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Selected demographic features and trends in bovine tuberculosis (BTB) from 1995 to 2010 are described for the countries of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, using standardised definitions and measures. All countries experienced a reduction in the number of cattle and herds and in the proportion of dairy herds, while average herd size increased. In general, the trends indicate a stable situation of very low BTB prevalence in Scotland and, over most of the period, a rising prevalence in England and Wales. The prevalence in the Republic of Ireland declined while Northern Ireland experienced both a rise and fall. Differences in demography, BTB programme structure and test results were noted, particularly between the island of Ireland and Great Britain. Further investigation of these differences may provide valuable insights into risk factors for BTB and optimisation of existing BTB programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of an injectable formulation of danofloxacin (180 mg/ml) in the treatment of naturally occurring bovine respiratory disease was evaluated in field studies on farms in France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Cattle aged one week to 15 months with clinical respiratory disease were randomly allocated to treatment with 6 mg/kg danofloxacin or 10 mg/kg tilmicosin, administered by a single subcutaneous injection on day 0. A second injection of danofloxacin was administered on day 2, only if predefined clinical criteria were met. Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Haemophilus somnus were isolated from pretreatment nasopharyngeal swabs taken on all the farms. After the treatment, there was a more rapid improvement in the clinical response of the 178 animals treated with danofloxacin by day 2 (P<0.01) than in the 90 treated with tilmicosin. For both treatments, there were similar significant (P<0.001) reductions in the mean rectal temperature and severity of clinical signs of abnormal respiration and depression, on days 4 and 10 compared with day 0; 78.1 per cent of the animals treated with danofloxacin and 78.5 per cent of those treated with tilmicosin completed the studies. Danofloxacin 18 per cent was clinically safe and as effective as tilmicosin in the treatment of bovine respiratory disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of 854 horse owners, trainers and equestrian managers in 10 regions of Great Britain and Ireland showed that 83 per cent provided their horses with routine prophylactic dental care at fixed intervals, including 49 per cent at intervals of 12 months and 30 per cent at intervals of six months; a further 10 per cent provided it only when they felt it was required and 7 per cent did not provide it at all Overall, 44 per cent of the owners had their horse's wolf teeth (first premolar) extracted routinely; when prophylactic dentistry was provided, it was carried out solely by equine dental technicians (EDT5) for 53 per cent of owners, solely by veterinarians for 35 per cent, by both EDT5 or veterinarians for 10 per cent of owners and by other than veterinarians or EDT5 for 1 per cent There was confusion among some horse owners concerning the qualifications of the EDTS, because no recognised British qualification was available until towards the end of this survey in 2001. Several reasons were cited by owners for choosing between veterinarians and EDTS including their perceived qualifications, personal recommendations, costs, the availability of a wide range of dental equipment and sedation, and the time and effort devoted to the procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]