2015 ACVIM Small Animal Consensus Statement on Seizure Management in Dogs

This report represents a scientific and working clinical consensus statement on seizure management in dogs based on current literature and clinical expertise. The goal was to establish guidelines for a predetermined, concise, and logical sequential approach to chronic seizure management starting with seizure identification and diagnosis (not included in this report), reviewing decision‐making, treatment strategies, focusing on issues related to chronic antiepileptic drug treatment response and monitoring, and guidelines to enhance patient response and quality of life. Ultimately, we hope to provide a foundation for ongoing and future clinical epilepsy research in veterinary medicine.     

Content of plasmatic glycerol and activity of hepatic glycerol kinase in broiler chickens fed diets containing different sources and concentrations of glycerine

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three sources of glycerine (crude glycerine from soya bean oil – CGSO, mixed crude glycerine from frying oil and lard – MCG, and a semipurified glycerine from soya bean oil – SPGSO) in four concentrations in the diet (17.5, 35.0, 52.5 and 70.0 g of each type of glycerine per kg of feed) on the levels of plasmatic glycerol and the activity of the hepatic enzyme glycerol kinase in broilers of 22–35 days old (experiment I) and 33–42 days old (experiment II). The highest (p < 0.05) plasmatic glycerol level was detected in broilers fed diet containing CGSO. Independent of the source, increasing the concentration of glycerine led to a linear increase (p < 0.05) in the plasmatic glycerol concentration. In experiment I, all the diets containing glycerine resulted in increased concentrations of plasmatic glycerol, in relation to the control diet without glycerine. However, in experiment II, only the diet containing 17.5 g of CGSO per kg of feed and the diets formulated with any of the three types of glycerine in the inclusion concentrations of 35, 52.5 and 70 g/kg of feed resulted in higher plasmatic glycerol levels than those observed in the control broilers. The source of glycerine influenced the glycerol kinase activity only in experiment II, where the use of CGSO in the diet increased the enzyme activity. For both experiments, the glycerol kinase activity increased with the inclusion of glycerine in the diet. In conclusion, based on the absence of saturation of the glycerol kinase activity for the three glycerine sources and for both rearing periods evaluated, the broilers can metabolize the glycerol (at the level of the phosphorylation of the glycerol to glycerol‐3‐phosphate in the liver) present in the glycerine when the diet is supplemented with up to 70 g of glycerine per kg of feed.     

Lipid Droplet Analysis Using In Vitro Bovine Oocytes and Embryos

The aim of this study was to quantify the content of lipid droplets in bovine oocytes and embryos from Bos indicus (Bi), Bos taurus (Bt) and Bos indicus × Bos taurus (Bi × Bt). Oocytes were aspirated post‐mortem and subjected to in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization and in vitro development; the medium employed at each stage (TCM‐199, TALP, SOF) was supplemented with (i) serum replacement (SR), (ii) foetal calf serum (FCS) or (iii) oestrous cow serum (ECS). The structure and distribution of the lipid droplets were established using electron microscopy, but were quantified using an optical microscope on semi‐fine toluidine blue‐stained sections. The highest percentage of embryos corresponded to those produced with FCS and ECS, which differed from embryos generated with SR (p < 0.05). The highest percentage of morulae and the lowest percentage of blastocysts were obtained with the SR supplement (p < 0.05). The oocytes cultured in FCS demonstrated a higher number of lipid droplets compared to those cultured in SR and ECS (p < 0.05). Less accumulation of lipids was observed in embryos supplemented with SR. The lowest and highest numbers of lipid droplets in oocytes corresponded to the Bi and Bt strain, respectively. The lowest amount of lipid droplets in embryos was observed in Bi (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of the in vitro development culture medium (synthetic oviduct fluid) with a synthetic substitute serum produced similar results in terms of embryo development compared to those obtained with FCS, but a decreased degree of lipid droplet accumulation was observed in the in vitro‐cultured embryos.     

MALDI‐MS Lipid Profiles of Oocytes Recovered by Ovum Pickup from Bos indicus and 1/2 indicus × taurus with High vs Low Oocyte Yields

The aim of the present study was to compare the lipid profile in oocytes of indicus and 1/2 indicus × taurus cows with high and low antral follicle count (AFC)/oocyte yields. After an OPU procedure (D0), antral follicles ≥3 mm were counted by ultrasonography (D4, 19, 34, 49, 64), and cows were assigned to groups with either high AFC (≥30 follicles; indicus, NH group; 1/2 indicus × taurus, AH group) or low AFC (≤15 antral follicles; indicus, NL group; 1/2 indicus × taurus, AL group). The lipid profiles of the oocytes were determined by MALDI‐MS. For GI, GII and GIII oocytes, the indicus samples tend to cluster separately from the 1/2 indicus × taurus samples. The lipid species [PC (P‐38:5) + H]⁺ and/or [PC (P‐36:2) + Na]⁺, [PC (38:2) + H]⁺, [PC (38:5) + Na]⁺ and [TAG (60:8) + NH⁴]⁺ were more abundant in indicus (NH and NL groups) than 1/2 indicus × taurus. The higher lipid content in the indicus oocytes likely reflects differences in the rate of lipid metabolism and may contribute to oocyte competence and embryo development.     

A retrospective study of hepatic abscesses in goats: pathological and microbiological findings

Post-mortem examination of 658 goats showed that 17 (2.5%) exhibited hepatic abscesses. The following bacteria were isolated: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (58.9%), Escherichia coli (11.8%), Corynebacterium sp. (11.8%), Pasteurella haemolytica (5.9%), Proteus sp. (5.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (5.9%). Hepatic abscesses occurred more frequently in adult animals. Eleven of the 17 goats (64.7%) were older than 12 months of age. Four goats (23.5%) were 12 months of age and only two (11.8%) were less than 1 year of age. All of the goats with hepatic abscesses were in poor nutritional condition and the abscesses were invariably associated with accompanying pathological disorders at other body sites.     

Histological alterations to the pancreas and the intestinal tract produced by raw faba bean (Vicia faba L. minor) diets in growing chicks

1. Inclusion of raw faba bean (Vicia faba L., minor) in the diet of growing chickens was shown to affect the performance of the birds and to produce a significant increase in the relative weight of the pancreas. This was attributable to dietary trypsin inhibitors. 2. Trypsin inhibitors also produced degenerative changes in pancreatic acinar cells. These were observed by light and electron microscopy. 3. Progressive cytopathological changes were observed in the intestinal tract. The duodenum, jejunum and ileum were altered, with extensive erosion, shortening and atrophy of microvilli. 4. The results endorsed previous findings obtained using different legume seed lines (Phaseolus spp). Faba bean produced similar local reactions in the pancreas and the intestine. This may be caused by the presence of lectins in the seeds.     

Individual efficiency for the use of feed resources in rabbits

A Bayesian procedure, which allows consideration of the individual variation in the feed resource allocation pattern, is described and implemented in 2 sire lines of rabbit (Caldes and R). The procedure is based on a hierarchical Bayesian scheme, where the first stage of the model consists of a multiple regression model of feed intake on metabolic BW and BW gain. In a second stage, an animal model was assumed including batch, parity order, litter size, and common environmental litter effects. Animals were reared during the fattening period (from weaning at 32 d of age to 60 d of age) in individual cages on an experimental farm, and were fed ad libitum with a commercial diet. Body weight (g) and cumulative feed intake (g) were recorded weekly. Individual BW gain (g) and average BW (ABW, g) were calculated from these data for each 7-d period. Metabolic BW (g(0.75)) was estimated as ABW(0.75). The number of animals actually measured was 444 and 445 in the Caldes and R lines, respectively. Marginal posterior distributions of the genetic parameters were obtained by Gibbs sampling. Posterior means (posterior SD) for heritabilities for partial coefficients of regression of feed intake on metabolic BW and feed intake on BW gain were estimated to be 0.35 (0.17) and 0.40 (0.17), respectively, in the Caldes line and 0.26 (0.19) and 0.27 (0.14), respectively, in line R. The estimated posterior means (posterior SD) for the proportion of the phenotypic variance due to common litter environmental effects of the same coefficients of regression were respectively, 0.39 (0.14) and 0.28 (0.13) in the Caldes line and 0.44 (0.22) and 0.49 (0.14) in line R. These results suggest that efficiency of use of feed resources could be improved by including these coefficients in an index of selection.     

Effect of low-phytate barley or phytase supplementation to a barley-soybean meal diet on phosphorus retention and excretion by grower pigs

Two studies were conducted to determine the effect of diets containing low-phytate barley or supplemented with phytase on P balance and excretion in grower pigs. In Exp. 1, eight 32-kg barrows were assigned to a repeated, 4 x 4 Latin square design and fed 4 diets that contained 96% barley: normal-phytate hulled barley (HB), low-phytate hulled barley (LPHB), normal-phytate hull-less barley (HLB), and low-phytate hull-less barley (LPHLB). The barley cultivars contained 0.16, 0.05, 0.24, and 0.03% phytate, respectively. Inorganic P (iP) was added to the HB and HLB diets to meet the 1998 National Research Council recommendation of available P (aP, 0.23%), whereas LPHB and LPHLB contained sufficient aP. The diets were fed at 2.5 times the maintenance requirement for ME. The apparent total tract digestibilities (ATTD) of P did not differ between the hulled and hull-less barley diets, but P retention (%) and excretion were greater in pigs fed the hull-less barley diets (P < 0.05). The ATTD of P was greater and P excretion was 35% lower in pigs fed the low-phytate compared with the normal-phytate diets (P < 0.001). The amount of P retained (g/d) was greater (P < 0.001) in pigs fed low-phytate barley, reflecting an ATTD of P of 65 and 49% for low-phytate and normal-phytate barley, respectively (P < 0.001). In Exp. 2, eight 21-kg barrows were assigned to a repeated, 4 x 4 Latin square design and fed 4 diets based on barley and soybean meal (SBM): HB-SBM, HB-SBM + iP, HB-SBM + phytase, and LPHB-SBM. The HB-SBM and HB-SBM + phytase diets were deficient in aP, whereas the HB-SBM + iP and LPHB-SBM diets had adequate aP. The feeding regimen was similar to that of Exp. 1. Adding iP to the HB-SBM diet did not affect the ATTD but increased the amount of P retained (g/d) and excreted (P < 0.001). The ATTD and amount of P retained (g/d) did not differ among pigs fed the HB-SBM + iP, HB-SBM + phytase, and LPHB-SBM diets. However, pigs fed the HB-SBM + phytase and LPHB-SBM diets excreted 32 and 29% less P, respectively, than pigs fed the HB-SBM + iP diet (P < 0.05), confirming that low-phytate barley is as effective as supplemental phytase in improving P digestibility and utilization and decreasing P excretion in grower pigs.     

Direct genetic, maternal genetic, and heterozygosity effects on weaning weight in a Colombian multibreed beef cattle population

The (co)variance components of BW at weaning (WW) were estimated for a Colombian multibreed beef cattle population. A single-trait animal model was used. The model included the fixed effect of contemporary group (sex, season, and year), and covariates including age of calf at weaning, age of cow, individual and maternal heterozygosity proportions, and breed percentage. Direct genetic, maternal genetic, permanent environmental, and residual effects were included as random effects. Direct, maternal, and total heritabilities were 0.23 +/- 0.047, 0.15 +/- 0.041, and 0.19, respectively. The genetic correlation between direct and maternal effects was -0.42 +/- 0.131, indicating that there may be antagonism among genes for growth and genes for maternal ability, which in turn suggests that improving WW by direct and maternal EPD may be difficult. A greater value for the direct heterosis effect compared with the maternal heterosis effect was found. Furthermore, the greater the proportion of Angus, Romosinuano, and Blanco Orejinegro breeds, the less the WW.