Toxoplasma gondii Exposure Prevalence in Little Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii).

Toxoplasma gondii has been reported as a cause of morbidity and mortality in New Zealand's native avifauna, including the ground-dwelling Kiwi (Apteryx spp.). To better understand the extent of T. gondii infection in Little Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii), a prevalence survey of kiwi living inside a 200-ha predator-proof mainland ecosanctuary (Zealandia Te Mara a Tane, Wellington, New Zealand) was undertaken. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected by a latex agglutination test (LAT) with a cutoff positive titer of ≥1:64, and T. gondii DNA was detected by PCR. In total, 16/19 (84.2%) birds tested were positive for T. gondii by LAT (10/11), PCR (10/19), or both (4/11). Antibody titers ranged from 1:32 to ≥1:2,048. These results suggest widespread exposure of T. gondii in this population of Little Spotted Kiwi and, in conjunction with earlier reports of toxoplasmosis causing mortality in kiwi, raise important questions as to the effect this parasite may be having on this rare endemic species. Further information on the epidemiology of T. gondii infections within free-living and managed kiwi populations is urgently needed.

Using a Card Sort Technique to Determine the Perceptions of First-Year Veterinary Students on Veterinary Professionalism Attributes Important to Future Success in Clinical Practice.

First-year veterinary students' perceptions on the veterinary professionalism attributes important to future success in clinical practice were explored using a card sort technique. The key findings were that self-oriented attributes (overall mean: 3.20; 42% responses were essential) and people-oriented attributes (overall mean: 3.13; 39% essential) were rated more highly than task-oriented attributes (overall mean: 2.98; 31% essential) (1-4 scale: 1 = irrelevant, 4 = essential). Within these overall ratings, the establishment/maintenance of effective client relationships (people-oriented attribute; mean: 3.84) and the ability to be composed under pressure and recover quickly (self-oriented attribute; mean: 3.82) received the highest scores. The highest task-oriented score was the ability to work to a high standard and achieve results (mean: 3.57). There was no difference between ethnicities or between men and women, but respondents < 20 years of age gave higher scores to people-oriented attributes than did older respondents (≥ 20 years). The use of the card sort technique has not been widely reported in veterinary educational literature, and so this study represents a novel approach to garnering opinions from newly enrolled veterinary students-a group of stakeholders whose views on this subject are seldom sought. The results show that first-year veterinary students have well-developed opinions on the key attributes of veterinary professionalism and indicate that the early development of students' opinions needs to be taken into consideration in the design of professionalism curricula within veterinary programs.

Race-Level Reporting of Incidents during Two Seasons (2015/16 to 2016/17) of Thoroughbred Flat Racing in New Zealand.

The objective of this study was to describe the incident and non-incident reports of Thoroughbred flat racing in New Zealand. Retrospective stipendiary stewards' reports of race day events during the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 racing season were examined. The primary injury and reporting outcomes were analysed to assess the horse- and race-level risk factors associated with the occurrence of incident and non-incident reports. The number of incident and non-incident events and binomial exact 95% confidence intervals were calculated per 1000 horse starts. Most reports were for non-incidents and examinations were requested for poor performance (10.3 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 9.5-11.1). Horses running in open-class races had greater odds of having an incident than horses in lower-rating classes. The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries (1.3 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 1.13-1.40) and fractures (0.6 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 0.39-0.74) were low and similar to previous New Zealand reports. There was a low incidence of epistaxis (0.8 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 0.69-0.92) possibly due to trainers screening susceptible horses before entering them in races, due to the regulatory consequences of an episode of epistaxis during a race.

Race-Level Reporting of Incidents during Two Seasons (2015/16 to 2016/17) of Harness Racing in New Zealand.

The objective of this study was to describe the incident and non-incident reporting of harness racing in New Zealand, the primary injury and reporting outcomes, and to examine horse- and race-level variables associated with the odds of these outcomes. Retrospective stipendiary stewards' reports of race day events during the 2015/16 to 2016/17 racing seasons were examined. The number of incident and non-incident events and binomial exact 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated per 1000 horse starts. Most reports were for non-incidents and an examination was requested for poor performance (11.06 per 1000 starts (95% CI = 10.23-11.89). Races with more than eight participants were 1.9 (95% CI = 1.13-3.4) times more likely to have an incident than races with eight or less participants. The low incidence of significant injuries such as fractures (0.13 per 1000 starts (95% CI = 0.03-0.23) reflects the lower risk of injury in harness racing compared to Thoroughbred racing. The high incidence of poor performance reports highlights the steward's role in maintaining animal welfare to a high standard.

Risk-Factors for Soft-Tissue Injuries, Lacerations and Fractures During Racing in Greyhounds in New Zealand.

Recognition of injuries in racing animals is essential to identify potential risk factors so actions can be taken to reduce or mitigate the cause of the injury to safeguard the animal. Racing greyhounds are subject to musculoskeletal injuries associated with athletic pursuit, in particular soft-tissue injuries, lacerations, and fractures. The objective of this study was therefore to determine risk factors for soft-tissue injuries, lacerations and fractures occurring during racing, using a cohort of greyhounds racing in New Zealand between 10th September 2014 and 31st July 2020. Dog-level, race-level and track-level risk factors for each outcome were assessed using mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression including trainer as a random effect. Throughout the study period there were 218,700 race starts by 4,914 greyhounds, with a total of 4,385 injuries. Of these, 3,067 (69.94%) were classed as soft-tissue injuries, 641 (14.62%) were reported as lacerations, and 458 (10.44%) were fractures. Greyhounds with a low racing frequency (racing more than 7 days apart) had 1.33 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.67] times the odds of fracture compared to those racing more frequently. Older greyhounds had a greater odds of fracture compared with younger greyhounds. Racing every 7 days had a lower odds of soft-tissue injury compared with racing more than once a week. Dogs over 39 months had 1.53 (95% CI: 1.35-1.73) times the odds of sustaining a soft-tissue injury compared to the younger dogs. Greyhounds originating from Australia had a higher odds of fracture and laceration compared with New Zealand dogs. Better performing dogs (higher class) had a greater odds of fracture and laceration whilst maiden dogs had a higher odds of soft-tissue injury. Greyhounds starting from the outside box had a higher odds of fracture. There was considerable variation in the odds of soft-tissue injury at different racetracks. In conclusion, although the incidence of soft-tissue injuries was higher than other injury types, the repercussion of such injuries was less than those for fractures. The results from this study will help to inform intervention strategies aimed at reducing the rate of injuries in racing greyhounds, enhancing racing safety and greyhound welfare.

Resilience of Faecal Microbiota in Stabled Thoroughbred Horses Following Abrupt Dietary Transition between Freshly Cut Pasture and Three Forage-Based Diets.

The management of competition horses in New Zealand often involves rotations of short periods of stall confinement and concentrate feeding, with periods of time at pasture. Under these systems, horses may undergo abrupt dietary changes, with the incorporation of grains or concentrate feeds to the diet to meet performance needs, or sudden changes in the type of forage fed in response to a lack of fresh or conserved forage. Abrupt changes in dietary management are a risk factor for gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances, potentially due to the negative effects observed on the population of GI microbiota. In the present study, the faecal microbiota of horses was investigated to determine how quickly the bacterial communities; (1) responded to dietary change, and (2) stabilised following abrupt dietary transition. Six Thoroughbred mares were stabled for six weeks, consuming freshly cut pasture (weeks 1, 3 and 5), before being abruptly transitioned to conserved forage-based diets, both offered ad libitum. Intestinal markers were administered to measure digesta transit time immediately before each diet change. The conserved forage-based diets were fed according to a 3 × 3 Latin square design (weeks 2, 4 and 6), and comprised a chopped ensiled forage fed exclusively (Diet FE) or with whole oats (Diet FE + O), and perennial ryegrass hay fed with whole oats (Diet H + O). Faecal samples were collected at regular intervals from each horse following the diet changes. High throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to evaluate the faecal microbiota. There were significant differences in alpha diversity across diets (p < 0.001), and a significant effect of diet on the beta diversity (ANOSIM, p = 0.001), with clustering of samples observed by diet group. There were differences in the bacterial phyla across diets (p < 0.003), with the highest relative abundances observed for Firmicutes (62-64%) in the two diets containing chopped ensiled forage, Bacteroidetes (32-38%) in the pasture diets, and Spirochaetes (17%) in the diet containing hay. Major changes in relative abundances of faecal bacteria appeared to correspond with the cumulative percentage of intestinal markers retrieved in the faeces as the increasing amounts of digesta from each new diet transited the animals. A stable faecal microbiota profile was observed in the samples from 96 h after abrupt transition to the treatment diets containing ensiled chopped forage. The present study confirmed that the diversity and community structure of the faecal bacteria in horses is diet-specific and resilient following dietary transition and emphasised the need to have modern horse feeding management that reflects the ecological niche, particularly by incorporating large proportions of forage into equine diets.

Seasonal Variation in the Faecal Microbiota of Mature Adult Horses Maintained on Pasture in New Zealand.

Seasonal variation in the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses was investigated over a 12-month period to determine whether the bacterial diversity fluctuated over time. Horses (n = 10) were maintained on pasture for one year, with hay supplemented from June to October. At monthly intervals, data were recorded on pasture availability and climate (collected continuously and averaged on monthly basis), pasture and hay samples were collected for nutrient analysis, and faecal samples were collected from all horses to investigate the diversity of faecal microbiota using next-generation sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The alpha diversity of bacterial genera was high in all samples (n = 118), with significantly higher Simpson's (p < 0.001) and Shannon-Wiener (p < 0.001) diversity indices observed during the months when horses were kept exclusively on pasture compared to the months when pasture was supplemented with hay. There were significant effects of diet, season, and month (ANOSIM, p < 0.01 for each comparison) on the beta diversity of bacterial genera identified in the faeces. While there was some inter-horse variation, hierarchical clustering of beta diversity indices showed separate clades originating for samples obtained during May, June, and July (late-autumn to winter period), and January, February, and March (a period of drought), with a strong association between bacterial taxa and specific nutrients (dry matter, protein, and structural carbohydrates) and climate variables (rainfall and temperature). Our study supports the hypothesis that the diversity and community structure of the faecal microbiota of horses kept on pasture varied over a 12-month period, and this variation reflects changes in the nutrient composition of the pasture, which in turn is influenced by climatic conditions. The findings of this study may have implications for grazing management and the preparation of conserved forages for those horses susceptible to perturbations of the hindgut microbiota.

Validation of a combined approach-avoidance and conditioned stimulus aversion paradigm for evaluating aversion in chickens.

Understanding animals' aversion is important to improving their welfare. Aversion is often assessed using an approach-avoidance (AA) test in which animals have to forfeit a reward if they want to avoid an event or environment presented in the same place. However, sometimes the event/environment suspected to be aversive may physically impair the animal's ability to withdraw from that place (i.e. its ability to express aversion), leading to incorrect interpretations. Combining AA with a Conditioned-Stimulus that predicts the event/environment may overcome this problem by allowing animals to demonstrate aversion without exposure to the stimulus. We aimed to validate this paradigm for testing aversion in chickens. Seven Hyline-Brown chickens were trained to obtain a food reward from a coloured bowl located in the test chamber (TC) of a two-chambered box; the reward was presented in a green bowl with an inactivated air canister or a red bowl with the canister activated to deliver an air puff. Two 5-minute tests were conducted, one with each bowl colour and both with the canister inactivated. All chickens entered TC with the green bowl. With the red bowl, two chickens entered on their first attempt, one fully entered after a partial entry (3/7 fully entered), two made only partial entries and two made no attempts to enter. Chickens spent less time in the TC with the red bowl (median 31s, IQR 7-252) compared to the green bowl (293s, IQR 290-294; p = 0.008). The higher ratio of partial to full entries, failure to enter the TC and less time spent in TC reflected chickens' aversion to the air puff, signalled by the red bowl. The paradigm allowed chickens to demonstrate aversion without exposure to the aversive stimulus during testing.

Cross-Sectional Survey of the Training Practices of Racing Greyhounds in New Zealand.

The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of racing greyhound trainers in New Zealand in order to provide an overview of their training practices. A survey regarding training practices was posted to all registered greyhound training license holders in New Zealand in August 2019. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 48 trainers (35.6%; n = 48/137) who completed the survey. Other than the differences in the number of greyhounds in race training, the training programmes described by public trainers and owner trainers were similar. Trainers reported that the primary reason for registering young dogs for racing and for qualifying for racing was the ability to meet time milestones. Young dogs had a median of six (interquartile range (IQR): 4-10) trials before they commenced their racing career. Trainers described training practices that aimed to prepare greyhounds for race-day. Regardless of whether the dogs raced once or twice a week, most training programmes demonstrated high specificity where training involved two periods of load cycles through high-intensity workload. Trainers racing their greyhounds once a week simulated the workload of trainers racing their greyhounds twice a week by introducing one high-intensity (speed) workout during the week. Training programmes were structured to condition the dogs to the physiological and metabolic requirements of sprint racing. This study highlights the importance of the need for an improved understanding of training and competition load in order to enable future research in the field of racing greyhounds.

Seroprevalence of Leptospira in Racehorses and Broodmares in New Zealand.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of Leptospira in a cohort of horses and to evaluate potential risk factors for Leptospira seropositivity in horses in New Zealand. The convenience sample included 499 Thoroughbred racing and breeding horses from 25 commercial properties in North Island, New Zealand. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic data on horses and property-level information on grazing and management practices, pest (rodent) management, access to natural waterways, other livestock on the property, and possible contact with wildlife. The microscopic agglutination test was used to test sera for serovars Ballum, Copenhageni, Hardjo (bovis), Pomona, and Tarassovi. Logistic regression was used to investigate the risk factors for Leptospira seropositivity to at least one serovar and for each serovar individually. A total of 124 (25%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 21-29%) horses had positive titres to any one of the five serovars. The seroprevalence of Ballum, Copenhageni, Hardjo (bovis), Pomona, and Tarassovi was 5% (95% CI 3-7%), 9% (95% CI 7-12%), 6% (95% CI 4-8%), 6% (95% CI 4-8%), and 6% (95% CI 4-8%), respectively. Broodmares, compared to racehorses and alternately grazing horses with sheep, increased the odds of exposure to any one serovar, whilst grazing the same time as sheep and alternately grazing horses with cattle increased the odds of exposure to Ballum and Hardjo (bovis), respectively. Historical exposure to Leptospira in racing and breeding horses was identified, and risk factors were consistent with pasture-based exposure.

Horses Used for Educational Purposes in New Zealand: A Descriptive Analysis of Their Use for Teaching.

Horses are used in practical teaching classes in many equine and veterinary science degree programmes to develop and refine the handling and clinical skills of students. In this study, the activities of 24 teaching horses grouped in three herds were investigated over an entire calendar year. Although also used for research and general husbandry, teaching-related activities were the predominant use of the horses. Herd B was used for a greater number of teaching sessions (median = 28, IQR = 27-29.5 per year) than herds M (median = 21, IQR = 20-21 per year) and T (median = 19.5, IQR = 13.75-25.5 per year), which translates to a relatively low workload (one or two weekly sessions during the teaching semester). Sedation was used in dentistry classes (in alignment with national best practice standards) but was rarely required for other teaching activities. Mare reproductive rectal- and medical rectal examination practical classes (specific to 5th-year veterinary teaching and characterised by more restraint (in stocks)) were significantly shorter and had fewer students per horse than the other practical classes. Although the low workload reported suggests an opportunity to increase students' exposure to horses without compromising the horses' welfare, further investigation to determine specific stressors to the horses in the teaching environment may be required.

A Descriptive Study of Training Methods for Fédération Equestre Internationale Endurance Horses in New Zealand.

Training measures, particularly those that examine the interactions between training volume, speed, and recovery, can improve understanding of training practices that contribute to success and avoid adverse horse welfare outcomes in endurance competitions. This study describes the training of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) 100-160 km level horses in New Zealand. A convenience sample of 16 participants and 25 horses were surveyed before commencement of training. Participants then reported daily data for an entire nine-month season of training and competition. Participants began their season with predetermined goals and individual training plans for each horse. They intended to use competitions for training. Competitions contributed a median of 44% [IQR, 36%-49%] of total accumulated distance (in training and competition) for each horse for the season, despite being only 11% (207/1,933) of all days worked. Most starts (80%) were in domestic-level (CEN) competition ≤80 km. Speed ranged from 2-18 km/hour on home training days to 6-18.5 km/hour in CEN competitions and 10.9-16.9 km/hour in FEI competitions. Horses were worked 34% [IQR, 21-38] of days in training, ranging from 12% to 55% for individual horses. The most common horse health problem was lameness, affecting 12/25 horses, for a median of 9 (range, 1-78) days. This study highlights the potential for CEN data as a resource to improve understanding of training and competition load, speed, and recovery and therefore reduce adverse horse welfare outcomes in FEI competitions.

Incidence and risk factors for race-day jockey falls over fourteen years.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of, and risk factors for, race-day jockey falls occurring in Thoroughbred flat and jumps (hurdle and steeplechase) racing. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Incidence rates for race-day jockey falls over 14 racing seasons in New Zealand (n=421,596 race-day starts) were calculated per 1000 rides. Univariable and multivariable analyses of jockey, horse and race level risk factors were conducted with Poisson regression in a generalized linear mixed model. RESULTS: Most races (97%, n=407,948 race starts) were flat racing with 10 races/race-day, whilst most jumps races were longer and had 2 races/race-day. The rate of jockey falls was higher in steeplechase racing (99.9/1000, 95% CI 92.2-108.4) than hurdle (53.2/1000, 95% CI 48.7-58.3) and flat racing (1.2/1000, 95% CI 1.1-1.3, p<0.001). Experienced athletes (both horse and jockey) had lower IRR. In flat racing, IRR increased linearly with the number of race-day rides by the jockey. In jumps races, IRR increased with a fall in a previous race (IRR 1.5/1000, 95% CI 1.3-1.7, p<0.001). A shorter jumps race distance reduced the IRR of a jockey fall. CONCLUSIONS: Athlete experience was associated with risk of jockey falls. The linearity of race ride number with IRR and longer distance in jumps racing, indicated that cognitive or physiological fatigue may play a role in the risk of a race-day fall. This data highlights the role sport-specific conditioning programmes may have on reducing risk.

Patterns of Racing and Career Duration of Racing Greyhounds in New Zealand.

The welfare and wastage of racing greyhounds is a topic of public concern. Little is published about the racing patterns of these dogs in New Zealand. The aim of this study is to describe the pattern of greyhound racing in New Zealand. Data on all race starts between 1 August 2011 and 25 March 2018 were supplied by Greyhound Racing New Zealand. A cohort was created containing dogs that had a racing career between 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2017. Data were collated within a customized Microsoft Access database from electronic records of all racing starts for every dog within the 2013-2016 racing seasons. For this cohort of racing dogs, there were 97,973 race starts across 22,277 races involving 2393 individual greyhounds. The median number of days between racing starts was 7 days (inter-quartile range (IQR): 4-10 days). The median career length was 424 days (IQR: 206-647 days) and the median number of racing starts throughout a racing career was 35 (IQR: 16-59 starts). Dogs of similar ability finished their career at a similar age.

Welfare Assessment and Husbandry Practices of Working Horses in Fiji.

Keywords: Fiji; working horse; welfare, intervention; husbandry; healthcare.

Benefits of Animal Exposure on Veterinary Students' Understanding of Equine Behaviour and Self-Assessed Equine Handling Skills.

Horses are one of the most dangerous animals veterinarians have to work with. For many veterinary students, their first exposure to horses occurs during practical classes. To evaluate the level of knowledge students have of equine behaviour and their equine handling competency when entering the programme, 214 veterinary students (1st and 4th year) were recruited to participate in a questionnaire. Participants were asked to choose one out of 12 terms that best represented the affective state of a horse in a picture, and to self-assess their equine handling skills. Half (n = 56/115) of the first-year students correctly interpreted the horse's behaviour. The majority had (1) a poor understanding of equine learning mechanisms and (2) poor self-rated equine handling skills. A history of pet ownership (p = 0.027) and the presence of horses on their family property (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with a correct understanding of equine behaviour. Fourth-year students were three times more likely to accurately interpret the horse's behaviour (p = 0.01) and rated their handling skills higher than first-year students (p = 0.006). These results suggest that previous animal experience confers a considerable advantage to interpret equine behaviour and highlight the critical importance of practical training in the veterinary programme.

Characteristics of Endurance Competitions and Risk Factors for Elimination in New Zealand during Six Seasons of Competition (2010/11-2015/16).

The welfare of horses in endurance competitions has been the focus of recent media attention. Epidemiological studies have examined the sport at the international (FEI) level. However, much of the participation in the sport occurs at a national level in preparation for FEI level competition. The aims of this study were to describe participation in, and risk factors for elimination, from New Zealand endurance competitions. Data were collated from all endurance competitions (≥40 km) held in New Zealand during the 2010/11-2015/16 competition seasons. There were 6885 starts (n = 775 horses, n = 665 riders), horses had a median age of 9 years (IQR 6.2-10.0) and had a median of 3 (IQR 2-5) starts per season. Accumulated ride distance per season per horse decreased from a median of 240 km/horse (IQR 120-440) in 2010/11 to 180 km/horse (IQR 80-320) in 2015/16. Ride entries were dominated by the 40 km (n = 2834, 41%) and 80 km (n = 2517, 37%) distances. Eliminations increased with ride distance, from 7% in 40 km rides to 53% in the 160 km rides. Lameness accounted for the majority of eliminations (64%). The odds of elimination due to lameness were significantly associated with ride distance, location (North or South island) and time of year. The 11% of starters eliminated for metabolic reasons of the horse had increased odds of elimination associated with horse age, ride distance, location and time of year.

The efficacy of Ivermectin against strongyles in yearlings on Thoroughbred breeding farms in New Zealand.

Against a global background of increasing anthelmintic resistance in parasites and a domestic over-reliance on anthelmintics to control gastrointestinal parasites, little is currently known about the resistance status of equine parasites in New Zealand. The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of ivermectin in yearling Thoroughbreds. Data were collected from six stud farms from November 2014 to January 2015. Yearlings were selected based on not being treated with anthelmintics for a minimum of six weeks previously and on having a preliminary screening strongyle faecal egg count (FEC) of 25 eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces or greater. On Day 0, faeces were collected and yearlings were treated with ivermectin (a minimum of 200µg/kg). On Days 7, 14 and 21 faeces were again collected from the yearlings, with follow-up samples take on either Day 28, 35 or 42 depending on the stud farm. In total, six stud farms and 117 yearlings (median 23 yearlings; range 5 to 27 yearlings per stud) were eligible for the study. The mean FEC on Day 0 was 609.6 EPG (range 100 to 2000). The majority of horses (113/117) had zero egg counts 7-days after treatment. One and five horses had positive FEC 14 and 21days' post-treatment, respectively. The efficacy of ivermectin ranged from 99.8% to 100% on Day 7 to between 98.5% and 100% on Day 21. On one stud, the efficacy on day 14 was 94.4%. There was reduced efficacy (<90%) on three studs 28 to 42days' post-treatment suggesting shortened egg reappearance period (ERP). On one stud farm (n=7), egg counts remained zero up to 42days' post-treatment. The FECRT observed could be interpreted as consistent with the continued efficacy of ivermectin in the egg-laying adult stages. However, shortened ERP after ivermectin treatment is a concern and current practices for parasite control in horses in New Zealand are arguably not sustainable.

An imaging investigation of in situ uroliths in hospitalized cats in New Zealand and in the United States.

The submission rates of feline uroliths to laboratories and the composition of uroliths have been reported in studies. The prevalence of uroliths reported on imaging findings has not been published. The objective of this retrospective study was to use imaging data to investigate the anatomical location and the prevalence of macroscopic in situ uroliths in cats. Radiographs, sonograms and imaging reports from two cohorts of cats (from New Zealand (n = 497) and the United States (n = 693)) from 2004-2013 were reviewed for the presence of in situ uroliths. Uroliths were categorized by their location in the lower or upper urinary tract. Radiographic studies were performed on 43% (212/497) of the cats from New Zealand and 50% (349/693) of the cats from the USA. Sonographic studies were performed on 57% (285/497) of the cats from New Zealand and 50% (344/693) of the cats from the USA. The total prevalence of uroliths was 3% in the New Zealand cohort and 13% in the USA cohort. Lower tract urolith prevalence in the New Zealand cohort was 2.4% (5/212) in cats ≤ 6y and 1.1% (3/285) in cats >6y. Upper tract urolith prevalence in the New Zealand cohort was 0.5% (1/212) in cats ≤ 6y and 1.8% (5/285) in cats >6y. Lower tract urolith prevalence in the United States cohort was 6.0% (11/183) in cats ≤ 6y and 2.9% (15/510) in cats >6y. Upper tract urolith prevalence in the United States cohort was 2.7% (5/183) in cats ≤ 6y and 10.2% (52/510) in cats >6y. The prevalence of uroliths in the upper tract or lower tract was low in the New Zealand cohort compared to that of cats in the USA cohort, irrespective of age category. Geographical location may be important when evaluating risk factors for feline urolithiasis.

Questionnaire study on parasite control practices on Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding farms in New Zealand.

Against a global background of increasing anthelmintic resistance in parasites, little is known about the current parasite control strategies adopted within the equine industry in New Zealand. The aim of the study was to describe and compare the current parasite management and control practices used on Thoroughbred and Standardbred stud farms in New Zealand. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on the demographics of respondents, parasite control methods, grazing management, and use of faecal egg counts. Questions regarding parasite control strategy, how often horses were dewormed, number of treatments per year and stocking density were stratified by horse type: young stock (foals/weanlings/yearlings), wet mares (nursing a foal) or dry mares, and industry (Thoroughbred and Standardbred). Questions on grazing management were stratified by horse type and the breeding and non-breeding season. In total, 136 respondents completed the survey, of which most (66%; 90/136) were involved in the Thoroughbred breeding industry. Most (98%; 134/136) respondents used anthelmintic products to treat the horses on their property, and regardless of industry type most respondents were using interval drenching for young stock (86/129; 53%), dry mares (51/124; 41%) or wet mares (50/126; 40%). Of those respondents treating on regular interval, 55% (68/123), 42% (50/119) and 38% (46/122) were treating young stock, wet mares and dry mares every 6-8 weeks. The median number of treatments per year for young stock, dry mares and wet mares was 6 (IQR 4-8), 4 (IQR 3-6) and 4 (IQR 3-6), respectively; there was no difference in frequency of treatments by industry type. In the last 12 months respondents used a median of 2 (IQR 2-4) and 3 (IQR 2-4) different anthelmintic products to treat horses on Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding farms, respectively. Of the respondents reporting the anthelmintic products used in the last 12 months, 95% used at least one product containing macrocyclic lactones. Overall, faecal egg counts were done by 20% (25/124) of respondents and over half of respondents in both industries were consulting their veterinarian for advice on worming products. This study identified a high reliance on anthelmintic products and limited on-farm control practices that would delay the development of anthelmintic resistance in equine parasites. Further research is now required to identify the level of resistance in the New Zealand equine parasite population.