Food intake and energy expenditure in growing cats with and without a predisposition to overweight

Overweight and obesity are multifactorial diseases caused by an imbalance in energy metabolism. An underlying genetic predisposition is often a factor in these conditions. In the cat breeding family of the Institute of Animal Nutrition at the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, a segregating overweight phenotype with a genetic contribution was observed. From this breeding family, 26 kittens were followed from birth up to 8 months of age. During this time, food intake was measured using an automatic feeding station, and energy expenditure was investigated using indirect calorimetry at the ages of 4 and 6 months. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was performed and blood glucose, leptin and insulin were measured at the ages of 4, 6 and 8 months. The kittens were also weighed daily for the first 2 weeks of life, every second day until weaning and once per week until 8 months of age. The body condition score (BCS) was evaluated monthly between 2 and 8 months of age. The main finding of this study is that a predisposition to overweight is connected to a higher food intake early in life, with no significant alterations in energy expenditure. The leptin blood levels were related to body fat percentage, and insulin sensitivity did not seem to be affected.     

Mineral content of hay harvested in Bavarian and Swiss horse farms. Predictive value of cutting time,number of cut,botanical composition,origin and fertilization

Hay samples from 29 horse farms in Southern Upper Bavaria and 31 horse farms in Switzerland were taken and analysed for minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. The content of herbs and legumes in the hay was determined and the Weende analysis was performed. Comparison between Bavaria and Switzerland resulted in comparable calcium contents of approximately 4 g Ca/kg dry matter (DM) in grass hay. Hay with more than 10% of herbs and legumes found only in Switzerland showed higher Ca contents of >7 g Ca/kg DM in hay. The mineral contents of phosphorus and potassium were lower in hay from Switzerland (P: 1.8 ± 0.7 g/kg DM, K: 15.4 ± 5.1 g/kg DM) than from Bavaria (P: 3.8 ± 0.6 g/kg DM, K: 20.0 ± 6.0 DM), whereas the magnesium content of the hay showed no difference between the regions (∼1.5 g Mg/kg DM). Very late first grass hay cuts showed low magnesium and calcium (<4 g/kg DM) contents. Further minerals in the hay for horses differed from those in dairy cattle in the same region. Fertilization showed only small effects on the mineral contents of the hay produced for horses. Therefore, in calculation of ration and production of supplements for horses, these differences should be taken into account.     

Nutrient content and adequacy of roughage for horse nutrition: an investigation under Swiss conditions

For horses no special tables related to nutrients for Swiss roughage exist. For this reason samples of hay, straw, silage/haylage and green forage were taken from 46 horse keeping farms in 22 cantons. The samples were judged by sense and following the nutrient--and macromineral--content as well as the content of fructans were analysed. Regarding its quality no sample was totally inadequate for horses. The mean contents of crude protein in Swiss hay for horses were clearly lower than in hay for ruminants and in German hay for horses. The mineral contents (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus) showed a wide range. On average they were also lower than the values provided in tables for ruminants. Except for one sample the silages/haylages showed a dry matter content of more than 40 %. No nutrient tables for silage or haylage, which are such high in dry matter contents, were found in the literature.The contents offructans in silage/haylage and green forage also showed a wide range with a maximum of 94 g/kg DM fructan.     

Judgement of hygienic quality of roughage in horse stables in Switzerland

In 46 horse farms all over Switzerland, the hygienic quality of the roughage (including silages) was investigated. Therefore, a macroscopic examination as well as the microbial counts (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) was carried out. Further, the contents of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the contamination with deoxynivalenol (DON) were determined. In all roughages, the dry matter (DM) content was measured and in silages additionally the pH was measured. Predominantly, the straw showed a lower hygienic quality than hay and silages. The LPS contents were significantly higher in straw than those in hay samples. The macroscopic examination and the microbial counts showed a tendency in the same direction. Eight straw samples and one hay sample with DON contamination were found. The silages showed a DM content with a median of 65.8%. The pH of those silages was between 4.3 and 5.9. Despite the high values of DM and pH, the silages showed mainly a high hygienic quality. In total, the hygienic standard of straw was worse than that of hay. This should be taken into account also in straw used as bedding as much as the hygienic quality of hay.     

A survey on the feeding of eventing horses during competition

Summary This study aims at the comparison of the actual feeding of horses with the recommendations from the literature, and it studies the effects of feeding and exercise on several blood metabolic parameters before and after exercise. Blood samples were collected from 25 horses during one‐star eventing competitions and evaluated for blood glucose, insulin, lactate, free fatty acids and triglyceride levels. Questionnaires on the feeding practices of the horses were evaluated. The questionnaires revealed that during training, and on tournament days, horses received on average 4.3 kg of concentrate per day (min. 1.54 kg, max. 8 kg). The statistical analysis showed no significant effect of the amount of concentrate fed before exercise on the measured blood values. Oil was supplied as a supplementary energy source to 30% of the horses, but most of them only received very small quantities (0.02–0.4 l/day). Five horses (20%) had no access to salt supplements at all, and eleven horses (45%) had no access to salt on tournament days. Fifteen horses (60%) were supplied with mineral feed. Twenty‐one horses (84%) had daily access to pasture during the training period. During competition, 55% of the horses received roughage ad libitum, compared with 37% during training. The majority of the horses received less roughage on days before the cross‐country competition. It could not be ascertained whether feeding a large amounts of roughage had a beneficial effect on performance, because only a few horses in this study were fed with very restrictive roughage. Feeding of most of the horses was in agreement with the recommendations from the literature, except the need for sodium and chloride. The sodium and chloride need for sport horses may be overestimated in literature and needs to be re‐evaluated.     

Estimating energy losses with urine in the cat

Urinary energy losses in cats have to be determined in energy balance trials as well as for the calculation of the metabolizable energy (ME) content of cat food. The aim of the present study was: first, to assess whether the energy content of cat urine quantified by bomb calorimetry differs from that quantified using GE (kJ) urine = 33 kJ × g C urine + 9 kJ × g N urine and investigate whether this difference could be attributed to influences of diets. Second, to assess whether the subtraction of 3.1 kJ/g of protein intake used for estimation of metabolizable energy content of cat foods is confirmed as usable. Data from 27 energy and protein balance trials from different studies with complete sampling of urine and faeces (29 cats in part A and 35 cats in part B) were used. Gross energy, carbon and nitrogen were determined in food, faeces and urine. Gross energy values in urine tended to be higher when determined with the formula of Hoffman and Klein compared to bomb calorimetry. The average relative difference of gross energy values between the methods was 18.8%. The mean energy loss in kJ/g of protein intake resulted in 3.7 kJ/g protein intake, which was not statistically significantly different (p = 0.12) from the tested value of 3.1 kJ/g of protein intake. In conclusion, the formula of Hoffman and Klein is not appropriate for the estimation of energy in cat urine. In balance studies, it is advisable to quantify the urinary energy content by bomb calorimetry. In the second part of the study, the protein correction factor to determine ME of 3.1 kJ/g protein intake for urinary energy losses of Kienzle et al. could be confirmed.     

Serological studies on Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections in goats in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) and seroreactions on antigens used for newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA)

In the present study, comprehensive data on the seroprevalence of Corynebacterium (C.) pseudotuberculosis infections in goats are presented for Baden-Wuerttemberg, a Federal State of Germany, for the first time. As a prerequisite, ELISAs based on a recombinant phospholipase D (rPLD) and whole cell antigens (WCA) were designed and validated yielding sensitivity values of 81% and 97% and specificity values of 98% and 99%, respectively. Immunisation trials in goats demonstrated a significant production of antibodies to rPLD but an evidently lower antibody production to WCA as determined in the corresponding ELISA. Moreover, immunisation with rPLD resulted in the formation of antibodies, which were also detected in the WCA ELISA. In contrast, this phenomenon was not observed with the rPLD ELISA after immunisation with WCA. Implementation of the rPLD and WCA ELISAs in a broad-based seroprevalence study in Baden-Wuerttemberg revealed positive reactions in both ELISAs in 13.2% of the 1771 goat sera tested. In 53.7% of 121 herds of which five or more animals were tested per herd there was at least one animal that showed a positive reaction in both tests.     

Vitrification of in vitro matured oocytes of Mangalica and Large White pigs

The breeding of Mangalica, a native pig breed in Hungary, had been started in 1833, but this pig breed almost became extinct in Hungary in the past decades. In 1991, the number of sows was only 200. Although in these days the existing Mangalica population consists of more than 6000 animals representing different colour variations, the preservation of this traditional pig breed is still very important. Vitrification is a potential tool for the preservation of gametes and embryos of these animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitrification on the developmental competence of Mangalica (M) and Large White (LW) oocytes following fertilisation. The oocytes were vitrified by the Open Pulled Straw (OPS) method using different concentrations of ethylene glycol and dimethyl sulphoxide as cryoprotectants. After rehydration the oocytes underwent in vitro fertilisation; the resultant zygotes were then cultured in vitro for four days to assess embryonic development. In the first experiment, in vitro maturation of M and LW oocytes was compared. No significant difference was observed in the nuclear maturation rate of LW and M oocytes. In the second experiment, the sensitivity of oocytes to vitrification was examined by evaluating oocyte morphology after thawing. A higher percentage of LW oocytes showed normal morphology compared to M oocytes, indicating that Mangalica oocytes are more sensitive to cryoprotectants than Large White oocytes. After warming and in vitro fertilisation, more than 50% of the oocytes started embryonic development and by the end of the incubation period morula stage embryos had developed in both groups. The results show that the OPS vitrification technique is well suited to preserve Mangalica oocytes and from these oocytes morula embryos can be produced.     

Modelling Post‐Tree‐Harvesting Soil Erosion and Sediment Deposition Potential in the Turano River Basin (Italian Central Apennine)

The overall aim of the paper is the assessment of human‐induced accelerated soil erosion processes due to forest harvesting in the Upper Turano River Basin. The spatio‐temporal pattern of soil erosion processes was investigated by means of a spatially distributed modelling approach. We used the Unit Stream Power Erosion and Deposition model. During the soil erosion‐modelling phase, the forest cover changes were mapped via remote sensing. According to this operation, the forest sectors exploited for timber production amounted to about 2781 ha or 9·9% of the wooded surface from March 2001 to August 2011. In this period, the average annual net soil erosion rate estimated by means of modelling operations totalled 0·83 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ for all the forest lands. The net soil erosion rate predicted for the disturbed forest lands is significantly higher than the average value for the entire forest (5·34 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹). Estimates indicate a soil loss equal to 8521 Mg y⁻¹ (net soil erosion 0·34 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) in the undisturbed forest area (254 km²), whereas the 27·8 km² of disturbed forest area could potentially lose 14 846 Mg y⁻¹. The paper shows that a disturbed forest sector could produce about 74·2% more net erosion than a nine times larger, undisturbed forest sector. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toxocara eggs shed by dogs and cats and their molecular and morphometric species-specific identification: is the finding of T. cati eggs shed by dogs of epidemiological relevance?

Intestinal infections with Toxocara cati and Toxocara canis in their definitive host (felids and canids, respectively) are diagnosed by egg identification in faeces using coproscopical techniques. The Toxocara species is assumed to comply with the species from which the examined faeces were obtained, i.e. T. cati in cats and T. canis in dogs. We isolated and measured Toxocara eggs from faecal samples of 36 cats and 35 dogs from Switzerland and identified the Toxocara species by PCR. Amongst the isolates originating from dogs, 24 (68.5%) were determined as T. canis and 11 (31.5%) as T. cati. In all samples originating from cats, only T. cati was identified. Based on PCR identification, eggs of T. canis (n=241) and T. cati (n=442) were measured, revealing statistically significant different (p<0.001) mean sizes of 62.3 by 72.7 μm for T. cati and 74.8 by 86.0 μm for T. canis eggs. Considering that coprophagy is not unusual for dogs, a considerable percentage of Toxocara infections coproscopically diagnosed in dogs, as well as assumptions on anthelminthic resistance in regularly treated dogs, might in fact relate to intestinal passages of eggs following the uptake of other animals' faeces.