In this issue - April 2018

Two papers describing the results of a survey of commercial dairy farming clients highlight the varying practices used for colostrum management, feeding hygiene, calf husbandry and weaning.1, 2 Because of the enormous amount of data generated by the study, the results are split into two papers. Although the survey response rate was relatively low (39%; 58/150), the data are important because of the relative lack of information about calf management under Australian conditions. These reports highlight the need for greater awareness of industry standards among dairy farmers, and recommend further farmer education from visiting veterinarians, more formal training programs and the use of set protocols. Another study from Victoria concludes that that fixed-time artificial insemination with ovulation synchrony and re-synchrony has similar outcomes to the more traditional mating programs.3 Changes in the management and structure of large dairy herds means there may be less opportunity for close assessment of oestrus detection. This study looks as two alternatives to the standard approach of oestrus detection, AI and then service in seasonally lactating dairy herds. The authors give clear diagrams of the features of each protocol from mating start dates, and use Kaplan Meier failure functions to show their results. They found that a higher percentage of cows became pregnant earlier in the experimental groups, but that the overall outcome was the same. A highly topical paper looks at risk factors for medical events after racing in Australian Greyhounds. The authors report on the colloquial term of post-exercise distress syndrome (PEDS), which occurs after strenuous exercise, and has been described as including diaphragmatic flutter, ataxia, seizures, collapse and/or sudden death.4 This was a prospective observational study done by one of the authors, who observed an extraordinary 4020 starts, 2813 Greyhounds, 1009 trainers, 52 official race meetings, 48 race dates and 11 race tracks. There were no cases of collapse or sudden death, but the author noted 962 cases of diagrammatic flutter in courses around Australia, and especially in female dogs, possibly because of their greater workload as smaller dogs. They conclude that more investigation is needed into exercise induced ataxia and suggest that track veterinarians assess whether these dogs should continue racing. A group from the University of Melbourne seek to address the question of how poultry behaviour changes with access to outdoor areas. This is of importance in the current debate about the optimal housing of chickens, with the perception that free-range hens have improved welfare. The authors used video recordings to observe the behavioural repertoire and frequency of behaviours of hens in each of the different study areas.5 The authors show pictures of the hens in the different areas and report no difference in the types of behaviours exhibited, although the hens spent more time foraging in a wintergarden area in the outdoor range. More hens stayed in the wintergarden and shed areas, moving around more and exhibiting more resting and preening behaviours in those areas. Very few accessed the open range, and those that did moved around and preened less. However, they did forage more in that area. The authors stress the need for further work to look at the implications of behaviour in free range systems. A study conducted by the University of Sydney has confirmed that vaccination against the deadly Hendra virus does not affect the performance of racing horses.6 Hendra virus is a zoonotic virus that has major veterinary and public health implications, with highly variable and clinical signs. The virus has so far been responsible for 102 equine deaths and seven human cases of infection, four of whom have died. The Australian Veterinary Association recommends that all horses located in regions known to, or likely to have Hendra virus spill-over events be vaccinated against the disease. President of the Australian Veterinary Association's equine group, Dr Ben Poole, says the study, which was funded by the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, will hopefully reassure those who are involved in the horseracing industry that the Hendra vaccine is safe, has no negative effects on racing performance and is the best way to help prevent deadly Hendra virus disease in horses and people. The study involved data from 1154 Thoroughbreds over 12,066 race starts and used Timeform ratings to measure racetrack performance. Detailed statistical analysis showed no difference in performance before or after vaccination, with no evidence for a cumulative effect of multiple vaccinations, with each horse acting as its own control. “We can all be confident that vaccinating only brings health and welfare benefits to the racing community. It should dispel rumours that vaccination affects performance,” Dr Poole said. “Precautions must be taken by horse owners, handlers and veterinary staff to minimise the risk of Hendra virus infection in horses and people. Vaccination of horses against Hendra virus is the cornerstone of these.” A survey of veterinary diagnostic laboratories shows that there was no consistency in antimicrobial susceptibility testing or reporting procedures among the 18 Australian laboratories.7 Previous results have indicated that veterinarians in clinical practice rarely scrutinise susceptibility results from laboratories, but reporting of patterns may change prescribing behaviour. This survey was done to assess if data could be compiled between laboratories to generate an effective AMR surveillance system. Among the barriers identified by the authors, the survey results showed that only 7 of 18 of the laboratories performed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing, which according to the authors is the ideal basis for a national surveillance system. Unfortunately, given most of the Australian laboratories don't perform MIC testing, this would be a significant financial barrier for setting up such a system. They conclude that standard panels and susceptibility testing need to be implemented.