Lasalocid and dietary sodium and potassium effects on mineral metabolism, ruminal volatile fatty acids and performance of finishing steers

Thirty Angus steers averaging 357 kg were used to: 1) determine the effect of feeding lasalocid (33 mg/kg diet) on mineral metabolism and 2) determine the effects of varying dietary sodium (Na) and potassium (K) on finishing steers fed lasalocid. Treatments consisted of: 1) control (.25% Na, .5% K); 2) lasalocid (.05% Na, .5% K); 3) lasalocid (.25% Na, .5% K); 4) lasalocid (.05% Na, 1.4% K) and 5) lasalocid (.25% Na, 1.4% K). Ruminal fluid and blood samples were collected on d 28 and 90 of the 102-d study. Gain and feed conversion tended to be higher for steers fed lasalocid with the exception of the .05% Na, 1.4% K treatment. Control steers had lower (P less than .05) erythrocyte K concentrations, reduced (P less than .05) soluble concentrations of magnesium and copper in ruminal fluid and decreased plasma concentrations of zinc (P less than .05) and phosphorus (P less than .10) at 90 d compared with steers fed lasalocid and similar concentrations of Na (.25%) and K (.5%). Increasing dietary Na from .05 to .25% in the presence of lasalocid increased (P less than (P less than .05) molar proportion of ruminal acetate at 28 and 90 d reduced (P less than .05) propionate at 90 d. Increasing K from .5 to 1.4% decreased (P less than .01) soluble Na and increased (P less than .01) soluble K concentrations in ruminal fluid. Steers fed lasalocid (.25% Na, .5% K) had lower concentrations of K (P less than .10) and zinc (P less than .10) in liver than control steers. Sodium and K level also affected tissue concentrations of certain minerals. Results suggest that dietary Na and K influence mineral metabolism and that dietary Na affects ruminal molar proportion of acetate in cattle fed lasalocid.     

Effects of various anesthetic agents on laryngeal motion during laryngoscopy in normal dogs

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of various drugs and drug combinations conventionally used for anesthesia on arytenoid cartilage motion during laryngoscopy in normal dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. ANIMALS: Six large breed healthy dogs with no previous history of respiratory dysfunction. METHODS: Each dog was randomly assigned to a different injectable anesthetic protocol once weekly for 6 weeks, then in the 7th week all dogs were anesthetized with isoflurane. Videolaryngoscopy was performed and recorded starting immediately after induction until dogs could no longer be safely restrained for endoscopy. Video was digitized and 3 still images of maximal inspiration and expiration from the first 15 seconds (induction) and the last 15 seconds (recovery) were captured and imported into an image analysis software program. The height and area of the laryngeal ostium were measured in pixels. Normalization of the glottal gap area was performed using the formula (normalized glottal gap area (NGGA)=area in pixels/height(2)). ANOVA was performed on the NGGA of images collected at inspiration and expiration during induction and recovery. Fischer's exact test was performed when significance (P<.05) was found. RESULTS: Within each protocol, laryngeal motion (defined as change in NGGA) at induction was not significantly different from laryngeal motion measured at recovery. Additionally, no significant differences were found in arytenoid motion immediately after induction when anesthetic protocols were compared. Arytenoid motion before recovery was significantly greater with thiopental when compared with propofol (P=.046), ketamine+diazepam (P=.0098), acepromazine+thiopental (P=.0021), and acepromazine+propofol (P=.0065). No significant difference in arytenoid motion was seen immediately after induction or before recovery when acepromazine+butorphanol+ isoflurane and thiopental were compared. CONCLUSION: We concluded that intravenous thiopental given to effect is the best choice for assessing laryngeal function in dogs. Dogs premedicated with acepromazine with or without opioids that require further anesthetic restraint for laryngoscopy should be anesthetized with isoflurane administered by mask. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Misdiagnosis of laryngeal paralysis during laryngoscopy can be avoided by selecting the anesthetic regimens with the least effect on arytenoid motion.     

Cecal colonization of chicks by porcine strains of Campylobacter coli

Ten genotypically distinct strains of Campylobacter coli were isolated from a swine production facility. These porcine isolates were then orally inoculated into day-of-hatch leghorn chicks and were excellent colonizers of the chick cecum. Campylobacter coli recovered from inoculated chickens were genotypically identical to the challenge strain. The absence of host specificity suggests a possible movement of strains among swine, field animals and birds, and poultry houses.