Specialist Information and Continuing Education for the Veterinary Profession online

The internet offers the veterinary profession access to a vast depository of special information independent of time and location of the user. No other medium has similar capabilities.

One of the more remarkable developments in this field is the internet site  www.VetContact.com . It offers a wide range of specialist information, possibilities for continuing education, a large database of addresses of professional organisations, and free classified advertisements.

It was founded by the European School for Advanced Veterinary Studies (ESAVS), a non-profit organisation, as a project dedicated to interactive communication.
VetContact is represented at many congresses, in the print media and through personal contact with users. 

One of the special services of VetContact is an innovative online library of lectures including clinical pictures and videos known as “Presentations online”.

On the occasion of the current WSAVA / FECAVA / AVEPA congress it is worth mentioning, that many of the lectures given in Granada might be viewed later on under the heading “Presentations” at www.VetContact.com. 

Currently one can find and easily navigate previously published presentations from seminars and congresses. Over 100 contributions in English, Spanish, German, and French (texts, clinical pictures and videos) are part of the collection.

Remarkable navigation: Multiple search function allow the visitor quick and easy access to the desired presentation. A pre-selection by categories like surgery, neurology, dermatology, small animals or by species (feline, equine, bovine, canine, etc.) is possible.
In addition, a search by keywords is a recommended facility.

The listing of  available presentations can be sorted by either date, location or author.

In order to allow detailed viewing, attached pictures can be enlarged.

Continuous support by event organizers and lecturers guarantees growth and dynamic development. Its scientific and unique content are the main reasons for its high popularity.

Información Especializada y Formación Continuada on-line para la Profesión Veterinaria 

Internet ofrece a la profesión veterinaria el acceso a un depósito inabarcable de información con independencia del tiempo o localización del usuario. Ningún otro medio dispone de una capacidad similar. 

Uno de los progresos más destacables en este campo se encuentra en la página de Internet www.VetContact.com/es. Ofrece una gran variedad de información especializada, posibilidades de formación continuada, una gran base de datos de direcciones de organizaciones profesionales, y anuncios clasificados gratuitos. 

Este proyecto de comunicación interactiva ha sido fundado por la European School for Advanced Veterinary Studies (ESAVS) – Escuela Europea de Estudios Avanzados en veterinaria, organización sin ánimo de lucro. VetContact se ha dado a conocer en muchos congresos, en medios impresos, y a través del contacto personal con los usuarios.

Uno de los servicios especiales de VetContact es una novedosa biblioteca de conferencias on-line en que se incluyen fotografías y videos, y que recibe el nombre de “Presentations online”.

Aprovechando la ocasión de la celebración de este congreso de WSAVA / FECAVA / AVEPA, cabe mencionar que muchas de las conferencias  celebradas en Granada podrán ser vistas a posteriori en www.VetContact.com/es bajo el encabezado “Presentations”. 

Actualmente se puede navegar y consultar por presentaciones ocurridas en varios seminarios y congresos. La colección está compuesta por más de 100 colaboraciones en inglés, español,  alemán y francés (textos, fotos clínicas y videos). 

Navegabilidad destacable: La función de búsqueda múltiple permite que el usuario localice rápida y fácilmente la presentación que está buscando. Puede empezarse la búsqueda preseleccionando la categoría, como cirugía, neurología, o dermatología, o por especies (felina, equina, bovina, canina, pequeños animales). 

Además, se recomienda utilizar palabras clave para facilitar la búsqueda. 

La lista de presentaciones puede ordenarse por fecha, lugar de celebración, o autor.

Las imágenes incluidas pueden ampliarse para permitir una mejor visión de las mismas. 

El apoyo continuo de los organizadores y conferenciantes de los distintos actos garantiza el crecimiento y dinamismo de este proyecto. Su contenido científico y exclusivo se han convertido en la base de su popularidad.
 
 

Enrofloxacin, the active ingredient of the antimicrobial drug Baytril® which has been used successfully in small animal medicine for many years, has also proved effective against the organism Haemobartonella felis and may therefore be suitable for the treatment of feline infectious anemia. This is the outcome of a controlled case study recently conducted at Colorado State University (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002; 221: 250-253). 

The Gram-negative organism that causes feline infectious anemia, H. felis, was originally classified as a rickettsial agent but is now categorized as belonging to the genus Mycoplasma. 
Until now H. felis infections were treated with tetracyclines, in particular doxycycline. Studies have shown, however, that cats treated with tetracyclines remain chronic carriers and hence a reservoir of the infectious agent, despite clinical improvement. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the efficacy of enrofloxacin and doxcycline in cats. 
In the study mentioned above 16 cats were experimentally infected with the large form of H. felis and divided into four groups: cats treated with doxycycline (5 mg/kg), cats treated with the recommended dose of enrofloxacin (5 mg/kg), cats treated with a higher dose of enrofloxacin (10 mg/kg) and untreated cats (control group). The antibiotic therapy was conducted over 14 days and the response to the treatment was monitored over a period of 54 days. 

During the antibiotic treatment no effect on the cats’ haematocrit was observed. After treatment, the Hct values of the group receiving the lower dose of enrofloxacin was, however, significantly higher than that of the untreated control group. Moreover, cytological tests showed that the number of organisms (pathogen burden/1,000 erythrocytes) during treatment with the higher dose of enrofloxacin and with doxycyline decreased significantly faster than in the control group. After completion of the treatment the polymerase chain reaction assay (PCR) was negative in three cats (two from the higher enrofloxacin dose group and one from the doxycycline group). These results were confirmed by a further PCR assay six months after completion of the study. These are the first documented cases of cats with experimentally induced H. felis infection testing consistently negative for the causal agent following antibiotic therapy. 

The study thus demonstrates that the use of enrofloxacin against H. felis may provide a viable alternative to the conventional doxycycline therapy employed previously. 

Enrofloxacin has been successfully used in small animal medicine for over 10 years under the brand name of Baytril®. It is the most extensively documented antimicrobial drug in veterinary medicine worldwide. 
 

Note: September 2002. © Bayer AG

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