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Captive rearing programs have been initiated to save the European common spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus), a toad species in the family of Pelobatidae, from extinction in The Netherlands. Evaluating whether this species needs ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and/or dietary supplementation for healthy bone development is crucial for its captive management and related conservation efforts. The bone mineralization in the femurs and the thickest part of the parietal bone of the skulls of European common spadefoots (n = 51) was measured in Hounsfield units (HUs) by computed tomography. One group, containing adults (n = 8) and juveniles (n = 13), was reared at ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo without UVB exposure. During their terrestrial lifetime, these specimens received a vitamin-mineral supplement. Another group, containing adults (n = 8) and juveniles (n = 10), was reared and kept in an outdoor breeding facility in Münster, Germany, with permanent access to natural UVB light, without vitamin-mineral supplementation. The HUs in the ARTIS and Münster specimens were compared with those in wild specimens (n = 12). No significant difference was found between the HUs in the femurs of both ARTIS and Münster adults and wild adults (P = 0.537; P = 0.181). The HUs in the skulls of both captive-adult groups were significantly higher than in the skulls of wild specimens (P = 0.020; P = 0.005). The HUs in the femurs of the adult ARTIS animals were significantly higher than the HUs in the femurs of the adult Münster animals (P = 0.007). The absence of UVB radiation did not seem to have a negative effect on the bone development in the terrestrial stage. This suggests that this nocturnal, subterrestrial amphibian was able to extract sufficient vitamin D 3 from its diet and did not rely heavily on photobiosynthesis through UVB exposure.

Objectives: To compare the outcome of three different fixation methods and to determine prognostic factors in cats with diaphyseal femoral fractures., Methods: Retrospective analysis of case records of cats with diaphyseal femoral fractures surgically corrected using external fixators, bone plate or plate-rod construct. Outcome was evaluated by estimating the time to bone healing and by calculating the complication rate., Results: In total, an external fixator was used in 30 cases, a bone plate in 20 cases and a plate-rod construct in 56 cases. All methods were successful in achieving bone healing without significant differences. There was a significant difference between the categorized complication rates between the treatment groups. The external fixation group had the most complications overall. When only the major and catastrophic complications were taken into account, it had the fewest complications. The plate-rod construct had the fewest complications overall, with most being major complications. The bone plate group had a complication rate between that of the external fixation and plate-rod construct groups. It had the most catastrophic complications in relative terms., Clinical Significance: There was no statistically significant difference in the time to achieve bone healing but there was a significant difference in categorized complication rates between the groups., (© 2013 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.)