An osteodystrophy apparently caused by vitamin D deficiency in growing pigs

An osteodystrophy with features of both rickets and fibrous osteodystrophy was diagnosed in growing pigs housed indoors and fed on a diet deficient in vitamin D. Affected pigs were severely lame and preferred to remain recumbent. At necropsy, the long bones had reduced breaking strength and in one five-month-old pig the articular surfaces of both proximal humeri were indented due to collapse of subchondral bone. Microscopic changes in the bones included prominent osteoclastic activity in the proximal metaphyses, variable myelofibrosis, trabecular microfractures, and focal thickening of the hypertrophic zone in some growth plates. Treatment consisted of an injection of Vitamin D3, addition of dicalcium phosphate to the diet for 18 days and long-term supplementation of the diet with fat-soluble vitamins. This is the first report of an osteodystrophic disease in pigs in New Zealand.     

Dispensing law and sale of animal feed

For the veterinarian, drug sale is generally permitted by his licence of drug dispensing. According to the law on animal feed, feedstuffs are not regarded as drugs and thus they are not licensed to be sold by veterinarians. Drugs, however, may only be released for the treatment of individual animals, which are previously examined by the vet. The sale of animal feed is not regarded as part of veterinary practice. Only in case of a registered additional business, a veterinarian is allowed to sale feedstuffs. Dietetic animal feedstuffs are also regulated by the Animal Feed Act. Dietetic drugs, however, are regulated by the Drug Act and are strongly to be delineated from dietetic feed. Thus, the term "dietetic" alone does not automatically give any legitimatization for a sale of feedstuffs in veterinary practice.     

Selenium, vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in goat kids with and without nutritional myodegeneration

Mean selenium and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) concentrations in the liver, myocardium and skeletal muscle of nine goat kids with nutritional myodegeneration (NMD) were significantly lower than those in a group of nine kids dying from other causes. Each of the 18 kids was from a different property in the southern half of the North Island. The polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of the liver, myocardium and skeletal muscle was not significantly different between the two groups, but the overall level of peroxidisable polyunsaturated fatty acids appeared high in both groups. A further 21 kids with confirmed NMD and live 'controls', submitted as routine cases to Palmerston North Animal Health Laboratory, were included with the above 18 kids in a comparison of liver selenium and alpha-tocopherol concentrations. Kids with NMD had liver selenium concentrations ranging from 170-1100 (mean = 380) nmol/kg and alpha-tocopherol from 0.7-11.0 (mean =2.2) micromol/kg. In control kids, the liver selenium concentration ranged from 530-4300 (mean = 1220) nmol/kg and a-tocopherol from 1.7-14.0 (mean = 5.6) pmollkg. Although these ranges overlapped, the results suggest that liver selenium concentrations <500 nmol/kg and alpha-tocopherol concentrations <2.5 micromol/kg should be regarded as deficient. Liver selenium concentrations from 500-1100 nmol/kg and alpha-tocopherol concentrations from 2.5-10 micromol/kg should be considered marginal. Goat kids appear to require more selenium than lambs or calves which may explain the higher prevalence of NMD in kids. In some cases, however, the disease is associated with low alpha-tocopherol suggesting that supplementation with selenium alone may not always be sufficient.     

The use of computers in dairy herd health program: A review

This review of the literature covers the changes in the approach to veterinary health management that led to the introduction of computerized herd health programs and the various other applications of the computer in the practice of dairy herd medicine. The role that production recording systems, mainframe computers, minicomputers, and microcomputers have played in the evolution of herd health programs are also reviewed.     

Performance of broiler chicks fed on alkali‐treated neem (Azadirachta indica) kernel cake as a protein supplement

1. An experiment was conducted to evaluate growth and nutrient efficiency of broiler chicks from 3 to 42 d fed on diets containing alkali‐treated neem (Azadirachta indica A. juss) kernel cake (NKC) as a protein supplement in place of peanut meal (PNM).

2. NKC was treated with sodium hydroxide at 10 (ANKC 1) or 20 g (ANKC 2)/kg and incorporated into the test diets at 135 or 300 g/kg to replace 50 (low—L) or 100 (High—H) % of the PNM protein of the reference diet.

3. Despite comparable retentions of dry matter and total carbohydrate on L‐ANKC 1 and 2, fibre on L‐and H‐ANKC 2 and nitrogen, calcium and acid detergent fibre on all experimental diets compared to the retentions of chicks on the reference diet, only the chicks fed L‐ANKG 2 were found to grow and utilise food as well as those on the reference diet.

4. The activities of serum alkaline phosphatase on H‐ANKC 1 and alanine amino transferase on all test diets were depressed (P < 0.05), but the activity of serum aspartate amino transferase, total erythrocyte count and concentration of blood haemoglobin and urea were similar in all chicks.

5. No significant differences were noticed in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the meat of chicks fed on the reference diet and on diets incorporating ANKC at the lower concentrations. Feeding ANKC protein did not impart any untoward taste as evaluated in pressure cooked meat by a semitrained panel on a 7 point Hedonic scale.

6. Except for duodenal and jejunal inflammation in chicks on both reference and test diets, all the vital organs were normal, ruling out any adverse affects caused by residual neem bitters.

7. Comparable performance and cost of chicks fed on the reference and L‐ANKC 2 diets, warrants the utilisation of hitherto wasted protein‐rich NKC after alkali treatment in broiler chick diets to spare peanut meal for human consumption in developing countries.