VN August 2020

Vetnews | August 2020 37 The next year she married André Hansen and established a practice for large animals on the farm Ludlow in the Transvaal (now Limpopo Province). As the first female veterinarian to seriously venture into this field among the conservative bushveld farmers, she initially encountered resistance but quickly showed her competence and earned their trust. Heartwater of cattle was a nightmare for the local stock farmers. Sulphonamides were initially tried with limited success. However, the arrival of the tetracyclines brought hope. Terramycin tablets pulverised in a mortar, dissolved in boiled water and injected intravenously gave good results. In order to provide local beef and dairy farmers with well-bred bulls, especially from heartwater-free regions, Lente established an immunisation centre on the farm. The animals were stabled for ±40 days and immunised against heartwater with the customary method developed by Neitz and Alexander in 1945, of infection and tetracycline control as soon as a febrile reaction occurred. Thus, hundreds of quality animals were made available to the cattle industry in this heartwater-endemic area. The practice itself was mainly livestock with a few companion animals, TB testing and the collection of blood samples for brucellosis tests on behalf of the government, as well as pregnancy testing and routine visits to dairy farms. Having lost her husband in 1993, Lente was obliged to run not only the practice, but also manage the entire farming enterprise on her own, for which she gratefully acknowledges divine support. Lente retired in 1995, when her son took over the practice. Lente emphasises that if she were ever again faced with a career choice, she would unhesitatingly choose to become a rural large animal- orientated veterinarian again. v Did you Know? Bits and Bobs I Stukkies en Brokkies Cats, Dogs and Snakebite: One Pet Has an Advantage Cats are twice as likely as dogs to survive the bite of a poisonous snake, according to an international team of researchers. The reason: Cats' blood clots faster than dogs' does. The report was published recently in the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology . "Snakebite is a common occurrence for pet cats and dogs across the globe and can be fatal," said co-author Bryan Fry, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. "This is primarily due to a condition called venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy – where an animal loses its ability to clot blood and sadly bleeds to death." Australian eastern brown snakes are responsible for about 76% of pet snakebites in Australia each year. While only 31% survive without anti-venom, cats are twice as likely to survive – at 66%. Cats are significantly more likely to survive if they are treated with anti- venom, and researchers said the reason was unclear until now. Dogs probably experience the failure of the blood to clot sooner than cats. Behavioural differences between cats and dogs also are likely to increase dogs' odds of death from snakebite. Dogs typically investigate with their nose and mouth, which are highly vascularised areas, whereas cats often swat with their paws. Dogs are usually more active than cats, which is not great after a bite has taken place because the best practice is to remain as still as possible to slow the spread of venom through the body. Researchers hope their findings will lead to awareness of the short time available to get treatment for snake-bitten dogs. v Source: https://consumer.healthday.com/general-health-information-16/ pets-and-health-news-531/cats-dogs-and-snakebite-one-pet-has- an-advantage-757801.html)