Swine inflammation and necrosis syndrome is influenced by husbandry and quality of sow in suckling piglets, weaners and fattening pigs.

Background: Swine inflammation and necrosis syndrome (SINS) is a newly identified syndrome in swine that can affect different parts of the extremities in suckling piglets. This study investigates the hypotheses that the clinical signs of SINS have histological equivalents, that SINS can also be observed in weaners and fatteners, that improving sow quality and husbandry (here the supply of water and fibre) can reduce the signs, and that coprostasis in sows is significantly associated with SINS in their offspring. From a cohort of 123 hybrid sows, the twenty sows exhibiting the best conditions and the twenty exhibiting the worst conditions were selected based on detailed scores from coronary bands, soles, heels, claws and teats.

Does Studying Veterinary Medicine Improve Students' Haptic Perception Ability? A Pilot Study With Two Age-Groups.

Haptic perception is an important tool for veterinarians. The present study analyzed the association between the haptic perception threshold of veterinary students and their palpatory experience. To approach this goal, 35 female students of veterinary medicine were divided into two groups with different levels of experience: (a) students with little practical experience, at the beginning of their studies (first year), and (b) students close to the end of their theoretical training (fourth year).

Assessment of first-year veterinary students' clinical skills using objective structured clinical examinations.

The DVM program at the University of Calgary offers a Clinical Skills course each year for the first three years. The course is designed to teach students the procedural skills required for entry-level general veterinary practice. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) were used to assess students' performance on these procedural skills.

Assessment of applicants to the veterinary curriculum using a multiple mini-interview method.

This study describes the development, implementation, and psychometric assessment of the multiple mini-interview (MMI) for the inaugural class of veterinary medicine applicants at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM). The MMI is a series of approximately five to 12 10-minute interviews that consist of situational events. Applicants are given a scenario and asked to work through an issue or behavioral-type questions that are meant to assess one attribute (e.