Supplementation of ammoniated wheat straw: performance and forage utilization characteristics in beef cattle receiving energy and protein supplements.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate performance and forage utilization characteristics of beef cattle fed ammoniated wheat straw (AWS) unsupplemented except for minerals or supplemented with energy and protein. In Exp. 1, 194 crossbred beef cows (BW = 472 kg) in late gestation were allotted by weight, breed type, and age during two consecutive winters to 12 drylot pens (three pens/treatment) for a 60-d feeding trial. The AWS (3% NH3 wt/wt) was tubground through a 7.6-cm screen, and cows were allowed ad libitum access to the AWS. In Exp. 2, 16 ruminally fistulated Angus x Hereford steers (BW = 300 kg) were blocked by weight and randomized to treatments in a 35-d intake-digestion trial. Daily supplementation treatments in both experiments were Control, no supplemental energy or protein; LSG, 1.36 kg of sorghum grain (SG); HSG, 2.72 kg of SG; and SG + SBM, 1.02 kg of SG + .34 kg of soybean meal (SBM). All animals received .23 kg of mineral mixture formulated to meet a pregnant cow's mineral requirements. Supplements LSG and SG + SBM were fed to provide the same daily ME, and HSG and SG + SBM were fed to provide the same daily CP. Cows were managed as one group during and after calving. In Exp. 1, all supplements increased gain (P less than .01) vs Control, and cows fed SG + SBM had higher (P = .05) gains than those fed LSG. The SG + SBM supplement increased (P less than .01) change in cow body condition score compared with LSG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

ULTRASOUND APPEARANCE OF AN EQUINE TESTICULAR SEMINOMA

A 16-year-old thoroughbred stallion developed sudden swelling of the left testicle. The stallion had previously been regarded as a unilateral cryptorchid. Ultrasound examination of the left testicle revealed a diffusely heterogeneous parenchyma. The testicle was diffusely hypoechoic with ill defined regions of hyperechogenicity giving the appearance of hypoechoic nodules throughout the testicular parenchyma. No normal testicular tissue was identifiable. An echogenic band, representing a pseudocapsule could be seen surrounding the testicle. Histopathologic diagnosis a seminoma.     

The therapeutic use of animals

Animal-facilitated therapy both benefits and suffers from the attention of the public and press. There is a need to balance the enthusiasm for pet-facilitated therapy programs with guidelines for their judicial use and continued research to identify their full potential.     

Pathologic findings in manatees in Florida

Necropsy and microscopic examinations of 16 West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) revealed that the mortality of many of the animals was associated with environmental factors such as human-inflicted trauma and cold winters. Natural disease processes accounted for the death of only 1 manatee. In 3 manatees, the cause of death could not be determined.     

Effect of sagittal plane positioning errors on measurement of the angle of inclination in dogs.

Angles of inclination were calculated from ventrodorsal (VD) and caudocranial horizontal beam (CaCrHB) radiographs of 17 anesthetized dogs, and from radiographs of left femurs of the same dogs positioned 0 degree, 10 degrees, 15 degrees, and 20 degrees from the cassette in the sagittal plane. Angles of inclination also were measured directly from radiographs of the bones rotated to correct for anteversion. Calculated angles of inclination from the bones at 10 degrees, 15 degrees, and 20 degrees from the cassette were significantly different from the 0 degree values obtained by calculation and direct measurement. Inclination angles from live dogs were consistently larger than those from 0 degree bones. Differences between angles of inclination calculated from VD and CaCrHB radiographs of live dogs were not significant.     

Removal of a nasal polyp in a standing horse.

Diagnosis and removal of a nasal polyp in a horse using standing chemical restraint and readily available equipment are described. Histopathology of the polyp and differential diagnoses are discussed.     

Roquefortine in the stomach contents of dogs suspected of strychnine poisoning in Alberta

From April to September 1990, submissions in Alberta veterinary diagnostic laboratories for which strychnine analysis was requested were tested retrospectively for roquefortine, a diketopiperazine alkaloidal tremorgenic mycotoxin. Roquefortine was found only in strychnine-negative samples. The specific origins of the fungal-contaminated specimens could not be determined. Of the six roquefortine-positive cases, four dogs that vomited prior to treatment recovered. Two dogs which died had significant amounts of stomach contents present at the time of postmortem.

At the present time only one veterinary laboratory in Canada is routinely testing for roquefortine when samples are negative for strychnine. It appears that a low diagnostic rate for this type of poisoning may be occurring due to incomplete testing. The inability to differentiate between roquefortine and strychnine poisoning on a clinical basis in five of our six cases emphasizes that an accurate causative diagnosis requires laboratory examination.

Research in rats and sheep has shown that the tremorgenic mycotoxins penitrem A and roquefortine are excreted through bile. Although further research is required, the submission of bile and intestinal contents is recommended if stomach contents or vomitus are not available for laboratory testing. Both of these mycotoxins should be tested for when strychnine analysis is negative as fungi may produce both toxins at the same time. In this study we were unsure if roquefortine alone or in combination with other toxins was responsible for our findings.