Objective assessment of chronic pain in donkeys using the Donkey Chronic Pain Scale.

Objective: To clinically evaluate previously developed pain scales [Donkey Chronic Pain Composite Pain Scale (DCP-CPS), Donkey Chronic Pain Facial Assessment of Pain (DCP-FAP) and combined Donkey Chronic Pain Scale (DCPS)], including behavioural and facial expression-based variables, for the assessment of chronic pain in donkeys.

Study Design: Prospective, blinded clinical study.

Animal: A group of 77 donkeys (34 patients and 43 healthy control animals).

Cross-sectional study to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with laminitis in UK donkeys.

Background: Laminitis causes lameness in donkeys, but its prevalence and factors associated with disease remain uncertain.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of and identify factors associated with laminitis in donkeys.

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Emergency Management for Donkeys and Mules.

This article provides an overview of initial assessment and management of common emergency presentations in donkeys and mules. The principles are similar to those in horses (and ponies), but clinicians must be aware of differences in recognition of signs of pain/disease, approach to handling, pharmacology of some drugs, and subtle differences in the physiology and local anatomy in donkeys and mules. The epidemiology of common disease presentations will vary between pet/companion or working/farmed donkeys and mules.

Objective assessment of chronic pain in donkeys using the donkey chronic pain scale (DCPS): A scale-construction study.

Assessment of chronic pain is very important for monitoring and improving welfare and quality of life in donkeys. Freedom from disease and pain is one of the 'five freedoms' underlying animal welfare. The aim of the current study was to develop a pain scale for assessment of chronic pain in donkeys (Donkey Chronic Pain Scale; DCPS), including behavioural and facial expression-related parameters.

The Welfare Aggregation and Guidance (WAG) Tool: A New Method to Summarize Global Welfare Assessment Data for Equids.

Animal welfare can be represented by an array of indicators. There is, however, increasing demand for concise welfare assessments that can be easily communicated and compared. Previous methods to aggregate welfare assessments have focused on livestock systems and produced a single welfare score, which may not represent all aspects of welfare.

Monitoring Acute Pain in Donkeys with the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkeys Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-DONKEY-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-DONKEY-FAP).

Objective pain assessment in donkeys is of vital importance for improving welfare in a species that is considered stoic. This study presents the construction and testing of two pain scales, the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-DONKEY-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-DONKEY-FAP), in donkeys with acute pain. A cohort follow-up study using 264 adult donkeys ( = 12 acute colic, = 25 acute orthopaedic pain, = 18 acute head-related pain, = 24 postoperative pain, and = 185 controls) was performed.

Equid Assessment, Research and Scoping (EARS): The Development and Implementation of a New Equid Welfare Assessment and Monitoring Tool.

The assessment of animal welfare poses numerous challenges, yet an emerging approach is the consolidation of existing knowledge into new frameworks which can offer standardised approaches to welfare assessment across a variety of contexts. Multiple tools exist for measuring the welfare of equids, but such tools have typically been developed for specific contexts. There is no 'one size fits all' which means that resulting datasets are generally non-comparable, creating a barrier to knowledge-sharing and collaboration between the many organisations working to improve equid welfare around the globe.

Clinical Evaluation and Preventative Care in Donkeys.

Clinical evaluation and preventative care in donkeys should follow similar guidelines as for horses. There are species-specific differences due to the desert-adapted physiology of the donkey. Donkeys are mainly used as pack animals, companions and for production of meat or milk - they may be kept well into old age.

Respiratory Disorders of the Donkey.

Donkeys suffer from the same respiratory diseases as horses; however, owing to their nonathletic nature many conditions can present in a more advanced state before becoming clinically apparent. Anatomically, their respiratory tract is similar to the horse, with certain species-specific differences that are important to be aware of. Often donkeys do not receive the same level of routine care as horses, so many are not vaccinated against respiratory pathogens such as influenza or herpesviruses.

Modulation of equine neutrophil adherence and migration by the annexin-1 derived N-terminal peptide, Ac2-26.

Neutrophil activation, whilst a key component of host defence, must be tightly regulated in order to avoid an inappropriate cellular response. Annexin-1, which is present in large amounts in neutrophils, and its N-terminal peptides, reduce neutrophil accumulation but annexin peptides have also been shown to exhibit neutrophil activating properties. We have recently shown annexin-1 to be present in equine neutrophils and demonstrated that the annexin-1-derived peptide, Ac2-26, can both reduce superoxide production by these cells in response to other stimuli and directly induce free radical production at a higher concentration.

CXCL8 attenuates chemoattractant-induced equine neutrophil migration.

The chemokine, CXCL8, is a potent chemoattractant but it has also been shown to attenuate the migratory response of human neutrophils to the bacterial peptide, FMLP; this could lead to retention of cells in infected tissue and, potentially, to enhanced clearance of bacteria. This study has examined the effect of CXCL8 on equine neutrophil migration and adherence in response to PAF and LTB(4), chemoattractants that may play a role in non-infectious inflammatory conditions of the horse associated with neutrophil recruitment to the target tissue. The effects of CXCL8 on PAF- and LTB(4)-induced responses were determined using a ChemoTx plate migration assay and by measuring adhesion to protein-coated plastic.

Validating 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine as a platelet marker for non-invasive imaging in rabbits.

Introduction: Recent in vitro studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that platelets are necessary for leukocyte recruitment and airway remodelling in models of allergic airway inflammation, and also migrate to lung tissues in response to anti-IgE or relevant allergens in allergic asthma. Non-invasive imaging of platelet migration in vivo would provide a further insight into the roles of platelets in inflammatory diseases such as asthma, and metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) was considered as a suitable platelet marker.

Methods: The kinetics of MIBG uptake into rabbit platelets, the effect of MIBG on platelet function and the effect of platelet activation on MIBG uptake and retention were investigated.

Evaluation of the effect of phosphodiesterase on equine platelet activation and the effect of antigen challenge on platelet phosphodiesterase activity in horses with recurrent airway obstruction.

Objective: To determine whether expression of equine platelet activation-dependent surface markers is influenced by phospodiesterase (PDE) isoenzyme activity and whether antigen challenge alters platelet PDE activity in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO).

Animals: 16 horses.

Procedures: 7 healthy horses were used for in vitro experiments, 6 horses with RAO were used for antigen challenge, and 6 healthy horses were used as control animals.

Winter body mass and over-ocean flocking as components of danger management by Pacific dunlins.

Background: We compared records of the body mass and roosting behavior of Pacific dunlins (Calidris alpina pacifica) wintering on the Fraser River estuary in southwest British Columbia between the 1970s and the 1990s. 'Over-ocean flocking' is a relatively safe but energetically-expensive alternative to roosting during the high tide period. Fat stores offer protection against starvation, but are a liability in escape performance, and increase flight costs.

Expression of annexin-1 in equine leucocytes and the effects of the N-terminal annexin-1 peptide, Ac2-26, on equine neutrophil superoxide production.

N-terminal peptides derived from the anti-inflammatory peptide, annexin-1, inhibit neutrophil function but can also induce pro-inflammatory effects. Although equine annexin-1 has been sequenced, its cellular expression and properties have not been reported. This study has examined whether annexin-1 is present in equine leucocytes and how the N-terminal peptide, Ac2-26, affects equine neutrophil superoxide production.

Phosphodiesterase isoenzymes in equine platelets and their influence on platelet adhesion.

Objective: To determine the phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzymes in equine platelets and evaluate their influence on platelet adhesion.

Sample Population: Platelets obtained from healthy New Forest Pony geldings that ranged from 12 to 20 years of age (mean +/- SEM, 17.3 +/- 1.