Design and Application of an Evaluation Tool to Assess World Organization for Animal Health Competencies for Graduating (Day 1) Veterinarians.

Graduating competent veterinarians with the appropriate knowledge and skills to support and strengthen their country's National Veterinary Services is a key priority for veterinary institutions globally. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) developed a set of Day 1 Competencies that should be expected of every veterinary graduate. Veterinary schools need to be able to assess the coverage of these competencies in their curriculum and determine the level of proficiency of their graduates.

Visual and morphometric description of feral horse hooves from Sable Island National Park Reserve.

Objective: To visually evaluate and morphometrically describe a sample of abnormal hooves from Sable Island horses that died between 2007 and 2013.

Animal: Equine.

Procedure: An opportunistic sample of 356 abnormal hooves from horses inhabiting Sable Island National Park Reserve (Canada) was collected postmortem between 2007 and 2013 from 101 Sable Island horses.

Impact on canine neutrophil preservation with the addition of bovine serum albumin to K -EDTA whole blood samples.

Background: Cellular deterioration occurs with blood sample aging, impacting white blood cell (WBC) identification and differential accuracy. This may be exacerbated in samples from patients experiencing inflammation. Previously, bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been shown to improve cellular preservation of blood and other samples, but the effect on cell preservation in canine blood has not been assessed.

Infrequent intrahousehold transmission of Clostridioides difficile between pet owners and their pets.

Companion animals have been shown to carry Clostridioides difficile strains that are similar or identical to strains found in people, and a small number of studies have shown that pets carry genetically identical C. difficile isolates as their owners, suggesting inter-species transmission. However, the directionality of transmission is ultimately unknown, and the frequency with which animals acquire C.

Potential Drivers for the Re-Emergence of Canine Leptospirosis in the United States and Canada.

Canine leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease in many countries. This review examines potential drivers for increased diagnoses of canine leptospirosis in the United States and Canada, using the epidemiologic triad of agent-environment-host as a template. spp.

Impact of a Spectrum of Care Elective Course on Third-Year Veterinary Students' Self-Reported Knowledge, Attitudes, and Competencies.

Veterinary services' rising cost is an increasing barrier to pet care. Spectrum of care (SpOC) refers to evidence-based veterinary medicine options along the socioeconomic spectrum. To meet growing pet owner financial constraints and pet care needs, training to equip veterinarians with competencies to provide SpOC as Day One graduates is argued to be added as part of the veterinary curriculum.

Veterinarians' Self-Reported Needs and Attitudes on the Atlantic Canada Veterinary College and Associated Teaching Hospital in Relation to Continuing Education, Research, and Clinical Referrals.

The relationship between veterinary colleges (VCs), associated veterinary teaching hospital referral centers (VTHs), and referring veterinarians (rVets) is important and complex. Despite this, there has been minimal research on rVets with respect to their regional VC and VTH. Our objectives were to evaluate rVets' attitudes and self-reported needs on their regional VC's VTH surrounding (a) continuing education, (b) collaborative research, and (c) referrals for specialty consultation and care.

Knowledge, attitudes and influencers of cat owners in North America around antimicrobials and antimicrobial stewardship.

Objectives: The primary aims of this study were to determine preferences of North American cat owners when they are prescribed an antimicrobial for their cat with regard to cost, method of administration and the importance of antibiotics for treating infections in people, and to establish baseline knowledge, attitudes and influencers of cat owners on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.

Methods: An online questionnaire was used for data collection from two cat-owner groups: US cat owners and Canadian cat owners. Participants were queried on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, and their preferences for their own cat when prescribed an antimicrobial, with respect to cost, method of drug administration and the importance of a drug for treating infections in people.

A multicenter study of antimicrobial prescriptions for cats diagnosed with bacterial urinary tract disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate initial antimicrobial therapy in cats diagnosed with upper or lower bacterial urinary tract infections at veterinary practices in the USA and Canada.

Methods: Electronic medical records from a veterinary practice corporation with clinics in the USA and Canada were queried between 2 January 2016 and 3 December 2018. Feline patient visits with a diagnosis field entry of urinary tract infection, cystitis and pyelonephritis, as well as variation of those names and more colloquial diagnoses such as kidney and bladder infection, and where an antimicrobial was prescribed, were retrieved.

Evaluation of antimicrobial prescriptions in dogs with suspected bacterial urinary tract disease.

Background: Antimicrobials are commonly used to treat urinary tract disease in dogs. Understanding antimicrobial use is a critical component of antimicrobial stewardship efforts.

Hypothesis/objectives: To evaluate antimicrobial prescriptions for dogs diagnosed with acute cystitis, recurrent cystitis, and pyelonephritis.

Longitudinal environmental Staphylococcus contamination in a new small animal veterinary hospital and utility of cleaning checklists.

Staphylococci are inhabitants of skin and mucous membranes with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) serving as important pathogens for animals and people, respectively. Previous research has identified the environment as potentially important in hospital-associated infections and zoonotic transmission in veterinary settings. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the longitudinal prevalence over repeated samplings of environmental coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CPS) in a new veterinary hospital and evaluate associations between contamination and environmental and clinical (caseload, cleaning checklists and staff numbers) factors.

Companion animal preventive care at a veterinary teaching hospital - Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of clients.

Preventive care is the cornerstone of health. However, veterinary staff to client (pet owner) communication of disease prevention may be limited resulting in increased pet risk. Our objectives were to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices of clients regarding vaccination and parasite control and describe information sources influencing client preventive care.

Investigation of spatio-temporal clusters of positive leptospirosis polymerase chain reaction test results in dogs in the United States, 2009 to 2016.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of concern and an investigation of recent spatio-temporal trends of leptospirosis in dogs in the United States is needed. Leptospira PCR testing has become increasingly used in veterinary clinical medicine and these data might provide information on recent trends of disease occurrence.

Objectives: To identify and describe clusters of PCR-positive Leptospira test results in dogs in the United States.

Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in a veterinary medical teaching institution.

Widespread use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine drives the emergence and dissemination of resistant bacteria in human, animal, and environmental reservoirs. The AVMA and FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine have both taken public positions emphasizing the importance of incorporating antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary clinical settings; however, a model for implementing a comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship program in veterinary practice is not readily available. In 2015, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine began developing a veterinary antimicrobial stewardship program modeled on existing programs in human health-care institutions and the 7 core elements of a successful hospital antimicrobial stewardship program, as defined by the CDC.

Development of an OIE Harmonized Day 1 Competency-Based Veterinary School Curriculum in Ethiopia: A Partnership Model for Curriculum Evaluation and Implementation.

The University of Gondar College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (UoG-CVMASc) and the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (OSU-CVM) developed an objective methodology to assess the curriculum of veterinary institutions and implement changes to create a curriculum that is harmonized with OIE standards while also covering the needs and realities of Gondar and Ethiopia. The process, developed under the sponsorship of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Veterinary Education Twinning Programme, is outlined in this article with the hope that it can be applied by other countries wishing to improve national veterinary services (VS) through the improvement of their academic programs. The plan created by the UoG-OSU Twinning team consisted of an in-depth curriculum assessment and development process, which entailed three consecutive stages.

Clients' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pet nutrition and exercise at a teaching hospital.

Nutrition and exercise are key components of an animal's overall health; however, these topics may not be discussed with clients during veterinary visits resulting in suboptimal practices. This study sought to i) estimate small animal clientele knowledge, attitudes, and practices on nutrition and exercise; and ii) evaluate client recall of (and interest in) veterinary recommendations related to nutrition and exercise. Clients visiting the Atlantic Veterinary College Small Animal Teaching Hospital over a 1-month period were invited to complete a 5-minute written questionnaire.

Characteristics of intrahousehold interdog aggression and dog and pair factors associated with a poor outcome.

Objective: To describe characteristics of intrahousehold interdog aggression (IDA) and dog and pair factors associated with a poor outcome (permanent separation, rehoming, or euthanasia of dogs).

Animals: 305 pairs of dogs (610 dogs) with IDA.

Procedures: The record database of a referral veterinary behavioral clinic was searched to identify pairs of dogs that were evaluated for IDA (IDA pairs) between September 2007 and September 2016.

A cross-sectional study of environmental, dog, and human-related risk factors for positive canine leptospirosis PCR test results in the United States, 2009 to 2016.

Background: Canine leptospirosis is a reemerging zoonotic disease concern in North America, and a better understanding of its epidemiology is needed. Wide-scale use and subsequent analyses of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing may provide additional insight into leptospirosis. This study aimed to describe temporal trends, to descriptively map, and to identify environmental, dog, and human-level factors associated with positive canine leptospirosis PCR test results in the United States.

Madin-Darby canine kidney cell sialic acid receptor modulation induced by culture medium conditions: Implications for the isolation of influenza A virus.

Background: The influenza A virus (IAV) binds to α-2,3- and α-2,6-linked sialic acid (SA) receptors expressed by Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The receptor distribution may therefore be important in regulating IAV propagation. Serum-free medium (SFM) avoids variability in conventional culture medium containing fetal bovine serum (FBS), which can have variable composition and may contain endotoxins.

Clostridioides difficile on Ohio swine farms (2015): A comparison of swine and human environments and assessment of on-farm risk factors.

Swine are known reservoirs for Clostridioides difficile, formerly known as Clostridium difficile, and transmission from swine to human farm workers is strongly suggested by previous studies. This cross-sectional study evaluated the potential role of farm environmental surfaces, including those in worker breakrooms and swine housing areas, in the possible transmission of C. difficile from swine to farm workers.

Impact of Dog Transport on High-Risk Infectious Diseases.

Translocation of dogs inherently poses infectious disease risks when pathogen distributions vary between regions, even within the same country. Concerns include introduction of novel pathogens that can infect dogs, zoonotic pathogens, pathogens that can become established in existing reservoirs or vectors, and vectors that might carry pathogens and/or become established in a new region. This article presents the drivers of canine movement and their relative risks, and provides examples of diseases to show how different pathogen characteristics and transmission pathways can affect the impact of movement of infected dogs.

The Dynamic Nature of Canine and Feline Infectious Disease Risks in the Twenty-first Century.

Canine and feline infectious diseases are constantly changing in frequency and location. Numerous drivers or determinants of these changes are suspected, including emergence of new pathogens; change in virulence and resistance of existing pathogens; change in land use, climate, and weather; travel and trade; habitat destruction and urbanization; change in animal-animal contact networks; host susceptibility; availability and uptake of prevention measures; and change in ability to detect pathogens and track diseases. This article explores each of these proposed drivers and examines examples of feline and canine diseases likely to be influenced by them.

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Dirofilaria immitis in Canadian dogs, 2008 to 2015: a repeat cross-sectional study.

Background: Vector-borne pathogens are emerging concerns in multiple regions of Canada. Determining regional prevalence of canine vector-borne pathogens and documenting change will improve clinician awareness, enable targeted prevention, enhance diagnosis and ideally reduce the risk of disease. Study objectives were to: (i) estimate the prevalence of positive canine vector-borne test results from samples submitted in Canada; (ii) assess change in prevalence over time, from baseline (2008) to 2015; and (iii) estimate the prevalence of pathogen co-infections.