Light-activated glue to replace sutures..

A scientist has developed a glue that could mean the end of sutures. Maria Pereira has created a surgical glue that can mend broken hearts. Sutures are time-consuming, damage tissue and are technically challenging," says Maria Pereira, head of research at Paris-based Gecko Biomedical, whose bio-inspired alternative it says can replace stitches. Its adhesive is viscous, hydrophobic, biodegradable and cured by LED light. Unlike other glues, which can be washed away by water, it can be placed in wet environments such as the heart, where 
it works as both a sealant and a scaffold for tissue to grow over. Pereira, 30, invented the glue in 2010 while a bioengineering PhD student in the MIT Portugal Program. Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital had approached her supervisor, Jeff Karp of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, with a problem: how to close defects in a newborn baby's heart without sutures. A newborn's heart is as large as its fist, so operations are extremely delicate. Pereira looked to nature for inspiration. "Understanding the basic principles 
of how things work is very important in developing new technologies," she says. Her sealant can stay sticky inside a beating pig's heart by mimicking the viscous, hydrophobic secretions of snails and sandcastle worms. This breakthrough as published in the wired states that Karp and a group of prominent scientists and entrepreneurs founded Gecko Biomedical in 2012, hiring Pereira as head of research. The first product made from the adhesive, GB02, acts as an adjunct to sutures in vascular reconstruction surgery and will go into clinical trials this spring, with the aim of securing regulatory approval in the first half of 2017. The goal of the company is to make surgery simpler and to change how it is done, the company is also working on another product GB04, which could end the need for sutures altogether.

Separating Conjoined Twins with the Aid of 3D Printing.

Surviving birth is already an achievement for them, but separating conjoined twins is only possible if they are not sharing vital organs. This was the situation twin girls Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith were facing. Until they were 10 months old, they were conjoined at the chest and abdomen, which included their chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac, diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis. Surgeons at the Texas Children’s Hospital started planning the highly-complex separation surgery nearly a year in advance. To visualize the intertwined organs, they used Materialise’s Mimics software to design a 3D-printed model based on high-quality CT scans which were designed to generate optimal contrast within the shared organs and the vasculature. Following computerized segmentation of the anatomy, the color-coded output was subsequently exported for 3D Printing and showed in great detail the babies’ heart, lungs, stomachs and kidneys, and where exactly they were connected. “Having a 3D-printed model gives you an insight into what you’re going to encounter,” Dr. Rajesh Krishnamurthy, chief of radiology research and cardiac imaging at Texas Children’s Hospital, said in a video released by the hospital. “This type of surgical planning becomes very important when you decide to assign an organ to one twin or the other.” The key collaborators in this project were Mr. Nicholas Dodd, an advanced visualization expert at Texas Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Jayanthi Parthasarathy of MedCAD in Dallas, who supervised the 3D Printing process. In addition, the surgeons implanted tissue expanders into their torsos, stretching the skin ahead of the separation. The final surgery, which took nearly 30 hours and involved more than 26 clinicians of 13 different specialties, managed to successfully separate the two babies. Contributed by materialise

Mayo Clinic Helps 11-Year-Old with Blount’s Disease by Using 3D Printing.

For 11-year-old Amarachi Austin-Okoh, running, jumping and even walking was a struggle. She suffered from a condition called Blount’s Disease, where the tibia, or shin bone, doesn’t grow properly, causing the legs to develop a bow shape. The disease had progressed so far in Amarachi’s case that even walking caused her great pain, and she explained that “It was very painful and hard, and, then, if people were walking a distance or something, I would start walking slower and slower, because it got harder and harder.” Her family had already noticed the condition when Amarachi was just two years old, but despite having a few corrective surgeries in Nigeria, where the Austin-Okoh family is originally from, her legs continued to worsen. The family approached Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to see if they could make a difference. The doctors at the Limb Lengthening and Regeneration Clinic knew they could help Amarachi if they took a team approach to the problem. By making full use of Mayo Clinic’s 3D Anatomic Modeling Lab, they were able to print out exact models of Amarachi’s leg bones to make crucial decisions prior to surgery. Dr. Todd Milbrandt, the surgeon who operated on Amarachi, was able to use the model to figure out where he would make a cut in the tibia, so that the bones could regrow and align properly. During the operation, he knew what to expect due to the pre-operative planning, and made a cut just below each knee. Dr. Andrew Sems then attached external braces (or “fixators”) to Amarachi’s legs after the operation and carefully adjusted them over the next three months according to computer calculations. By making adjustments to the fixators, Dr. Sems was able to gradually straighten the bones – basically by growing and correcting the bones at the same time. The outcome was everything Amarachi and her family could have hoped for – she gained almost 25cm in height and now walks with straight legs and no pain. She concluded, “I’m excited now, because it has opened a whole new horizon. I can do anything and everything I want to do.” Contributed by materialise

3D Life Makes High-Quality 3D Printed Medical Models So Doctors Can Save Lives.

3D Life is certainly aptly named. This Greek startup isn’t promoting a fun new lifestyle or arts and crafts in the 3D printing industry—they are involved in the serious business of helping to save lives. Recognizing the value that 3D printing has in the medical arena, the team at 3D Life is committed to making 3D printed models for medical professionals to use, with numerous benefits for all involved. Currently, the Athens-headquartered company makes high-quality, detailed models of the anatomy like teeth, hands, and bones, as well as organs like the heart, liver, brain, and more. 3D Life is encouraging the more comprehensive study of anatomy, mainly in terms of organs. They believe that even better knowledge of organs allows for better preparation for surgeries that are often solving complex physical issues—and the team uses congenital heart disease as a perfect example. “As a result, the doctors can better plan reparative operations based on conventional medical imaging which is suboptimal,” Bilalis told 3DPrint.com. “The human mind can only partially understand trying to create mental images of three dimensional structures so we believe that having this ability will make operations shorter and more efficient, and provide better results.” At 3D Life they believe, and undoubtedly are correct, that the exercise of holding and manipulating a 3D model leads to a better understanding of the client’s condition, as well as allowing for practicing for surgeries that are intricate and may not even have been performed before. This leads to numerous positives, from safety to better client outcomes, along with providing training for students. While there may be other companies around the world making 3D models, 3D Life is unique as the first company to endeavor in such a field in Greece. Offering advanced 3D printing, they are able to make models in a variety of materials and, even better, multiple colors. They are able to offer excellent services to all the professionals who come to them. 3D Life uses Materialise Mimics software, made specifically for medical image processions. This enables the conversion of MRIs or CTs into 3D models, which can then be used in numerous ways. These devices avail, medical professionals and surgeons to find themselves with a much better way to educate patients and their families about medical conditions, handle diagnoses and treatments, and explain procedures. Surgeons can then spend a lot of time themselves with those medical models, considering and practicing for upcoming operations—as well as using the models in the operating room to navigate through surgeries, saving time and allowing for better outcomes with less surprises. In some cases around the world, 3D libraries are being made as these models begin to pile up, and can be of use to other medical personnel. Contributed by 3D Print

How Virtual Reality is Changing Veterinary Medicine.

In a small, windowless room, four veterinarians simultaneously tie sutures, biopsy a liver, and perform minimally invasive abdominal surgery. No, this is not a typical operating room. It is a veterinary laparoscopic training laboratory—the first of its kind in the nation. Nearly four years ago, Dr. Boel Fransson, a board-certified small animal surgeon, designed what is now the Veterinary Applied Laparoscopic Training (VALT) laboratory at Washington State University. Although laparoscopic simulation training has been widely used in human medicine for more than a decade, similar training had not been available in animal medicine. A laparoscope is essentially a telescope used by surgeons to see inside body cavities while doing minimally invasive surgery through tiny incisions, often called keyholes. “Our laboratory is the first in the country to develop veterinary simulation training in laparoscopic surgery,” said Dr. Boel Fransson, director of the VALT laboratory. “I was very interested in technique development for the additional skills required for the minimally invasive surgeries we perform in clinical practice here at WSU.” 

 Laparoscopic surgery is being used more often in veterinary medicine because of the same advantages to patients as seen in humans. Risks associated with traditional open surgery are minimized, pain is reduced and easier to control, and patients often recover much more quickly. It is also a valuable tool that allows veterinarians to run diagnostic tests they may not otherwise be able to perform. Although the American College of Veterinary Surgeons requires training in minimally invasive surgical techniques, there was no other learning platform for surgeons in training except to participate in actual surgeries with a mentoring surgeon. Dr. Fransson and her colleague, Dr. Claude Ragle, a WSU board-certified equine surgeon and pioneer in equine laparoscopy, believe additional training outside the operating room is necessary to achieve higher competency levels. More training also means less risk to the patients Proper training in laparoscopic surgery can be simpler and safer than other surgical techniques. Training in the VALT lab, surgeons become accustomed to using actual surgical tools in small spaces while watching the magnified procedures on a television screen. Practicing the precise movements of laparoscopic surgery also helps the techniques to become second nature. Additional training minimizes unnecessary movements, surgery time, and increases accuracy. 

 The VALT lab began training veterinarians in 2008 with very basic equipment, such as a box trainer that uses real instruments to teach hand-eye coordination necessary for routine procedures such as suturing. Dr. Fransson later added canine abdomen models that train surgeons in the feel and size of the abdominal cavity and organs. The virtual reality, or VR, trainer was added to the lab earlier this year. After working on the VR trainer, surgeons receive printouts to learn how their techniques can be more efficient and safe. The software tracks the surgeon’s performance and provides an assessment of the surgeon’s skills. learn more @ please visit vcs.vetmed.wsu.edu/Research/VALT-Lab.

Oklahoma dog undergoes emergency surgery after swallowing Gorilla Glue.

One Oklahoma dog underwent emergency surgery after she swallowed Gorilla Glue. Krystal Wilson is thankful her 6-month-old Weimaraner, Lake, is safe after a very close call. Wilson said a family member brought over some Gorilla Glue for a house project last Thursday and left it out, in the dog's reach. The curious puppy found the glue and ate some of it. Wilson said she noticed something was obviously wrong with her dog. "Just a small amount had just swollen up to the size of a turkey leg. It was huge, pretty much took the size of her stomach," Wilson said. Wilson rushed Lake to a local veterinary hospital. "Gorilla Glue means surgery," said Dr. Leonardo Baez with Midtown Vets. Veterinarians worked fast and, within minutes, Lake was in surgery. "So, the glue, once it gets to the stomach, it slowly starts expanding. You can see here, it's the perfect shape of a stomach, so you get a mold," Baez said. The mold was solid as a rock."This thing is seriously hard," Baez said.Baez said Gorilla Glue has a very sweet taste, which is appealing to animals and even children. "Just like any other chemical, do it yourself, just put them up high or in a box where the pets and the kids cannot get to it," Baez said. It is a scary lesson for Wilson and her family. "It's hard not to feel guilty. You feel like you kind of failed. We were very upset that we failed, but you can't prevent everything," Wilson said. Fortunately, Lake is back home. "We're very lucky that she's here with us, back to her crazy self," Wilson said. Baez said Gorilla Glue can be deadly. Luckily, in this case, they got the mold out in time and Lake is having a fast recovery, already wagging her tail again.

UC Davis Veterinarians Help Paralyzed Dog Walk Again.

Doctors at the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital were faced with the incredible challenge of helping a paralyzed dog walk again. Leah’s deer encounter nearly took her dear life. The 4-year-old border collie was kicked in the head by a stubborn buck, but at first it looked like a stubborn wound. “She had a gash in her face and was recovering nicely but on the third day she had a very devastating deterioration in her condition,” her owner Fran Cole said. Suddenly, she stopped moving. UC Davis veterinarians discovered Leah was actually left paralyzed after her skull had been dislocated from her spine.“Most times when this happens the animal or the person dies,” said Dr. Karen Vernau. She was one of the surgeons who helped put Leah back together. “What we did in surgery was to drill away part of the bone and the bone fragments that were pressing on her spinal cord,” she said. Cole was faced with the real possibility Leah would be paralyzed forever. I said to him, ‘Do you think my dog will ever walk again?’ and he said ‘If your dog walks again, it’ll be the biggest feat of my residency,’ which is not a comforting statement,” she said. What is comforting is seeing Leah spending days doing water therapy and learning how to use her muscles again. Now, she can get up, move her head and stand on all fours. She’s now home with her family in Grass Valley. She’s still doing water therapy and getting acupuncture, but she’s doing doggie stuff, too, like chasing squirrels, digging and loving life again. culled from CBS Sacremento

Robot carries out first autonomous soft tissue surgery.

A robot has for the first time carried out fully autonomous surgery on a live subject: an intestinal anastomosis on a pig, during which two loops of intestine were stitched together. Four surgeries were carried out and all the subjects survived without complications. A paper in Science Translational Medicine shows how , the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) was created by a team of surgeons and scientists at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at the USA's Children's National Health System in Washington, DC. As well as live (in vivo) surgery, STAR also carried out surgeries on inanimate (ex vivo) porcine tissue, including both intestinal anastomosis and linear suturing. When compared to the intestinal anastomosis procedures carried out both manually by experienced surgeons and with existing robot-assisted surgical techniques using the daVinci Surgical System, STAR was found to outperform both in terms of surgical quality. The results of the procedures were assessed on factors such as "consistent suture spacing, which helps to promote healing, and in withstanding higher leak pressures, as leakage can be a significant complication from anastomosis surgery". However, STAR currently takes longer than a surgeon working manually: 35 minutes, to a human's eight minutes. Its time is comparable to the time it takes humans to carry out laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis – keyhole surgery that relies on tiny cameras to track progress and haptic feedback instruments to do the suturing. Dr Peter C. Kim said that "the intent of this demonstration is not to replace surgeons, but to expand human capacity and capability through enhanced vision, dexterity and complementary machine intelligence for improved surgical outcomes." STAR is designed to improve the accuracy of always-challenging soft tissue surgery, allowing a human surgeon to invest their expertise by supervising the procedure and interrupting if necessary, while the robot plans and performs the soft tissue sutures. Technical lead Axel Krieger says that "by using novel tissue tracking and applied force measurement, coupled with suture automation software, our robotic system can detect arbitrary tissue motions in real time and automatically adjust." Until STAR's development, says Krieger, "autonomous robot surgery has been limited to applications with rigid anatomy, such as bone cutting, because they are more predictable." STAR tracks the position of flexible soft tissues using near infrared florescent (NIRF) markers applied to the areas it needs to suture, monitored by a camera system that's able to see in three dimensions. An intelligent algorithm guides the robot's surgical plan and allows it to autonomously adjust and react in real time as tissue moves. It also has finely calibrated force sensors and actuators and an articulated laparoscopic suturing tool with eight degrees of movement – one more than the human arm, according to Science, which also provides video footage of the robot performing surgery on inanimate tissue. Dr Kim says that the next step in STAR's development will be to create improved sensors and further miniaturise the tools used by the robot. He says that, if the team can find a suitable partner to develop the technology, we could be seeing it in clinical use in as little as two years. culled from wired.co.uk

VR SURGERY

On 14 April 2016 ,Ahmed – a surgeon, cancer specialist, and co-founder of virtual and augmented reality firm Medical Realities – is going to cut off a tumor from the colon of a London man in his 70s. 

That's a routine operation with no particular risk attached. But unlike any other operation, when Ahmed and his team remove the cancer, a 360-degree camera rig mounted over the operating table will capture the doctors' every movement in 4K and livestream it globally in VR. 

The broadcast will be available online and via apps for Android and iOS. Dr Ahmed says, close-up immersive streams could make trainees "feel part of the operation" more than if they were in the theatre. But surgery is a tactile job of lancets, scalpels and drills. 

To recreate that in VR, you need tactile feed. VR livestreams are the first step to what Ahmed calls "the virtual surgeon" – a project that involves shifting from live-capture VR to full computer-rendered simulations of surgical operations. And eventually, reactive virtual patients and gloves to provide tactile feedback. 

 "In my vision, you'll have a virtual body in front of you, you get haptic gloves, you pick up a scalpel, and you feel it normally, you make a cut, you see the incision, it's all realistic," he says. "Ultimately, people will be able to use VR to carry out operations and train themselves through virtual operations. That'd be our endgame." And that endgame might not be too far away: Ahmed predicts the necessary advances in VR and haptic technology could be just five years away. Ahmed has another theory, which relates to Ray Kurzweil's concept of singularity. 

The actual endgame, his argument goes, will be when AI and robots have developed to a point that they can carry out surgery better than human doctors can. "I call it 'surgical singularity'. And at some point it's definitely going to happen: it's just a question of when," he says. "In the meanwhile, we'll keep investing in VR. Robotic surgeons won't be here for a few years yet. Culled from wired.co.uk

Pet owners spend £200 for team of vets to remove tumor from eye of gold fish.

A team of vets was required to carry out the surgery on beloved fish Monty; the procedure lasted for 45 minutes. Five-year-old Monty had the life saving surgery to remove multiple tumors from his left eye. The cancerous cells had unfortunately spread throughout his back, making the already critical surgery all the more necessary.The joint team of specialist vets from High croft Veterinary Group Bristol Zoo carried out the delicate procedure using a water soluble anesthetic. Monty was able to survive so long above water because oxygenated water was flushed through his gills and eye.The family goldfish, who lost an eye to the surgery, is now back at home in Bristol where he is recovering swimmingly. source;dailymail online

Field castration in horses.

Routine equine surgical procedures don’t mean complications can develop. Castration, It’s one of the most common elective surgical procedures performed in the field, but sometimes things go wrong. Veterinarians must be prepared well in advance to manage any postoperative problems, which for gelding can range from mild swelling to devastating intestinal prolapse. Previous studies the researchers reported a complication rate of about 10%, Of those, the vast majority were considered mild, about 20% were considered moderate, and just 3% were considered severe. But severe can mean death in some cases, so knowing how to respond is crucial. Preventing complications is preferable to having to manage them, hence the following tips on castrating was given at the 2015 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas by P.O. Eric Mueller, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor and director of equine programs at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine, in Athens, reviewed how practitioners can prevent and manage castration complications in the field.(Read more ; horse.com) 1) First, be familiar with the pertinent reproductive anatomy and how to perform the procedure properly. 2) Get an extensive history on the patient, including any previous surgeries or congenital inguinal hernias especially those the foal was born with in which intestines have burst through the inguinal canal, a natural opening in the body wall of the horse’s groin area, and into the scrotum or tissue around the sheath. 3)Conduct a physical exam prior to surgery, including a thorough evaluation of the horse’s testes and inguinal areas. “The absence of one or both descended testes, a history of congenital inguinal hernia, or abnormal swelling or enlargement of the inguinal ring (there’s one at each end of the inguinal canal) should alert the practitioner to an increased risk of postoperative complications, at which time they should strongly consider referral to a surgery facility,”. 4) Apply the emasculators (a castration tool that cuts through the spermatic cord, crushing the vessels providing blood to the testicles) properly, checking for hemorrhage before releasing the cord after emasculation. 5) Ensure the patient is up-to-date on tetanus vaccination. Following surgery, keep the horse on stall rest for 24 hours to allow for close observation. Horses should have short periods of forced exercise (lunging or trotting, for example) for four to five days to help reduce edema (swelling). Don’t just turn them out in the pasture, as it won’t necessarily ensure the horse will move enough to keep the swelling down.

CLAY USES IN VETERINARY PRACTICE.

Clay has be discovered to have healing properties,and they can easily be incorporated into practice as poultices,balms or oral applications to treat disease conditions. There are a wide variety of clay but not all possess the healing properties.The following types have been documented and their benefits highlighted. Bentonite is a green clay that can vary in the level of mineralization according to where the clay is sourced. Bentonite has a high absorption rate and unique chemical structure. The bentonite is unique because it has surface particles that are both negatively and positively charged. Clay is similar to an ant in that it can carry particles three to four times its size and hold on to them as they travel outside the body,making it very beneficial in fracture repair and bone surgeries. Montmorillonite is popularly known as French green clay. This type of clay is perfect to consume internally because it rapidly detoxifies and disinfects the body. Montmorillonite gets its green color from the algae rich dried up sea beds of the Mediterranean. When hydrated with purified water, Montmorillonite binds to toxins and holds them safe so they can be excreted out of the body, making French green clay invaluable for removing blood toxins, bacteria and heavy metals. Montmorillonite has anti-inflammatory properties, It also has high in silica content this supports the production of fascia and connective tissue to help in arthritic and muscular conditions. Illite is a fine particle, non-expansive green clay known to seek out undesirable microbes and ailing tissues.It is rich in sea minerals, it helps support the body’s own healing mechanisms by having the highest adsorption rate. This gives illite the ability to act as a magnet for toxins. It is by far the best choice for detoxification purposes. Redmond clay is used internally and externally. It has a high sodium and calcium content making it perfect for drawing out infectious agents topically. Redmond clay is used as a poultice , which can be used for joint care, insect bites, stings and any other topical inflammations. USES THE CLAY. 1) Eliminate internal parasites, fluids, gases, toxins and heavy metals.2) Support a strong immune system by balancing pH levels and supporting healthy intestinal flora. 3) Help detoxify the digestive tract. 4)Dry application used as a disinfectant in treating wounds.5)Clay can immediately stop bleeding wounds and prevent scab formation. METHODS OF APPLICATION. 1) Mix clay powder and water together and make a dry paste. Apply to bleeding wounds and wounds that need to heal without scabbing. This prevent abscesses and keeps the healing wound from itch-free. 2) Treatment of internal parasites and detoxification. Do the following; use 1 tbsp bentonite, illite, or montmorillonite clay. Make a mix using 4 oz cool pure water for each tsp of clay 1 oz .Let this slurry-mix stand overnight. Give to your dog orally or in some wet food the next morning on an empty stomach. Ensure to wait for at least 2 1/2hours before you feed the dog. 3) Give plenty of water through course of clay-treatment. 4) Used as a poultice. Use 1 lb pure green clay and add 1⁄2 cup pure water to Unbleached cotton muslin. Mix the clay with enough water to make a thick paste.Spread a layer of paste with a wooden spatula on to the center of the muslin , about one inch deep and approximately two inches bigger than the area to be treated. Apply the poultice clay side down and leave it alone until the clay pulls away from the skin. This indicates that the treatment is finished. Repeat daily until healed,usually in 5-7 days.

3D-MAPPING CORRECTS FACIAL TRAUMA IN ROTTWEILER.

Three-dimensional mapping technology helped University of California at Davis veterinarians correct major facial trauma in a Rottweiler puppy. Ziba's face was nearly crushed by a car, leaving her with damage that 10 years ago likely would have meant euthanasia. But the technology helped veterinarians identify problems and devise and carry out their surgical plan, marking the 10th such procedure at UC Davis, one of a small number of facilities with the technology. Today, Ziba's face shows no signs of her injury. Full Story: KTXL-TV (Sacramento, Calif.)

CALF BORN WITH HEART IN THE NECK!!!.

The year has been filled with spectacular breakthroughs in science especially in animal health and production,also strange discoveries were uncovered.One of the strange occurrence is the calf born with heart in the neck. This rare case was reported by the Observer-reporter Washington Co.;Tom Leech had never seen anything like it in his 15 years living at Longview Farms in Amwell Township. There was something unusual about the newborn Shorthorn bull he brought in from the frigid air one Saturday in March.He warmed up the calf with a blow dryer and electric blanket, which warded off hypothermia. But when he touched his neck, he felt a pulsation. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.It was his heart.!!!.“No one has ever seen it, never heard of it,” said Leech, who owns the family farm with his wife, Debbie. The calf’s mother, G.I. Jane, has birthed healthy calves in the past, and so has the father. None of the calves born at Longview, a cattle-breeding farm, has had any genetic disorders or abnormalities.But the 6-week-old youngster, dubbed Cardio Brisket, is a “unique calf,” Debbie said. Dr. Todd Moores of Wheeling Veterinary Associates has seen two-headed calves before, but never one with a heart in its neck.“I could tell by looking at it. You can see the heart beating right there,” Moores said. “It even makes a noise because there’s fluid around it, so it makes a sloshing noise.”He said Brisket appears to have a defect in his thoracic inlet, and he suspects that his sternum never developed properly. Several ribs may be missing, as well. The opening allowed the heart to prolapse into the neck region, and while it can be pushed down, it just “flops out” again, Tom said. Researchers at the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine offered to take Brisket for testing, but they couldn’t guarantee his survival, so the Leeches declined. Besides, they were starting to consider Brisket a valuable member of their farm family. Brisket stays in the barn, apart from the other 20-some cattle. He is taken out separately during the day to get exercise.“They’re like kids,” Tom said. “They start playing, they start butting, and I’m afraid they’ll butt his chest and could possibly injure his heart.”Moores said it’s hard to tell how long Brisket could live. He has a heart murmur, which could lead to complications when he grows bigger. The Leeches said they will keep him as long as they can, though. They don’t want to take him to the fair and display him like a “circus attraction,” Debbie said, but they wanted to document the case for future reference. Despite the complications, Brisket appears to be getting by. He just started eating grain and has no problem swallowing the food.“He’s healthy, but all the people I’ve talked to said, ‘You’ve got to put him down,’” Tom said. “If he was suffering, we would probably do something with him, but he’s not.” There has been 2 other documented cases of such abnormality ;one in Kentucky in 1903, and another in Turkey, but the date was unknown.

TREATMENT OF EAR MITE REDUCES TUMORS IN FOXES.

Until recently, endangered foxes on California's Catalina Island were suffering from one of the highest prevalences of tumors ever documented in a wildlife population, UC Davis scientists have found. But treatment of ear mites appears to be helping the wild animals recover.Roughly half of adult foxes examined between 2001 and 2008 had tumors in their ears, with about two-thirds of those malignant, according to a UC Davis study published this month in the journal PLOS ONE. More than 98 percent of the foxes were also infected with ear mites. These mites appear to be a predisposing factor for ear tumors in the Santa Catalina Island fox. Roughly half of adult foxes examined between 2001 and 2008 had tumors in their ears, with about two-thirds of those malignant, according to a UC Davis study published this month in the journal PLOS ONE. More than 98 percent of the foxes were also infected with ear mites. These mites appear to be a predisposing factor for ear tumors in the Santa Catalina Island fox. Luckily for the foxes, the story doesn't stop there. "We established a high prevalence of both tumors and ear mites, and hypothesized that there was something we could potentially do about it, which now appears to be significantly helping this population," said Winston Vickers, lead author of the prevalence study and an associate veterinarian with the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Santa Catalina Island foxes are intensively managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy. In 2009, when the mite treatment study began, the Conservancy added acaracide to the variety of preventative treatments they administer to the foxes each year.The Conservancy confirms that, in the years since, the overall prevalence of ear mites has dramatically declined in the areas they normally catch and treat foxes, as have the rates of tissue masses in the ear canals, suggesting reduced tumor presence. Read more here; http://phys.org/news/2015-12-scientists-widespread-ear-tumorsand-solutionfor.html

PET INSURANCE SAVES THE DAY!!!

Pet lover/responsible pet owners keep their dogs safe and ensure they have adequate veterinary services.Pet ownership is much more than fancy dressing,you need to insure them. read how insurance cover saved this dog;http://www.embracepetinsurance.com/blog/surgery-vicious-dog-attack