Dr Kurt De Cramer BVSc MMedVet (Gyn) PhD Rant en Dal Animal Hospital, Mogale City kdcramer@mweb.co.za Most veterinary practitioners don’t deal much with bitches in oestrus and may lack experience and skills to interpret reproductive examinations such as appearance of the vaginal mucous membranes on vaginal speculum examinations and vaginal smears. Progesterone concentrations (PC) may… Continue Reading
Category Archives: CPD Articles
Maximising Histopathology in Oncology The 3 Pillars for Diagnostic Success and Effective Therapy
Dr Rick Last (BVSc; M.Med.Vet(Path); MRCVS) Specialist Veterinary Pathologist Although surgical pathology forms only a portion of veterinary oncology, if used correctly within the framework of the veterinary team (clinician, veterinary nurse, owner, pathologist), it provides the opportunity for rapid accurate diagnosis and immediate implementation of relevant therapy. The pathologist reading the biopsy is removed… Continue Reading
Common Production Diseases PART 01: Causes and Effects on High Producing Dairy Cows
Dietmar Holm and Martin van der Leek Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria dietmar.holm@up.ac.za From Southern Cape Proceedings 2018 Production diseases are also known as metabolic diseases, which is a bit of a misnomer. In human and small animal medicine the term metabolic disease implies some inherent defect in… Continue Reading
Pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of postpartum uterine disease
Robert O. Gilbert Professor of Theriogenology, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs,Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine,Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies. From RuVASA Proceedings 2018 Introduction Postpartum diseases are common in dairy cows, and their incidence contributes to reduced fertility and increased risk of culling, making their prevention and management extremely important. Reproductive efficiency has… Continue Reading
Field Vasectomy in Rams (Herbst Technique)
Dr Francois van Niekerk Humansdorp Veterinary Clinic 01 Place ram in sitting position on table [mules bed/cradle works well, so does a wheelbarrow, deep type, used by builders for concrete]. 02 With sheep shears shear/clip wool on abdomen cranial to scrotum [about 10cm] and on cranial aspect of the neck of the scrotum. 03 The surgical area is … Continue Reading
CPD: Abortion and Stillbirth Investigation – PART 01: External Examination of the Fetus
Dr Rick Last – BVSc; M.Med.Vet (Pathology) Specialist Veterinary Pathologist Maximizing the use of the Fetus and Placenta Introduction The value of post mortem examination on abortions/stillbirths is often overlooked and extremely underutilized. It is a very simple and practical procedure which requires the use of simple non-expensive equipment, that is easily transportable, and so… Continue Reading
The 4 Approaches to Disease Prevention
Dr Danie Odendaal – Veterinarian Network Increase general resistance, Increase specific resistance, Decrease exposure, and Prevent exposure. As discussed previously, the development process of every disease is different and therefore the prevention or management of every disease also needs a different approach to prevent or interrupt the process. Basically, 4 approaches are used in the… Continue Reading
Seasons in the SCC
Dr Alf Lategan and Dr Martin van der Leek All over the world, dairies experience an increase in somatic cell count (SCC) during summer and autumn. The extent to which climatological factors contribute to this increase in South Africa is unknown, although the weather is blamed anecdotally. Consequently, the value of heat abatement or other… Continue Reading
The costly effects of low blood calcium levels (hypocalcaemia) in freshly calved dairy cows
Dr Barry Coates (BVSc) ‘Clinical’ milk fever and subclinical hypocalcaemia are essentially the same thing – they are both low available calcium levels in the blood. It’s only the degree or severity that differentiates the two conditions. It’s the subclinical hypocalcaemia however, that is far more costly than clinical milk fever for two simple, devastating… Continue Reading
Blood Transfusion in Bovines
Dr Francois van Niekerk Humansdorp Veterinary Clinic DONOR Requirements Xylazine 1.2 ml IM 2. Lignocaine 3. 23g needle 4. Nº 10 or 15 scalpel blade and handle 5. Blood collection needle [4 – 5mm internal diameter, available from Instavet] or trocar & cannula of similar diameter. Large plastic funnel plus plastic tube [latter optional]… Continue Reading
