Effect of food enzymes on utilisation of lupin carbohydrates by broilers

1. The effects of 3 commercial enzyme products on the nutritive value of 2 lupin species were investigated with the emphasis on changes in composition of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) along the digestive tract. Enzyme A contained primarily cellulase, beta-glucanase and xylanase activities, enzyme B primarily hemicellulase, pentosanase and xylanase activities, and enzyme C primarily hemicellulase, pectinase and beta-glucanase activities. 2. The enzymes were added to semi-purified diets based on sorghum and casein containing 35% whole seed lupins (Lupinus angustifolius cv Gungurru or Lupinus albus cv Kiev mutant). Control diets contained no lupins. 3. Food conversion ratio (FCR), excreta moisture content and apparent metabolisable energy (AME) were affected by lupin species but not by enzyme supplementation. 4. In diets with L. angustifolius, enzyme C significantly increased digesta viscosity and increased the concentration of soluble NSPs in all sections of the intestine. 5. Digestibility of protein and NSPs in the ileum and microbial fermentation in the ileum and caeca were not affected by adding enzymes to diets containing L. angustifolius. 6. Enzyme addition to diets with L. albus did not affect digesta viscosity nor concentration of soluble NSPs but caused a significantly (P<0.05) reduced concentration of insoluble NSP in the ileum. 7. Enzyme addition to L. albus significantly (P<0.05) increased NSP digestibility in the ileum but had no effects on protein digestibility and fermentation in the ileum and caeca.     

Usefulness, completeness, and accuracy of Web sites providing information on osteoarthritis in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of information regarding osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs currently available on the World Wide Web. DESIGN: Survey study. PROCEDURE: 5 search engines were searched with the keywords "dog," "degenerative joint disease," "canine," and "osteoarthritis," and the first 50 sites listed by each search engine were analyzed. Unique Web site addresses were distributed to 3 diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, who provided a standardized evaluation of each site. RESULTS: 30 unique Web sites were evaluated. Twenty (66%) provided information consistent with conventional knowledge as outlined in textbooks and peer-reviewed literature, 8 (27%) provided experimental or anecdotal information in addition to conventional knowledge, and 2 (7%) provided misleading information. Mean scores for overall usefulness of the information provided in regard to clinical features of and treatment for OA were 1.3 and 1.5, respectively (1 = information of minimal use; 5 = very useful information). Twenty-three (77%) sites encouraged pet owners to seek the advice of a veterinarian. Twenty-three (77%) sites were given overall quality scores < 2, and 7 (23%) were given scores between 2 and 3 (1 = site was counterproductive; 5 = site was very valuable). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that the quality of information currently available on the Web that addresses OA in dogs is questionable. Although most of the sites conveyed some conventional information with reasonable accuracy, the information was incomplete, of minimal use, and often considered counterproductive.     

Prednisolone therapy for atopic dermatitis is less effective in dogs with lower pretreatment serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were measured in 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis prior to treatment with a standard therapeutic dosage of prednisolone (0.93-1.06 mg/kg) every other day for 5 weeks after 7 days of treatment with the same dosage once daily. The severity of their physical signs was scored before and 6 weeks after prednisolone treatment by the canine atopic dermatitis extent and severity index version 3 (CADESI-03) and the Edinburgh Pruritus Scale (EPS). The 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis that were treated with prednisolone did not have significantly lower serum concentrations of 25(OH)D than a group of 36 healthy dogs, and the physical severity of the atopic dermatitis was not correlated to pretreatment serum 25(OH)D concentrations. However, dogs which had a marked improvement of their physical signs, defined by a post-treatment EPS score of 0 and/or an 85% reduction in CADESI-03 score, had significantly higher pretreatment serum 25(OH)D concentrations than dogs with a suboptimal response (P = 0.003 and P = 0.03, respectively). Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were also measured in a previously published cohort of atopic dogs that were treated with ciclosporin. This cohort of dogs was recruited in a similar time frame to the prednisolone-treated dogs, and all samples were handled in the same way. In contrast to the prednisolone-treated dogs, there was no significant difference in 25(OH)D concentrations in dogs that responded optimally to ciclosporin compared with suboptimal responders. Additional studies are required to establish whether vitamin D has a synergistic therapeutic effect with prednisolone in dogs with atopic dermatitis.     

Nutritional support for patients

A good intake of fluids and essential nutrients in the first fourteen days is of vital importance to recuperating animals. Moreover, it is important to encourage cats and dogs to eat after illness or surgery, in order to promote optimal functioning of the gut and the immune system. Enteral nutrition is to be preferred to nasogastric feeding or parenteral nutrition. In the first stage of recovery, during the first 24 to 48 hours, it is important to feed the gut' with nutrients, and thereafter, in the second stage of recovery (after day 3), the calorie intake can be increased. Timely nutritional support with nutraceuticals, such as arginine, glutamine, taurine, long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, and prebiotic fibres, can considerably shorten the recovery period of cats and dogs after illness or surgery     

Direct colloid osmometry in healthy New World camelids

Background: Direct colloid osmometry provides an objective assessment of the oncotic effects of crystalloid or colloidal fluid therapy, which is especially useful in monitoring fluid therapy of critically ill camelids due to their tendency toward nonspecific hypoproteinemia with increased risk of developing edema and ascites. Objectives: The aims of this study were to measure colloid osmotic pressure (COP) of alpacas and llamas, determine its correlation with concentrations of total protein (TP) and total solids (TS), as well as both albumin (A) and globulin (G) concentrations in the same model (A+G), and evaluate the effects of sample type and storage conditions on COP. Methods: Blood was collected from clinically healthy alpacas (n=23) and llamas (n=22) into heparin tubes. COP of fresh whole blood (COP_FB) and plasma (COP_FP) was determined using a membrane osmometer. For 20 alpacas, COP of refrigerated whole blood (COP_RB) and frozen plasma (COP_FrP) was also measured. Correlations between COP_FB and TS, TP, and A+G concentrations were assessed by simple and multiple regression analysis to model potential predictors. Results: Median COP_FB from alpacas (24.6 mmHg, range 19.3–28.1) was not significantly different from that of llamas (25.3 mmHg, range 22.5–33.7). Sample type or storage conditions did not affect COP. Measured COP had a strong positive linear correlation with TS, TP, and A+G concentrations in alpacas (r²=.7, .74, and .88, respectively). In llamas, COP correlated best with TS concentration (r²=.59), whereas correlation with TP and A+G concentrations was poor (r²=.19 and .25, respectively). Conclusion: COP can be measured using heparinized whole blood or plasma, either fresh or stored. Direct measurement is recommended whenever quantitative knowledge of COP is required in clinical or research setting. Further studies are needed to verify if the poor association of COP with TP found in this study can be generalized to llamas.     

Risk-based surveillance for avian influenza control along poultry market chains in South China: The value of social network analysis

Over the past two decades, the poultry sector in China went through a phase of tremendous growth as well as rapid intensification and concentration. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 was first detected in 1996 in Guangdong province, South China and started spreading throughout Asia in early 2004. Since then, control of the disease in China has relied heavily on wide-scale preventive vaccination combined with movement control, quarantine and stamping out. This strategy has been successful in drastically reducing the number of outbreaks during the past 5years. However, HPAIV H5N1 is still circulating and is regularly isolated in traditional live bird markets (LBMs) where viral infection can persist, which represent a public health hazard for people visiting them. The use of social network analysis in combination with epidemiological surveillance in South China has identified areas where the success of current strategies for HPAI control in the poultry production sector may benefit from better knowledge of poultry trading patterns and the LBM network configuration as well as their capacity for maintaining HPAIV H5N1 infection. We produced a set of LBM network maps and estimated the associated risk of HPAIV H5N1 within LBMs and along poultry market chains, providing new insights into how live poultry trade and infection are intertwined. More specifically, our study provides evidence that several biosecurity factors such as daily cage cleaning, daily cage disinfection or manure processing contribute to a reduction in HPAIV H5N1 presence in LBMs. Of significant importance is that the results of our study also show the association between social network indicators and the presence of HPAIV H5N1 in specific network configurations such as the one represented by the counties of origin of the birds traded in LBMs. This new information could be used to develop more targeted and effective control interventions.     

Caprine beta-Mannosidosis in Kids from an Ontario Herd

Caprine β-mannosidosis, a fatal inherited deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme β-mannosidase, was diagnosed in neonatal female Nubian crossbred twin kids from a small herd near Guelph, Ontario. The kids had been tetraplegic since birth, with whole body tremors, abnormal nystagmus and an intention tremor of the head.     

Comparison of bronchoalveolar lavage findings and measurements of gas exchange during exercise in horses with poor racing performance

Twenty-four Thoroughbred and twelve Standardbred racehorses aged between 2 and 6 years, presented for reported poor racing performance, underwent clinical exercise testing. During the last 10 s of exercise at each speed throughout an incremental speed exercise test on a treadmill inclined at a 10% slope, samples of arterial blood and expired gases were collected. Maximum oxygen uptake and the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide in arterial blood were determined. These values were compared between the two breeds of horses and also with reference to cytological findings of bronchoalveolar lavage samples, including neutrophil, erythrocyte and haemosiderophage percentage and the total nucleated cell concentration. The results revealed an inverse relationship (Spearman R = -0.45, p < 0.05) between the total nucleated cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage samples and arterial oxygen partial pressure during exercise at 11 m.s(-1). This result suggests that subclinical pulmonary disease may be a more important cause of poor racing performance than previously thought. Also of note was a positive correlation (Spearman R = 0.50, p < 0.05) between maximum oxygen uptake and the percentage of erythrocytes.