Control of oestrus and ovulation in peri-pubertal gilts with allyltrenbolone or a combination of natural gonadotrophins

One-hundred-and-twenty large white X landrace gilts were allocated at random to one of three treatment groups. Treatment A gilts were given an orally active progestogen, allyltrenbolone (Regumate; Hoechst UK) once daily for 18 days from 185 days of age. Treatment B gilts were given a subcutaneous injection of gonadotrophins (400 iu pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin, 200 iu human chorionic gonadotrophin). (PG600; Intervet Laboratories) at 203 days of age. Treatment C gilts received no exogenous hormones. All the gilts were housed in groups of 10 from 153 days of age, and up to 203 days of age were isolated from boars. From 203 days each group of 10 gilts was subdivided into two groups of five, a boar was accommodated in a pen adjacent to each group of five and daily contact with it was allowed for one hour. Eight gilts in treatment A, five gilts in treatment B and seven gilts in treatment C failed to exhibit oestrus before 233 days of age (P greater than 0.05). The intervals from exposure to the boar to the onset of oestrus for treatments A, B and C were 8.5, 5.5 and 11.0 days respectively (P less than 0.001). Gonadotrophin treatment significantly reduced the time taken by gilts to show oestrus and the variability within the group was significantly less than that in the other two groups. There were no significant differences between the groups in the mean size of their litters.     

Fractures of the mandible and maxilla.

External fixation is an effective method for stabilization of many mandibular fractures. Thorough physical examination and patient stabilization should be instituted before attending to the fractures and associated soft tissue trauma. Normal occlusion rather than perfect reduction is the goal of oral fracture repair. Loose teeth or teeth in the fracture should be removed, as should any avascular bone fragments. Soft tissue wounds should be treated as for any contaminated wound. Mucosal wounds are allowed to heal by second intention. Although prophylactic perioperative antibiotics are indicated, they are usually not needed postoperatively. The three basic types of external fixators described include the Kirschner-Ehmer splint, pins or screws and acrylic, and the biphase splint. All three types are relatively easy to apply, and the principles of their application are similar. A minimum of two pins or screws are placed percutaneously in each fragment, avoiding the mandibular canal. The Kirschner-Ehmer splint is more easily adjustable than the biphase splint or the pin-acrylic splint, which use acrylic connecting bars. The advantages of fixators that use acrylic bars are that the pins or screws need not all be in the same plane and that they are more lightweight than the Kirschner-Ehmer splint. The disadvantages of the biphase splint are its increased expense and its use being limited to larger dogs. External fixators are well tolerated by the animals, and postoperative care is minimal. Mandibular fractures are usually healed in 3 to 5 weeks, and the fixators can be removed with the animal under sedation.     

Characterisation of an antiserum and development of an ELISA for glutathione peroxidase

Sheep red blood cells were fractionated by ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography to yield glutathione peroxidase approximately 99% pure. An antiserum against glutathione peroxidase was raised in the rabbit. The antiserum has been shown to cross-react with both bovine and human glutathione peroxidase by double diffusion.An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay has been developed for glutathione peroxidase which detected 6.15×10^–5 IU of the enzyme. The antiserum has also been shown to be effective in the detection of glutathione peroxidase immobolised on strips of nitrocellulose, subsequent to sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, by second antibody conjugate. Avidin-biotin was also used to detect nitrocellulose immobolised enzyme. These techniques provide an alternative highly sensitive and specific means of assaying glutathione peroxidase which is not dependent on the lability of enzymatic activity nor the chemical specificity of the assay.     

In vitro susceptibility of feline herpesvirus-1 to vidarabine, idoxuridine, trifluridine, acyclovir, or bromovinyldeoxyuridine

In vitro activities of 9-[( 2-hydroxyethoxy] methyl) guanine (acyclovir), (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'deoxyuridine, 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine (vidarabine), 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (idoxuridine), and 5-trifluoromethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (trifluridine) were studied against 6 strains of feline herpesvirus-1. A significant difference was not detected among viral strains in their susceptibility to these compounds (P = 0.442). The relative potency of these compounds was trifluridine much greater than idoxuridine greater than vidarabine greater than bromovinyldeoxyuridine much greater than acyclovir. Concentrations of trifluridine and idoxuridine (0.67 and 6.8 microM, respectively) required to reduce plaque numbers by 50%, compared with that of controls, were significantly lower (P less than 0.001) than were those of other compounds.     

Identification of Rickettsiae in Cutaneous i Biopsy Specimens From Dogs With Experimental Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Direct immunofluorescence reaction for Rickettsia rickettsii was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cutaneous biopsy specimens collected from dogs with experimental Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). A technique of trypsin digestion of deparaffinized, rehydrated sections was successful in demonstrating discrete, immunofluorescent organisms in endothelia and adjacent vessel walls in the dermis. R rickettsii was identified only in grossly evident dermal lesions (macular rash or oral vesicles) and was not apparent in randomly collected biopsy specimens from clinically normal inguinal skin. These results suggest that clinical application of this technique for diagnosis of RMSF may be limited in dogs without cutaneous lesions. (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1989; 3:8–11)     

Use of methyl methacrylate orbital prostheses in dogs and cats: 78 cases (1980-1986)

To prevent cosmetically undesirable orbital concavity after enucleation, methyl methacrylate spheres were implanted into the orbits of 73 dogs and 5 cats. In all cases, follow-up reports were obtained until suture removal 2 weeks after surgery, and for 58 animals (79%) until 6 months after surgery. Information was available for 46 animals (60%) 1 year after surgery, 28 animals (36%) 2 years after surgery, and 7 animals (9%) 3 years after surgery. Implants failed in 3 dogs and 2 cats. Complications were not detected in the remaining 73 animals (93%), and owners were pleased with the cosmetic results. The causes of implant failure in dogs varied; however, in cats, fluid accumulation was the consistent complication associated with failure. Orbital implantation of methyl methacrylate spheres was found to be a safe, practical, and inexpensive method of improving the cosmetic appearance of dogs requiring enucleation. Although the number of cats evaluated was limited, the accumulation of orbital fluid in a high percentage of those suggested that orbital implants may be less successful in this species.