The BVA Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) is pleased to launch a new leaflet on goat keeping; the latest in a series information leaflets designed to assist pet owners. An introduction to goat keeping aims to provide those new to goat keeping with basic guidance to ensure that any goats for which they are responsible remain healthy and happy.

Veterinarians and Cat Owners Get Help in Treating Killer Diseases. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are the most common life-threatening infectious diseases of cats. Until LTCI's introduction, there was no approved treatment for these widespread, incurable viruses that, like HIV/AIDS in people, suppress the immune system. About 3% of all US cats are infected with FeLV, and a similar number suffer with FIV.

Groundbreaking CSIRO research into how the deadly Hendra virus spreads promises to save the lives of both horses and humans in the future. CSIRO Livestock Industries' scientists working at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), in Geelong Victoria, have made a major breakthrough in better understanding how Hendra spreads from infected horses to other horses and humans.

A Purdue University study has recently demonstrated a link between gum diseases and heart problems in dogs. "Our data shows a clear statistical link between gum disease and heart disease in dogs," said Larry Glickman, a professor of epidemiology, who conducted the study. "We knew from previously published research that there was growing evidence of a link between gum disease and heart disease, diabetes, birth defects and low birthweight among humans.

Theory and evidence show that egg size evolves to optimise offspring and maternal fitness. However, an additional theory invokes sperm limitation as an important force, if increasing egg size acts as a bigger target for fertilization when gamete encounter rate is diluted. We test this theory using in vitro fertilization experiments in externally-fertilizing sockeye salmon, where there is considerable variation in ovum size.

A mass die-off of harbour seals occurred throughout the North Sea in 2002 caused by phocine distemper virus. Previous models used to study the outbreak assumed that all seals transmitted the virus similarly. We challenged this assumption, creating models for Holland where transmission depended on life-stages of seals and found that they were more accurate.