Align-ju SCIENCE SHORTS
Comparing the efficacy of two cleaning methods in a small animal hospital
USER-ALT Todd Alsing-Johansson and others, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Contamination of surfaces within the clinical environment is considered a major factor in the development of healthcareassociated infections. Such infections may result in longer hospital stays, higher costs and increased morbidity / mortality. The authors compared the efficacy of two different cleaning regimes in controlling the bacterial load on surfaces near patients in animal hospital wards. The methods used were a scrubbing brush with detergent and rinsing before and after cleaning, and a microfibre mop moistened with water followed by disinfectant. Bacterial sampling of floors, walls and cages showed that the use of a scrubbing brush and detergent was more effective than damp mops in reducing the bacterial load. After cleaning, a majority of surfaces showed a bacterial count below the suggested threshold of 2.5 colony-forming units / cm 2, except for floor samples after cleaning with the microfibre mop.
BMC Veterinary Research https:// doi. org / 10.1186 / s12917-025-04631-0
Perioperative mortality in pet rabbits in Australia
USER-ALT Ellen Pieper and others, University of Melbourne, Australia
Pet rabbits are known to have a higher rate of perioperative mortality than cats or dogs, and anaesthesia-related complications appear to be particularly common in rabbits that were already unwell before surgery. The authors investigated the factors associated with perioperative mortality in pet rabbits in Australia. They reviewed the records from 1,757 cases in which rabbits were anaesthetised with isoflurane. The overall perioperative mortality rate was 2 %, with a higher risk in rabbits with a poor health status, those undergoing non-routine procedures and those weighing less than 1 kg. The use of a supraglottic airway device was associated with a lower mortality rate than that of patients receiving an endotracheal tube. Mortality was also more common with a fentanyl-based protocol compared with anaesthesia involving medetomidine.
Australian Veterinary Journal https:// doi. org / 10.1111 / avj. 13391
Preliminary evaluation of a scale for measuring frailty in older cats
USER-ALT Elizabeth Colleran and others, Chico Hospital for Cats, California, USA
Frailty scales are used in human medicine to identify older patients at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. There is little published data on the use of similar tools in feline medicine. The authors describe a pilot study on a frailty scale completed by the owners and veterinary surgeons( VSs) responsible for 273 cats aged between 11 and 20 years. The scale examined factors such as cognitive function, behaviour, activity, bodyweight, condition score, muscle mass, chronic disease or unexplained changes in appearance or function. Among the 122 cats for which both assessments were available, 45( 37 %) were considered frail by their owners and 51( 42 %) by their VS. Among those for which follow-up details were obtained, 20 % of cats considered frail by the VS had died within 6 months, compared with 2 % of those regarded as frail by the owner.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science https:// doi. org / 10.3389 / fvets. 2025.1549566
Volume 40( 3) • June 2025
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