Nutritional planning for Nellore heifers post-weaning to conception at 15 months of age: performance and nutritional,metabolic, and reproductive responses

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of strategic supplementation in the dry period and dry/rainy transition period on the performance and...     

Intake,digestibility and metabolism in sheep fed with increasing levels of spineless cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm-Dyck)

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the substitution of Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon spp.) with spineless cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera) on...     

The pharmacokinetics of cytarabine administered at three distinct subcutaneous dosing protocols in dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin

The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of the standard cytarabine (Ara‐C) protocol (50 mg/m² subcutaneously every 12 hr for 2 days) used for dogs with neuroinflammatory disease and compare it to two more practical protocols (a single 200 mg/m² subcutaneous dose and two 100 mg/m² subcutaneous doses every 12 hr). Four client‐owned dogs previously diagnosed with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin were administered three distinct Ara‐C protocols with a 21‐day washout between each protocol. A complete blood count was performed seven days after each dosing protocol to assess for clinically relevant myelosuppression. No adverse events were observed. Plasma Ara‐C concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry assay. The mean maximal concentrations in this study were 4,230, 9,293, and 16,675 ng/ml for a single dose of 50, 100, and 200 mg/m², respectively. There was a linear relationship between dose and drug exposure. Drug exposure was similar regardless of the dosing protocol when the total dose was analyzed, with an area under the concentration versus time curve of 37,026, 38,465, and 32,510 ng × hr/ml for 50, 100, and 200 mg/m², respectively.     

Bilateral corneoconjunctival dermoids and nasal choristomas in a calf

A 5-day-old Angus x Hereford calf presented for bilateral haired masses on the eyes and nasolabial planum since birth. The masses were surgically excised from the inferonasal cornea and bulbar conjunctiva of both eyes and the left and right side of the dorsomedial nasolabial planum. Histopathology of the excised tissue confirmed bilateral corneoconjunctival dermoids with ectopic lacrimal glands, and bilateral nasal choristomas and ectopic nasal glandular tissue. Surgery was curative and healing was uneventful. Bilateral ocular dermoids in combination with nasal choristomas and ectopic glandular tissue have not been documented previously in cattle.     

Radiographic anatomy and barium sulfate contrast study of the gastrointestinal tract of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina)

Gastrointestinal disorders are an important cause of morbidity in box turtles (Terrapene carolina Carolina), however published information is currently lacking on the normal radiographic anatomy, transit, and emptying times of the gastrointestinal tract. A total of 15 healthy box turtles were recruited for this prospective, anatomic, reference interval study. Three‐view radiographic series (vertical beam dorsoventral, horizontal beam latero‐lateral, and horizontal beam rostrocaudal views) were acquired prior to contrast administration, and following contrast administration at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 90 min, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h post administration, and every 24 h thereafter until all contrast was eliminated (15 mL/kg barium sulfate diluted to 30% weight per volume was administered via orogastric gavage). Vertical beam dorsoventral and horizontal beam latero‐lateral views were of excellent quality to identify gastrointestinal structures. The horizontal beam rostrocaudal view immediately postcontrast administration provided gastric and pyloric identification but had lesser diagnostic use at later time points due to anatomical superimposition. The gastrointestinal tract was composed of a tubular stomach, a pyloric sphincter near midline, a duodenum with a cranial flexure in the right cranial coelomic cavity, small intestines within the right coelom, a small cecal bulb, and a transverse and descending colon. Contrast media entered the large intestine by 24 h in all turtles, and a pyloro‐colic indentation was noted at the proximal descending colon. The large intestinal emptying was highly variable due to the interindividual variability of contrast sequestration within the cecal bulb. Findings from the current study serve as a reference on the gastrointestinal anatomy, transit, and emptying times in healthy eastern box turtles; and introduce a novel, horizontal beam, rostrocaudal view for gastrointestinal contrast studies in chelonians.     

Effects of maternal subnutrition during early pregnancy on cow hematological profiles and offspring physiology and vitality in two beef breeds

This experiment evaluated the effects of subnutrition during early gestation on hematology in cows (Bos Taurus) and on hematological, metabolic, endocrine, and vitality parameters in their calves. Parda de Montaña and Pirenaica dams were inseminated and assigned to either a control (CONTROL, 100% requirements) or a nutrient‐restricted group (SUBNUT, 65%) during the first third of gestation. Dam blood samples were collected on days 20 and 253 of gestation, and calf samples were obtained during the first days of life. Pirenaica dams presented higher red series parameters than Parda de Montaña dams, both in the first and the last months of gestation. During early pregnancy, granulocyte numbers and mean corpuscular hemoglobin were lower in Pirenaica‐SUBNUT than in Pirenaica‐CONTROL cows. Calves from the SUBNUT cows did not show a physiological reduction in red series values in early life, suggesting later maturation of the hematopoietic system. Poor maternal nutrition affected calf endocrine parameters. Newborns from dystocic parturitions showed lower NEFA concentrations and weaker vitality responses. In conclusion, maternal nutrition had short‐term effects on cow hematology, Pirenaica cows showing a higher susceptibility to undernutrition; and a long‐term effect on their offspring endocrinology, SUBNUT newborns showing lower levels of IGF‐1 and higher levels of cortisol.     

Doxorubicin area under the curve is an important predictor of neutropenia in dogs with naturally occurring cancers

Doxorubicin (DOX) area‐under‐the‐curve (AUC) was calculated for 40 dogs with spontaneously occurring cancers using a previously validated limited‐sampling approach. All dogs were administered a dose of 30 mg/m² by intravenous infusion and serum samples were collected at 5, 45 and 60 minutes post‐infusion. DOX and its major metabolite, doxorubicinol (doxol), were quantified in serum samples using high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem‐mass spectrometry. Wide interpatient variability was observed in the predicted DOX AUC with a coefficient of variation of 34%. A significant relationship was found between DOX AUC and absolute white blood cell count (P = 0.003), absolute neutrophil count (ANC; P = 0.002) and surviving fraction of neutrophils (P = 0.03) approximately 1 week after dosing (nadir). No changes in other hematologic parameters (red blood cells, platelets, lymphocytes, haemoglobin) were found to correlate with DOX AUC. The absolute dose (mg) and the dose per unit body weight (mg/kg) were not significantly correlated with nadir ANC. No relationships were found between maximum serum doxol concentration and myelosuppression. Baseline ANC was also significantly correlated to nadir ANC and a model was constructed using baseline ANC and DOX AUC that significantly described the nadir ANC. These findings demonstrate the important relationship between systemic DOX exposure and degree of neutropenia in dogs, and suggest a potential for individualized, pharmacokinetically‐guided DOX dosing in dogs.     

Evaluating Domestic Sheep Survival with Different Breeds of Livestock Guardian Dogs

Livestock guard dogs (LGDs; Canis familiaris) have been widely adopted by domestic sheep (Ovis aries) producers because they reduce predation by wild carnivores. LGDs were originally used in the United States to reduce coyote (Canis latrans) depredations, but their efficacy against a suite of large carnivores, including wolves (Canis lupus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), black bears (Ursus americanus), and cougars (Puma concolor), and whether specific breeds perform better than others remains unclear. To assess breed-specific effectiveness at reducing depredations from a suite of livestock predators, we compared survival rates of sheep protected by different breeds of LGDs, including three breeds from Europe (Turkish kangal, Bulgarian karakachan, and Portuguese cão de gado transmontano) and mixed-breed LGDs, “whitedog,” common in the United States. With the help of participating sheep producers, we collected cause-specific mortality data from domestic sheep in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming between 2013 and 2016. All three of the novel breeds of LGD tested were associated with overall reductions in sheep depredation relative to whitedogs, ranging from 61% to 95% (P < 0.05). In terms of predator-specific effectiveness, the Turkish kangal was associated with decreases in depredation from cougars (e^β = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.10–0.94, P = 0.04), black bears (e^β = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.28–0.37, P < 0.01), and coyotes (e^β = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.35–0.90, P = 0.02). The Bulgarian karakachan was associated with a decrease in coyote depredations (e^β = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.01–0.49, P < 0.01). The Portuguese transmontano was not associated with significant reductions in depredation hazard for any specific predator. Although variations in breed-specific effectiveness were subtle and nuanced, these findings will help livestock producers and wildlife managers make tailored decisions about how best to incorporate different breeds of LGD into sheep grazing regimes.     

Resistance Reaction of Conifer Species (European Larch, Norway Spruce, Scots Pine) to Infection by Selected Necrotrophic Damping-off Pathogens

Three conifer species (European larch, Norway spruce, Scots pine) were investigated for their resistance to five damping-off pathogens (Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, F. culmorum, F. avenaceum). Inoculation of the primary roots of seedlings with these pathogens caused host cell death which did not prevent the invasive growth of these fungi; seedlings that had formed secondary and tertiary roots could overcome the infection to a significant degree. Infections with R. solani caused significant mortality to all the conifer species. In contrast, the tree species expressed different levels of resistance when challenged with the Fusarium isolates, with Norway spruce being the most resistant compared to uninoculated controls. Some of the Fusarium isolates were more pathogenic to certain hosts than others; F. oxysporum for European larch, F. avenaceum for Scots pine, F. solani for European larch; only F. culmorum was significantly pathogenic to Norway spruce. No significant differences in disease severity were observed at different soil pH (4.3–7.5). Disease progression was delayed at lower (10–15°C) rather than higher temperatures (20–25°C).