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As ABC's Four Corners showed last week, the use of tongue ties in Australian racehorses is much more prevalent than elsewhere. Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science Paul McGreevy explains why this matters. This explainer published in The Conversation last week as a companion piece to the ABC TV Four Corners current affairs special.

The effects of a breathing condition in thoroughbred and tall horses is set to be reduced by new University of Queensland treatment techniques.

Just as strep throat can run rampant in elementary schools, strangles, the "strep throat" of horses, caused by a different Streptococcus bacterium, Streptococcus equi sp equi , is highly contagious. Lymph nodes in the head and neck region become swollen and develop abscesses, resulting in nasal discharge and drainage from the throat.

An extensive study for the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission published in the Australian Veterinary Journal this week demonstrates that vaccinating against the Hendra virus does not reduce the chances of a horse winning. A world-first study led by the University of Sydney has confirmed vaccination against the deadly Hendra virus does not affect the racing performance of thoroughbred horses.

Veterinary researchers at the University of Nottingham have produced a new tool to help UK dairy vets and farmers monitor and reduce use of antibiotics in their dairy herds to help combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the farming industry and beyond. It follows a new study by the Nottingham Vet School showing that, in a large sample of dairy farms, 25% of farms used 50% of the total antibiotics used across all farms in a year - with antibiotic footbaths accounting for the biggest volume dispersed into the food chain.

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, together with European and African collaborators, carried out a mass dog vaccination in Chad and determined its effect on human rabies exposure. The study employed a bio-mathematical method for estimating the transmission dynamics of rabies. The researchers conclude that with political will and the necessary funding, elimination of rabies is possible in Africa.

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, together with European and African collaborators, carried out a mass dog vaccination in Chad and determined its effect on human rabies exposure. The study employed a bio-mathematical method for estimating the transmission dynamics of rabies. The researchers conclude that with political will and the necessary funding, elimination of rabies is possible in Africa.

The FEI has extended its highly successful global equine injuries research partnership with the University of Glasgow for another two years through to 2019, to further develop the Global Endurance Injuries Study (GEIS). The extension will maximise the impact of the GEIS across Endurance and also look at the potential development of similar methodology for other FEI disciplines.

Thursday, November 9, 2017 A new study by University of Pennsylvania veterinary researchers has found that blood samples collected from an intravenous catheter using a special "mixing" technique are as accurate as those collected via venipuncture, in which a needle is used to access the vein directly.

Research by experts at The University of Nottingham suggests that current injection techniques in UK dairy cattle need to change to avoid the risk of nerve injury. The study, carried out by a team of vets with anatomical, pathological and clinical expertise, discovered that current methods of injection are more likely to damage the sciatic nerve - particularly in dairy cattle with a low body condition score, such as those cows who have recently calved.

The bending of a hook into wire to fish for the handle of a basket by the crow Betty 15 years ago stunned the scientific world. However, the finding was recently relegated as similar behavioural routines were discovered in the natural repertoire of the same species, suggesting the possibility that Betty's tool manufacture was less intelligent than previously believed.

A new study led by academics at the Bristol Veterinary School has reviewed the literature on the use of antimicrobials (AM) in livestock practice together with the views of stakeholders. The study found that although there are some barriers to change, there is a clear awareness of the issue among the livestock sectors and a willingness to modify AM use.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Clinical signs such as gastrointestinal problems or septic arthritis may be better predictors of mortality in neonatal calves with diarrhea than blood pH levels and other laboratory findings, a new study suggests. The research also may finally resolve a century-old debate among scientists about the blood pH levels needed to sustain life in humans and other mammals.

Calves may not be receiving the right level of pain relief when undergoing routine animal husbandry procedures including castration and disbudding, new research has found. The study from The University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science , published in the Vet Record , found that despite being recognised as being as painful as other procedures, calf husbandry procedures were significantly less likely to include the use of analgesics such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in addition to the local anaesthetic that is routinely used.

As many as a half of all short-nosed dogs such as pugs, French bulldogs and bulldogs experience breathing difficulties related to their facial structure. However, research published today by the University of Cambridge suggests that there is no way to accurately predict from visible features whether an apparently healthy pug or French bulldog will go on to develop breathing difficulties.

The mastication halters indicate that horses fragment their food with the same rhythmic chewing movements as ruminants do during rumination (Image: UZH).

When advising on animal health and welfare, veterinarians often struggle to engage with the motivational needs of their clients. New research has shown a change is needed in how veterinarians communicate with and advise animal owners, to promote engagement with their advice and protect the animals in their care.

A new investigation into how meat can be damaged by farm injections has found that 4 per cent of cattle slaughtered in abattoirs in England had injection site lesions in the carcasses. The study by researchers at the Universities of Nottingham and Bristol shows that compliance with recommended injection protocols could be improved to reduce this damage.

Scientists have made an important new discovery in the study of Human African Trypanosomiasis, more commonly known as African sleeping sickness. The findings could have a major impact on the way the disease is diagnosed, treated and potentially eradicated. The team of researchers, from the University of Glasgow's Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, have discovered that skin plays a significant but overlooked role in harbouring and transmitting the parasite that causes the condition, which is often fatal if left untreated.

Building trusting relationships between veterinary surgeons and farmers is crucial to improving animal health on dairy farms, researchers at The University of Nottingham has found. The study on perceptions and challenges of vaccinations among vets was carried out by academics in the University's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science on behalf of ADHB Dairy, a not-for-profit organisation working on behalf of Britain's dairy farmers.