Evaluation of sedative and cardiorespiratory effects of romifidine and romifidine-butorphanol in cats

OBJECTIVE: To determine sedative and cardiorespiratory effects of romifidine alone and romifidine in combination with butorphanol and effects of preemptive atropine administration in cats sedated with romifidine-butorphanol. DESIGN: Randomized crossover study. ANIMALS: 6 healthy adult cats. PROCEDURES: Cats were given saline (0.9% NaCl) solution followed by romifidine alone (100 microg/kg [45.4 microg/lb], i.m.), saline solution followed by a combination of romifidine (40 microg/kg [18.1 microg/lb], i.m.) and butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg [0.09 mg/lb], i.m.), or atropine (0.04 mg/kg [0.02 mg/lb], s.c.) followed by romifidine (40 microg/kg, i.m.) and butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg, i.m.). Treatments were administered in random order, with > or = 1 week between treatments. Physiologic variables were determined before and after drug administration. Time to recumbency, duration of recumbency, time to recover from sedation, and subjective evaluation of sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia were assessed. RESULTS: Bradycardia developed in all cats that received saline solution and romifidine-butorphanol or romifidine alone. Preemptive administration of atropine prevented bradycardia for 50 minutes in cats given romifidine-butorphanol. Oxyhemoglobin saturation was significantly decreased 10 minutes after romifidine-butorphanol administration in atropine-treated cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that administration of romifidine alone or romifidine-butorphanol causes a significant decrease in heart rate and that preemptive administration of atropine in cats sedated with romifidine-butorphanol effectively prevents bradycardia for 50 minutes.     

Effect of Acute Administration of Clenbuterol on Athletic Performance in Horses

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of clenbuterol on the anaerobic threshold of horses on a treadmill with increasing physical stress, measuring heart rate (HR) and blood levels of lactate, glucose, and insulin. Twelve Arabian horses were submitted to two physical tests separated by a 10-day interval. Clenbuterol (CL) at 0.8 μg/kg or saline (control—C) was administered intravenously 30 minutes before the test. The treadmill exercise test consisted of an initial warmup followed by a gradually increasing effort. There was no statistical difference in either V₂ or V₄ (velocity at which plasma lactate concentration reached 4 and 2 mmol/L, respectively) between the two experimental groups. For the CL group, V₂₀₀, V₁₈₀, V₁₆₀, and V₁₄₀ (velocity at which the rate heart is 140, 160, 180, and 200 beats/minute, respectively) decreased significantly. At rest as well as times 4, 6, and 10 minutes, insulin levels were higher in the group that received clenbuterol (P < .05). Contrary to what was expected, apparently, there was no improvement in aerobic metabolism in animals when given a therapeutic dose of the bronchodilator. The elevated heart rate observed could have been attributable to the stimulation of cardiac β₁ adrenoceptors and the increased insulin levels to the stimulation of pancreatic β₂ receptors.     

Visceral mast cell tumor in a captive black jaguar (Panthera onca).

Little is known about neoplasia in the jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest American feline. A captive black jaguar was diagnosed at necropsy with a mastocytic form of visceral mast cell tumor similar to that which occurs in domestic cats. This animal had no previous clinical disease and died during anesthesia for a routine dental treatment.     

Preliminary Study on Age- and Sex-Dependent Alterations in the Composition of Skeletal Muscle Fibers of Brasileiro de Hipismo Horses

The aim of this work was to characterize the distribution of myofibers in the gluteus medius muscle of inactive horses of the Brasileiro de Hipismo (BH) breed at different ages by means of histochemical analyses, according to sex and depth of the biopsy. A total of 78 inactive horses (9 castrated males, 35 stallions, and 34 females) of the BH breed, aged 1 to 4 years, were used. A percutaneous muscle biopsy was obtained with a 6.0-mm Bergström-type needle, which allowed the removal of muscle fragments at depths of 20 and 60 mm. Myofiber types were determined based on myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase (mATPase) and nicotinamide dinucleotide tetrazolium reductase (NADH-TR) techniques. Morphometry of the fibers was determined based on cross-sectional area (CSA), mean frequency (F), and relative cross-sectional area (RCSA). The current study demonstrated that BH horses 3 and 4 years of age show a greater percentage of, and area occupied by, type IIA fibers and lower percentage of type IIX fibers in the gluteus medius muscle compared with horses 1 and 2 years of age. No difference was found between sexes in the frequency of and area occupied by the different fiber types at any of the depths and ages studied. In this study, females showed a greater CSA for all fibers in comparison with males, at 1 year of age. The results of the current study indicate that the gluteus medius muscle of inactive BH horses shows modifications in its structural and biochemical composition during the growth of the animals, leading to a better oxidative capacity.     

Rostrum abnormalities in the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) in South Africa

Morphological abnormalities in wild animals can be indicators of the underlying health of a population and may be determined through routine photographic surveys. Here, we assess unusual rostrum conditions in Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) inhabiting South African coastal waters to understand the rate of prevalence of abnormal rostrums and formulate hypotheses on potential causes. Photographic data were collated from systematic boat surveys and opportunistic sightings, obtained between April 1998 and March 2021 in various regions along the South African coast. Overall, 31 unique individuals were found with abnormal rostrum conditions, varying from slight misalignments to severe wounds and/or aberrant morphologies. In most cases, injuries were likely caused by natural events during the animal's life history such as interactions with sharks and/or reef-associated hunting strategies. Mark–recapture data indicated that individuals had survived with these injuries for up to 10 years. This study reports the highest incidence of rostrum abnormalities in the species. As numbers reflect only those that have survived their injuries, they are considered a minimum estimate. A better understanding of the cause(s) of these injuries is important given the endangered status of this species.     

Effect of the gain rate during growing phase on the performance and characteristics of carcass and meat of super precocious steers

The aim was to evaluate the effect of different rates of weight gain during the backgrounding on animal performance and carcass and meat characteristics of steers finished in feedlots. Thirty-six Angus steers, 12 ± 2 months of age, were backgrounded during 91 days on Aruana grass pasture (Panicum maximum cv. Aruana) managed under different stocking rates to achieve three different weight gains: HIGH ADG (average daily gain)—no feed restriction (ADG = 0.846 kg); MEDIUM ADG—moderate feed restriction (ADG = 0.456 kg); and LOW ADG—high feed restriction (ADG = 0.154 kg). To ensure the difference in ADG, we offered 0.7% live weight of concentrate feed in the HIGH treatment and a better forage supply in the MEDIUM treatment. After the backgrounding, the animals were finished in feedlot. There was no effect of the previous performance on the animals' performance in the feedlot. The LOW presented higher weight (218.9 vs. 207.9 kg) and hot (54.0% vs. 51.3%) and cold (53.5% vs. 50.5%) carcass yield than the MEDIUM, besides presenting meat with less cooking losses (15.0% vs. 18.2%), marbling (7 vs. 4.0 points), palatability (7.1 vs. 6.3 points), juiciness (7.2 vs. 6.4 points), tenderness (7.1 vs. 6.3 points), and lower shear force (5.78 vs. 8.75 kg) than HIGH. LOW ADG steers stay longer in the finishing phase but presented in general better quality carcass and meat than those with MEDIUM or HIGH during the backgrounding.     

Dry or wet? What is the best choice to determine gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indexes in females of Macrobrachium amazonicum?

The gonadosomatic (GSI) and hepatosomatic (HSI) indexes are widely used for the evaluation of reproductive biology in crustaceans. However, the use of either wet or dry weight for estimating these indexes is not standardized in the literature. Here, we compare the GSI and HSI indexes based on wet and dry samples of females of Macrobrachium amazonicum from populations with different phenotypes (large and small‐size prawns) as a model. In our analysis, for GSI, the application of wet weight tended to overestimate the values recorded in the initial (I‐II) and intermediate (III) stages of ovarian development, and underestimate the results in the final (IV‐V) stages when compared to the use of dry weight. This could be attributed to the reduction in cytoplasmic organelles and water content of the cytosol due to the increase in yolk and lipids in the oocytes throughout ovarian development. For HSI, no significant differences were detected between wet and dry samples. However, the dry HSI computed at all stages of development was overestimated when compared to the use of wet samples, and only the hepatopancreas of females at the final stage (V) showed a significant decrease in water content. Thus, our results indicate that M. amazonicum females maintain constant hepatopancreatic reserves throughout ovarian development. In this way, the use of dry weight is more adequate to estimate GSI and HSI in this species.     

Marine and coastal protected and conserved areas strategy in Brazil: Context,lessons, challenges,finance, participation,new management models,and first results

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Evaluation of growth and fatty acid profile of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed with Schizochytrium sp.

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