W. T. Clark

Complement C4 allotype association with and serum C4 concentration in an autoimmune disease in the dog

Serum C4 concentrations and C4 allotypes were determined wherever possible on eight dogs with an autoimmune disorder characterized by antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity, pyrexia, and seronegative arthritis. Three of the six dogs tested serially showed hypocomplementemia at disease onset with return to normal concentrations with clinical remission following steroid therapy. All five dogs C4 allotyped were phenotypically identical. The phenotype (C4-4) was significantly increased in the diseased dogs. Thus C4 allotype may provide a marker for susceptibility to development of an autoimmune disorder in the dog. Serum C4 concentrations may help in disease diagnosis and monitoring the effectiveness of therapy.

Clinical skills and knowledge used by veterinary graduates during their first year in small animal practice.

OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical skills and areas of knowledge used by veterinarians in small animal practice during their first year after graduation and the degree of assistance and supervision they received while developing these skills. DESIGN A postal survey was sent in December 1999 to 59 veterinarians who completed their training at Murdoch University in December 1998. PROCEDURE The first part of the survey asked for information on veterinary work patterns since leaving university. The second part consisted of a list of diagnostic and therapeutic skills of varying complexity and the graduates were asked to indicate whether they had used these skills in practice and whether they had been assisted or supervised while doing them. The respondents were also asked if they had had the opportunity to practise these skills as undergraduates at university or during extramural experience. In the third part the areas of knowledge used in practice were assessed by analysis of a series of consecutive cases. RESULTS Forty replies were received but since three graduates had done no small animal work the analysis of the skills section is based on 37 responses. Thirty graduates supplied information on 994 canine cases and 308 feline cases. The distribution of the mean work time was dogs and cats 69%, horses 13%, farm animals 11%, birds 3% and others 4%. Skills used by over 90% of graduates included general anaesthesia, examination of the tympanic membrane, taking and interpreting an abdominal radiograph, catheterising a male cat, fine needle aspiration of a mass, neutering dogs and cats, tooth scaling and extraction and treating an aural haematoma. The survey also identified the opportunities for undergraduates to practise some of these skills during extramural experence and the extent of assistance given to new graduates during their first year in practice. The areas of knowledge used in over 10% of the cases included vaccination, anaesthesia/sedation, skin/coat problems, general advice on pet health, neutering and musculoskeletal diseases. CONCLUSION Veterinarians, in their first year after graduation, use a wide range of complex diagnostic and therapeutic skills. Although many of these skills are acquired during the undergraduate training, a significant contribution is made by extramural practical work undertaken during the clinical years of the undergraduate course and in the first year following graduation. Practising veterinarians play an important role in providing opportunities and supervision for clinical training.