Pulse - July 2024 - 14

UPDATES
as well as in some patients with psychiatric
symptoms.
" As an infectious disease researcher, I
believe that infection should be critically
examined as a potential cause of diseases
for which the cause is unclear or
unknown, " said Edward Breitschwerdt,
professor of internal medicine at North
Carolina State University's College of
Veterinary Medicine.
AI Assignment: What Are
Barking Dogs Saying?
The National Science Foundation
is funding a three-year study using
machine learning and artificial intelligence
to decode the meaning of dogs'
barks, Texas television station WFAA
reports.
" We've been able to discover certain
word-like patterns in the dog's so-called
language, but we are still trying to verify
if these are really words, " said study
leader Kenny Zhu, a computer science
professor at the University of Texas,
Arlington.
" People have always tried to understand
what animals are talking about, "
Zhu said.
He received a three-year, $483,804
National Science Foundation Research
Experiences for Undergraduates grant
to fund his research. He and his team
of 14 students are on a mission: to
use machine learning and AI to decode
what dog barks might mean.
Zhu acknowledges skepticism about the
subject, but he said the science is real
and promising.
The researcher said he believes the
technology could help detect diseases
in dogs more quickly and assist dogs
with disaster response.
Honeybees 101 for Vets
Now at AVMA Website
Until the federal government's Veterinary
Feed Directive (VFD) final
rule was issued, most veterinarians
in the United States had little to
no reason to be concerned about
14
apiculture-beekeeping--and honeybee
medicine.
Honeybees now fall into veterinarians'
purview, though, because of the
VFD rule and changes in FDA policy on
medically important antimicrobials.
That means you may be called on to
treat them, according to the American
Veterinary Medical Association.
The AVMA offers resources to help
increase practitioners' knowledge of
honeybee medicine:
" Honeybees: A guide for Veterinarians "
(PDF) provides basic knowledge
to allow you to better communicate
with beekeepers and serve the needs of
these unique patients. The guide covers
basic bee and beekeeping terminology
and equipment; beehive inspection
procedures; and honeybee diseases and
conditions.
CE opportunities: Two CE webinars
introduce veterinarians to various
aspects of beekeeping and honeybee
medicine. " Honeybees and Veterinarians "
and " Honeybees: Why They Need
a Veterinarian " provide an introduction
to beekeeping, diagnosis and treatment
of colonies, the need for veterinary
involvement in treating honeybees, and
how to comply with the VFD.
For additional information, go to
https://bit.ly/4cn1SLM.
WSAVA Publishes
Reproduction Guidelines
The World Small Animal Veterinary
Association has released " Global Guidelines
on Reproduction Control. "
" For many years, our default advice
has been that dogs should be neutered
and bitches spayed, but, in the light of
new scientific evidence, it's time for a
paradigm shift in our thinking, " said Dr.
Stefano Romagnoli, chair of WSAVA's
Reproduction Control Committee.
" Emerging scientific data shows that
gonadectomy can adversely impact the
health of some animals, " he told VetTimes.co.uk.
" It also shows that recommending
castration in older dogs to
reduce their risk of developing benign
prostatic hyperplasia may not be appropriate
because, in fact, in some cases,
late castration can actually increase the
risk of prostatic carcinoma.
" We also have concerns about increasing
moves to early neutering or for
neutering to be used as a method of
behavioral control. "
The guidelines aim to help veterinarians
make science-based choices for
the management of reproduction in
their patients, while safeguarding animal
welfare and supporting the humancompanion
animal bond. Included
are discussions of current practice,
together with explanations of newer
approaches, both surgical and nonsurgical.
They also explore the health
benefits and drawbacks of each method
and explore ethical questions.
The guidelines are at bit.ly/3wZajhz. P
- Marilyn Iturri
JULY 2024
PULSE
https://vet-times.co.uk/ https://vet-times.co.uk/ https://bit.ly/4cn1SLM http://bit.ly/3wZajhz
Pulse - July 2024

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