Equine Cryptorchidism: Pre-surgical Considerations and Surgical Management

Horses with undescended testes are frequently presented to the veterinary surgeon for castration. The pertinent pre-operative evaluations and diagnostic procedures that should be made prior to either surgical intervention or referral of such cases are outlined. Several accepted anesthetic and surgical techniques are similarly reviewed. Case histories of 58 horses referred during a two year period are reviewed and correlated with the findings of a recent study of equine testicular development and descent.     

Effect of stage of maturity of whole-crop barley on intake and liveweight gain by dairy steers differing in initial live weight

The effect of maturity at harvest of whole-crop barley for ensiling on intake and liveweight gain of dairy steers differing in initial live weight (LW) was evaluated in an experiment over two years. Light (104–120 kg) and heavy (402–419 kg) dairy steers were fed diets containing predominantly whole-crop barley silage harvested at the milk stage [dry matter (DM) content of 284 g kg⁻¹ and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) concentration of 526 g kg⁻¹ DM] or the dough stage of maturity (DM content of 328 g kg⁻¹ and NDF concentration of 445 g kg⁻¹ DM) and supplemented with up to 1 kg of concentrate. Dry matter intake (g kg⁻¹ LW) was higher for whole-crop barley harvested at the dough stage than at the milk stage of maturity and the difference was greater in heavy than in light steers ( P <  0·001). Liveweight gain was higher and feed conversion ratio was lower for dough-stage compared with milk-stage silage ( P  <   0·05) but there was no interaction with size of steer. Whole-crop barley harvested at the dough stage of maturity promoted higher liveweight gains in dairy steers compared with whole-crop barley harvested at the milk stage due to a higher DM intake.     

Influence of ozone on cold acclimation in sugar maple seedlings

During summer 1994, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) seedlings were grown in open-top chambers supplied with air containing near ambient ozone concentration (control, low O(3)) or three times the ambient ozone concentration (high O(3)). The rate of CO(2) assimilation was significantly reduced by chronic exposure to a high concentration of ozone during the summer. During fall, seedlings were removed from the open-top chambers and acclimated to cold under natural conditions. In both species during cold acclimation, the starch concentration decreased, whereas the sucrose concentration increased. There was no treatment effect on the freezing tolerance of roots, even though roots in the high-O(3) treatment accumulated higher concentrations of the cryoprotective oligosaccharides raffinose and stachyose than control roots. Cold acclimation occurred earlier and stachyose concentration of stems was higher in high-O(3)-treated seedlings than in low-O(3)-treated seedlings. Cold acclimation was associated with an earlier accumulation of ABA in the xylem sap of high-O(3)-treated seedlings compared with low-O(3)-treated seedlings.     

Effect of Season on Travel Patterns and Hoof Growth of Domestic Horses

Four Morgan mares and five Morgan geldings ranging in age from 5- to 12-years-old were fitted with Global Positioning System units to determine if season has an influence on travel pattern. Body and hoof growth measurements were obtained so that the influence of season on body condition and hoof growth could be determined. Waist and heart circumference, cresty neck score, and body condition score were determined in each season. The ambient temperature and precipitation was recorded for each season. Waist circumference was the greatest (P < .05) in the spring and summer and the least in the fall and winter. Hoof growth was the greatest (P < .05) in the fall and the least in the winter. The front and rear hooves grew at similar rates in all horses. Hoof growth in geldings and mares were also similar. The average distances traveled were similar across seasons; however, the horse did numerically travel more in the spring and summer compared with the fall and winter. The range of the travel pattern was influenced by season with the horses traveling significantly less in the winter, although the average travel distances were similar. In conclusion, season in temperate zones will influence body condition, hoof growth, and pattern of travel, but the total distance traveled will be similar. Further research needs to be conducted to determine the influence of season on hoof growth and travel patterns.