Risk factors of weaning diarrhea in puppies housed in breeding kennels

Diarrhea represents one of the most frequent disorders in dogs. In puppies, degradation of feces quality is associated with a reduced daily weight gain and an increased risk of death. Prevention of diarrhea in puppies requires a global approach encompassing enteropathogens, environment and management practices especially when housed in groups. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence of enteropathogens in puppies in breeding kennels and to identify risk factors of diarrhea. Two hundred and sixty six puppies (between 5 and 14 weeks of age) from 29 French breeding kennels were included. For each kennel, data about environment, management of the kennel and puppies’ characteristics (age, sex and breed) were collected. For each puppy, fecal consistency and fecal excretion of enteropathogens (viruses and parasites) was evaluated. At least one enteropathogen was identified in 77.1% of puppies and 24.8% of puppies presented abnormal feces. The main risk factor of weaning diarrhea was fecal excretion of canine parvovirus type 2 (odds ratio = 5; confidence interval 95%: 1.7–14.7). A targeted sanitary and medical prophylaxis against canine parvovirus type 2 should be implemented to decrease risk of weaning diarrhea.     

How Will Climate Change Affect Road Salt Export from Watersheds?

Salt applied to roads for de-icing can persist for decades in watersheds, and understanding rates of salt accumulation and export is important for anticipating the magnitude and duration of its environmental impacts. Salt removal is affected by storm frequency and intensity, both of which are projected to change as a result of anthropogenic climate change. To examine the potential outcomes of changing storm regimes on rates of salt export from watersheds, we studied chloride concentrations in baseflow and surface runoff in 5 years of streamflow data (taken at 20-min intervals) in a headwater tributary of the Hudson River. Baseflow, with chloride concentrations of 200–230 mg/L year-round, dominated streamflow, except during and after large storms, and accounted for about 90% of chloride export from the watershed. Extreme precipitation events (e.g., tropical storms) increased salt export mainly by increasing baseflow discharge, which remained elevated long after storms ended. While intense events accomplished more salt export per storm, they did not produce disproportionately higher export per volume of precipitation, compared to smaller rain events. Chloride export in a wet year was almost twice that in a dry year, despite less than a doubling of rainfall. Under future climate conditions, if winter precipitation shifts toward a higher proportion of rainfall, or summers experience a greater frequency of tropical storms, then long-term residence time of road salt in watersheds may be shorter than previously anticipated. Conversely, if climate becomes drier, with increased evapotranspiration, reduced infiltration and baseflow discharge may prolong salt storage, which could exacerbate biotic stresses from high chloride concentrations in streams.