veterinary quarterly review extension veterinary medicine...

BEEF CATTLE PRACTICEUpdate on Diagnosis of Trichomoniasis Trichomoniasisisoneofthemostdevastatingdiseasesofcattle.AlthoughitnodoubthasbeenpresentinTexasbeefherdsformanydecades,ithasbeendiagnosedwithincreasedfre-quencyinrecentyearsthroughoutthestate.Stepstodiagnosetrichomoniasisarecriticaltoinvestigationofrepro-ductiveproblemsinbeefherds. Thefollowingmaterialcoversimportantpointsaboutcurrentguide-linesfordiagnosisofthedisease.

Reproductive Impact of Trichomoniasis ThetwomostcommonwaysTrit-richomonas foetusisintroducedintoTexasbeefherdsarebybullsorcowsfromaherdinfectedwithT foetus

Extension Veterinary MedicineCollege of Veterinary Medicine& Biomedical Sciences

Volume 22, Number 4 Winter 2006-2007Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, CVM,

TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843This is number eighty-seven of a continuing series of multi-species quarterly reviews and practice tips for veterinarians in Texas. Information in the Veterinary Quarterly Review is intended to be timely, concise and of practical value. Ideas and input from practicing veterinarians are encouraged. Sources of abstracts, articles or practice tips will be credited.

In this issue 1.UpdateonDiagnosisofTrichomoniasis 2.EthanolBoomCausingMultifacetedParadigmShiftthroughoutFoodProduction Systems 3.ResourcesforCurrentDDGSRecommendationsforLivestockandPoultryFeed 4.“AProducer’sGuidetoManagingPorcineCircovirus-AssociatedDisease”Available 5.Nuflor®Oral2.3%ConcentrateSolutionAvailableasSwineDrinkingWater Medication 6.NewGuidelinesforMaximumResidueLimits(MRLs)forPorkExportedtoJapan ChangingHowU.S.SwineVeterinariansandProducersManageDrugWithdrawal Times 7.PlacentaSubmissionBecomingMoreImportantforEquineAbortionDiagnosis 8.SmallScaleCompostingasPracticalWayToDisposeofHorseManure 9.SheepManagementClassesAvailableOnline10.MarijuanaToxicosisinDogs:213Cases11.VeterinaryContinuingEducationSeminars2007,TexasA&MUniversity

Educational programs of Texas Cooperative Extension are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Court of Texas Cooperating

slippingthroughpoorfencestoinfectacleanneighboringherd;andbyplacinganewlypurchasednon-virginbullthatisinfectedwithT foetusintoacleanherd.Bulls that have had breeding experience must be tested for trichomoniasis prior to mixing with a clean herd!

FollowinginfectionofcowswithT foetus,conceptionoccursatamod-eratelyreducedrateaccompaniedbyembryonicdeathsandabortions.ThemostcommonoutcomeofT foetusinfectionsisearlyembryonicdeath,whichresultsinrepeatbreeders.Traditionally,abortionsduetotricho-

Bruce LawhornVisiting Professor, Swine Practice

F.C. Faries, Jr.Extension Program Leader

for Veterinary Medicine

Steve WikseAssociate Professor and Extension

Veterinarian — Beef Cattle

Veterinary Quarterly REVIEW

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moniasiswerefelttooccurmainlyinearlypregnancy.Itisnowwellproventhattheycanoccurthroughoutgesta-tionrightuptothetimeofcalving.It’sanewideatoconsiderT foetusinfec-tionasanimportantpotentialcauseofmid-orlate-gestationabortions.How-ever,onestudyshowedthatathirdofT foetusabortionsoccurredinthelasttrimester. Pregnancyratesinthehigh70percentilesoccurredinrecentclinicaltrialswherereplacementheiferswerebredbyinfectedbullsandwherepreg-nancywasexaminedearly.Abortionsthenoccurredintheweeksfollowingpregnancydiagnosis.Undernaturalconditions,pregnancyratescanbedismallylow(inthe50to65percentrange)duringthefirstyearofinfectioninanaiveherd. InanoutbreakIencountered,abreedinggroupof161cowsdroppedfromapregnancyrateof92percentonefallto65percentthenextfall.(Therewere10neighborcowsinthecorralwithmyclient’scowsthatfall.)Beefherdsthathavebeeninfectedforyearsmayhavepregnancyratesinthehigh70percentilesduetodevel-opmentoftransitoryimmunityininfectedcows. Inoutbreaksoftrichomoniasis,palpationmayrevealthatthereisalowerthannormalpercentageofcowsinthelasttrimesterofpregnancyandahighernumberofcowspregnantinearliertrimesters.Thisisespeciallytrueinherdswithlongbreedingsea-sons(6to8months).Cowsbecomeinfectedinthefirstcoupleofmonthsofthebreedingseason,butclearinfec-tionin1to4monthsandbecomepregnant.Thisleadstohugeincreases(3months)incalvingintervalsandlowerweaningweights.

Diagnosis of Trichomoniasis Diagnosisoftrichomoniasisisachallengebecauseotherreproduc-tivetractinfectiousagentscanpaintsimilarclinicalpicturesinbeefherds.ReproductivelossesduetoCampylo-bacter foetus,Leptospira hardjo-bovisandbovineviraldiarrheavirusinfec-

tioncanbeindistinguishablefromthoseofT foetus.Theoccurrenceofpyometrainasmallpercentageofcasesisanimportantuniquemani-festationoftrichomoniasis.DiagnosisoftrichomoniasisisaccomplishedbyvisualizingthemotileorganismsinculturesorbyidentifyingDNAoforganismsinsamplesortissues.Diag-nosis can be made by sampling bulls, cows, fetuses or placentas. Bulls.ThetraditionalwaytodiagnoseT foetusinfectioninaherdhasbeentocultureorganismsfromsmegmacollectedfromtheprepuceofbulls.Thereareseveralwaystocollectthesmegmasample,includingpre-pucewashingsofsaline,dabbingwithcottonswabsandscrapingcombinedwithaspirationintoapipette. Thepipette,ordrymethod,ispre-ferredintheUnitedStates.Thepre-puceistrimmed,anda21-inchsterileinseminationpipetteisinsertedintothefornixoftheprepuce.Thepipetteisthenrepeatedlyscrapedbackandforthabout2or3inchesinthesamespotwithgentlepressurewhileapply-ingsuctionwitha12or20ccsyringe. Idothatabout40times,graduallytryingtodigdeeperintotheepithelialcryptsofthemucosawheretheorgan-ismsaremostabundant.Aportionofsamplescollectedthatwaywillconsistofgreymucus.Somewillhavejustenoughbloodtoturnpink.Diagnosti-ciansfeelthatsampleswithnobloodarepositivejustasmuchasthosewithalittleblood,butmanyotherpractitionersandIthinksamplesthatarealittlepinkarethebest.Itisnotgoodtocollectasamplethatlookslikepurebloodorasamplewithalotofdirt.Bloodysamplescan’tbehelpedinbullsthathaveaninflamedprepucemucosathatyieldsbloodwiththeslightestscraping. Diagnosticianshatesamplesthatcontaindirt.Dirtysamplesaredif-ficulttoavoidundermuddycondi-tions.Ihavebeenabletocollectfairlycleansamplesundermuddyconditionsbyplacingasheathedpipetteintothefornixoftheprepuce,pullingthesheathbackafewinches,

scrapingwithaspiration,thenpullingthepipettebackintothesheathandremovingitfromtheprepucecoveredbythesheath.Analternativemethodofobtainingacleansampleistowashthesheathpriortosampling.Sinceit’snaturaltoholdportionsofthepipettethatarecontaminatedwhencollectingsamples,Iliketowearafreshpairofexamglovesforeachsamplingtopre-ventcrosscontaminationofsamples ThemucuscollectedinthepipetteisthendepositedintoanIn Pouch TFpacket(BiomedDiagnostics,SanJose,California).Survivaloforgan-ismsfromcollectionattheranchtoincubationatthediagnosticlaboratoryismuchhigherinIn Pouch TFpacketsthanDiamond’smedia.BesuretheIn Pouch TFpacketexpirationdatehasnotpassed.VeterinarianswhohavebacterialincubatorscanincubateandreadtheInPouchTFpacketsintheirclinics.Theyshouldbereadevery24hoursfor5days.Organismsaremostcommonlyobserved(at40X,100X,400X)inpositivesamplesat48hoursofincubation,butcanbefoundany-timebetween24hoursand5days. Samplesgenerallyshouldbeincubatedat37C.However,somelaboratoriesfavor36C.StudieshavedemonstratedthesameisolationrateofT foetuswhensampleswereincu-batedat22Cas37C.IknowthatT foetusissensitivetoexcessiveheatbutmighthaveoverheatedsomesamplesinmyincubatorthatwasaccidentallysetat42C.Consequently,Inowsettheincubatorat36CwhenIreadmyownsamples.Organismsareeasytoseeunderagoodlightmicroscopeandlooklikelittlebumpercarsrunningaroundhittingintoeachother. TheTexasVeterinaryMedicalDiagnosticLaboratoryhasdevelopedapolymerasechainreaction(PCR)testforpositivelyidentifyingtheDNAoforganismspresentinpositivetestsofT foetus.Since1999,whenintestinaltrichomonads(Tetratrichomonasspp,Pentatrichomonas hominisandothers)wereculturedfrompreputialsmegmaoftrulyvirginbulls,ithasbecomeprudent to perform PCR tests on all

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positive cultures.Itwouldbeatragicmistaketosendanexcellentbulltoslaughterbecauseofapositiveculturethatwasactuallyanonpathogenicintestinaltrichomonad.ThePCRtestismuchmoresensitivethancultureinidentifyingT foetusinsamples.Forexample,inanoutbreakoftricho-moniasiswhichIdiscoveredatapregnancyexamination,3of6culturesofsamplescollectedfromopencowswereculturepositive.Inaddition,5ofthe6sampleswerePCRpositive.(PCRdetected2morepositives).IoftenrequestbothcultureandPCRtestingofsamplesIcollectbecausethecombinationmightincreasetheoddsofdiagnosingT foetusinfectionifitispresentintheherd.PCRtestsareperformedfollowingincubationoftheIn Pouch TFfor5days. Cowsorheifers.Althoughcultureofsmegmasamplescollectedfromtheprepuceofbullsisthestandardwaytodiagnosetrichomoniasisinbeefherds,cultureofuterinedischargesfromfemalesfoundopenatpregnancydiag-nosiscanbejustaseffective.Enlargeduterinehornswiththickenedwallscanbedetectedinsomeoftheopencowsatpalpation.Examinationoftheante-riorvaginaofthesecowsviaavaginalspeculumoftenrevealsagreytoyel-lowpurulentdischarge.Adisposablemarevaginalspeculumworkswell.It’seasytocollectasampleofexudatetoculturebysweepingthefornixofthevaginawithaglovedhand.Itcanalsobedonebyaspirationofexudateintoaninseminationpipetteinsertedtothefornixofthevagina.Thesameproce-durecanbeusedtoobtainasampleofexudatefromtheoccasionalcowthatdevelopspyometra. It’simportanttocollectsamplesfromatleast6opencowsbecausetheimmunesystemofsomecowsthatwereinfectedwithT foetusearlyinthebreedingseasonwillhaveclearedtheinfectionbythetimeofpregnancyexaminations.Cultureofsamplescol-lectedfromcowsatpregnancyexami-nationinherdswithimpairedfertility

offersaquickwaytodetermineiftrichomoniasisistheculprit. Fetuses.Diagnosisoftrichomonia-siscanbemadebyexaminingabortedfetusesbycultureoftheorganismsfromabomasalfluid.Itcanalsobedonebyvisualizationoftheorganismsintheplacentaorfetaltissues.ThereareconsistentpatternsoflesionsintheplacentaandfetusofabortionscausedbyT foetus.Inoverhalfthecases,bronchopneumoniawithorgan-ismsinairwaysisclearlydiscernableinstandardhematoxylinandeosin(HE)-stainedsections.Organismssometimescanbeseenbypathologistsinsectionsoftheeosophagus,aboma-sumandintestine.Theycanalsobeseenintheplacentaifitisnotseverelyautolyzed.

Bottomline TrichomoniasisisacommoncauseofseverereproductivelossesinTexasbeefcow/calfoperations.Severalotherinfectiousagentscancausereproductiveproblemssimilartothoseseeninoutbreaksoftrichomo-niasis.However,pyometraisauniquemanifestationofT foetusinfection.Lowerpregnancyratesanddelayedpregnanciesthatresultinlowerwean-ingweightsmaketrichomoniasisoneofthemosteconomicallydevastatingdiseasesofbeefcattleherds. Newdiagnosticaids,suchastheIn Pouch TFpacketandthePCRtest,havemadeeffortstodiagnosetricho-moniasismoresuccessful.Diagnosescanbemadefromsamplescollectedfrombulls,cowsorheifersandfromabortedfetusesortheirplacentas.Attemptstodiagnosetrichomoniasismustbeacriticalpartofallinvestiga-tionsofimpairedfertilityinTexasbeefherds. Remembertheoldsaying,“Ifyoudon’tlookforit,youwon’tfindit!”FromStevenE.Wikse,DVM,DACVP,AssociateProfessorandExtensionBeefCattleVeterinarian,FoodAnimalSection,DepartmentofLargeAnimalClinicalSciences,CollegeofVeterinaryMedicineandBiomedicalSciencesandTexasCooperativeExtension,TheTexasA&MUniversitySystem,CollegeStation,Texas77843-4475.

FOOD ANIMAL PRACTICEEthanol Boom Causing Multifaceted Paradigm Shift throughout Food Production Systems ArecentIowaStateUniversityCen-terforAgricultureandRuralDevelop-ment(CARD)paperprovidesvariouspreliminaryscenariosaboutthelong-termimpactofcorn-basedethanolonthegrain,oilseedandlivestocksectorsofU.S.agriculture. Theexecutivesummaryofthepaperstates:“Estimatesofthelong-runpotentialforethanolproductioncanbemadebycalculatingthecornpriceatwhichtheincentivetoexpandethanolproductiondisappears.UndercurrentU.S.ethanoltaxpolicy,ifthepricesofcrudeoil,naturalgas,anddrieddistillersgrainswithsolubles(DDGS)stayatcurrentlevels,thenthebreak-evencornpriceis$4.05perbushel.Amulti-commodity,multi-countrysystemofintegratedcommoditymodelsisusedtoestimatetheimpactsifweevergetto$4.05perbushelcorn.Atthisprice,corn-basedethanolproductionwouldreach31.5billiongallonsperyear,orabout20percentoftheprojectedU.S.fuelconsumptionin2015.Supportingthislevelofproductionwouldrequire95.6millionacresofcorntobeplanted.Totalcornproductionwouldbeapproximately15.6billionbushelsofcorn,comparedto11.0billionbushelstoday.Mostoftheadditionalcornacrescomefromreducedsoybeanacreage.Wheatmarketswouldadjusttofulfillincreaseddemandforwheat.U.S.cornexportsandproductionofporkandpoultrywouldallbereducedinresponsetohighercornpricesandincreasedutilizationofcornbyetha-nolplants.Theseresultsshouldnotbeviewedasapredictionofwhatwilleventuallymaterialize.Rather,theyindicatealogicalendpointtothecur-rentincentivestoinvestincorn-basedethanolplants.”

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Thepaperfocusesonthewinnersandlosersbyconcluding,“Muchofthedebatesurroundingthecurrentincentivestotheethanolsectorsug-geststhattheseincentivesaredriveninlargepartbyadesiretoreduceU.S.dependenceonimportedoil.Bystimulatingtheproductionofethanoltoasmuchas20percentoftotalfueluse,theseincentivestructuresappeartobewellontheirwaytomeetingthisgoal.” Otherbeneficiariesincludelandowners,whowillbenefitfromadramaticincreaseincornpricesandassociatedincreasesinlandrents.U.S.cropgrowerswillbenefituntilthehigherprofitsarecapturedbyhigherlandvaluesandlandrents.DairyandbeefproducerswhoarenearethanolplantswillbenefitfromhavingaccesstoDDGS.Ownersofethanolplantswillbenefituntilcornpricesrisetoeliminatethecurrentarbitrageinethanolproduction. Specializedporkandpoultryproducerswhodonotownsharesinethanolplantswillloseashighercornprices(andeventuallyreducedinternationalcompetitiveness)causeproductionlevelstodecline.Thetransitiontotheselowerproductionlevelswillbepainfulformostoftheseproducers.Ethanolconstructionandtheflowofprofitsfromethanolfacili-tieswillstimulateruraleconomies.However,therewillbelesslivestockinthesesameareaswhichwilleventuallyworktooffsetthisadvantage. Astandardargumentininterna-tionaltradeisthat,whilemosttradearrangementshavewinnersandlosers,thesuccessfulagreementsaresobeneficialtothewinnersthattheycreateenoughsurplustohelpthelosersadjustandadapt.Aninterest-ingpolicyquestionthatweareintheprocessofaddressingiswhetherthelonglistofpositivesassociatedwiththeexpansionofcorn-ethanolproduc-tionissufficienttooffsettheshorterlistofnegatives.Thediscussionsfromtheentirepapercanbeaccessedathttp://www.card.iastate.edu/publica-tions/DBS/PDFFiles/06bp49.pdf .

AdaptedfromAmaniElobeid,SimiaTokgoz,DermotJ.Hayes,BruceA.BabcockandChadHart,CARDBriefingPaper06-BP49,“TheLong-RunImpactofCorn-BasedEthanolontheGrain,Oilseed,andLivestockSectors:APreliminaryAssessment,”November2006,CenterforAgricultureandRuralDevelopment,IowaStateUniversity,Ames,Iowa,50011-1070,www.card.iastste.edu.Forinformationaboutthispaper,contactBruceBabcockat578HeadyHall,IowaStateUniversity,Ames,Iowa50011-1070;(phone)515/294-6785;(fax)515/294-6336;or(email)Babcock@iastate.edu.

Resources for Current DDGS Recommendations for Livestock and Poultry FeedTheUniversityofMinnesotaoffersanexcellentresourceonthemostcurrentinformationonuseofdistillersdriedgrainandsolubles(DDGS)indairy,beef,swineandpoultryrations.Youcanfinditatwww.ddgs.umn.edu/.AnotherexcellentresourcebytheNationalCornGrowersAssociation(NCGA)isa16-pagepamphletthatoutlinesthebasicDDGSfeedingrec-ommendationsforbeefanddairycat-tle,swine,sheepandpoultry.ItbreaksdownthemaximumdietaryinclusionlevelsforrationsandexplainshowbesttoutilizeDDGS.Contactinfor-mationforquestionsisalsoincluded.YoucanorderthispamphletfromMelGibsonat636/733-9004.Itisacon-densedversionoftheOctober2005NCGA’s“DistillersGrainFeedingRecommendations,”whichisavailablefromNCGAatwww.ncga.com.FromPork Magazine,November2006,pp.8and10.

SWINE PRACTICE“A Producer’s Guide to Managing Porcine Circovirus-Associated Disease” AvailableTheAmericanAssociationofSwineVeterinariansandtheNationalPorkBoardhaveteameduptocreateanexcellentinformationsource,“AProducer’sGuidetoManagingCirco-virus-AssociatedDisease.”Itprovidesguidelinesforswineproducerswhoaredealingwithporcinecircovirus-

associateddisease(PCVAD).ItsvarioustopicsincludediseasesignsofPCVAD,importanceofaveterinary-assisteddiagnosisandmeasureshelp-fultominimizetheeffectofPCVADineachstageofproduction.This18-page,colorguidecanbeviewedathttp://www.aasv.org/aasv/documents/PCVADBrochure.pdf.Printcopiesarefreeforproducersandindustryedu-catorsfromThePorkStoreatwww.porkstore.pork.org.ClickonResourcesandthenSwineHealth.FromtheAmericanAssociationofSwineVeterinarians,9021stAvenue,Perry,Iowa,50220-1703;(phone)515/465-1703;(fax)515/465-3832;(email)aasv@aasv.org;(website)www.aasv.org.AlsofromtheNationalPorkBoard,1776Northwest114Street,DesMoines,Iowa50325;(phone)515/223-2600;(fax)515/223-2646;(email)pork@pork.org;(website)www.pork.org.

Nuflor® Oral 2.3% Concentrate Solution Available as Swine Drinking Water Medication FlorfenicolSolution(Nuflor®Oral2.3%ConcentrateSolution)wasapprovedinJuly2006asdrinkingwatermedicationforswinetotreatswinerespiratorydiseaseassociatedwithActinobacillus pleuropneumoni-ae,Pasteurella multocida,Salmonella choleraesuisand Strep suisType2infections. TherecommendeddosageofNuflor®Oral2.3%ConcentrateSolu-tionis10mg/kgperday.Thisresultsfromproducingastocksolutionthatwillmedicate128gallonswitheachgalloncontaining400mgflorfenicol(100ppm).Itisonlyavailableas2.2litersina1-gallonplasticbottle.Eachbottlemedicates128gallonsofdrink-ingwater.Themedicatedwatershouldbethepigs’onlysourceofdrinkingwaterforfiveconsecutivedays.Thepreslaughterwithdrawalperiodis16days.FromSchering-PloughAnimalHealthCorporation,556MorrisAvenueBldgS4,Summit,NewJersey07901.QuestionsshouldbeaddressedtoSchering-Ploughtechnicalserviceveterinarianat877/633-3953oratwww.spah.com/usa/swine.

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New Guidelines for Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Pork Exported to Japan Changing How U.S. Swine Veterinarians and Producers Manage Drug Withdrawal Times

Maximum Residue Limits for Pork Exported to Japan – the Facts RecentlytheJapanesehaveadoptednewfoodsafetystandardsandresiduestandardsthatwillapplytoallfoodproductsincludingpork,freshandfrozen,offalandprocessedmeats.ThesenewstandardsarebasedontheCodexAlimentarius,aseriesofinter-nationalstandardsestablishedbytheFoodandAgriculturalOrganizationoftheUnitedNationsandtheWorldHealthOrganizationtoensurefoodsafety.U.S.standardsweredevelopedbytheFoodandDrugAdministra-tiontoensurefoodsafety.CodexandU.S.residuestandardsmaydifferforcertainproductsandresiduetesting.CompliancewithU.S.productwith-drawalswillsatisfymost,butnotall,ofthenewmaximumresiduelevels(MRLs)setbyJapan. Japanrepresentsamarketforover$1billionofU.S.porkor45percentofthevalueofU.S.exports.Infact,itisthelargestmarketforU.S.porkinvolumeandvalue.Japanpurchasesapproximately753millionpoundsofU.S.porkmuscle.Oneanimalinviola-tionofJapaneseproductspecificationscanseverthismarketforU.S.pork.

Testing Protocols for Pork Products Exported to Japan Specifictestingprotocolsforveterinarydrugsinporkandporkproductswillbeclarifiedasinforma-tionbecomesavailable.Japanesetest-ingprotocolsforporkmusclerequiretestingbedoneatornearidentifiableinjectionsites.Therefore,theuseofinjectableproductsrepresentsmoreofariskthantheuseofotheranimalhealthproductsusedinthefinishingstage.Producersareencouragedto

evaluatetheuseofanimalhealthprod-ucts,includinginjectables,intheirfin-ishersandreviewinjectiontechniques.

What the Pork Checkoff Is Doing ThePorkCheckoffhasbeenwork-ingwithpharmaceuticalcompaniestodeterminewhatanimalhealthprod-uctsmayrequirechangesintheirwith-drawalperiodstomeetJapanMRLs.ThePorkCheckoffwillcontinuetoupdateitssiteathttp://www.pork.org/Producers/JapanMRL.aspxwiththelatestinformationfrompharmaceuti-calcompanies.(Informationfromtheindividualpharmaceuticalcompaniescanbefoundthroughthe“MoreInfo”linkatthebottomofthewebsitepage.)

What This Means to the Swine Producer CertainveterinaryproductswillrequirelongerwithdrawalperiodsifswinearebeingsenttoapackingplantthatchannelsporkintoaJapaneseexportmarket.Followingveterinarydrugmanufacturers’directionsforcorrectuseofanimalhealthproductsisessential.

What Producers Need To DoSwineproducersareadvisedtotakethefollowingstepstofindoutiftheyareaffectedbythesenewregulations:

•ContactyourpackerandfindoutifyourproductisbeingchanneledintotheJapaneseexportmarketandisaffectedbynewMRLs.

•Searchthelistofanimalhealthproductsinthedatabaseofthewebsitehttp://www.pork.org/Producers/JapanMRL.aspx.Viewthosethatarecurrentlyusedinthefinisherphaseofyouropera-tiontoseeiftheirwithdrawalperiodsareneededifyouareintheJapaneseexportmarket.

•Contactyourherdveterinarianifyouhavequestionsaboutwhethertheanimalhealthproductslistedinthiswebsiteareusedinyouroperationandareaffectedandrequireachangeinusage.

•Withthehelpofyourherdveteri-narian,developprotocolsfortheuseofanimalhealthproducts.

Theseprotocolsshouldinclude(1)aproceduretodetermineifanimaltreatmentisnecessaryandwhenisthemosteffectivetimetotreatananimal,and(2)atooltodeterminethemostappropriateproductstouseandthecorrecttechniquefortreatmentofpigsinthefinisherstageofproduction.

Japan MRLs Position Statement Adopted by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV)Gotohttp://aasv.securesites.net/aasv/ position-japanMRL.htmlfortheAASVpositionstatementonJapaneseMRLs.AdaptedfromMaximumResidueLimits(MRLs)forPorkExportedtoJapan,http://www.pork.org/ Producers/JapanMRL.aspx;andfrom“AASVRecommendationstoMeetJapaneseMRLRequirementsofU.S,”AmericanAssociationofSwineVeterinarians,9021stAvenue,Perry,Iowa50200,http://aasv.securesites.net/aasv/position-japanMRL.html

EQUINE PRACTICEPlacenta Submission Becoming More Important for Equine Abortion Diagnosis Duetocontinuingprogressintheknowledgeandidentificationofequineplacentalabnormalities,asmanyas80percentofequineabortioncasesmaybeassociatedwithplacentalchanges.Theplacenta,amnionandumbilicus(fetalmembranes)arecriti-calspecimensforsubmissioninallequineabortioncases.Also,thefetus,dam’sseraandserafrom10percentofnormalpregnantmaresatthesamelocationshouldstillbesentifpossible.FromtheOklahomaStateUniversity(OSU)Animal Health Update,thenewsletteroftheOSUCenterforVeterinaryHealthServices,Winter2006.

Small Scale Composting as Practical Way To Dispose of Horse Manure TheTexasCooperativeExtension(TCE)publication,“CompostingHorseManure”(B-6084),isacompleteguideforsmallscalecompostingof

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Veterinary Continuing Education Seminars 2007 College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Texas A&M University*April27-29...................................................................................................AnnualFelineSymposium (Dr.JohnAugust)*June1-3............................................................................................ AnnualFoodAnimalConference (Dr.StevenWikse)*July21-22.......................................................................................................... SmallAnimalDentistry (Dr.Jonathan“Bert”Dodd)*August4-5......................................................................................................DermatologyConference (Dr.ChristineRees)*September22-23................................................................................AnnualExoticPetsConference (Dr.SharmanHoppes)*October12-14....................................................................................ClinicalNeurologyConference (Dr.JonathanLevine)*November2-4........................................................................................... AnnualEquineConference (Dr.JeffreyWatkins)*November17-18........................................SmallAnimalEmergencyMedicineandCriticalCare (Dr.MaureenMcMichaels)*November30-December2.......................................... AnnualEquineReproductionSymposium (Dr.DicksonVarner)*ConfirmedCalendarissubjecttorevision.Formoreinformationontheseprogramsofself-studyandpersonalizedcontinuingeducation,pleasecall(979)845-9102,fax(979)862-2832,ore-mailceoffice@cvm.tamu.edu.Visitourwebsiteathttp://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vtce.

FromtheOfficeofVeterinaryContinuingEducation,TexasVeterinaryMedicalCenter,CollegeStation,Texas.

horsemanuregeneratedatveterinaryclinicsandstables.Itbrieflydescribescomposting,compostmaturity,optimalconditionsforcomposting,makingcompostfromhorsemanure,measuringcomposttemperatures,monitoringcompostmaturity,labora-toryanalysisofcompost,tipsforthesmallscalecomposterandacompost-ingdemonstrationcarriedoutonaveterinarylargeanimalhospital.Italsoaddressesmodestincomegenerationfromfinishedcompost. ThisandotherTCEpublicationsmaybedownloadedorcanbepur-chasedfromtheTCEBookstoreathttp://tcebookstore.org.FromTexasCooperativeExtension’sB-6084,“CompostingHorseManure”(6-99),BertW.Averman,AssociateProfessorandExtensionAgriculturalEngineer;LarryMcDonald,ExtensionAssociate/WaterQuality;RobertDevin,RandallCountyExtensionAgent-Agriculture;andJohnSweeten,ProfessorandDirector,TexasAgricultureExperimentStation,Amarillo,TheTexasA&MUniversitySystem.

SHEEP AND GOAT PRACTICESheep Management Classes Available Online IntroductiontoSheepManage-ment,IntroductiontoSheepHealthandEweRationFormulationareonlinecoursesofferedtosheepenthusiasts(adultandyouth)bythePipestoneLambandWoolProgram.Thisisasheepmanagementeduca-tion/consultingprogramofferedbyMinnesotaWestCommunityCollegeinPipestone,Minnesota.

•IntroductiontoSheepManage-mentisa14-lesson,self-pacedcoursewithcontinuousenroll-mentandprovidesanoverviewofyear-longsheepmanagement.

•IntroductiontoSheepHealthismorestructured,isdesignedformoreinteractionandrequiresthetext,Gate’s Practical Guide to Sheep Disease Management (3rdedition).

•EweRationFormulationisstruc-tured,isdesignedforinteraction

liketheSheepHealthcourseandrequiresthetext,The Sheep Production Handbook(2002edition).

Toregisterforoneoftheonlinecourses,contactSueLovellatsue.lovell@mnwest.eduorat507/847-7929.Youcanalsoregisteratwww.mnwest.edu/formmail/formdl.htm.Formoreinformation,visitPipe-stoneWoolandLambatwww.pipe-stonesheep.comorcontactPhilipBerg.HeisatPhilip.berg@mnwest.eduandat507/825-6799.FromSheepIndustryNews,November2006,p6.

CANINE PRACTICEMarijuana Toxicosis in Dogs: 213 Cases Marijuana(Cannabis sativa)iscommonlyusedasarecreationaldrugamonghumans.Animalsmay

beexposedfollowingingestionoraccidentalinhalationofsmoke.FromJanuary1998toJanuary2002,213incidenceswererecordedofdogsthatdevelopedclinicalsignsfollowingoralexposuretomarijuana.Amongthem,99percenthadneurologicalsignsand30percentexhibitedgastrointestinalsigns.Themarijuanaingestedrangedfrom0.5to90grams.Thelowestdoseatwhichsignsoccurredwas84.7mg/kg,andthehighestdosewas26.8g/kg.Timeforonsetofsignsrangedfrom5minutesto96hours.Manage-mentconsistedofdecontamination,sedation(withdiazepamasthedrugofchoice),fluidtherapy,thermoregula-tionandgeneralsupportivecare.Allaffectedanimalswithfollow-upinfor-mationmadefullrecoveries.AdaptedfromJancyzkP,DonaldsonCWandGwaltneyS,“TwoHundredandThirteenCasesofMarijuanaToxicosisinDogs,”Veterinary and Human Toxicology,46:1,pp.19-21,2004asreportedinAnimal Health Spectrum,MississippiStateUniversityExtensionService,Volume15,Number3,Fall2004,p.4.