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Molecular diagnostics have quickly become a mainstay in veterinary medicine, particularly in the area of infectious diseases. With the rapid advancement of technology, it is difficult to keep up with what is available as well as to understand what the results mean.

There are a plethora of commercially available vaccines available for use in cattle, the majority of which target viral and bacterial pathogens of the respiratory and enteric tracts.

Why??? One of two goals: Enhancing the immune response (e.g. infection, cancer); or 2) suppressing the immune response (e.g. autoimmune disease). Results are often broad in scope, when usually we want a focused effect; for example, enhancing certain components of the immune response, like CMI in FIP, or suppressing only certain components of the immune response, like B lymphocytes that recognize an allergen, and produce IgE.

The decision to mechanically ventilate or dialyze a dog or cat is a difficult one. It is challenging from an expertise, staffing, emotional, ethical, and monetary perspective.

History may be of help but be careful not to over interpret the description provided by the owner as it may be misleading. Often the owner may observe lameness in one limb when the condition is bilateral. With the latter, the dog will be lame in the limb that is more painful; however the lameness may shift from one side to the other.

Knowledge of breed predispositions and inherited disorders can direct your differential diagnoses and your diagnostic plan. For some of these diseases the genetic mutation has been identified and tests for the defect have been developed. For others, the phenotypical characteristics have been well-described but the genetic basis and mode of inheritance are unknown.

The gallbladder is a thin-walled, muscular tear-dropped shaped sac that lies on the visceral surface of the liver, between the quadrate lobe and the right medial lobe. The gallbladder consists of a fundus, body, and neck, which opens into the cystic duct. The cystic duct then empties into the common bile duct which travels to the duodenum, ending in the major duodenal papilla.

Dehydration and electrolyte abnormalities occur commonly in cattle with gastrointestinal tract disease. Severe fluid and electrolyte abnormalities can result in death if left untreated.

When a new pet is acquired, numerous factors become part of the owner's decision of which diet to select. A pet owner may consider feeding advice from family, friends, the pet's breeder, trainer, or their local veterinarian. The internet has also become a large available source of information for pet owners regarding feeding options and other health issues for pets.

The bleeding patient is one of the more common emergency cases presented to veterinary hospitals. Although management of these cases is often initially symptomatic, it is imperative for the veterinary team to understand the diagnostic tests available to investigate the underlying etiology.

An epidermal, dermal, or subcutaneous mass lesion that is easily accessible to aspiration cytology

Organophosphates (OPs) competitively inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by binding to its esteric site. Without AChE, acetylcholine accumulates and causes excessive synaptic neurotransmitter activity.

A downer cow is "a cow unable to stand voluntarily". Many are periparturient and due to traumatic peripheral nerve injuries.

Small animal veterinarians prevent, diagnose, and treat parasitic infections every day, and most veterinarians are very comfortable managing these infections in their patients. However, when it comes to the zoonotic potential of parasitic organisms, it is challenging to keep up with new research, client questions can become tougher, and there becomes a fine line between educating a client about realistic risk and inducing unnecessary fear.

Sepsis is responsible for a large percentage of human deaths each year and the mortality has remained unchanged despite advances in critical care. In small animals, sepsis is also a frequent contributor to morbidity and mortality.

Musculotendinous injuries occur infrequently in dogs and cats, but the consequence of such an event can lead to marked dysfunction due to disruption of the muscle-tendon unit (MTU). The MTU is composed of the muscle origin, muscle belly, tendon and tendon insertion.

Feline herpesvirus (FHV) is a common pathogen of domestic cats. The virus is a ds DNA virus with a lipid envelope. The virus primarily targets epithelia of the upper respiratory tract and conjunctiva, and only rarely spreads beyond these regions to cause disease.

On January 30, 2008 the beef industry was reminded of the importance animal care. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released a video showing abuse of compromised dairy cattle at a California slaughter house.

Optimizing reproductive success in cow-calf herds relies on combining appropriate immunization and biosecurity practices with the current production system management techniques in the herd. The goal of the immunization program is to match herd immunity to the risks faced.

The short answer is "no" when we look for widespread, peer-reviewed evidence of untreatable infectious disease in food animals due to a microbial pathogen. However, there are some trends which bear watching. The evaluation of "untreatable disease" involves several inputs.

Seven to eight million dogs and cats are admitted to animal shelters each year in the United States. Until recently no comprehensive set of medical care standards for animal shelters had been published.

Respiratory disease is cited as the most common health problem encountered in U.S. feedlots. Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is a multi-factorial disease that affects the lower respiratory system.

Respiratory disease continues to be the major cause of disease in feedlot. On average about 15% of feedlot cattle will have respiratory disease compared with less than 2% for digestive or any other disease problem.

In many ways veterinary hospice takes its lead in delivering end of life and palliative care from the human hospice model. After several decades of delivering this type of care, our colleagues in human medicine found the best way of helping terminal people live their lives to the fullest is by providing care, comfort and medical expertise through a team approach.

The electrocardiogram or ECG is a valuable component of the medical evaluation of many dogs and cats. It can also be a useful tool for monitoring patients during hospitalization. It is imperative that a rapid and accurate rhythm diagnosis can be made so appropriate therapeutic intervention can be made.

VMAT's mission is to provide medical care for sick or injured animals resulting from a disaster, when the local veterinary community has been overwhelmed.

There are well thought out and clinically confirmed label regimens for label indications. For example, the antimicrobials labeled for individual animal treatment of respiratory disease in cattle and swine have label regimens which most likely give you the majority of the clinical results you will get.

Fluid therapy is one of the cornerstones of medical management. Fluids are used to correct dehydration, treat shock, treat hypotension, diurese, correct electrolyte abnormalities, provide an avenue for other therapeutic agents to name a few.

With the expansion of the size of individual dairy farms feeding waste milk from treated cows to bottle calves has become more common. Waste milk has the potential to have approximately 30% fat and 25-27% protein on a dry matter basis and therefore has the potential to provide a higher plane of nutrition than traditional 20% protein, 20% fat milk replacers.

PU/PD is an extremely common presenting complaint in small animal practice. Probably just as common are animals with polyuria and polydipsia that goes unnoticed by their owners. This is especially true of cats.