New Zealand Veterinary Journal

CASE HISTORY: Two clusters of mortality among endangered tūturuatu/tchūriwat'/shore plover ( Thinornis novaeseelandiae ) have occurred at captive breeding facilities around New Zealand in recent years. In the first, four chicks died at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre (Mount Bruce, NZ) in February 2016, and in the second five adult birds at the Cape Sanctuary (Cape Kidnappers, NZ) died in 2022. CLINICAL FINDINGS: In 2016, four chicks were noted to become weak, have increased vocalisations and closed eyes prior to death...

CASE HISTORY: Necropsies on Toggenburg goats culled from a small farm in the Manawatū District of New Zealand, performed at Massey University (Palmerston North, NZ) over a period of 29 years (1991-2019), revealed soft tissue mineralisation, particularly of cardiovascular tissues. The farm spans 10 acres and runs between 15 and 30 Toggenburg goats. The goats are predominantly on pasture comprising a variety of types. PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: Necropsies were performed on all adult goats (n = 45) that died or were euthanised...

CASE HISTORY: In mid-summer (February), 42 of a flock of 68 ram hoggets (approximately 5 months of age) and two of a group of 14 alpacas on a farm in the Manawatū region of New Zealand were found recumbent or dead following a period of persistent rain, strong winds and relatively low temperatures. The hoggets and alpacas had been shorn 4 and 53 days previously, respectively, and were in adequate to good body condition with access to ad libitum pasture. Post-mortem and histological examinations were undertaken on four hoggets and two alpacas...

AIMS: To investigate the effect of parenteral vitamin B12 supplementation on the growth rate of dairy heifer calves over the summer and autumn on seven farms from the Central Plateau of New Zealand, an area historically associated with low cobalt levels in grazing pasture. METHODS: This was a controlled clinical trial conducted on a convenience sample of seven farms with young female calves randomly assigned to three vitamin B12 treatment groups and followed through a grazing season...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

CASE HISTORIES: Medical records from a single UK-based referral hospital were retrospectively reviewed to identify brachycephalic dogs who had undergone corrective airway surgery and were nebulised with adrenaline in the post-operative period. Ninety dogs were identified between August 2014 and March 2020. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Agitation following nebulisation with adrenaline was uncommon, with 86/90 (96%) dogs remaining calm, and overall outcome was reported as satisfactory in 68 of 73 (89%) dogs for which this information was available...

AHL: Animal Health Laboratory; JE: Japanese encephalitis disease; JEV: Japanese encephalitis virus; RT-PCR: Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

AIMS: To apply molecular typing to DNA isolated from historical samples to determine Leptospira spp. infecting farmed and wild mammals in New Zealand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA samples used in this study were extracted from urine, serum or kidney samples (or Leptospira spp. cultures isolated from them) collected between 2007 and 2017 from a range of domestic and wildlife mammalian species as part of different research projects at Massey University. Samples were included in the study if they met one of three criteria: samples that tested positive with a lipL32 PCR for pathogenic Leptospira ; samples that tested negative by lipL32 PCR but were recorded as positive to PCR for pathogenic Leptospira in the previous studies; or samples that were PCR-negative in all studies but were from animals with positive agglutination titres against serogroup Tarassovi...

CASE HISTORIES: Medical records of four dogs diagnosed with protothecosis in New Zealand were reviewed. The dogs were aged between 4 and 9 years and three of the four dogs were female. Breeds were one Labrador, one Miniature Schnauzer and two crossbreeds. The reasons for initial veterinary evaluation were a cough and opaque appearance of the right eye (Case 1), diarrhoea (Case 2 and 3), and cutaneous disease (Case 4). CLINICAL FINDINGS: The ocular signs were characterised by panuveitis, retinal detachment and secondary glaucoma...

CASE HISTORIES: Three dogs and one cat sustained forelimb trauma and were presented to a university veterinary clinic (Liège, Belgium) and a private veterinary hospital (Beacouzé, France). All four animals were referred for surgery. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Two dogs and the cat were ambulatory on admission but unable to bear weight on the affected limb. One dog was non-ambulatory and lacked voluntary movement and sensation in one forelimb. Salter-Harris type II fractures of the distal humerus were diagnosed by radiography in all cases; avulsion of the brachial plexus and pelvic fractures were also present the non-ambulatory dog...

AIMS: To evaluate in a pasture-based dairy herd the response to a three-timepoint hoof trimming regime on lameness incidence and time from calving to observation of an elevated locomotion score (LS). METHODS: This study was conducted on a 940-cow spring-calving herd in New Zealand's North Island between May 2018 and May 2019. Cows (n = 250) were randomly allocated to the hoof trimming group, with the remainder assigned to the non-trim cohort. One trained professional hoof trimmer used the five-step Dutch method to trim the hind feet of the trimming group...

CASE HISTORY: Two adult male dogs were separately presented for acute-onset, severe hind limb lameness isolated to the tarsus. There were no prior orthopaedic concerns and there was no significant trauma associated with the onset of lameness in either case. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Pain and effusion of the affected tarsus were found in both cases. Lameness was not responsive to oral analgesia. Radiography was insufficient to fully determine the extent of the damage in the tarsus; the fracture was visible in one case only...

AIMS: To explore animal- and herd-level risk factors influencing age at puberty in predominantly Holstein-Friesian dairy heifers managed in seasonal, pasture-based systems. METHODS: Heifers born in spring 2018 (n = 5,010) from 54 commercial dairy herds in New Zealand were visited on three occasions when the average heifer age, within herd, was 10 (visit 1; V1), 11 (V2) and 12 (V3) months old. Blood samples were collected on each visit and liveweight, stature and anogenital distance (AGD) were measured at V2...

AIMS: To evaluate and compare the pharmacokinetics of IM and oral firocoxib, and IM meloxicam, and detect their effect on renal function and average daily gain (ADG) in lambs undergoing tail docking and castration. METHODS: Seventy-five male Romney lambs, aged 3-6 weeks, were randomised into five treatment groups (n = 15 per group): IM firocoxib (1 mg/kg); oral firocoxib (1 mg/kg); IM meloxicam (1 mg/kg); normal saline (approximately 2 mL, oral); or sham...

AIMS: To evaluate the effect of IM administration of three sedative drugs, acepromazine, alfaxalone and dexmedetomidine, in combination with morphine, on the size of the feline spleen using ultrasonography. METHODS: Twenty-four client-owned cats undergoing elective de-sexing or minor procedures were recruited for a focused ultrasonographic examination of the spleen prior to and at 10, 20 and 30 minutes following administration of one of three randomly assigned IM sedation protocols: 0...

CASE HISTORY: Medical records from three veterinary referral centres and a university veterinary teaching hospital in Australia and USA were reviewed to identify dogs with a diagnosis of distal gastrocnemius musculotendinous junction rupture (DGMJR) that were treated without surgery between 2007 and 2020. CLINICAL AND IMAGING FINDINGS: All dogs (n = 11) presented with unilateral, pelvic limb lameness and bruising, swelling or pain on palpation at the distal musculotendinous junction...

AIMS: To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements obtained in rabbits using rebound (TV) and applanation (TPV) tonometers with four different methods of physical restraint. METHODS: A total of 20 New Zealand White rabbits (40 eyes) were included in this study. IOP readings were obtained from both eyes using the two different tonometers. The rabbits were placed on a table and restrained by wrapping in a cloth (Method I), by scruffing with rear support (Method II), by wrapping in a cloth and cupped in the hands (Method III), or by a box restrainer (Method IV)...

AIMS: To describe the time in days for lame dairy cows to recover after diagnosis and treatment of claw horn lameness, and to investigate whether cure rates differed between farms. METHODS: Five dairy farms in the Waikato region were conveniently enrolled into a descriptive epidemiological study. Three of these farms had dairy cattle enrolled over two consecutive seasons, while two farms enrolled for one year. Lame cattle diagnosed by the farmers were enrolled into the study if they had a lameness score (LS ≥ 2 on a 0-3 scale) and claw horn lesions...

Aims : To compare the retention by New Zealand dairy cows kept at pasture in a lame cow group, of three hoof block products commonly used in the remediation of lameness. Methods : Sixty-seven farmer-presented Friesian and Friesian x Jersey dairy cows from a single herd in the Manawatū region (New Zealand) suffering from unilateral hind limb lameness attributable to a claw horn lesion (CHL) were randomly allocated to one of three treatments: foam block (FB), plastic shoe (PS) and a standard wooden block (WB)...