Determination of mammalian deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in commercial vegetarian and vegan diets for dogs and cats

The determination of undeclared ingredients in pet food using different analytical methods has been reported in recent years, raising concerns regarding adequate quality control, dietary efficacy and the potential for purposeful adulteration. The objective of this study was to determine the presence or absence of mammalian DNA using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on diets marketed as vegetarian or vegan for dogs and cats. The diets were tested in duplicate; two samples were purchased approximately 3 to 4 months apart with different lot numbers. Multiplex PCR‐targeted mitochondrial DNA with two species‐specific primers was used to amplify and sequence two sections of the cytochrome b gene for each of the 11 mammalian species. Half of the diets assessed (7/14) were positive for one or more undeclared mammalian DNA source (bovine, porcine, or ovine), and the result was repeatable for one or more species in six diets. While most of the detected DNA was found at both time points, in some cases, the result was positive only at one time point, suggesting the presence may have been due to unintentional cross‐contact with animal‐sourced ingredients. DNA from feline, cervine, canine, caprine, equine, murine (mouse and rat) and leporine was not identified in any samples. However, evidence of mammalian DNA does not confirm adulteration by the manufacturer nor elucidate its clinical significance when consumed by animals that may benefit from a vegetarian or vegan diet.     

Productive performance of weanling piglets was improved by administration of a mixture of bacteriophages,targeted to control Coliforms and Clostridium spp. shedding in a challenging environment

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of bacteriophages in different environments on growth performance, digestibility, ileal and caecal microbiota, gut morphology and immunity of weanling pigs. Two hundred piglets were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with five replicate pens with 10 pigs per pen. A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used to investigate the response of weanling pigs to supplemental bacteriophages (0 and 1.0 g/kg of diet) in contaminated or hygienic environments. Bacteriophages supplementation did not affect average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain:feed in phases I and III; however, there was a significant improvement in ADG and gain:feed in phase II. The supplementation of bacteriophages increased the overall gain:feed of pigs. The overall result showed a greater ADG and ADFI in hygienic room. There were reductions in population of both ileal (p < 0.05) and caecal (p < 0.01) Clostridium spp. and ileal coliforms (p < 0.01) with the inclusion of bacteriophages in the diet. Bacteriophages increased ileal Lactobacillus and caecal Bifidobacterium and tended to increase ileal Bifidobacterium (p = 0.08). Contaminated environment decreased ileal Lactobacillus and caecal Bifidobacterium and tended to increase ileal Clostridium (p = 0.08) and coliforms (p = 0.08). Total anaerobic bacteria was tended to decrease (p = 0.06) in contaminated environment. Jejunal villus height increased in pigs received bacteriophages, but they did not affect other morphological items. The interaction between bacteriophages and environment tended to be significant (p = 0.06) for ileal villus height and ileal villus height to crypt depth ratio. The overall faecal score was significantly greater in hygienic environment and bacteriophages groups. The present findings indicate that there is an interactive effect on feed efficiency between bacteriophages and contaminated environment. In addition, bacteriophages improve jejunum morphology, and intestinal microbiota of pigs.     

Gastroprotectants in small animal veterinary practice – a review of the evidence. Part 1: cyto‐protective drugs

Diverse drugs with presumed cytoprotective effect have been used therapeutically in small animal veterinary practice for various gastro‐intestinal conditions such as oesophagitis, gastric ulceration, gastritis or chronic gastro‐enteropathies. Their efficacy has been doubted in human medicine, raising similar questions in the veterinary field. The aim of this review was to assess the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of these drugs in dogs and cats. Through a systematic review of the literature, we identified 37 articles on the use of misoprostol, sucralfate and other gastroprotectants in dogs and cats. There was evidence to support use of misoprostol in the prevention of aspirin‐induced gastroduodenal mucosal injury in dogs, and for use of sucralfate in the prevention of acid‐induced oesophagitis in cats. However, the overall quality of evidence supporting the use of these drugs in small animal patients was poor. In contrast, there was evidence of important adverse effects, especially drug interaction and gastro‐intestinal signs. We therefore recommend prescribing these drugs with caution until further well‐conducted studies reveal a useful gastroprotectant effect.     

A retrospective study of 61 cases of spontaneous canine epistaxis (1998 to 2001)

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and identify possible clinicopathologic indicators of the diseases associated with canine epistaxis. METHODS: The medical records of 61 dogs with epistaxis were reviewed. RESULTS: Systemic diseases, diagnosed in fifty-six dogs, included canine leishmaniasis in twenty-three dogs, canine monocytic ehrlichiosis in twenty-two, concurrent canine leishmaniasis and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis in six, rodenticide toxicity in two and primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, suspected oestrogen toxicity and systemic arterial hypertension in one dog each. Intranasal diseases were documented in the remaining five dogs, including transmissible venereal tumour in three dogs, and nasal adenocarcinoma and nasal aspergillosis in one dog each. Mucosal pallor and a generalised bleeding tendency were significantly more common among dogs with canine monocytic ehrlichiosis compared with those with canine leishmaniasis, whereas the opposite was true for peripheral lymphadenomegaly. Also, dogs with canine monocytic ehrlichiosis presented with pancytopenia more frequently compared with those with canine leishmaniasis; in the latter dogs, the median values of haematocrit, leucocyte and platelet counts and serum total protein concentrations were higher. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Canine leishmaniasis and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis are the leading causes of canine epistaxis in Greece. Mucosal pallor, bleeding tendency and pancytopenia are more likely to be indicative of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, as opposed to peripheral lymphadenomegaly and hyperproteinaemia in canine leishmaniasis.     

Behaviour of laying hens in aviaries--review. Part 2: Feeding behaviour, reproductive and dust bathing behaviour of chickens

This literature review gives information about important behaviour patterns concerning feeding, reproduction and dust bathing of laying hens kept in aviary systems. The behaviour of hens in aviaries is compared to the behaviour of hens living under "close to natural" conditions. Feeding behaviour can be performed to a great extent in aviaries. The same is true for nesting behaviour, while mating behaviour can only be shown in mixed flocks. Dust bathing behaviour in aviaries should be further investigated. Although a litter area is provided and therefore dust bathing is basically possible, further research is needed, to which amount dust bathing behaviour is performed and how it is influenced by composition and height of the dust bathing substrate. Feather pecking and cannibalism can cause more deaths in housing systems with large groups of birds than in cage systems. Considering these results and the results of a first paper dealing with social and resting behaviour, aviaries provide an environment, where hens can perform a large part of their species typical behaviour repertoire. Therefore, under the aspect of behaviour, for laying hens in aviaries the potential to experience good welfare can be evaluated as fairly high.     

Self-expanding nitinol stents for the treatment of tracheal collapse in dogs: 12 cases (2001-2004)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term outcome following nitinol stent placement in dogs with tracheal collapse. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 12 client-owned dogs with endoscopically diagnosed tracheal collapse refractory to medical management. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed for 12 dogs in which 1 or more self-expanding nitinol stents were placed for the treatment of endoscopically diagnosed tracheal collapse. A total of 17 stents were placed. RESULTS: Survival times after stent placement ranged from 1 to 48 months. Three of 12 dogs died within 6 months after stent placement. Nine dogs survived > 1 year after stent placement, and 7 dogs survived > 2 years. Of the deceased dogs, 5 of 9 succumbed to tracheal disease. Other causes of death included congestive heart failure, cerebral neoplasia, cerebrovascular accident, and renal failure. Material failure (stent fracture) was a common complication (5/12 dogs). Other complications reported included excessive granulation tissue within the stent lumen, tracheitis, and pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Placement of an intraluminal stent with self-expanding nitinol stents was a successful palliative treatment for tracheal collapse in dogs that did not respond to medical management. Disease progression is inevitable, but substantial improvement in respiratory function may be achieved for a period of months to years.     

Prevalence of VTEC O157 in dairy and veal herds and risk factors for veal herds

The aim of this study was to determine the herd prevalence of veal and dairy herds and to identify risk factors for VTEC O157 positive veal herds. The study was based on monitoring data from November 1996 through July 2005 of 1051 dairy herds and 930 veal herds. The herd level prevalence (95% CI) was 8.0% (6.4–9.6) for dairy herds and 12.6% (10.5–14.7) for veal herds. Within the population of veal herds, a prevalence of 39.8% (33.9–45.6) was found for pink veal herds (n = 269) and 1.5% (0.7–2.8) for white veal herds (n = 661).Multivariable logistic regression showed that the type of veal (pink vs. white; OR = 21.6; 95% CI: 10.4–45.0), ventilation (mechanical vs. natural; OR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2–0.8), time between arrival in the herd and sampling (3–5 months vs. 0–2 months: OR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.1–5.1, ≥6 months vs. 0–2 months: OR = 4.11; CI: 1.9–8.9), other feed than the 7 most common (yes vs. no; OR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2–3.7) and at least one dog present in the stable (yes vs. no; OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.5–4.6) were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with the presence of VTEC O157. The large difference in the VTEC O157 prevalences for pink veal and white veal production might have been caused by a very different management of these type of herds. However, this could not be studied with the data collected.     

Investigation of developmental toxicity and teratogenicity of macrolide antibiotics in cultured rat embryos

Macrolides are considered to be one of the safest anti-infective groups in clinical use, with severe adverse reactions being rare. However, there are limited data about their embryotoxicity and teratogenicity. We aimed to investigate and compare the effects of these agents on embryonic growth and development. Rat embryos were cultured in vitro for 48 h in rat serum. Whole rat serum was used as a culture medium for the control group while different concentrations of spiramycin and azithromycin (1.25-6.25 microg/ml), and clarithromycin (2.5-30 microg/ml) were added to rat serum for the experimental groups. Dose-dependent effects of macrolides on embryonic developmental parameters were compared using morphological methods. Embryos were evaluated for the presence of any malformations. After morphological examination of the embryos, total DNA was extracted from the cells using standard procedures to determine fragmentation of nuclear DNA of embryonic cells. When compared with the control embryos, the macrolides significantly decreased all growth and developmental parameters dose dependently. While clarithromycin was found to cause more developmental toxicity than spiramycin and azithromycin, azitromycin was determined to have more teratogenicity potential. Compared with controls, there was no difference regarding the fragmentation of nuclear DNA of all the agents used. According to these results, when the toxic and teratogenic potential of the used agents compared, because of the lower toxic and teratogenic effects observed with spiramycin, this agent may be preferred for parturients.     

Correlations between body measurements and tissue composition of oat-fattened White Kołuda geese at 17 weeks of age

1.?The aim of the present study was to evaluate the yield and tissue composition of carcases from White Ko?uda® ganders (males) and geese (females), and to determine the relationships between body measurements and carcase tissue composition.

2.?The experiment was carried out on 200 geese (100 males and 100 females) reared to 14 weeks of age and then fed with oats for the next 3 weeks. Live body weight and body dimensions, slaughter yield, weight and percentage of muscles and skin with fat in carcase were measured and correlation coefficients were calculated between body measurements and slaughter values and carcase tissue composition.

3.?White Ko?uda® geese reared to 17 weeks of age were characterised by high body weight (6705 g) and good muscle yield (29·9%). Males had greater body weight, musculature and fatness than females. Sternum length and breast circumference, width and depth were good indicators of carcase muscle weight in 17-week-old geese.

4.?Negative coefficients of correlation between sternum length and weight of skin with subcutaneous fat indicate that increased selection pressure in pedigree flocks of geese on sternum length should be paralleled by reduced carcase fatness in these birds.     

Effects of ractopamine supplementation and postmortem aging on longissimus muscle palatability of beef steers differing in biological type

Effects of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) supplementation and postmortem aging on palatability of beef from steers differing in biological type were evaluated using LM samples from British, Continental crossbred, and Brahman crossbred calf-fed steers (n = 98/type). Equal numbers of steers within each type were assigned to treatments of 0 or 200 mg.steer(-1).d(-1) of RAC fed during the final 28 d of the finishing period. Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was measured at 3, 7, 14, and 21 d postmortem, and trained sensory panel (TP) evaluation was conducted using LM samples aged for 14 d postmortem. A RAC x type interaction (P = 0.006) was detected for WBSF. Within each type, steers fed RAC produced steaks with greater (P < 0.05) WBSF values than steaks from control steers; however, the magnitude of the effect of RAC on WBSF was more pronounced among Brahman cross-breds (5.53 vs. 4.96 +/- 0.10 kg) than among Continental crossbred (4.16 vs. 3.96 +/- 0.10 kg) and British steers (4.10 vs. 3.75 +/- 0.10 kg). The effect of RAC on WBSF, though diminished slightly by aging (mean WBSF difference: 3 d = 0.49 kg; 21 d = 0.24 kg), was not completely mitigated by 21 d of postmortem storage (P(RAC x AGE) = 0.16). Steers fed RAC produced steaks that received lower (P < 0.05) TP ratings for tenderness (8.09 vs. 8.95 +/- 0.18) and juiciness (7.41 vs. 8.07 +/- 0.16 kg), along with slightly lower (P = 0.06) ratings for beef flavor (6.67 vs. 6.93 +/- 0.10 kg), compared with steaks from unsupplemented steers, regardless of biological type. Among the 3 biological types, Brahman crossbred cattle produced steaks with the greatest (P < 0.05) WBSF values at each aging period; WBSF values for steaks from British and Continental type steers did not differ (P > 0.05) at any aging time. Sensory panel ratings of tenderness, juiciness, and beef flavor were greatest (P < 0.05) for steaks from British steers, and least (P < 0.05) for steaks produced by Brahman-type steers. Results from this study suggest that RAC supplementation slightly decreases LM tenderness (WBSF and TP) of British, Continental crossbred, and Brahman cross-bred steers, and that the effect of RAC on WBSF may be more pronounced in steaks from Brahman crossbred cattle than among stenks from Continental type or British steers.