Dietary crude protein concentration does not affect the leucine requirement of growing dogs

The objective of the present study was to examine the interaction between graded levels of leucine and dietary crude protein. Dose–response curves were generated using four 3 × 3 Latin squares (two dogs/square). Each square represented one of two concentrations of crude protein (140 or 280 g/kg diet) and one of two combinations of three concentrations of leucine (5.0, 7.0 and 9.0 g/kg diet or 9.0, 11 and 13 g/kg diet). An additional experiment was performed by feeding crude protein at 210 g/kg diet with either 7.0 or 11 g leucine/kg diet. Weight gain, food intake, nitrogen retention, plasma albumin and plasma amino acids were measured. The requirement was determined to be the minimum leucine concentration required to maximize weight gain and nitrogen retention. For 8–14-week-old male Beagle dogs, 140 g crude protein/kg diet in a diet containing 18 kJ metabolizable energy/g does not appear to support maximal growth. The leucine requirement was not affected by doubling the dietary crude protein level from 140 to 280 g/kg diet. From these results, the leucine requirement of 8–14-week-old Beagle dogs appears to be 11 g leucine/kg diet independent of the level of dietary crude protein, whereas dogs over 14 weeks require only 7 g leucine/kg diet for maximal nitrogen retention.     

Lymphosarcoma with disseminated skeletal involvement in a pup

Lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma with disseminated skeletal involvement was diagnosed in a 15-week-old Golden Retriever. The skeletal disease was characterized by diffuse, irregular areas of radiolucency most evident in the diaphyseal portion of long bones and was associated with gait abnormalities and signs of pain. Necropsy also revealed involvement of the spleen, liver, kidneys, and mesenteric lymph nodes.     

Quarantine requirements for the importation of black rhinoceros from Zimbabwe into Australia

SUMMARY The proposal by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales to import 10 southern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) from Zimbabwe as part of an international project for conservation of the species presented the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) with a unique challenge. This importation is, at least in the modern era, the first importation of live herbivores from the African continent. Many of the serious animal diseases in the world are endemic in parts of Africa. Knowledge of which of these diseases infect wild species and may be transmitted from the wild species to domesticated species, is limited. This paper describes the strategies adopted by AQIS to facilitate the importation of rhinoceros while maintaining protection of Australian consumers, rural industries, domestic livestock and fauna against the entry and spread of unwanted pests and diseases.     

BOVINE HERPESVIRUS 1 - INFECTION OF THE UPPER ALIMENTARY TRACT OF CATTLE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH A SEVERE MORTALITY

SUMMARY A severe cattle mortality in which 132 out of 340 animals died on a property in southern Queensland was investigated. Clinical signs shown by affected animals included fever, inappetance, depression, lethargy, salivation, diarrhoea, ataxia, and ulceration of the oral cavity. The most common lesions seen at autopsy of 6 affected animals were ulceration of the tongue, gums, dental pad and buccal mucosa, linear ulceration of the caudal third of the oesophagus, mild catarrhal enteritis and necrosis of lymph nodes draining areas of ulceration. Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV 1) was isolated from 3 out of 5 animals from which virus isolation was attempted. BHV 1 was recovered from oesophageal ulcers, retropharyngeal lymph nodes, blood clot, and swabs from ulcers in the oral cavity but not from spleen, liver or mesenteric lymph node. Serum neutralising (SN) antibody to BHV 1 was detected in 4 out of 12 affected animals in the second of paired serum samples but not in the first. Mucosal Disease (MD) virus was not recovered from any of 17 animals from which isolation was attempted but moderate MD SN titres, without a rise on paired sera, were detected in affected animals. Fever, depression, inappetance, ulceration of the upper alimentary tract, and adrenal necrosis were produced in 2 susceptible animals following inoculation with third passage cell culture fluid containing BHV 1. A serological response to BHV 1, but not to MD virus was detected in one of the cattle infected experimentally.     

Retrospective assessment of tolerability and efficacy of zoledronate in the palliative treatment of cancer-bearing dogs

Zoledronate is a bisphosphonate frequently used for the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy and tumour-associated bone pain in dogs, however, there is a paucity of information regarding its use in veterinary medicine. The aim of this retrospective study was to report the tolerability of zoledronate in the palliative treatment of cancer-bearing dogs and secondarily to to assess the efficacy of zoledronate for the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy. Thirty-seven dogs (22 with tumour-associated bone pain and 15 with hypercalcaemia of malignancy) that received 114 zoledronate infusions were included. Tolerability was assessed by the absence of post-zoledronate hypocalcaemia or other adverse events as defined by Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria. Efficacy was assessed by comparison of available ionized calcium levels before and after zoledronate administration in hypercalcaemic dogs. In 79% of zoledronate infusions, no adverse events were reported. The majority of adverse events which occurred in the other 21% of infusions could be attributed to concurrent chemotherapy or the underlying neoplastic disease. There was a small but significant increase in creatinine following treatment with zoledronate, however, none of the dogs developed clinically significant renal disease. In eight hypercalcaemic dogs with available ionized calcium following zoledronate administration, ionized calcium decreased rapidly within 7 days following treatment with zoledronate. Zoledronate is well-tolerated with few recorded adverse events, however, monitoring of serum creatinine is advised. Zoledronate seems to be effective in the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy.     

The effect of saline irrigation on lucerne production: shoot and root growth, ion relations and flowering incidence in six cultivars grown in northern Victoria, Australia

The effect of irrigation with saline (0.1-7.6 dS m^-1) water on the growth of six cultivars of lucerne was assessed over four irrigation seasons at Tatura, Victoria, Australia. Measurements made in the study included shoot dry matter production, shoot ion concentrations, flowering incidence, root distribution and soil salinity and sodicity levels. After four seasons, soil EC_e levels had risen to 4.2 dS m^-1 at the beginning of the irrigation season and this increased to around 6 dS m^-1 at the end of the season for the highest salinity irrigation treatment (7.6 dS m^-1). The soils in the two most saline irrigation treatments also became sodic (SAR_1:5>3) by the third and fourth seasons. By the second season, cultivars differed significantly in salt tolerance as defined by the rate of decline in dry matter production. The cultivars CUF 101 and Validor were consistently the most salt-tolerant cultivars, although cv. Southern Special produced the greatest amount of dry matter over all salinity treatments. Root densities at depths from 0 to 60 cm were greater under saline (2.5 and 7.6 dS m^-1) than under non-saline conditions (0.1 dS m^-1). Flower production was increased by salinity. It was concluded that, despite the presence of intraspecific variation for salt tolerance, it is detrimental to irrigate lucerne with water at electrical conductivities greater than 2.5 dS m^-1 on a red-brown earth in southern Australia.     

新疆生产建设兵团第八师农田残膜含量及在土壤中分布情况

在新疆生产建设兵团第八师农田进行了残膜样品采集,并对不同采样深度下不同面积的农田残膜含量及数量进行统计分析,获取了土壤中残膜的分布情况,旨在为残膜回收机械的设计以及残膜回收策略的制定提供参考。