Prevalence of dental disorders in 483 horses and ponies

Prevalence of dental disorders in 483 horses and ponies Five equine veterinarians working at three equine referral hospitals examined the oral cavity of 483 horses and ponies prior to surgery, to gain information about the prevalence of common dental disorders in the horse. A thorough examination, using hands/fingers, a full-mouth speculum, a dental mirror and a good light source, is essential to detect such disorders. Many horses examined needed dental attention even though there were no problems with mastication or riding. The most detected abnormalities were sharp enamel points on the buccal side of the upper arcade and the lingual side of the lower arcade, and hooks at 106/206 and 311/411. Regular dental care would improve the condition and welfare of horses.     

Stress and immunological response of heifers divergently ranked for residual feed intake following an adrenocorticotropic hormone challenge

Background: When an animal is exposed to a stressor, metabolic rate, energy consumption and utilisation increase primarily through activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis. Changes to partitioning of energy by an animal are likely to influence the efficiency with which it is utilised. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the physiological stress response to an exogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) challenge in beef heifers divergently ranked on phenotypic residual feed intake(RFI).Results: Data were collected on 34 Simmental weaning beef heifers the progeny of a well characterized and divergently bred RFI suckler beef herd. Residual feed intake was determined on each animal during the postweaning stage over a 91-day feed intake measurement period during which they were individually offered adlibitum grass silage and 2 kg of concentrate per head once daily. The 12 highest [0.34 kg DM/d] and 12 lowest[-0.48 kg DM/d] ranking animals on RFI were selected for use in this study. For the physiological stress challenge heifers(mean age 605 ± 13 d; mean BW 518 ± 31.4 kg) were fitted aseptically with indwelling jugular catheters to facilitate intensive blood collection. The response of the adrenal cortex to a standardised dose of ACTH(1.98 IU/kg metabolic BW~(0.75)) was examined. Serial blood samples were analysed for plasma cortisol, ACTH and haematology variables. Heifers differing in RFI did not differ(P = 0.59) in ACTH concentrations. Concentration of ACTH peaked(P 0.001) in both RFI groups at 20 min post-ACTH administration, following which concentration declined to baseline levels by 150 min. Similarly, cortisol systemic profile peaked at 60 min and concentrations remained continuously elevated for 150 min. A RFI × time interaction was detected for cortisol concentrations(P = 0.06) with high RFI heifers had a greater cortisol response than Low RFI from 40 min to 150 min relative to ACTH administration. Cortisol response was positively associated with RFI status(r = 0.32; P 0.01). No effect of RFI was evident for neutrophil, lymphocytes, monocyte, eosinophils and basophil count. Plasma red blood cell number(6.07 vs. 6.23; P = 0.02) and hematocrit percentage(23.2 vs. 24.5; P = 0.02) were greater for low than high RFI animals.Conclusions: Evidence is provided that feed efficiency is associated with HPA axis function and susceptibility to stress, and responsiveness of the HPA axis is likely to contribute to appreciable variation in the efficiency feed utilisation of cattle.     

Pharmacokinetics of liposomal encapsulated buprenorphine suspension following subcutaneous administration to cats

We investigated the effects of liposome encapsulation at prolonging the systemic exposure of buprenorphine following subcutaneous administration in cats. Seven healthy male cats were dosed intravenously with 0.02 mg/kg buprenorphine solution (STD‐BUP), followed 14 days later by a subcutaneous injection of 0.2 mg/kg buprenorphine as a liposomal suspension (SUS‐BUP) containing drug molecules both in liposomes and the suspending vehicle. Buprenorphine time plasma concentration data for both dosing routes were analyzed simultaneously with four compartmental models. Goodness of fit was assessed both graphically and with the Akaike information criterion. The time‐course of intravenous STD‐BUP was biphasic, with a 4.39 h average terminal half‐life. The subcutaneous SUS‐BUP produced plasma buprenorphine concentrations above 0.5 μg/L for more than 96 h, with three distinct peaks in the first 15 h. The model with best fit comprised a central and a peripheral compartment, plus three subcutaneous absorption compartments: one of dissolved drug molecules that were absorbed through a first‐order process, and two of liposome‐encapsulated drug molecules that were transferred to the solution compartment through separate zero‐order processes. Liposomes effectively prolonged the systemic exposure of buprenorphine in cats.     

An experimental sod seeder

The design and development of an efficient sod‐seeder for the Ngongoni Veld of Natal is described.     

An extension approach for the national grazing strategy based on farmer characteristics in the eastern cape 1

Abstract

The development of a sound communication programme for the National Grazing strategy should be based on an understanding of the characteristics of the farmer population of the area concerned. The social, socio‐demographic, socio‐economie, socio‐psychological, communication and agricultural production characteristics of the population must be identified, and then be used to formulate a communication programme. Information obtained from 153 farmers in six farming communities was used to develop an extension approach for the National Grazing Strategy.     

Eosinophilic pulmonary granulomatosis in a young dog with prolonged remission after treatment

A two‐year‐old Jack Russell terrier was presented for evaluation of chronic cough and exercise intolerance. Previous treatment with antibiotics and glucocorticoids had only partially ameliorated the clinical signs. During investigation, hypoxaemia, peripheral eosinophilia and an eosinophilic bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were noted. Thoracic radiographs revealed two ovoid clearly delineated soft‐tissue opacities, one in the caudal segment of the left cranial lung lobe (diameter 26 mm) and the other in the right cranial lung lobe (diameter 20 mm). These findings were verified by computed tomography, which identified an additional smaller lesion (diameter 16 mm) dorsally in the right caudal lobe. Ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration samples confirmed the diagnosis of eosinophilic pulmonary granulomatosis and treatment with prednisolone and azathioprine was initiated. Within 1 month, granulomas were no longer detectable radiographically. All medication was discontinued after 7 months and currently, after 2·5 years, the dog remains free of clinical signs. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first case report to describe prolonged remission from idiopathic canine eosinophilic pulmonary granulomatosis.