Calf welfare.

Many factors contribute to the well-being of calves on the commercial dairy including housing and environment; nutritional and health programs; handling and caretaker interactions; herd dynamics; and the common management practices of transportation, euthanasia, dehorning, and teat removal. Ensuring and assessing the welfare of calves on commercial dairies is a complex challenge, especially because the terminology and factors contributing to assessing animal welfare in agricultural animals, such as dairy calves, has not been clearly defined within the scientific community.     

Effects of thermal stress and level of feed intake on portal plasma flow and net fluxes of metabolites in lactating Holstein cows

Six Holstein cows (averaging 475 kg body weight, 2.3 parities and 96 d in lactation) fitted with catheters in the hepatic portal vein, mesenteric vein and intercostalis posterior artery were exposed to treatments of thermal comfort environments with libitum or restricted (75% of ad libitum) DM intake and a thermal stress environment with ad libitum intake in two balanced 3 x 3 latin squares to evaluate effects of thermal stress on portal plasma flow and net fluxes of metabolites. Portal plasma flow was measured by administering a primed, continuous infusion of para-aminohippurate into a mesenteric vein and determining its concentration and dilution in portal vein plasma. Thermal stress treatment increased rectal temperatures and respiration rates. Dry matter intake decreased from thermal comfort ad libitum level (15.1 kg/d) to lower levels in thermal comfort restricted (11.5 kg/d) and thermal stress (11.1 kg/d) treatments. Portal plasma flow was related directly to level of DM intake, declining about 14% with thermal comfort restricted intake and thermal stress environment treatments compared with the thermal comfort restricted intake and thermal stress environment treatments compared with the thermal comfort ad libitum intake treatment. Net flux of alpha-amino N was reduced 20 and 35% by thermal comfort restricted intake and thermal stress treatments compared with the thermal comfort ad libitum intake treatment. Net fluxes of urea N, ammonia N and glucose were not affected by experimental treatments. A portion of the negative effects of thermal stress on milk production can be explained by decreased nutrient intake and decreased nutrient uptake by the portal-drained viscera of the cow.     

Effects of nutritional plane and selenium supply during gestation on visceral organ mass and indices of intestinal growth and vascularity in primiparous ewes at parturition and during early lactation

Objectives were to investigate effects of nutritional plane and Se supply during gestation on visceral organ mass and intestinal growth and vascularization in ewes at parturition and during early lactation. Primiparous Rambouillet ewes (n = 84) were allocated to 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors included dietary Se [adequate Se (ASe, 11.5 μg/kg BW) or high Se (HSe, 77.0 μg/kg BW)], nutritional plane [60% (restricted; RES), 100% (control; CON), or 140% (high; HIH)], and physiological stage at necropsy (parturition or d 20 of lactation). At parturition, lambs were removed and 42 ewes (7 per treatment) were necropsied. Remaining ewes were transitioned to a common diet which met lactation requirements and mechanically milked for 20 d. In the absence of interactions (P > 0.10), main effects are reported. At parturition, stomach complex and liver masses were greatest for HIH, intermediate for CON, and least for RES (P < 0.02). Small intestinal mass was greater (P ≤ 0.002) for HIH than RES and CON, and greater (P < 0.01) for ASe than HSe. During early lactation, RES and CON gastrointestinal masses increased disproportionally to BW (P < 0.05). At parturition, jejunal mucosal density was less (P ≤ 0.01) for RES than CON and HIH, whereas CON had greater (P < 0.003) jejunal mucosal RNA concentration and RNA:DNA than RES and HIH. Although there were no differences (P > 0.17) at parturition, jejunal cell percent proliferation was greatest in RES, intermediate in CON, and least in HIH (P ≤ 0.09) at d 20 lactation. At both stages, RES had less (P = 0.01) jejunal capillary area density than HIH and less (P ≤ 0.03) capillary surface density than CON and HIH. During lactation, jejunal capillary size was greater (P = 0.04) for ewes previously fed HSe compared with ASe. At parturition, ASe-HIH had greater (P < 0.02) jejunal mucosal endothelial nitric oxide synthase 3 mRNA than all other treatments and greater (P = 0.10) vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) than all treatments, except ASe-RES. In addition, CON had less (P ≤ 0.08) jejunal VEGF receptor-1 (FLT1) mRNA compared with RES and HIH, and ASe had greater (P = 0.003) FLT1 than HSe at parturition. Ewes fed HIH had greater (P = 0.04) jejunal VEGF receptor-2 mRNA compared with RES. Results indicate that maternal intestinal growth and vascularization are responsive to nutritional plane and dietary Se during gestation and undergo changes postpartum when under similar lactational management.     

Angiography of the crus penis in the ram and buck during erection

Serial angiography was used to determine blood flow patterns to the penis of rams and bucks. Animals were anesthetized and the internal pudendal artery was catheterized so that contrast medium could be injected toward the crus penis area. By comparing vascular patterns of the ram and buck during erection, it was found that flow patterns of the corpus cavernosum penis (CCP) and corpus spongiosum penis (CSP) were similar for both species. Contraction of the ischiocavernosus muscles occluded the arterial inflow and venous outflow to the CCP, making it a closed system during peak erection. However, during erection, the contrast medium continued to flow into the CSP, showing that it is not a closed system. In the vasodilatation phase, the CSP usually filled before and more intensely than did the CCP.     

Evaluation of flunixin meglumine as an adjunct treatment for diarrhea in dairy calves

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of flunixin meglumine as an adjunct treatment for diarrhea in calves. DESIGN: Clinical trial. ANIMALS: 115 calves with diarrhea that were 1 to 21 days old at enrollment. PROCEDURE: Calves that developed diarrhea were randomly assigned to receive no flunixin meglumine (controls), a single dose of flunixin meglumine (2.2 mg/kg [1.0 mg/lb]), or 2 doses of flunixin meglumine administered 24 hours apart. Serum IgG concentration and PCV were measured prior to enrollment in the trial. Calves were evaluated daily to determine rectal temperature, fecal consistency, demeanor, and skin elasticity score. The primary analytic outcome was days of sickness (morbid-days). RESULTS: Calves with fecal blood and treated with a single dose of flunixin meglumine had fewer morbid-days and antimicrobial treatments, compared with controls. Although not significant, calves given 2 doses of flunixin meglumine in 24 hours had fewer morbid-days than untreated control calves. Regardless of severity of diarrhea, calves without fecal blood did not benefit from the use of flunixin. For calves with fecal blood, failure of passive transfer (low serum IgG concentration) was an independent risk factor for increased morbid-days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Treatment with a single dose of flunixin meglumine resulted in fewer antimicrobial treatments and morbid-days in calves with fecal blood. As observed in other studies, calves with failure of passive transfer were at high risk for poor outcomes. This emphasizes the importance of developing and implementing effective colostrum delivery programs on dairy farms.     

Persistence of velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease virus in litter.

Litter in a room which had housed chickens and turkeys actively infected with velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease was no longer infectious for susceptible chickens placed there 10 to 14 days later.     

AN OESOPHAGEAL DIVERTICULUM IN A DOG

An 11-month-old male Miniature Poodle was found to regurgitate small volumes of fluid and food particles due to a diverticulum in the thoracic oesophagus. The diverticulum was removed surgically. Histologically the wall contained extensive scar tissue. Longterm recovery was uneventful and 5 months after surgery the dog is in good health     

Vesicular stomatitis virus (New Jersey strain) infection in two California dairy herds: an epidemiologic study

The course of vesicular stomatitis in cattle was investigated in 2 dairy herds (A and B) located in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Cattle were examined and specimens were obtained for virus isolation and for serologic survey for one year after an epizootic in December 1982. All 33 lactating cows selected for study had oral lesions, but only 19 (58%) were drooling or frothing around the mouth. Lesions on feet and teats were not observed. The healing time (longer than has been reported previously) for oral lesions ranged from 34 to 59 days. The mean serum neutralizing antibody titer for all cows tested in both herds 21 days after clinical signs were first observed was greater than 1:512. The mean titer decreased in the first 11 months after the epizootic, but remained greater than 1:128, and then increased during December 1983. Vesicular stomatitis virus/New Jersey strain was not isolated from 239 blood samples, 235 swab specimens of oral cavities, 38 swab specimens of oral epithelium, 206 urine specimens, or 232 fecal specimens collected from cows; however, it was isolated from tongue epithelium of 3 cows at 1, 4, and 21 days after signs of frothing were first noticed. For 20 lactating cows brought into dairy A during the epizootic, a mean time of 8.9 days elapsed between time of entry and appearance of clinical signs of vesicular stomatitis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)