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Join us for a discussion about options for euthanasia techniques and aftercare in small ruminants and other livestock species with Dr. Warren Hess, the assistant director of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)'s Division of Animal and Public Health and AVMA's Disaster Coordinator. 

In this episode, Dr. Hess discusses the results of a survey investigating veterinary knowledge surrounding safe carcass disposal after pentobarbital euthanasia. Dr. Hess highlights the concerns regarding pentobarbital use in livestock as it severely limits the disposal options that clients have. Animals that are euthanized using this very commonly used substance may not be used for rendering and burial may result in contamination of groundwater with this toxic compound. The AVMA and AASRP are working to expand veterinarians' understanding of alternative humane euthanasia techniques including gunshot or captive bolt (followed by secondary method) or magnesium sulfate injection. While intrathecal lidocane injection is not currently an approved method of euthanasia by AVMA, it is becoming more widely practiced by equine and food animal practitioners. 

The publication describing the survey which is the focus of today's episode can be found here:

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/11/javma.23.03.0161.xml 

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Join us for a discussion about continuous blood glucose monitoring and its use in evaluating pregnancy toxemia with Dr. Munashe Chigerwe. Dr. Chigerwe is a Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California at Davis's College of Veterinary Medicine. 

In this episode, Dr. Chigerwe discusses the efficacy of using continuous blood glucose monitoring for detecting changes associated with pregnancy toxemia in goats. The paper covered in this months episode can be found at the following link: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/ajvr/85/9/ajvr.24.03.0076.xml

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Join us for a discussion about goat hoof care with Dr. Gosia Zobel, Animal Welfare Programmes Coordinator at Companion Animals New Zealand and Research Director at EthicoNZ.

In this episode Dr. Zobel discusses normal goat hoof confirmation, care, and problems with a focus on laminitis.

The papers covered in this months episode can be found at the following links:
The Development of a Hoof Conformation Assessment for Use in Dairy Goats - https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/11/973

Seeing beyond gait: A case study identifying chronic laminitis in 3 goats - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921448823001645

Evaluating the long-term conformation and hoof growth effects of starting hoof trimming at 5 months of age in New Zealand dairy  goats - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030222007354

Evaluating the immediate effects of hoof trimming on dairy goat hoof conformation and joint positions - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11259-023-10273-0

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Join us for a discussion about the most common causes of death in farmed deer in the Midwest with Dr. Amanda Smith, an assistant clinical professor and diagnostic pathologist at the University of Missouri's Veterinary diagnostic lab https://vmdl.missouri.edu/

In this episode Dr. Smith gives an overview of the farmed deer industry in the US with an emphasis on the midwest and discussed her study of causes of mortality in farmed deer from 2004-2023.

This month's paper is titled "Causes of mortality in farmed white-tailed deer in the midwestern United States, 2004–2023" and can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10406387241271416?casa_token=qKpG47_0zfgAAAAA%3A1qdAgjhmpwdxmLChLxcMMWKbVXYjtmiswVSwKrUfuUzXjgqc_RD2WbRRbWd2qMrtx9WP0o6AAA

Dr. Smith also mentions a study carried out by the University of Wisconsin titled "Cause-specific neonatal mortality of white-tailed deer in Wisconsin, USA" which can be accessed here: https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jwmg.21260?casa_token=XifWnG1gdFEAAAAA%3Ah0ZVnTj096vRRAFKwD8Va-xmOYoP9_BtsMfqzDIZaxGbWJyy4Xxskevgu2hHXhqRmhhAzQS7NZVW

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Join us for a discussion about subclinical mastitis in dairy goats caused by non-aureus Staph species (NAS) with Dr. Michelle Buckley. This research was completed during her time as a post-doctoral associate at Iowa State University with support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Program, Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain, Grant/Award Number: 2021-69015-33501. Dr. Buckley is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice at Texas Tech University: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/about/meet-our-team/faculty/michelle-buckley/

In this episode we discuss two drugs that can be used in an extra-label manner to address subclinical mastitis in dairy goats during the dry period: Orbenin DC (cloxacillin benzathine) and ToMORROW (cephapirin benzathine). Dr. Buckley's work evaluated how long it took for both drugs to leave the goats' bodies after administration in both meat and milk as well as how effective they were at curing subclinical mastitis due to non-aureus Staph. She also evaluated antimicrobial resistance development due to treatment with these long-acting intramammary products.

The published work that we discuss is titled "Pharmacokinetics of long acting cephapirin and cloxacillin after intramammary administration in dairy goats" and it can be found in the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvp.13445

Additional publications will be added to the episode notes as they become available.

As part of this research, the Dairy Goat Extension and Education website was developed to provide veterinarians and producers with resources for ensuring antimicrobial stewardship and milk quality in dairy goats. This website includes short video training modules as well as electronic records templates and other useful resources: https://www.dairygoatextension.org/

As we mention several times during this episode, the drug use discussed here is extra-label and will require extended withdrawal recommendations to avoid violative residues in the food supply after use. Please contact the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank for guidance here: http://www.farad.org/

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Join us for a discussion about the effects of Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (small ruminant lentivirus) on flock management and lamb raising with Dr. Roselle (Rosie) Busch from the University of California's Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR). Dr. Busch is the California Sheep and Goat Veterinary Medicine Extension Specialist and her website can be found here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/sheepngoat/

In this episode we discuss identification of mastitis in pasture-raised sheep and the correlation between mastitis and OPP within a herd. We also discuss how this disease impacts lamb rearing, culling decisions, and intervention strategies on different types of operations ranging from large-scale extensive grazing outfits to small-scale intensively managed farms.

This month's paper is titled "Cross-Sectional Study Assessing Management Practices and Udder Health in California Sheep Flocks and Seroprevalence of Small Ruminant Lentivirus" and can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11350894/

Dr. Busch also hosts her own podcast called "Sheep Stuff Ewe Should Know" with her friends (and skilled sheep producers) Dan Macon and Ryan Mahoney. Give them a listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wu6MF1PIBbcwp9zrJCVqI

If you are interested in attending on-farm lambing school with Dr. Busch in California, follow this link to learn more about Camp Kaos: https://fibershed.org/event/live-lambing-class/

Fibershed is a national organization focused on building regional fiber systems to promote sustainable textile production and environmental health: https://fibershed.org/

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Join us for a discussion about practical assessments and interventions for newborn small ruminants with Dr. Michelle Kutzler of Oregon State University.  

In this episode we review Apgar scoring as an assessment tool for newborn lambs and their need for intervention after birth as well as a technique for assisting lambs that struggle with the transition of birth called the Madigan Squeeze. This technique was popularized in horses but has also been used in cattle.

Developing a modified Apgar scoring system for newborn lambs:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32827990/

Resuscitation compression for newborn sheep:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33358064/

Dr. Kutzler's work is funded, in part, by the Oregon Sheep Commission:
https://oregonsheepcommission.com/

Learn more about Dr. Michelle Kutzler and her work:
https://anrs.oregonstate.edu/users/michelle-kutzler

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Get a sneak peek of the AASRP annual conference as well as other conferences where our organization provides continuing education opportunities for veterinarian! President-elect Mike Pesato sits down with us to discuss all of the exciting programming coming up for AASRP members. If you are a veterinarian and curious about getting access to these resources and many more, please reach out via email at [email protected] for more information or stop by and say hi at our booths if you are attending AABP, AAEP, VMX, or AVMA. We would love to meet you!

There is still time to register for the AABP/AASRP annual conference September 12-14 in Columbus, OH:
https://www.aasrp.org/Main/Main/Conference/Overview-and-Registration.aspx?hkey=850e339f-dfa8-42dd-a75f-e35ece8f1555

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Join us for a discussion about the latest research in Chronic Wasting Disease in cervids.  

In this episode we talk with Dr. Catheryn Haigh with the from the Chief Prion Cell Biology Unit at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Health. We do a little looking at CWD's history, the current research and where it is going. 

Questions can be sent to Dr. Haigh at [email protected]

I said I would put a note about testing on deer farms. From what I can find as the only certified test is done during a necropsy any animal that has shown symptoms of CWD should be tested and the entire herd may be depopulated. But actual requirements vary by state. 


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Join us for a discussion about a study that looks at using bovine blood as an alternative to caprine blood when goats need a blood transfusion. 

In this episode we discuss a 2021 paper looking at xenotransfusion between bovines and caprines. This paper is titled Preliminary Investigation of Bovine Whole Blood Xenotransfusion as a Therapeutic Modality fo the Treatment of Anemia in Goats and can be found at 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7969644/

Questions can be sent to Dr. Breuer at [email protected]


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