Passage rate through the anterior digestive tract of broiler chickens fed on diets with ground and whole wheat

1. Birds were fed diets containing ground or whole wheat and titanium dioxide for 10 min, followed by dissection of 4 birds per treatment after 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 min. 2. The crop, proventriculus and gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum from each bird were dried and combusted, and titanium content in each section was determined. 3. Significant amounts of titanium were found in the small intestine of the birds as soon as 30 min after being given feed containing titanium, and significant amounts had passed the small intestine after 120 to 150 min. 4. Titanium contents equivalent to approximately 5 g feed were eliminated from the gizzard per hour independently of whether ground or whole wheat was used. Thus, a hypothesis that the use of whole grain would slow down passage rate through the upper digestive tract was not supported by the current results.     

Epidemiological study on periodontal diseases and some other dental disorders in dogs

The prevalence of dental disorders in dogs was studied by applying index systems for human with some modifications. A total of 251 mongrel dogs including 143 stray dogs kept in the Animal Protection Offices in Tokyo and Hokkaido and 108 pet dogs visiting veterinary clinicians in Chiba Prefecture and Hokkaido were used. Periodontitis was prevalent among these dogs regardless of their sources and its incidence was increased with age. The lesion was more severe and more frequent in the premolar and molar regions than in the maxillary and mandibular incisor regions. Missing of teeth was observed at a high and increasing incidence with age. The tooth most commonly lost was the first premolar, followed by the other premolars and molars, where severe periodontitis was frequently found. Calculus was seen on many teeth, and aging agravated its prevalence and severity. Dental caries was observed in stray dogs, but neither to a serious degree nor at a significant level. These findings emphasize the necessity of dental hygiene, proper dental care and continuous periodical survey for dogs.