Squamous gastric ulceration complicated by gastric stenosis in a foal

A 2-month-old Warmblood colt presented with recurrent colic and regurgitation. Gastroscopy, performed on several occasions, and barium-contrast radiography revealed severe squamous gastric ulceration and stenosis at the level of the margo plicatus. Treatment with omeprazole reduced the extent and severity of the gastric ulcers but did not affect the stenosis. The foal was euthanised because of a poor prognosis, and post-mortem examination confirmed the clinical diagnosis. Severe squamous gastric ulceration, granulation tissue formation and cicatrisation of deep gastric lesions were considered to have caused the stenosis. Gastroduodenal outflow obstruction is a recognised disorder in foals, but stenosis at the level of the margo plicatus has not been reported in foals or adult horses. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of severe squamous gastric ulceration, complicated by stenosis at the level of the margo plicatus, in a foal. Although rare, gastric stenosis should be considered in foals suffering recurrent colic and regurgitation.     

Soil microbial biomass and nitrogen supply in an irrigated lowland rice soil as affected by crop rotation and residue management

 Processes that govern the soil nitrogen (N) supply in irrigated lowland rice systems are poorly understood. The objectives of this paper were to investigate the effects of crop rotation and management on soil N dynamics, microbial biomass C (C_BIO) and microbial biomass N (N_BIO) in relation to rice N uptake and yield. A maize-rice (M-R) rotation was compared with a rice-rice (R-R) double-cropping system over a 2-year period with four cropping seasons. In the M-R system, maize (Zea mays L.) was grown in aerated soil during the dry season (DS) followed by rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in flooded soil during the wet season (WS). In the R-R system, rice was grown in flooded soil in both the DS and WS. Three fertilizer N rates (0, 50 or 100 kg urea-N ha^–1 in WS) were assigned to subplots within the cropping system main plots. Early versus late crop residue incorporation following DS maize or rice were established as additional treatments in sub-subplots in the second year. In the R-R system, the time of residue incorporation had a large effect on NO₃ ^–-N accumulation during the fallow period and also on extractable NH₄ ⁺-N, rice N uptake and yield in the subsequent cropping period. In contrast, time of residue incorporation had little influence on extractable N in both the fallow and rice-cropping periods of the M-R system, and no detectable effects on rice N uptake or yield. In both cropping systems, C_BIO and N_BIO were not sensitive to residue incorporation despite differences of 2- to 3-fold increase in the amount of incorporated residue C and N, and were relatively insensitive to N fertilizer application. Extractable organic N was consistently greater after mid-tillering in M-R compared to the R-R system across N rate and residue incorporation treatments, and much of this organic N was α-amino N. We conclude that N mineralization-immobilization dynamics in lowland rice systems are sensitive to soil aeration as influenced by residue management in the fallow period and crop rotation, and that these factors have agronomically significant effects on rice N uptake and yield. Microbial biomass measurements, however, were a poor indicator of these dynamics. Received: 31 October 1997     

Improvement of Fertility in Artificially Inseminated Ewes Following Vaginal Treatment with Misoprostol Plus Terbutaline Sulphate

The effect of vaginal administration of misoprostol plus terbutaline sulphate 6 h prior to artificial insemination (AI) upon the site of AI (vaginal or cervical) and fertility was studied using a total of 87 estrous synchronized Serra da Estrela ewes (control n = 42 and treated n = 45). Artificial insemination was performed using refrigerated semen at 54–55 h after sponge removal. Lambing rate (fertility) and prolificacy were compared between control and treated ewes. The effect of the site of semen deposition on fertility was also evaluated. Prolificacy rate was not different between control (1.5) and treated (1.59) ewes. The proportion of cervical AI achieved in control (45.2%) and treated (37.8%) ewes was not significantly different. Overall, fertility was significantly lower in control than in treated ewes (42.9% vs 64.4%; p < 0.04). Fertility following vaginal AI was significantly lower for control for than treated ewes (30.4% vs 60.7%; p < 0.03) but the difference was smaller and not significant for cervical AI (control 57.9% vs 70.6%). It was concluded that vaginal administration of misoprostol plus terbutaline sulphate 6 h prior to artificial insemination did not affect the proportion of cervical inseminations but significantly improved the fertility of treated ewes. Although needing confirmation, it was hypothesized that drugs might have induced local secretory modifications leading to an increase of cervical ability to retain more viable spermatozoa for fertilization.     

Monitoring distances travelled by horses using GPS tracking collars

Objective The aims of this work were to (1) develop a low-cost equine movement tracking collar based on readily available components, (2) conduct preliminary studies assessing the effects of both paddock size and internal fence design on the movements of domestic horses, with and without foals at foot, and (3) describe distances moved by mares and their foals. Additional monitoring of free-ranging feral horses was conducted to allow preliminary comparisons with the movement of confined domestic horses. Procedures A lightweight global positioning system (GPS) data logger modified from a personal/vehicle tracker and mounted on a collar was used to monitor the movement of domestic horses in a range of paddock sizes and internal fence designs for 6.5-day periods. Results In the paddocks used (0.8–16 ha), groups of domestic horses exhibited a logarithmic response in mean daily distance travelled as a function of increasing paddock size, tending asymptotically towards approximately 7.5 km/day. The distance moved by newborn foals was similar to their dams, with total distance travelled also dependent on paddock size. Without altering available paddock area, paddock design, with the exception of a spiral design, did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled. Feral horses (17.9 km/day) travelled substantially greater mean daily distances than domestic horses (7.2 km/day in 16-ha paddock), even when allowing for larger paddock size. Conclusions Horses kept in stables or small yards and paddocks are quite sedentary in comparison with their feral relatives. For a given paddock area, most designs did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled.     

CHANGES IN ULTRASONOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE OF ADRENAL GLANDS IN DOGS WITH PITUITARY-DEPENDENT HYPERADRENOCORTICISM TREATED WITH TRILOSTANE

Trilostane, a 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitor, has been used successfully over the last few years for the treatment of canine pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. In a prospective study of 19 dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism, the adrenal glands were measured before and at least 6 months after initiation of trilostane therapy. Right adrenal gland length and caudal pole thickness and left adrenal gland caudal pole thickness increased significantly (p < or = 0.05); there was no significant change in left adrenal gland length. Enlargement of adrenal glands during trilostane therapy may occur as a result of suppression of the negative feedback mechanism affecting cortisol production.