Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1991

In late November 1991, 1883 clinics in Canada were sent a questionnaire to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in 1991 and there was a 60.0% response. There were 344,031 dogs tested for heart-worm (HW), 627 were found infected and the prevalence of HW infection was 0.18%. There were 417 dogs with HW in Ontario, 116 in Manitoba, 38 in Quebec, 53 in British Columbia, three in Alberta, and one in Nova Scotia. In British Columbia, all of the infected dogs but one were from the Okanagan valley which, as from 1991, is a new focus of infection in Canada. Most dogs with HW had not been on preventive medication in 1990, and the prevalence among dogs tested and unprotected was 0.59%. That prevalence was considerably higher in endemic areas. Companion dogs, over three years of age and maintained primarily outdoors in rural areas, were most frequently infected. One cat was diagnosed with D. immitis and 33 dogs had Dipetalonema reconditium.     

The pharmacokinetics of thiamphenicol in lactating cows

The pharmacokinetics of thiamphenicol were studied after intravenous and intramuscular administration of 25 mg/kg body weight in lactating cows. Distribution (t _1/2) and elimination (t _1/2) half-lives of 6.10±1.39 min and 1.60±0.30 h, respectively, were obtained after intravenous administration. The body clearance was 3.9±0.077 ml/kg per min and the apparent volume of distribution was 1220.79±256.67 ml/kg. The rate at which thiamphenicol appeared in the milk, as indicated by the penetration half-life (t _1/2P) (serum to quarters), was found to be 36.89±11.14 min. The equivalent elimination half-life (t _1/2E) (quarters to serum) from the milk was 3.62±1.06 h and the peak thiamphenicol concentration in the milk was 23.09±3.42 µg/ml at 2.5±0.32 h.After intramuscular injection, the elimination half-life was 2.2±0.40 h, the absorption half-life was 4.02±1.72 min and the peak concentration in the serum was 30.90±5.24 µg/ml at 23±8.4 min. The bioavailability after intramuscular administration approached 100%. The penetration half-life was 50.59±6.87 min, the elimination half-life was 5.91±4.97 h and the mean peak concentration in the milk was 17.37±2.20 µg/ml at 3.4±0.22 h.Abbreviations AUC area under the concentration-time curve - CAP chloramphenicol - C _max peak concentration - IM intramuscular - IV intravenous - TAP thiamphenicol - t _1/2 distribution half-life - t _1/2 elimination half-life - V _c volume of central compartment - V _d volume of distribution     

Food intake adjustments of chicks: Short term reactions of genetic stocks to deficiencies in lysine,methionine or tryptophan

1. Growth, food intake, and food preference were measured in two experimental lines (White Rocks and White Leghorns) of chickens fed diets varying in content of lysine, methionine, or tryptophan. Diet A was balanced in all amino acids, while the remaining 6 diets were moderately ( ～ 30%) or slightly ( ～ 15%) deficient in either lysine, methionine, or tryptophan relative to NRC recommendations for broiler diets.

2. Body weight and food utilisation efficiency of White Leghorns at 10 d of age were not affected by diet, whereas the lower concentrations of lysine and methionine depressed these traits in White Rocks.

3. Tryptophan deficiency reduced food intake of White Leghorns, but not White Rocks.

4. With choice feeding of balanced and deficient diets from day 10 to 16, preferences between the diets were minimal for White Leghorns, whereas for White Rocks there was an almost immediate preference for the balanced diet, followed by lack of preference or preference for the deficient diet.

5. Apparently for some genetic stocks there is rapid adjustment to deficiencies in these amino acids with overconsumption, followed by compensation for preference of the balanced diet. The response, however, will vary depending on the deficient amino acid.     

The Edinburgh modified gage for laying hens

1. Behaviour, production and welfare of ISA Brown medium hybrids were assessed in 2 trials (each from 20 to 44 weeks of age) of a novel design of cage for laying hens: the Edinburgh Modified Cage (EMC).

2. The EMC was 600 mm wide, 450 mm deep and 450 mm high at the rear; it had a softwood perch and at one side a 250 mm wide nest box (containing litter or artificial turf) with a dust bath direcdy above. It housed 4 birds and provided 675 cm^2/bird in the main cage with an additional 281 cm² /bird in the nest box. The nest box and dust bath had automatically controlled doors which were closed at night. There were 18 EMC; in the first trial these were compared with 6 control cages with perch but without next box or dust bath.

3. Hens spent 32 to 37% of day time on the perch, 5 to 7% in the dust bath and 5 to 6% in the nest. At night 92 to 98% roosted on the perch.

4. Initially only 55 to 70% of eggs were laid in the nest box partly because some eggs were laid before dawn. Once the door was retimed to open 3h before lights‐on the proportion rose to 91 to 96%. Very few eggs were laid in the dust bath. Pre‐laying behaviour lasted longer in treatments with nest boxes (55 to 76min) than in control cages (48min); disturbance was slight in all treatments, but lowest in control cages.

5. Dust baths were well used, with on average 61% of hens dust bathing during a 3‐h afternoon observation period compared with only 17% in control cages. Two birds could use the dust bath simultaneously.

6. It was concluded that although a number of minor design features still required attention the EMC has potential to reduce the disadvantages of conventional cages for welfare while retaining their advantages and has possible commercial application.     

Ductile ordered intermetallic alloys

Many ordered intermetallic alloys have attractive high-temperature properties; however, low ductility and brittle fracture limit their use for structural applications. The embrittlement in these alloys is mainly caused by an insufficient number of slip systems (bulk brittleness) and poor grain-boundary cohesion. Recent studies have shown that the ductility and fabricability of ordered intermetallics can be substantially improved by alloying processes and control of microstructural features through rapid solidification and thermomechanical treatments. These results demonstrate that the brittleness problem associated with ordered intermetallics can be overcome by using physical metallurgical principles. Application of these principles will be illustrated by results on Ni(3)Al and Ni(3)V-Co(3)V-Fe(3)V. The potential for developing these alloys as a new class of high-temperature structural materials is discussed.     

Diurnal patterns of feeding and activity in laying hens in relation to dietary restriction and cage shape

1. The diurnal feeding pattern and motor activity of medium‐weight hybrid hens housed in groups of four were observed. Cages of two shapes were compared: conventional deep cages (406 × 457 mm) and shallow cages (610 × 305 mm).

2. Birds in conventional deep cages were more active than those in shallow cages in each of four different periods of day. Activity reached a peak between 11.00 and 13.00 h irrespective of cage shape.

3. Mean feeding activity was greater in the shallow (45.6%) than in the conventional deep cages (39.9%).

4. Mean feeding activity was greater in birds fed ad libitum (43.3%) than in those fed on a restricted diet (40.4%).

5. Although restricted birds in shallow cages showed more feeding activity than those in conventional deep cages they consumed less food (56% against 67%) in the 7 h between supply of their daily ration and the onset of the dark period.

6. Feather damage was greater in the conventional deep cages than in the shallow cages.

7. The more efficient utilisation of food by hens in shallow cages is probably due largely to three factors: reduced levels of motor activity and general disturbance, a more leisurely eating pattern and better feather cover.     

Biochemical,physiological and production indices related to fat metabolism in the laying fowl at various stages of physiological development

1. The significance of fat accumulation during physiological development of layers was studied using White Leghorn x Australorp pullets from 12 weeks of age.

2. Liver fat, carcass fat, liver weight and body weight increased markedly at the onset of sexual maturity.

3. Within the liver, the protein to DNA ratio did not alter significantly during development; glycogen was not consistently depleted by egg production.

4. Liver fat content was significantly correlated with carcass fat, liver weight and DNA concentration, and plasma total lipid and cholesterol, independent of stage of development; with body weight, liver protein, moisture, and protein to DNA ratio, excluding the period prior to commencement of sexual maturation; and with plasma phospholipid during lay.

5. Obesity was a feature of faster growing fowls which matured earlier, consumed more, utilised food less efficiently for egg production and produced fewer saleable eggs.     

The effects of meal feeding of calcium,protein and energy on production and calcium status of laying hens

1. Laying birds were allowed free access to a basal diet (treatment 1) or were restricted to either early morning and late afternoon access to the basal diet (treatment 2) or a high‐energy diet in the morning and a high‐protein, high‐calcium diet in the afternoon (treatment 3). The sum of the components fed in treatment 3 was equivalent to the basal diet. These diets were fed for 5 weeks. In the next phase of the experiment, which lasted for 3 weeks, the compositions of the diets for treatments 2 and 3 were altered so that the intakes of dietary components approached those of birds on treatment 1.

2. In both experimental phases birds on treatment 3 produced significantly fewer eggs of smaller mean weight and shell weight. Plasma calcium, inorganic phosphorus concentrations and alkaline phosphatase activity were indicative of decreased calcium status.