Page 11 - Clinical Connections - Spring 2020

Issue: Spring 2020
Research News
VISUALISING VETCOMPASS RESEARCH
As part of their ongoing drive towards innovative research methods, the VetCompassTM team has moved towards an expanded dissemination plan for new publications, whereby the essential findings of each are distilled and represented in infographics.
These infographics are freely available to download from the ‘Learn Zone’ of the RVC VetCompass website
(https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass). Each of the infographics offers key
facts and figures, presented in a bite-sized manner, along with the full reference
to the original research article. An additional bonus is that the majority
of these papers are open access, which means they are free to download and read in full.The Learn Zone also offers a trove of other useful VetCompass material
for the interested veterinary professional and owner, including a library of publications, posters, an audio-visual library, open access data and interactive resources.
Please take a look, and feel free to direct colleagues and clients to resources that they would find useful. Each of
the following pieces relates to a specific infographic.
THE DECLINING POPULARITY OF WESTIES
A VetCompass study evaluating the ownership, demography, longevity and common disorders ofWest Highland white terriers has revealed a recent decline in popularity of the breed.
During the 10-year period 2008–2017 inclusive, registrations decreased 70.8%, from 2.7 to 0.9% of total Kennel Club registrations.
The study found that Westies live for 13.4 years, with males (13.8 years) outliving females (12.9 years).The most common causes of death were lower respiratory tract disease (10.4%), cancer (10.2%) and spinal cord disorder (7.8%). The study included 6,605 Westies from 336,865 dogs across the UK.
Overall, 71.5% of the breed had more than one disorder recorded during 2016, the period focused on.The most common disorders were dental disease (15.7%), ear disease (10.6%), overgrown nails (7.2%), allergic skin disorder (6.5%) and being overweight (6.1%). Skin disorders were most common disorder grouped (22.7%).
The article ‘West Highland White Terriers under primary veterinary care in
the UK in 2016: demography, mortality and disorders’, was published in Canine Medicine and Genetics. It is Open Access and can be read at: https://rvc.uk.com/westies.
MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF DOMESTIC RABBITS
A VetCompass study evaluated the demography, longevity and common disorders of pet rabbits.The research included 6,349 rabbits attending 107 veterinary clinics across the UK.
The researchers found that many common disorders are associated with inappropriate housing or feeding.They also found that rabbits live on average 4.3 years, with males (5.2 years) outliving females (3.7 years).The most common breed types are domestic (31.9%), lop (26.4%) and Netherland dwarf (10.6%).
Overgrown nails (16% prevalence) and molars (7.6%) were the most prevalent disorders found in pet rabbits, but dirty bottoms (4.5%), overgrown incisors (4.3%), gut stasis (4.2%) and being overweight or obese (3.7%) also were common problems.
The most common causes of death were flystrike (10.9%), collapse (4.9%), anorexia (4.9%) and gut stasis (4.3%).
Due to rabbits evolving as prey species, they are good at disguising external signs of disease, which can make it hard for owners to spot when their rabbit is ill. It is hoped the study can help improve the lives of rabbits by helping owners and vets recognise the common health problems and prioritise key management factors.
The research article, ‘Morbidity and mortality of domestic rabbits
(Oryctolagus cuniculus) under primary veterinary care in England’ was published in the Veterinary Record.
You can read it at: https://rvc.uk.com/rabbit-morbidity.
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