AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

We have not yet found a drug or technique that is 100% effective for treating and preventing pain in horses. Western medicine is incredibly important and useful when dealing with pain in horses. Unfortunately, the positive effect of every drug comes with the negative side effects. In some patients, the side effects cannot be tolerated. Eastern medicine techniques are an alternative option for those patients. Acupuncture, massage and herbal medicine can be offered in combination or alone depending on the patient and disease process. In addition to explaining the techniques and options available, current associated research and literature will be included in the discussion.

Equine sports medicine has evolved in response to the needs of our equine athletes. The competition calendar is now year round for many equine athletes and the veterinarian is expected to maintain peak athletic performance in these animals while minimizing or avoiding pharmaceuticals. Eastern medicine techniques combine easily with an athlete’s maintenance program.

Small ruminants are very popular pets and companion animals. Owners commonly seek high quality individual medicine and surgery for these pets just as they would for their other companion animals. These owners are found everywhere, though in my experience most often encountered on “hobby farms” in peri-urban areas. These owners may come from a livestock back ground, though more commonly they have little experience. They commonly are starving for an eager veterinarian to help them learn and provide them with advice. We will focus on high quality individual animal medicine and surgery for sheep, goats, and South American camelids. I hope to build the confidence of the veterinarians that may be hesitant to see the family pet alpaca, and also to exchange some tips with the seasoned show sheep veterinarians. Integrating individual animal small ruminant medicine can be very rewarding to your practice. We will cover a wide range of topics including sedation, urolithiasis, gastrointestinal parasites and dystocia including caesarean section success tips.

Rural Australia has experienced a demographic shift in the last forty years where there has been a move from a landscape dominated by large commercial family farms, to one we now see which includes large farms interspersed with rural residential properties and weekenders. The peri-urban or small lot holders (SLH), form part of our rural landscape and bring with them a diversity that enriches and strengthens rural communities. They have for many years been regarded as a high biosecurity risk. Their lack of farming background and subsequent level of knowledge, especially of biosecurity practices, puts them at risk for the introduction and spread of exotic disease and pests. Although they potentially lack experience in certain areas, many are also knowledge seekers and are motivated to “do the right thing” by their animals and neighbours. The main concerns from this sector include the lack of biosecurity knowledge and the amount of informal trading of sheep, cattle and pigs. Informal trading means traceability is compromised and will slow or hinder control in the event of an emergency animal disease (EAD) outbreak. Any focus in the area should aim to increase compliance and must include the pig trading small lot holder as this is a particularly high risk for the introduction and establishment of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD). The lack of investment in this small lot holder extension requires a coordinated response from all relevant stake holders, to ensure better use of existing scant resources. This paper will summarise some of the strategies formulated in a workshop held in 2015 in Melbourne.

The technological mindset that would dump billions of pounds of deadly chemicals into the soil, and mix the genetic material of different species, and build factory farms where livestock are treated like industrial commodities … has a deeply arrogant view of the natural world. It regards Nature as something to be conquered and controlled for short term profit.1
"The greatest catastrophe that the human race could face this century is not global warming but a global conversion to ‘organic farming'-an estimated 2 billion people would perish.

Until recently 35% of the Falkland Islands land mass was certified organic under the Australian Certified Organics scheme. The choice to enter the scheme was largely pragmatic due to the low requirement for chemical inputs due to such things as the previous eradication of lice and keds on the islands. On the other hand whilst fertiliser would be highly beneficial the high cost of transportation to the islands makes it unfeasible on any substantial scale. In seven years many lessons have been learnt about how to produce organic wool. Many difficulties have been faced such as controlling internal parasites, while other issues arising on organic farms have driven them out of the scheme such as the lack of ability to control noxious weeds. The limitations of the organics scheme standards is discussed in light of the practicalities of farming in the Falkland Islands whilst acknowledging the benefits organics has added to farming practices. The inconsistencies in standards internationally are also discussed and the implications this has on how functional the schemes are within each country

Soil ecology is a major determinant of animal health and welfare through its influence on the quality and quantity of nutrition available to grazing livestock. Our understanding of this and the role we have will be discussed using examples

Acupuncture may be utilized in a variety of conditions and integrated into your ruminant practice. We will focus on common conditions, and common acupuncture points. Unfortunately one cannot learn this new skill set in one session. This session will demonstrate the value of integrating acupuncture into the care of your ruminant species. It is great if you are already utilizing acupuncture in your companion animal patients. This session will provide you opportunities to expand your acupuncture service into various ruminant species and scenarios. Various conditions will be discussed including, lameness, nerve injury, musculoskeletal injury, reproductive performance, and gastrointestinal conditions. For example, acupuncture can be utilized in dairy cattle with reproductive problems, show animals that are stiff and uncomfortable, rams that are lame, are neonates with diarrhoea. This session will present acupuncture as another tool in your arsenal against disease and pestilence. Acupuncture is not intended as a substitute for you current therapeutics. This session is intended to be more geared to the new ruminant acupuncturist. Suggested points and series of favourite points and generic guidelines will be given. I always feel recipes and guidelines are meant to be tailored to the individual

This lecture will discuss a holistic approach to feeding cats which incorporates consideration of behaviour and welfare as well as nutritional and dental requirements. Although there is no clear scientific evidence base for feeding ‘natural’ food, common sense in considering the evolutionary predatory behaviour of cats, and the important domains of behaviour and mental state in animal welfare assessment, suggest that feeding cats some raw meat on the bone may have many benefits. There are potential concerns with this practice, however, and skill and experience is required to do this safely. There are also situations in certain disease states where feeding raw meat may be initially contraindicated, whilst there are other disease states where feeding as a form of environmental enrichment may provide additional benefits. This lecture aims to provide a sensible, safe and practical approach of incorporating raw food into cats diets for maximal benefit with the minimal risk, and by doing so enhancing the welfare of pet cats

Increasingly, cats are being diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (80% — 95% Type II Feline Diabetes Mellitus — FDM). This presentation explores the role food-type plays in the etiology of this increasingly common problem. The presentation begins with a brief overview of diabetes as a metabolic disease, with varying degrees of declining insulin secretion & sensitivity, leading to its classification as either type I or type II. Recognized risk factors for FDM include age, obesity, gender, inactivity, drugs, systemic disease and genetic predisposition, while diet type is generally a minor consideration. Numerous studies confirm type II DM as a degeneration process involving mitochondria. The relationship between mitochondrial (Mt) function (determining organelle in cellular metabolism), health, diet and FDM is explored. Metabolic and related problems arising from non-evolutionary diets, where the principal energy source is carbohydrate include hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinaemia (initially), caloric excess, obesity, lipid accumulation, lipid toxicity, inflammatory cytokines and increased ROS and NO production. Each of these is linked to Mt pathology, including Mt biogenesis, Mt morphology, Mt membrane damage, Mt DNA damage and declining oxidative phosphorylation. Each of these pathological changes is further linked to insulin resistance, declining beta cell function and amyloidosis. This sequence of events (pathophysiology of FDM) provides strong evidence for, and explains why, clinical experience favours diets closer to the evolutionary norm to both prevent and treat (all forms of) FDM. This presentation argues against feeding cats with food, where the principal energy source is carbohydrate, and presents the case for evolution-based (genome appropriate) nutrition as the obvious preventative programme and management tool for — all forms — of FDM

The Australian organic farming has increased at 15 % per year and is 1 of the top five Australian growth industries. To date most vets have poorly serviced this industry. Australia’s standards are some of the most stringent in the world. -What does it mean to be certified organic? -What is the difference between Biological, Biodynamic and Organic systems? -What are allowable/restricted/nonallowable veterinary products and procedures?-What are the consequences to individual animals/farms when non allowable products/procedures are used? -How can vets usefully service organic farms? -What are alternate modalities to treat organic herds? -Where to find specialist advice? All this and more will be revealed

Equine veterinarians will be familiar with the wide spread use of herbs in horses. This can range from horses grazing plants with medicinal properties in the paddock and the folk use of herbs to herbal mixtures being prescribed by lay herbalists and veterinarians. Herbal medicine has emerged from the co-evolution of plants and animals. Phytotherapy integrates traditional plant lore with scientific knowledge of phytochemistry and clinical medicine. Equine veterinarians have a responsibility to have an understanding of the scope of herbal medicine, traditional concepts, herbal pharmacology, herbal pharmacy, safety and regulatory issues and evidence base in order to have informed discussions with clients and colleagues. Herbal medicine offers a broader range of options for the veterinarian when addressing the maintenance of health, physiological dysfunction and chronic disease. Practicing the art and science of herbal medicine can be pleasurable and professionally satisfying.  Herbal medicine is potentially a useful addition to the range of therapeutic options available to the veterinarian who treats horses

Herbal medicine is deeply rooted in the relationships between the natural world, plants, humans and other animals. Herbal medicine has emerged from this co-evolution. Ancient traditions and cultures share similar concepts of health, vitality and disease. Metaphors from nature are used to describe these states of health and disease. The traditions of herbal medicine are empirical however there is a pharmacological basis for the traditional descriptions of plant medicines and actions. Modern herbal medicine (phytotherapy) integrates traditional knowledge, clinical skills and scientific understanding of medicinal plants. The systematic approach of phytotherapy includes the use of plant medicines for physiological enhancement and compensation. Scientific research is building the evidence base for phytotherapy, which includes studies in phytochemistry, veterinary ethnobotany, zoopharmacognosy and clinical trials. The materia medica of some herbs commonly used in horses are presented to demonstrate how the integration of scientific and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants provides a more rounded picture of the indications and safe use of medicinal plants