggs of Toxocara canis were found in 8.5% of the faecal samples. Other endoparasites found were Toxascaris leonina (0.5%), Trichuris vulpis (4.9%), Uncinaria stenocephala (2.2%), Dipylidium caninum (1.3%), Taenia spp. (0.5%), Cystoisospora canis (1.3%), and C. ohioensis (1.3%). Dogs younger than 1 year and stray dogs showed the highest prevalence of infection. T. vulpis was found more often in dogs from shelters with a high cleaning frequency