Improve International Australia in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Veterinary surgeon

Improve International Australia

Locality: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 490 555 405

Address: 23 Springwood Plaza 3-15 Dennis Road Springwood QLD 4127 4127 Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.improveinternational.com.au/

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25.01.2022 How essential is coffee in your life?

23.01.2022 Are you familiar with this face?

22.01.2022 What else could he be?

20.01.2022 Hence the importance of chocolate in veterinary practice!

20.01.2022 How do you cope with the pressure of being watched?

16.01.2022 Treatment of cutaneous mast cell tumours (MCTs) in dogs is usually based in surgical resection, but it may not be indicated or feasible in every case. Alternatives include surgical debulking in association with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both. Recently, a novel therapy has been developed, consisting of intratumoural injection of tigilanol tiglate (TT), which results in a localised inflammatory response that culminates in tumour cell death, with the resulting wound healing ...28 to 84 days after treatment. The authors of this study set out to determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of this new approach in a population of 123 dogs. Dogs were divided into two groups: treatment with TT and control, and the study was conducted in two phases, with dogs being assessed on multiple occasions, and treatment response recorded at 28 and 84 days for tumour response and wound healing. After analysing the results, authors found this treatment to be effective, with overall complete response at 28 days after a single TT treatment being 73%, and 94% of these dogs having no local recurrence of the target tumour by 84 days. Effectiveness was found to be associated with the formation of a wound after slough of the treated tumour, wound size relative to original tumour volume, and tumour cytological grade. Most adverse events observed were low-grade, transient, and manageable, confirming TT to be a valid treatment option, especially in cases that are expected to have problematic excisional margins and those of high anaesthetic risk. In De Ridder TR, Campbell JE, Burke-Schwarz C, et al. Randomized controlled clinical study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intratumoral treatment of canine mast cell tumors with tigilanol tiglate (EBC-46). J Vet Intern Med. 2020;115. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15806

16.01.2022 Hyperthyroidism is an endocrine disease commonly diagnosed in older cats. In hyperthyroid cats, pre-existing kidney disease has been estimated at 14-40%, but diagnosis can be challenging as hyperthyroidism can mask chronic kidney disease (CKD). As treatment for hyperthyroidism is associated with a decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), azotaemia can worsen in cats that have concurrent CKD, meaning that determining if a cat has CKD before treatment can guide vets when m...aking clinical decisions. With radioiodine therapy considered the treatment of choice, the authors of this prospective study set out to evaluate SDMA in 84 hyperthyroid cats before and after treatment with radioactive iodine and to determine how pretreatment SDMA relates to the development of post-treatment azotaemia. Cats were evaluated at 4 different time points baseline (6 weeks before treatment), and 1, 3 and 6 months after radioiodine administration. Serum concentrations of T4, TSH, BUN, creatinine and SDMA, as well as urine specific gravity were assessed and compared. After statistical analysis, authors found pretreatment SDMA to have a low sensitivity (15.4%) to predict the development post-treatment of azotaemia. SDMA was significantly higher in cats that developed azotaemia, though, and likely reflects associated changes in GFR. However, due to the high specificity (94.4%) found, findings suggest that a hyperthyroid cat with a pretreatment SDMA <10 g/dl would be unlikely to develop azotaemia post-treatment. In DeMonaco, S. M., Panciera, D. L., Morre, W. A., Conway, T., & Werre, S. (2020). Symmetric dimethylarginine in hyperthyroid cats before and after treatment with radioactive iodine. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 22(6), 531538. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X19859947

13.01.2022 Ureteric injury is a well-known complication, although under-recognised, of ovariohysterectomy (OVH) surgery given the anatomical proximity of the ureters and reproductive organs in the abdominal cavity. Several case reports have been published on the subject, and multiple injuries, as well as repair techniques, have been described. The authors of this study set out to compile information to help guide veterinarians when facing this issue, aiming to describe the presentation,... treatment and outcome of ureteric injuries caused by OVH complications in a series of cats and dogs. Fourteen cats and five dogs were included in this retrospective study. A range of proximal and distal ureteric trauma injuries were diagnosed in both species, including transection, resection, ligation, rupture, adhesions, bruising and haematomas. Corrective surgical procedures included ureteroneocystostomy, ureteronephrectomy, subcutaneous ureteral bypass placement (before definitive surgery), with ureteroneocystostomy selected as the initial procedure whenever possible. Ureteroneocystostomy surgery was associated with a high major complication rate, necessitating further surgery; however, it was also life-saving in cats with bilateral injury and preserved renal function in cats with unilateral injury. Even though based on a small population, overall, the majority (68%) of animals had an excellent outcome. Authors highlight that: All owners were keen to explore all possible treatment options; A key indicator for suspicion of ureter injury is an animal failing to recover normally or becoming unwell shortly following neutering; Some animals presenting with marked azotaemia had excellent outcomes, so this should not preclude surgical treatment. In Plater, B.L. and Lipscomb, V.J. (2020), Treatment and outcomes of ureter injuries due to ovariohysterectomy complications in cats and dogs. J Small Anim Pract, 61: 170-176. doi:10.1111/jsap.13100

12.01.2022 Just trying to make it through the week

12.01.2022 Dirofilaria parasites are of growing importance, with D. repens, responsible for a subcutaneous form of the disease, currently considered an emerging zoonotic agent in Europe. Both D. repens and D. immitis are capable of infecting dogs, cats, and other animals, with the dog having an important part in disease transmission, given its role as reservoir. Climatic changes are having an impact in the intermediate host’s, the mosquito, population and activity, which, combined with ...travelling of infected dogs, are contributing to the spread of these diseases. D. immitis infections are the most reported in dogs and cats, and it is important to keep in mind that the vector-borne nematode behaves differently when infecting a dog or a cat. In feline infections, most juvenile heartworms die soon after arriving in the pulmonary arteries. This can be associated with acute and severe presentations caused by pulmonary thromboembolism, arterial dissection and the cat’s inflammatory response, which need intensive care and can result in sudden death. Also, the low number of adult worms in feline infections in combination with microfilaraemia being rare and short-termed, makes diagnosing more challenging. As such, a multistep approach that includes antigen and antibody tests, as well as diagnostic imaging, is essential. Regarding treatment, adulticide therapy is not safe and not recommended, as there’s a high risk of thromboembolism and anaphylactic reactions. However, self-cure is likely to occur within 18-48 months in asymptomatic cats. Treatment with prednisolone is indicated in symptomatic cats, and cats with suggestive radiographic alterations. In Pennisi, M. G., Tasker, S., Hartmann, K., Belák, S., Addie, D., Boucraut-Baralon, C., Möstl, K. (2020). Dirofilarioses in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 22(5), 442451. doi:10.1177/1098612x20917601

12.01.2022 An empirical approach to chronic diarrhoea in dogs, which can include dietary interventions, parasiticides, and antibacterials (ABs), is frequently trialled before endoscopy or biopsy are sought. As there are a number of chronic enteropathies that can result in diarrhoea, authors recommend ABs administration should be avoided until other therapeutic approaches have been unsuccessful, and after histopathologic evaluation, whenever possible. Indeed, there are few indications ...for using ABs in chronic diarrhoea. Antibiotic-responsive diarrhoea is one of them, which, as the name suggests, responds well to administration of ABs, and often recurs as soon as they are withdrawn. However, the diagnosis of antibiotic-responsive diarrhoea is based on a positive response to ABs after exclusion of other conditions, which, when not undertaken, might lead to unnecessary administration or overuse of ABs. The aim of this report is to make a strong argument against the empirical use of ABs when routinely managing dogs with suspected chronic enteropathy, and authors note: AB administration causes alterations in the intestinal microbiota, and this dysbiosis can be detrimental to overall host health, which may have long-term effects as well The gut microbiota has been considered as a dynamic reservoir of antibiotic resistance, one of the most serious and imminent health-related problems worldwide, which can be affected by the administration of ABs Alternative treatments, such as prebiotics, probiotics or synbiotics can help modulate gut bacterial populations ABs may not be the best option to treat some forms of infectious diarrhoea In Cerquetella, M., Rossi, G., Suchodolski, J.S., Schmitz, S.S., Allenspach, K., RodríguezFranco, F., Furlanello, T., Gavazza, A., Marchegiani, A., Unterer, S., Burgener, I.A., Pengo, G. and Jergens, A.E. (2020), Proposal for rational antibacterial use in the diagnosis and treatment of dogs with chronic diarrhoea. J Small Anim Pract, 61: 211-215. doi:10.1111/jsap.13122

06.01.2022 Happy Friday, everyone! Let us know if something bizarre happens to you today

04.01.2022 Hypoadrenocorticism (HA) is an infrequent endocrinopathy that affects dogs, which can manifest as an inadequate secretion of both mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid hormones, or glucocorticoid hormones alone. As HA typically results in vague, episodic, nonspecific signs, including gastrointestinal signs, the authors of this prospective study set out to determine the prevalence of HA in 151 dogs with chronic signs of gastrointestinal disease (SGD). Clinical signs were quanti...fied using the canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index (CCECAI). A complete blood count and biochemistry profile were performed, as well as the measurement of basal serum cortisol concentration and ACTH stimulation test. Dogs were diagnosed with HA if the stimulated serum cortisol concentration was under or equal to 2 g/dL. 6/151 dogs were diagnosed with HA, and the calculated prevalence of HA in this population of dogs with chronic SGD was 4%, which is significantly higher than the estimated in the general population (0.06-0.28%). There were no significant differences in any historical information or laboratory variables between dogs with chronic SGD with and without HA. All 6 HA dogs were further categorised as glucocorticoid-deficient (GDH), and, as expected, no electrolyte abnormalities were found. Based on these results, authors suggest ruling out HA should be included in the standard approach of dogs with chronic SGD. In Hauck C, Schmitz SS, Burgener IA, et al. Prevalence and characterization of hypoadrenocorticism in dogs with signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease: A multicenter study. J Vet Intern Med. 2020;34:13991405. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15752

03.01.2022 Improve International wishes you a Happy Christmas! On this season of sharing, we’d like to thank all those who have shared their knowledge and experiences with us, and continue to put their trust in Improve International as their training provider. 2020 has been an unprecedented year that has brought us many challenges, but also opportunities to grow.... We have focused our efforts on adapting to this ‘new normal’, and to keep providing you with the best learning opportunities in a safe environment. We’re stepping into 2021 with a renewed sense of hope, and wish to continue to support you on your path of professional development. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the team at Improve International!

01.01.2022 If you need help finding the pancreas, we're here for you!

01.01.2022 Congratulations to Dr Whitney R, the lucky winner of our Christmas Hamper Competition. We hope you enjoy your treats this holiday season. Here is Dr Whitney winning story: First Christmas Eve night working emergency, a little old lady came in with her completely collapsed puppy. Lady went to church to pray. Ended up being anaphylaxis and discharged within hours due to exuberance. Lady called me her Santa Claus!