A canine model to evaluate the effect of exercise intensity and duration on olfactory detection limits: the running nose.

Detection canines serve critical roles to support the military, homeland security and border protection. Some explosive detection tasks are physically demanding for dogs, and prior research suggests this can lead to a reduction in olfactory detection sensitivity. To further evaluate the effect of exercise intensity on olfactory sensitivity, we developed a novel olfactory paradigm that allowed us to measure olfactory detection thresholds while dogs exercised on a treadmill at two different exercise intensities. Dogs (n = 3) showed a decrement in olfactory detection for 1-bromooctane at 10-3 (v/v) dilutions and lower under greater exercise intensity. Dogs' hit rate for the lowest concentration dropped from 0.87 ± 0.04 when walking at low intensity to below 0.45 ± 0.06 when trotting at moderate intensity. This decline had an interaction with the duration of the session in moderate intensity exercise, whereby dogs performed near 100% detection in the first 10 min of the 8 km/h session, but showed 0% detection after 20 min. Hit rates for high odor concentrations (10-2) were relatively stable at both low (1 ± 0.00) and moderate (0.91 ± 0.04) exercise intensities. The paradigm and apparatus developed here may be useful to help further understand causes of operationally relevant olfactory detection threshold decline in dogs.

Mass Decontamination of Companion Dogs in Disaster: Planning for Personnel, Water, and Time Requirements.

OBJECTIVE: The importance of companion animals in the daily lives of people, and the increasing incidence and severity of natural disasters impacting people and their animals, is very well documented. However, despite the advancement of companion animal response capabilities, decontamination remains an inconsistently implemented component of disaster response. The challenge for local authorities is their need for planning factors and protocols specific to companion animal decontamination which are generally lacking. Data is provided on the average time requirements, water use and containment resources necessary, and the personnel required to decontaminate (decon) a large number of companion dogs. METHODS: Sixty-three lightly contaminated, medium weight, short to medium coat, highly tractable dogs (Labradors and Hounds) from a State facility colony were used to determine the water requirements, soap effectiveness, and time required to complete decon (washing/bathing). Data were collected over a 6-mo period using 2 personnel that were randomly assigned to wash the dogs. Difference in weight, bathing time, and water use between groups was evaluated using a 2-tailed 2-sample t-test for independent data. RESULTS: The time and water requirements were significantly different between medium coated dogs and short coated dogs. On average, for a short coated dog, the amount of time to complete decon was 7 min, and the amount of water was 8-10 gal. For medium coated dogs, the time increased to 10-12 min to complete the process and 12-15 gal water. DISCUSSION: The results of this study provide important insights emergency management planners, animal response team members, and community personnel tasked with implementation of mass decontamination of companion dogs following a natural or man-made disaster.

Nutrition of Working Dogs: Feeding for Optimal Performance and Health.

Working dogs are athletes, but have a wide variety of work types and durations that impact their dietary needs. Their basic nutritional needs do not change: all dogs need a complete and balanced diet, fed in proper proportions to maintain optimal body condition. However, with increasing muscle work and endurance, the amounts of specific nutrients (particularly the macronutrients, protein, fat, and carbohydrates) must be adjusted. This article provides an overview of the key aspects of working canine nutrition and provides the nutritional science behind the recommendations made.

Direct Measurement of Veterinary Student Learning Outcomes for the NAVMEC Professional Competencies in a Multi-User Virtual Learning Environment.

Education in veterinary medicine, as in other allied health care-health science professions and academia in general, has been subject to the public call for accountability for the quality of its student learning outcomes. A principal stakeholder in veterinary medicine is the American Veterinary Medical Association-Council on Education (AVMA-COE). AVMA-COE has adopted program accreditation standards requiring veterinary colleges to provide evidence that they are measuring and assessing the clinical competency of students before graduation and again shortly after graduation. Schools and colleges are required to develop relevant measures to validate scientific knowledge, skills, and values aligned with North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) core competencies. Beginning in May 2012, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University modified the professional veterinary medical curriculum by including a required clinical rotation centered on veterinary emergency preparedness and response. A distinguishing major component of the instructional design of the clinical rotation includes Second Life, a commercially obtained computer-generated multi-user virtual simulation learning environment. The virtual reality situations require high-volume, mass-casualty medical triage decision making. The interpersonal communications and interactivity among students, faculty, and third-party actors enable faculty and instructor observers and simulation facilitators to evaluate students actively engaged in critical thinking and complex problem solving while demonstrating skill in the NAVMEC professional competencies. The Second Life virtual simulation has been adopted as a primary tool for direct measurement of student learning objectives outcomes achieved in this clinical rotation and is being implemented in other clinical teaching platforms.

Management of a pet dog after exposure to a human patient with Ebola virus disease.

In October 2014, a health-care worker who had been part of the treatment team for the first laboratory-confirmed case of Ebola virus disease imported to the United States developed symptoms of Ebola virus disease. A presumptive positive reverse transcription PCR assay result for Ebola virus RNA in a blood sample from the worker was confirmed by the CDC, making this the first documented occurrence of domestic transmission of Ebola virus in the United States. The Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner issued a control order requiring disinfection and decontamination of the health-care worker's residence. This process was delayed until the patient's pet dog (which, having been exposed to a human with Ebola virus disease, potentially posed a public health risk) was removed from the residence. This report describes the movement, quarantine, care, testing, and release of the pet dog, highlighting the interdisciplinary, one-health approach and extensive collaboration and communication across local, county, state, and federal agencies involved in the response.

Ultrasonographic characteristics of lipiduria in clinically normal cats.

Echoes are frequently seen in the urinary bladder of cats during abdominal ultrasound. These have been attributed to hematuria, pyuria, crystalluria, and lipid. However, sonographic findings have not been previously correlated with urinalysis. We prospectively evaluated 40 clinically normal cats via ultrasound, serum chemistry, and urinalysis. Thin layer chromatography was performed on the urine to determine the amount (mg) of lipid subfractions including diacylglycerol, triglyceride, phospholipid, free fatty acid, cholesterol, and cholesterol ester. Ninety percent (36/40) of the cats in our population had sonographic echoes suspended in the urinary bladder, with most having a subjective score of mild echoes (n = 20). None of the sonographic echoes were gravity dependent or caused distal acoustic shadowing, reverberation, or twinkle artifact. Of the cats with sonographic echoes in the urine, 66% (24/36) had no significant findings on urinalysis other than the presence of lipid. The total amount of subjective sonographic echoes was not significantly related to the total amount of fat measured on thin layer chromatography or the number of lipid droplets seen on urinalysis. An increased amount of urine diacylglycerol was significantly associated with clumping of echoes (P = 0.02) and the amount of lipid droplets seen on urinalysis (P = 0.04). An association between increased amounts of urine diacylglycerol and the amount of echoes seen on ultrasound approached significance (P = 0.05). Findings from this study support previously published theories that sonographic echoes within the urinary bladder of clinically normal cats may be due to urine lipid.

How a disaster preparedness rotation helps teach the seven NAVMEC professional competencies: the Texas A&M University Experience.

Changing societal expectations provide new challenges and opportunities for the veterinary medical profession. These changing expectations and approaches to the education of veterinary students in the future are reflected in the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium's report "Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century: Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible." They are also reflected in the expectations of the populace, who no longer find it acceptable that animals are not included in both planning for and responding to natural or manmade disasters. In response to the changing needs of society and the veterinary profession, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine has developed a required rotation in the fourth-year curriculum on emergency planning and response. The unique requirements of emergency preparedness and response and the design of the rotation provide an ideal platform for providing this valued public service while simultaneously addressing the seven professional competencies outlined in the NAVMEC roadmap. This article describes an overview of the rotation and its content and identifies opportunities for students to practice these important professional competencies using the tools introduced in this new rotation.

The role of diet in the prevention and management of feline diabetes.

This article reviews the currently available evidence and focuses on how diet may play a role in lowering (or increasing) the risk of diabetes. The article also reviews the role of diet in treatment of diabetes. To the extent that it exists, evidence from published studies are cited; however, in areas where research evidence is lacking, clinical experience and physiologic principles are used as important sources of guidance.

Effects of dietary protein content on renal parameters in normal cats.

This study evaluates the effect of dietary protein content on renal parameters in 23 healthy spayed female cats. The objective was to determine if cats eating diets high in protein will have higher serum urea nitrogen (UN) and creatinine values without a detectable change in kidney function, as assessed by urinalysis. A single random cross-over design was used. Cats were fed a standard maintenance diet for at least 1 month prior to the dietary trial. They were fed in two phases. For the first phase, cats were randomly assigned to receive either a high protein [HP=46% metabolizable energy (ME)] or low protein (LP=26% ME) diet. For the second phase, cats were fed whichever diet they were not fed during the phase I period. Blood and urine samples were collected at 2-week intervals for the duration of the study (10 weeks). UN, albumin, alanine aminotransferase and urine specific gravity were significantly higher, and creatinine and phosphorus were significantly lower (P<0.05) when cats were fed the HP diet as compared to when they were fed the LP diet, although none of the mean values were found to be outside of the corresponding reference interval. Dietary intake can result in clinically significant changes in UN and statistically significantly changes in several other biochemical analytes, although all analytes are likely to remain within normal reference intervals. Therefore, an accurate dietary history is necessary to help determine if renal parameters are being influenced by diet in a particular patient.

Obesity in dogs and cats: a metabolic and endocrine disorder.

Obesity is defined as an accumulation of excessive amounts of adipose tissue in the body, and has been called the most common nutritional disease of dogs in Western countries. Most investigators agree that at least 33% of the dogs presented to veterinary clinics are obese, and that the incidence is increasing as human obesity increases in the overall population. Obesity is not just the accumulation of large amounts of adipose tissue, but is associated with important metabolic and hormonal changes in the body, which are the focus of this review. Obesity is associated with a variety of conditions, including osteoarthritis, respiratory distress, glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dystocia, decreased heat tolerance, some forms of cancer, and increased risk of anesthetic and surgical complications. Prevention and early recognition of obesity, as well as correcting obesity when it is present, are essential to appropriate health care, and increases both the quality and quantity of life for pets.

Feline obesity: clinical recognition and management.

Obesity is one of the most common clinical problems in cats presenting to veterinary practitioners. Because it is a risk factor for other conditions, such as diabetes mellitus and hepatic lipidosis, it not only increases the morbidity of affected cats but may also shorten their life span. In cats, a body weight of greater than 20% over the ideal weight of the animal is generally accepted as obese. The goal of this article is to help all members of the health care team understand how to prevent the development of obesity in young cats and, when confronted with an obese adult cat, how to develop a safe and effective weight-loss program.

Nutritional management of feline gastrointestinal diseases.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are a common problem in cats, and the clinical signs associated with these diseases, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, or weight loss, are some of the most common presenting complaints for cats taken to veterinary clinics in the United States. There are many causes for GI disease in cats, and an equally diverse number of pharmacologic approaches for management of GI disease; however, management of any GI disease is not complete without the concurrent addition of appropriate dietary therapy. This therapy may be completely curative in some instances (eg, dietary allergy), but even in cases where diet is not the cause of the GI problem, appropriate dietary therapy is essential to the long-term management of GI disease. Whether that is a highly digestible diet to improve digestion of foods by a diseased GI tract (eg, inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma) or a high-fiber diet to improve colonic function in cats with colitis, the role of diet in management of disorders of the GI tract cannot be ignored. This article will review the current state of understanding of the role of diet in the management of GI diseases in cats and will offer the reader an overview of diet management strategies in cats.

Pancreatitis in cats: diagnosis and management of a challenging disease.

Feline pancreatitis can be a very difficult disease to diagnose and often requires a combination of clinical suspicion, appropriate physical examination findings, elevations in serum feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity, and changes on abdominal ultrasonography consistent with pancreatic disease. The diagnostic difficulties encountered are related to a lack of specific and readily attributable clinical signs in cats. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of pancreatitis are highest when a combination of tests is utilized; but even when such tests are employed, the diagnosis is still problematic, especially in cats with chronic pancreatitis. Therapy is symptomatic and focuses on maintaining fluid volume, controlling pain and vomiting, preventing infection, and adjusting to changes in the cat's condition as they occur.