Physiopathologie et thérapeutique de l'utérus en période puerpérale chez la vache laitière: revue

Accurate diagnosis and effective therapeutics of uterine pathologies in cattle represent some of the daily preoccupations for the veterinarians involved in herd health medicine. A rational approach requires a competence based on fundamental and clinical knowledge.

The physiological aspects of the uterine involution in cattle are reviewed with emphasis about the in utero bacteriological dynamic and the endocrinological evolution during this period. The pathogenesis of uterine pathologies is discussed following new research results and new knowledge on the mechanisms of uterine defense. The value and limitations of the clinical diagnosis is briefly reviewed. The therapeutics of uterine pathologies is debated in relation with the pathophysiology of the uterine involution and with the rational of the traditional and new concepts of the treatment of the postpartum uterine pathologies.

     

The effects of artificially-induced fly-strike on food intake and liveweight gain in sheep

A single, artificially-induced fly-strike with Lucilia sericata larvae was associated with a rapid (decline in food intake in sheep, with a consequent reduction in liveweight. Loss of weight ranged from 0.5 to 5.5 kg over four to six days and recovery to pre-infestation liveweight took three to 36 days. Pair-fed, uninfested partners of these sheep also showed a reduction in liveweight, whereas uninfested sheep in some experiments fed ad libitum showed either little change or a gain in liveweight over the same period. In general, maggot infested sheep took less time to regain weight than did their pair-fed partners although the weight lost as a proportion of initial weight was similar in both groups. Loss of appetite alone would appear to account for these events.