A Case Report of A Urinary Bladder Marsupializatiojm to correct Obstructive Urolithiasis in a 3-Month-Old Boer Goat (Capra hircus)

A 3-month-old intact male Boer caprine kid weighing 22.3Kg. presented to the Large Animal Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), with a primary complaint of stranguria for approximately 8 days. The animal had been treated one week prior to presentation by a private clinician who amputated the vermiform appendage which offered temporary resolution of the clinical signs. Within twodays however, the animal was once again observed with stranguria and the clinician referrred the animal to the SVM for further treatment. On presentation, the patient had multiple anomalies including, paraphimosis. a swelling at the base of the penile shaft and tachycardia. Radiographic examination revealed a distended bladder. No radio-opaque calculi were noted along the urethra. The patient required urgent surgical intervention during which he was maintained under anaesthesia using continuous rate indusion of ketamine and lidocaine to which xylazine was subsequently added after a cystotomy was performed. The patient recovered with minimal post-operative complications. Although not a common procedure in farm animals due to its aftercare, bladder marsupialization was deemed feaseible in this case since the patient was reared with some sentimental value rather than entirely for production. This procedure shpuld thus be considered for pet livestock animals or in salvage situations where a perineal urethrostomy is deemed non-curative,

A Case Report of A Hybrid External Fixator for Fracture Repair in a 3-Month-Old Boer Goat (Capra hircus)

A 3-month-old male intact crossbred Boer Anglo Nubian caprine kid weighing 20.50Kg. presented to the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) with a history of acute onset lameness of the left hind limb. Initial examination at a private veterinary clinic revealed a fracture of the left tibia. The patient was referred to the SVM for treatment. Physical and radiographic examination of the animal revealed a closed, complete, short oblique fracture of the distal metaphysis of the left tibia with moderate cranio-proximal displacemnt of the distal segment, The limb was temporarily immobilized using a pre-made bivalve cast until the surgery. Surgical intervention involved using hybrid external fixator best described as a maximal bilateral uniplanar (Type II) fixator frame with a distal fabricated aluminum ring. The post-operative regimen included antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, frequent cleaning of the pin-skin interface and apparatus bandage changes, The animal was also confined to pen rest initially with gradual increase in exercise. Since surgery, the patient has progressively increases weight bearing on the affected limb and was fully weight bearing upon external fixator removal, 6-weeks post operatively. This method of external fixatiojm has not been commonly used foe repair of fractured limbs in goats, however in this scenario it proved ecomonical and highly effectively in provideing the stability required for fracture repair. Veterarians with limited resourcs and financially conservative clients should consider this method for repairing similar type fractures in small ruminant animal species.

Brucellosis in domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) of Trinidad and Tobago with comparative epidemiology to cattle.

The water buffalo is an important domestic animal worldwide, and the local Buffalypso variety was developed in Trinidad to have improved beef qualities. Brucellosis was diagnosed in Trinidad and Tobago during 1998 in both cattle and domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) populations. Brucellosis in the latter species is caused by infection with Brucella abortus, similar to bovine brucellosis. Control of brucellosis is of paramount importance to preservation of the genetic diversity of these animals in Trinidad, and this has been complicated by differences in the epidemiology of water buffalo and bovine brucellosis. Some diagnostic tests do not have comparable accuracy between the two species, and the RB51 vaccine does not adequately protect against infection in water buffalo. The water buffalo in Trinidad may also be more resistant to infection than cattle. Development of effective vaccination protocols is key to brucellosis control in Buffalypso in Trinidad, and prohibitions on import of virulent B. abortus strains for vaccine efficacy studies has impeded progress in this area. These Trinidadian strains are of variable virulence; some might be effective for challenge in vaccine efficacy studies, while other, of lower virulence, may be vaccine candidates for use in water buffalo.