Prevalence and performance effects of neonatal disease in Thoroughbred and Standardbred foals in South-Eastern Australia.

Background: There is little information on foal mortality and the epidemiology of diseases in the neonatal period in Australian equine breeding enterprises.

Methodology: This was a prospective cohort study of 1219 foals on 15 breeding farms in south-eastern Australia to identify the proportion of foals recognised on farm as abnormal at birth or within the first 48 h postpartum, determine the prevalence and risk factors for neonatal disease and assess the subsequent performance of foals in the study population.

Results: Overall, 27 foals died within 6 weeks of birth in the study population (2.

Student selection to a rural veterinary school. 2: predictors of student performance and attrition.

Objective: To evaluate the extent to which current selection processes at Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia, predict performance within and attrition from the veterinary degree program.

Design: Retrospective evaluation of application details and student performance data.

Methods: Database records of 424 students entering the veterinary program were retrieved from university records, including all students graduating (n = 356) or leaving the program without completing (n = 68) between 2005 and 2016.

Student selection to a rural veterinary school. 1: applicant demographics and predictors of success within the application process.

Objective: To determine demographic details of applicants to the veterinary degree program at and relate this information to student selection processes.

Design: Retrospective evaluation of applicant data.

Methods: Database records of 4042 applicants to the veterinary program (2006-2016) were retrieved from university records.

Biological variation of routine haematology and biochemistry measurands in the horse.

Background: Clinical pathology results are typically interpreted by referring to population-based reference intervals. The use of individualised (subject-based) reference intervals is more appropriate for measurands with a high degree of variation between individuals.

Objectives: To determine the biological variation of routinely analysed equine haematology and biochemistry measurands and calculate indices of individuality and reference change values which enable production of individualised reference intervals, in a group of healthy, privately owned horses.

Strategic test-day recording regimes to estimate lactation yield in tropical dairy animals.

Background: In developing dairy sectors, genetic improvement programs have limited resources and recording of herds is minimal. This study evaluated different methods to estimate lactation yield and sampling schedules with fewer test-day records per lactation to determine recording regimes that (1) estimate lactation yield with a minimal impact on the accuracy of selection and (2) optimise the available resources.

Methods: Using Sahiwal cattle as a tropical dairy breed example, weekly milk records from 464 cows were used in a simulation study to generate different shaped lactation curves.