Impact of ‘ antivaxxer ’ attitudes on clients ' willingness to have their pets treated
USER-ALT Lori Kogan and Mark Rishniw , Colorado State University , Fort Collins
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic , there appears to have been considerable growth in the numbers of US citizens concerned about the use of vaccines . The authors investigated whether these sentiments have affected the uptake of routine vaccinations for dogs . An online survey completed by 1,341 veterinarians showed an increase in clients expressing doubts about the value of both core vaccines and rabies treatments since human Covid-19 vaccines have become available . They suggest that a better understanding of the cognitive biases that affect public attitudes will allow veterinary staff to better communicate with their clients and improve vaccine take-up rates .
Antimicrobial efficacy of four surgical handpreparation procedures
USER-ALT Hermien Viljoen and others , University of Pretoria
Transient populations of bacteria found on the skin surface are the most common cause of surgical site infections but these organisms can usually be removed with routine handwashing . The authors investigated the influence of four different skin preparation methods , used before applying an alcohol-based rub , on bacterial counts from the hands of veterinary students carrying out elective surgery on dogs . At 2 hours from the start of surgery , there were lower bacterial counts in samples from clinicians who had prepared their hands with a pH-neutral soap or with medicated solutions than those who had only used the alcohol-based rub .
Long-acting injectable methadone formulation for postoperative analgesia in dogs
USER-ALT Zackery Bieberly and others , Kansas State University , Manhattan
Currently available opioid analgesics will typically require treatments every 4 hours to maintain satisfactory pain control . This may create the risk of breakthrough pain in dogs recovering from surgery at institutions where 24-hour staffing is not available . The authors examined the effects of a formulation of methadone with fluconazole , which reduces the rate at which the former is metabolised in the liver . Two 12-hourly injections of the long-acting formulation provided analgesia levels that matched those achieved with standard 4-hourly methadone doses in dogs recovering from soft tissue surgery .
12 Veterinary Nursing Journal