Prevalence and risk factors for medical events following exercise at Australian Greyhound race meetings

Aim

A prospective, observational study to determine the prevalence of post‐exercise conditions at Australian Greyhound race meetings and to assess association with race performance and other environmental, race‐ and dog‐related factors was undertaken.

Methods

A total of 4020 starters were observed (2813 Greyhounds, 1009 trainers, 536 races, 52 race meets, 48 race dates and 11 race tracks) following a race. The presence of diaphragmatic flutter (DF), ataxia, seizure, collapse or sudden death was recorded. Risk factors were screened by univariable logistic regression prior to multivariable backward stepwise model building.

Results

In this study, 962 starters (n = 768 dogs) had DF (23.9%), 16 starters were ataxic (0.4%) and there were no observed cases of collapse, seizure or sudden death. Race track location, increasing race distance, race grade based on increasing 1st place prize value, lower (earlier) race number at the meeting, age, a previous observation of DF at the last start, females, colour (white) and better finishing position were all associated with an increased risk of a Greyhound being observed with DF. However, when logistic regression assessing the random effect of dog was performed, the presence of previous DF was not significant. In this cohort, DF was common following strenuous exercise in Greyhounds and on its own does not appear to result in reduced performance or distress to the animal.

Conclusion

The incidence of ataxia was low and collapse, seizure and sudden death were not observed. However, even though uncommon, ataxia has welfare concerns for racing Greyhounds that warrants further investigation.     

Amoxycillin as an alternative to dihydrostreptomycin sulphate for treating cattle infected with Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo

Objective To assess the effect of amoxycillin treatment on urinary excretion of leptospires from cattle infected with Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo .
Design A chemotherapy trial with controls.
Procedure Fourteen heifers serologically negative to L hardjo were inoculated with L hardjo via the conjunctival route and assessed for evidence of infection by serological, fluorescent antibody and microbiological tests. Two injections (48 h apart) of amoxycillin at a dose of 15 mg/kg were administered intramuscularly to seven heifers 6.5 weeks after infection; the remaining heifers acted as untreated controls. Later, these seven control group heifers were treated with a single dose of amoxycillin (15 mg/kg). Samples of urine were collected before and after amoxycillin treatments; kidneys were collected at slaughter, and examined by fluorescent antibody test and microbiological culture.
Results Leptospires were isolated from the urine of 11 of 14 heifers inoculated with L hardjo . After treatment of six of these with two injections of amoxycillin, leptospires were not isolated. Of the controls, four of the five initially leptospiruric heifers continued to shed leptospires; after a single injection of amoxycillin, no leptospires were detected in the kidneys of these four.
Conclusion Amoxycillin may be an acceptable alternative to dihydrostreptomycin sulphate for the treatment of cattle infected with L hardjo .     

Prospective determination of the specificity of a commercial snake venom detection kit in urine samples from dogs and cats

Objective To determine the specificity of a snake venom detection kit in urine samples from dogs and cats presenting to a referral centre for diseases unrelated to snake envenomation. Design Urine was collected from 50 dog and 25 cats presented for investigation and treatment of diseases unrelated to snake envenomation. Urine was collected as a voided sample, by cystocentesis or by catheterisation, and routine urinanalysis was performed. Snake venom testing was performed within 2 h of collection using a commercially available snake venom detection kit, which was observed continuously during the 10-min colour reaction phase for evidence of a visible colour indicating a positive test. Results No false-positive reactions occurred in any sample analysed. Conclusion The snake venom detection kit appears to have 100% specificity for using urine as a test sample.     

Metabolic utilization of energy and maintenance requirements in growing pigs: effects of sex and genotype.

An experiment was conducted in which the metabolic utilization of energy was measured in individually penned pigs from seven groups that differed in genotype and(or) sex and ranged in body weight between 20 and 107 kg. The animals were fed a diet containing, on a DM basis, 14.7 MJ ME and at least 21% CP. Heat production was measured in an open-circuit calorimeter, and energy, nitrogen, and fat balances were determined at regular intervals over the growing period; a total of 177 measurements were performed. Body composition of the animals was measured by serial slaughter, and these data were used for estimating the body composition of an animal at a given weight through allometric regression. A factorial analysis procedure was used to estimate the utilization of ME by regressing the ME intake on the observed protein and lipid deposition rates. The intercept of this equation is the maintenance energy requirement (MEm) and was represented either as a function of body weight with group-specific parameters (MEm = a(i) BWb) or as a function of the muscle and visceral mass with an additional additive group effect (MEm = aM muscle(b) + a(v) viscera(b) + G(i)). With BW as dependent variable, the exponent b was close to .60 and differed significantly from .75. The regression coefficient (a(i)) averaged 1.02 MJ ME/kg.60 but it was different for most groups, indicating that different groups of animals have different maintenance requirements. Fixing the exponent to .75 consistently underestimated the maintenance requirement. When the exponent b was not fixed to .75 but estimated, the partial efficiencies for protein and lipid deposition were .62 and .84, respectively. Body muscle and visceral mass could explain a large part of the variation in MEm. Viscera contributed three times more to MEm (per kilogram of mass raised to the .70 power) than did muscle. Even though the muscle mass exceeds to a large extent the visceral mass in animals, the contribution of muscle to MEm was lower than that of viscera for most groups.     

Long-term organic farming fosters below and aboveground biota: Implications for soil quality, biological control and productivity

Organic farming may contribute substantially to future agricultural production worldwide by improving soil quality and pest control, thereby reducing environmental impacts of conventional farming. We investigated in a comprehensive way soil chemical, as well as below and aboveground biological parameters of two organic and two conventional wheat farming systems that primarily differed in fertilization and weed management strategies. Contrast analyses identified management related differences between “herbicide-free” bioorganic (BIOORG) and biodynamic (BIODYN) systems and conventional systems with (CONFYM) or without manure (CONMIN) and herbicide application within a long-term agricultural experiment (DOK trial, Switzerland). Soil carbon content was significantly higher in systems receiving farmyard manure and concomitantly microbial biomass (fungi and bacteria) was increased. Microbial activity parameters, such as microbial basal respiration and nitrogen mineralization, showed an opposite pattern, suggesting that soil carbon in the conventional system (CONFYM) was more easily accessible to microorganisms than in organic systems. Bacterivorous nematodes and earthworms were most abundant in systems that received farmyard manure, which is in line with the responses of their potential food sources (microbes and organic matter). Mineral fertilizer application detrimentally affected enchytraeids and Diptera larvae, whereas aphids benefited. Spider abundance was favoured by organic management, most likely a response to increased prey availability from the belowground subsystem or increased weed coverage. In contrast to most soil-based, bottom-up controlled interactions, the twofold higher abundance of this generalist predator group in organic systems likely contributed to the significantly lower abundance of aboveground herbivore pests (aphids) in these systems. Long-term organic farming and the application of farmyard manure promoted soil quality, microbial biomass and fostered natural enemies and ecosystem engineers, suggesting enhanced nutrient cycling and pest control. Mineral fertilizers and herbicide application, in contrast, affected the potential for top-down control of aboveground pests negatively and reduced the organic carbon levels. Our study indicates that the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicide application changes interactions within and between below and aboveground components, ultimately promoting negative environmental impacts of agriculture by reducing internal biological cycles and pest control. On the contrary, organic farming fosters microbial and faunal decomposers and this propagates into the aboveground system via generalist predators thereby increasing conservation biological control. However, grain and straw yields were 23% higher in systems receiving mineral fertilizers and herbicides reflecting the trade-off between productivity and environmental responsibility.     

In Winter Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.), No-Till Improves Photosynthetic Nitrogen and Water-Use Efficiency

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - To evaluate the combined effect of different agricultural practices on photosynthetic nitrogen and water-use efficiency, winter wheat was grown in the...     

Rhinitis/Bronchopneumonia syndrome in Irish Wolfhounds

This study describes the clinical, immunologic, genetic, and pathologic features of Irish Wolfhounds with rhinitis/bronchopneumonia syndrome. The dogs examined were from Belgium, The Netherlands, UK, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. Signs included transient to persistent mucoid or mucopurulent rhinorrhea, cough, and respiratory dyspnea. Radiographic, rhinoscopic, and bronchoscopic findings were variable. Analysis of ciliary ultrastructure was performed in 5 affected dogs, but no characteristic primary ciliary defects (primary ciliary dyskinesia) were detected. Serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) concentrations of IgA, IgG, and IgM were determined in some affected dogs and clinically normal Irish Wolfhounds. Serum IgA concentration was below the reference range in 5 of 8 affected dogs tested, whereas BALF IgA concentration was above the normal range in 2 affected adult dogs. The CD4 to CD8 lymphocyte subset ratio (CD4:CD8) in peripheral blood was tested in 3 affected dogs and was within the normal range. BALF CD4:CD8 was tested in 1 affected dog and was higher than the normal range. Decreased neutrophil phagocytosis was observed in 1 of the 4 dogs tested. Analysis of pedigrees of the Belgian, Canadian, German, and Swiss dogs revealed common ancestry, suggesting a heritable syndrome.     

Physicochemical analysis of mountain bananas from the French West Indies

The physicochemical characteristics of bananas grown at two different altitudes (L: 50 m and H: 300 m) in Martinique, French West Indies (FWI) were compared at four harvest stages with the aim of potentially promoting mountain bananas – which differ from current standard bananas – or export to the European market. At an equivalent harvest stage, highland (H) bananas were significantly thicker in diameter (grade), denser and firmer than lowland (L) bananas. After ripening, H bananas were significantly firmer and their peel was harder as compared to L bananas. Their dry matter and dry soluble extract contents and citrate concentrations were significantly higher than noted in L bananas. P contents were significantly higher in L bananas whereas Zn contents were higher in H bananas. A principle component analysis differentiated H and L bananas on the basis of their physicochemical characteristics. It was found that the “altitude” factor had a more marked effect than the “harvest stage” factor on the physicochemical characteristics of ripe fruit.     

A molecular test to identify resistance alleles at the amplified esterase locus in the mosquito Culex pipiens

A new PCR/RFLP method is presented to identify all described alleles involved in resistance at the Ester locus in the mosquito Culex pipiens. The efficiency of this method as well as its advantages compared with the traditional identification technique (starch gel electrophoresis) have been tested in four natural samples from France, Tunisia and California. This simple and fast molecular test is a very convenient tool for studies in field populations and laboratory strains. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry