Ruminant

OBJECTIVE: To determine arthroscopic approaches to the dorsal synovial compartments of the antebrachiocarpal and middle carpal joints in adult cattle, and to describe the arthroscopic intra-articular anatomy from each approach.

STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo study.

ANIMALS: Six fresh adult bovine cadavers.

Category: Imaging - Ruminant

OBJECTIVE: To describe the diagnosis and surgical management of congenital laxity of the fibularis tendon resulting in hyperextension of the tarsus in calves.

STUDY DESIGN: Case series.

ANIMALS: Fourteen calves (3 unilateral, 11 bilateral) diagnosed with congenital tarsal instability caused by laxity of the fibularis musculotendinous unit resulting in hyperextension of the tarsus.

Lameness and hock injuries are recognized welfare and production problems in the dairy industry. The objective of this study was to describe changes in the prevalence of these ailments in 15 freestall herds in the Northeastern United States that participated in an on-farm assessment program. Prevalence was assessed in a high-producing pen in each herd. A confidential report was delivered to each of the farms showing prevalence in relation to other herds assessed within the same region.

Category: Podiatry - Ruminant

This article reviews the literature on hock lesions in dairy cattle, focusing in particular on their prevalence and associated clinical signs, as well as the scoring systems used to assess them and the data on risk factors. This analysis was limited to hock lesions where there was inflammation and damage of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue only without involvement of the joint.

Category: Ruminant
Authors: Stephanie Valentin, Annika Essigbeck, Ines Wolfram, Theresia Licka
Journal: The Veterinary Journal

Ovine locomotion studies are rare, despite their relevance for medical research. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate habituation and temporospatial parameters during treadmill walking of seven Austrian Mountain sheep. Sheep were naïve to treadmill exercise. During five treadmill sessions, movement cycle duration (MCD), vertical trunk movement (VTM), stride height (SH), stride length (SL), and percentage of movement cycle at stance (%St) were assessed. Two sheep were excluded from the study because they would not walk on the treadmill.

Category: Ruminant
Authors: Caroline De Vlamynck, Frederik Pille, Lieven Vlaminck
Journal: The Veterinary Journal

The aetiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of bovine spastic paresis of the gastrocnemius muscle (BSP-G) have been investigated for several decades, but much remains to be elucidated. In some breeds, the proportion of atypical presentations of BSP involving the quadriceps muscle (BSP-Q) and/or several other muscles (mixed presentation, BSP-M) appears to be increasing. Differentiation between BSP-G, -Q and -M is challenging and existing surgical treatments are usually ineffective in cattle affected by one of the atypical forms of the disease.

Category: Ruminant
Authors: E. Kester, M. Holzhauer, K. Frankena
Journal: The Veterinary Journal

This article reviews the literature on hock lesions in dairy cattle, focusing in particular on their prevalence and associated clinical signs, as well as the scoring systems used to assess them and the data on risk factors. This analysis was limited to hock lesions where there was inflammation and damage of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue only without involvement of the joint.

Category: Ruminant
Authors: Johann Kofler, Gaby Wetchy and Gudrun Schöffmann
Journal: Veterinary Surgery

Objective

To report metacarpal fracture repair in a bull.

Study Design

Clinical report.

Animals

Simmental bull (n = 1; 870 kg).

Authors: R. B. Modesto, K. A. Mansmann, T. P. Schaer
Journal: Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology (VCOT)

Objectives: Preclinical studies using large animal models play an intergral part in translational research. For this study, our objectives were: to develop and validate arthroscopic approaches to four compartments of the stifle joint as determined via the gross and arthroscopic anatomy of the cranial and caudal aspects of the joint. Methods: Cadaveric hindlimbs (n = 39) were harvested from mature ewes. The anatomy was examined by tissue dissection (n = 6), transverse sections (n = 4), and computed tomography (n = 4). The joint was arthroscopically explored in 25 hindlimbs.

Authors: Katharine M. Simpson, DVM, MS; Robert N. Streeter, DVM, MS; Jared D. Taylor, DVM, MPH, PhD; Tamara B. Gull, DVM, PhD; Douglas L. Step, DVM
Journal: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Objective—To evaluate whether pedal bacteremia develops following regional IV perfusion (RIVP) of a 2% lidocaine hydrochloride solution in cattle with deep digital sepsis (DDS) and to determine which bacterial pathogens are most commonly isolated from the pedal circulation. Design—Prospective observational cohort study. Animals—9 adult cattle with DDS in 10 limbs and 10 healthy adult cattle with no evidence of lameness or digital infection.

Category: Ruminant