The relationship between production and infertility in dairy cows

Extract

Each year increasing numbers of livestock are transported by land, rail, sea and air, vet documented observation of the behaviour of stock during transit has seldom been recorded. The trans-shipment of weaner calves between the North and South Islands of New Zealand provided an opportunity to gather information on conditions of travel and general adaptation to a journey of 1600 kilometres by road and air.     

Experimental Eperythrozoon ovis infection of sheep

Abstract

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Eperythrozoon ovis is an epi-erythrocytic sheep parasite of uncertain classification with a world-wide distribution (Sutton, 1970 Sutton, R. H. 1970. Eperythrozoon ovis — a blood parasite of sheep. N.Z vet. J., 18: 156–164. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), but whether eperythrozoonosis is a disease of economic importance remains unresolved. In Scotland, Foggie and Nisbet (1964 Foggie, A. and Nisbet, D. I. 1964. Studies on Eperythrozoon infection in sheep. J. comp. Path., 74: 45–61.  [Google Scholar]), found that experimentally E. ovis caused a clinical anaemia, occasionally with jaundice, but there was no significant difference in weight gain between infected and control sheep. Similar observations in naturally infected sheep were recorded in Norway by Overas (1969 Overas, I. 1969. Studies on Eperythrozoon ovis infection in sheep. Acta vet. Scand., Suppl. 28 [Google Scholar]), and in Australia by Harbutt (1969b Harbutt, R. Patricia. 1969b. The effect of Eperythrozoon ovis infection on body weight gain and haematology of lambs in Victoria. Aust. vet. J., 45: 500–504.  [Google Scholar]), Other Australian authors have found infection by this parasite; associated with outbreaks of ill-thrift in lambs (Sheriff et al., 1966 Sheriff, D., Clapp, K. H. and Reid, A. Marjorie. 1966. Eperythrozoon ovis infection in South Australia. Aust. vet. J., 42: 169–176.  [Google Scholar]) and severe anaemia with some mortality (Littlejohns, 1960 Littlejohns, I. R. 1960. Eperythrozoon ovis in sheep. Aust. vet. f., 36: 260–265.  [Google Scholar]; Maxwell, 1969 Maxwell, J. A. L. 1969. Eperythrozoon ovis infection in Western Australia. Ausf. vet. J., 45: 436–436.  [Google Scholar]; Campbell et al., 1971 Campbell, R. W., Sloan, C. A. and Harbutt, R. Patricia. 1971. Observations on mortality in lambs in Victoria associated with Eperythrozoon ovis. Aust. vet. J., 47: 538–541.  [Google Scholar]). Although the presence of strains of different pathogenicity has been suggested (Foggie and Nisbet, 1964 Foggie, A. and Nisbet, D. I. 1964. Studies on Eperythrozoon infection in sheep. J. comp. Path., 74: 45–61.  [Google Scholar], 1966 Foggie, A. and Nisbet, D. I. 1966. Eperyihrozoon ovis. Vet. Rec., 79: 297–298.  [Google Scholar]; Harbutt, 1969a Harbutt, R. Patricia. 1969a. The incidence and clinical significance of Eperythrozoon ovis infections of sheep in Victoria. Ausf vet. J., 45: 493–499.  [Google Scholar]), other factors influencing the disease should also be considered (Littlejohns, 1960 Littlejohns, I. R. 1960. Eperythrozoon ovis in sheep. Aust. vet. f., 36: 260–265.  [Google Scholar]).     

The pharmacologist and the veterinarian

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Recent papers and articles on the subject of liver fluke in cattle and sheep published in a number of the journals devoted to veterinary science prompt a short dissertation upon this disease as observed over a period of fifteen years in a section of the White Highlands of Kenya.     

Arecoline hydrobromide as a purgative in dogs: The effect of method of administration on its speed of action

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A hydatid control programme is at present being carried out in New Zealand on a national scale. To reduce the incidence of adult taeniid cestodes in the dog and thereby control the cystic stages in domestic food animals and man, routine anthelmintic treatment is carried out by trained officers, and offal disposal on the farm is encouraged.     

Plasma α-mannosidase activity as a means of detecting mannosidosis heterozygotes

A method is described for measuring the pelvic dimensions of the ewe from one lateral and one ventro-dorsal radiograph. Estimates of the conjugate and transverse diameters of the pelvic inlet, and the distance separating the lateral ischial tuberosities, accurate to within 5% of post-mortem measurements, were obtained from 11 sheep by employing a large target-film distance and applying correction factors for each of the planes of interest. Estimates of the distance between the posterior promontories of the ischium agreed less well with post-mortem measurements, but this may be related to the difficulty in locating this point accurately at post mortem. The pelvic outlet was estimated poorly by radiographic pelvimetry (r = 0.68) and was considered to be of little value in predicting the size of the pelvic outlet at parturition.     

Studies on inflammation in the sheep,using turpentine-induced pleurisy as a test system

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The interpretation of biochemical measurements usually requires knowledge of the normal as a reference point. It has been usual to take specimens from a group of individuals presumed to be healthy and to express as normal the range, or mean and standard deviation, found for those subjects.     

The incidence of strongyle nematodes in sheep viscera received at animal health laboratories in New Zealand

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Although the economic importance of mixed strongly infections in sheep in New Zealand appears to be generally recognized, little is known of the incidence and geographic distribution of the various constituent species.     

Avian reoviruses in New Zealand

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Detection and propagation of viruses of domestic hens in New Zealand has been carried out mainly by using embryonated eggs. Although this technique of viral propagation is the method of choice, for a range of agents, there are advantages in using cell-culture techniques for some viruses that infect domestic hens. The present study was undertaken to find if reoviruses (respiratory enteric orphan) could be recovered from domestic hens, using chick-kidney-cell cultures.     

The importance of animal production to the national economy

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For a number of years now, New Zealand has staggered from one crisis to another in respect of her overseas balance of payments, and one has only to examine the make-up of exports to appreciate her vital dependence upon the sale of animal produce for the overseas exchanges she needs to support the economy. Last year, for instance, well over 90% of New Zealand's exports were derived from sales of meat, wool, dairy products, and hides and skins; and this is no new situation. It has been so for more than fortyyears, and, what is more important, it is likely to continue to be true for at least the foreseeable future. Of exports of other than pastoral origin ( such as frozen fish and crayfish tails, forest, products, fresh apples, canned and frozen vegetables, peas, grass and clover seed), the only ones that can confidently be expected to become much more important in the future than at present as a source of overseas funds are forest products. From time to time, there is a great deal of publicity concerning opportunities that exist for developing markets for the products of local manufacturing industries. Undoubtedly, limited opportunities do exist, but these can only amount to “peanuts” in relation to New Zealand's major export earnings problem.     

The spring-rise phenomenon: The relationship between the time of lambing and the commencement of the rise in faecal worm-egg counts

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The cause of scouring in young calves in New Zealand is usually attributed to nutritional problems, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. or coccidiosis. This paper reports findings that indicate the presence in this country of a virus that has the potential to cause neonatal calf diarrhoea.