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EVJ and EVE create virtual donkey collection
"Animal welfare continues to be the major concern with donkeys and mules around the world." - Karen Rickards, guest editor.
The virtual collection aims to highlight important advancements in donkey medicine and welfare. 

The Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ), alongside Equine Veterinary Education (EVE) has produced a virtual collection of articles on donkey medicine and welfare.

Free to view until 29 October 2021, the collection is titled 'Recent Advances in Donkey Medicine and Welfare', and covers topics on pharmacology, diagnostics, disease prevalence and management practices relating to donkeys as working, companion and production animals.  

The collection responds to a need for further accessible information on donkey medicine and welfare, and EVJ editor Professor Celia Marr commented on this: “This impressive collection shines a spotlight on the important advances that have been made to donkey medicine and welfare and helps us to identify the research gaps yet to be filled.

“By sharing this work, we aim to improve disease prevention and enhance the welfare of donkeys around the world as well as highlight the continued importance of owner education and improve the public perception of this enduring species.”

Topics covered in the 21 papers include preventative healthcare, the use of Equid Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) tool in Mexico, owner involvement in disease awareness, decision-making surrounding treatment options, the availability of accurate diagnostic testing, and zoonotic risk, among others. 

In an introduction to the collection, guest editors Karen Rickards and Ramiro Toribio said: “One area that needs research emphasis is the generation of pathophysiological information. Donkey-specific medical knowledge in the literature is sparse.

“In this virtual issue, Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) and Equine Veterinary Education (EVE) combine forces to provide a great opportunity to showcase advances made in this area whilst encouraging the reader to consider where further research is required.”

“Tt has been a huge privilege to review the recently published literature from EVJ and EVE on the prevalence, diagnosis and management of diseases in donkeys. It is encouraging to see the advances made in donkey-specific medicine and the potential impact of the articles published in this issue.

“There is however still a lot more to understand about the idiosyncrasies of donkeys that would help to support clinicians in the diagnosis and management of diseases in this species. 

“Likewise, we should not underestimate the impact that owner and veterinary education, provided by well-designed research driving evidence-based medicine, can have on the welfare of donkeys around the world.”

The collection is available here, and is free to read until 29 October 2021. 

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.