Growth performance, energy, and nitrogen balance of weanling pigs fed a cereal-based diet supplemented with Chinese rhubarb

Forty Swiss Large White piglets of 4 weeks of age were used to determine the effect of dietary Chinese rhubarb on growth performance, as well as on energy and nitrogen metabolism by means of indirect respiration calorimetry studies. A cereal-based diet, supplemented with four different dosages of Chinese rhubarb (0.0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%), was offered ad libitum to the piglets. Gaseous exchange was measured, and urine, faeces, and blood samples were taken. The addition of 0.25% dietary rhubarb increased feed intake (+32%) and daily weight gain (+67%) compared to the diet containing the greatest amount of rhubarb (1%). The piglets fed diet supplemented with 0.25% rhubarb digested and metabolised more energy and nitrogen relative to the animals of treatment 1%. As a consequence, the same group (0.25%) converted more energy and nitrogen into body protein than piglets receiving diet supplemented with 1% rhubarb. However, compared to the control group, the addition of 0.25% rhubarb to the diet resulted in not significantly alter growth performance, energy, and nitrogen metabolism of the animals.Blood parameters were not affected by the rhubarb supplementation. The dose-responding effect of Chinese rhubarb was reflected by the dry matter content of faecal samples. According to the laxative effect of higher doses of rhubarb, the addition of 1% rhubarb to the diet reduced dry matter content of faeces. This effect was well visible in practice, although not relevant in statistical terms. The addition of 0.5% dietary rhubarb had no relevant effect on growth performance or on energy and nitrogen metabolism of treated animals.     

Efficacy evaluation of the use of oral tilmicosin in pneumonic calves

A trial was carried out on a beef cattle farm to obtain efficacy data for the treatment of naturally occurring bronchopneumonia in calves under commercial production conditions. The treatment was administered by medicating milk with three different tilmicosin doses mixed in the first 80% of the daily milk ration. According to the clinical results, all three treatment regimens proved to be effective. The efficacies of the reduced dose of 12.5 mg tilmicosin/kg body weight daily for 5 days and of the reduced treatment duration with 25 mg/kg b.w. daily for 3 days were equivalent to a previously proven dose of 25 mg/kg b.w. daily for 5 days.     

The influence of a fermentation-resistant glucose diet on the glucose concentration and other metabolites in portal and jugular blood in cows

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of fermentation-resistant glucose on the glucose concentration and other metabolites in portal and jugular blood in 15 non-lactating cows. In all cows, an indwelling catheter was placed in the left jugular vein and the portal vein for collection of blood samples. Five control cows were fed hay as a normal diet, five control cows were fed straw to induce an energy deficit and five cows were fed hay and they received additionally 2000 g of a fermentation-resistant D-glucose product. The glucose concentration in jugular and portal blood was not influenced by feeding. The concentration of urea and bile acids were significantly higher in portal blood than jugular blood. There was no difference between portal and jugular blood of glucose and total solids. Diet had a significant effect on the concentrations of ammonia, urea, free fatty acids and triglycerides. The concentrations of ammonia and urea were higher in blood of cows fed straw than in blood of cows fed either hay or a fermentation-resistant glucose product. The concentration of urea remained constant in cows fed hay, but increased in cows fed straw and decreased in cows fed a fermentation-resistant glucose product. The concentration of free fatty acids and triglycerides were significantly higher in cows fed a fermentation-resistant glucose product than in cows fed hay. In the present study, a single administration of 300 g of fermentation-resistant glucose did not affect the concentration of blood glucose. Therefore, despite ongoing promotion of such products, there is no indication at this time that administration of fermentation-resistant glucose to cows at the start of lactation results in an increase in blood glucose concentration.     

Comparative study of three feeding methods for draught horses of the Swiss army

Three feeding methods were compared in 36 4- to 6-year-old Franche-Montagne horses during the military school of St-Luzisteig (GR) of Spring 1992. The horses were separated into 3 groups: a group with the traditional oats-hay ration (OH), a group with a pelleted feed and hay ration (PFH), and a group with the complete diet (CD). Feed analyses were performed and food consumption, eating behavior and digestibility were studied. The horses received their daily amount of feed in 3 portions covering the requirements for a medium work: OH = 8 kg hay and 3 kg oats, PFH = 8 kg hay and 3 kg pelleted feed and CD = 10 kg of the complete diet. For the 3 rations, the amount of digestible crude protein for horses was higher than the reference value for the requirement of a 600 kg horse with a medium work. In the 3 diets, the calcium content was higher than the required 32 g per day (g/d). Not enough sodium (OH: 1.2 g/d; PFH: 7.3 g/d; CD: 9.6 g/d) and too much potassium (OH: 140.3 g/d; PFH 153.0 g/d; CD: 167.5 g/d) were present in the diets, both without consequences for the blood parameters. In 3 meals of 60 minutes, the horses of the group OH, PFH and CD ingested 82%, 89% and 92%, respectively, of the daily ration. The complete diet was ingested more quickly than the hay. The number of mastications per minute was smaller for the complete diet than for the hay. Ingestion times were similar for oats and pelleted feed. However, the number of mastications per minute was smaller for the pelleted feed. The digestibility of nutrients was not influenced by the method of feeding. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the 3 types of ration studied here are adequate for the swiss army horses if sodium is added to the diet. However, despite the fact that both PFH and CD correct excessive supply or deficiencies of nutrients and despite the fact that these two feeding methods offer nutrients in amounts that are closer to the requirements of the horse, the method PFH was introduced in 1994.     

Pharmacokinetics of aditoprim in dogs after intravenous and oral administration: a preliminary study

The pharmacokinetics of aditoprim (2,4-diam-ino-5-[4-[dimethylamino]-3,5-dimethoxybenzyl] pyrimidine), a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, were studied in three eight to 17-month-old beagle dogs. The drug was alternately injected intravenously and administered orally as a tablet in two separate experiments. The doses ranged from 4–27 to 7–25 mg/kg bodyweight. The mean plasma clearance (CI) was 15-3 ml/min/kg and the mean volume of distribution (V_ss) 13-1 litres/kg. The mean plasma elimination half-life times after intravenous injection and oral administration were 11-6 and 9-6 hours, respectively. Aditoprim was readily (t_max= one to four hours) and completely absorbed from the intestinal tract (f = 89 per cent).     

Nutrient content and adequacy of roughage for horse nutrition: an investigation under Swiss conditions

For horses no special tables related to nutrients for Swiss roughage exist. For this reason samples of hay, straw, silage/haylage and green forage were taken from 46 horse keeping farms in 22 cantons. The samples were judged by sense and following the nutrient--and macromineral--content as well as the content of fructans were analysed. Regarding its quality no sample was totally inadequate for horses. The mean contents of crude protein in Swiss hay for horses were clearly lower than in hay for ruminants and in German hay for horses. The mineral contents (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus) showed a wide range. On average they were also lower than the values provided in tables for ruminants. Except for one sample the silages/haylages showed a dry matter content of more than 40 %. No nutrient tables for silage or haylage, which are such high in dry matter contents, were found in the literature.The contents offructans in silage/haylage and green forage also showed a wide range with a maximum of 94 g/kg DM fructan.     

The concentration of ionized magnesium in serum during the periparturient period of non-paretic dairy cows

Ion-selective electrodes have recently been designed for determining the ionized concentration of magnesium (Mg²⁺) in serum. This development may allow new insights into some metabolic diseases of cattle. For this report, the concentrations of Mg²⁺, total magnesium (Mg_tot), ionized calcium (Ca²⁺), total calcium (Ca_tot), and inorganic phosphate (P_i) were determined in sera from seventeen 3-to 16-year-old Brown Swiss and crossed Simmental/Red Holstein cows during the periparturient period. In each animal, a transient increase of Mg²⁺ and Mg_tot serum concentrations was observed in association with the transient decrease in serum concentrations of Ca²⁺, Ca_tot and P_i after parturition. On average, throughout the study, the serum Mg²⁺ concentrations were 68.5% of those of Mg_tot, whereas the serum Ca²⁺ concentrations were 52% of those of Ca_tot. The possible mechanisms involved in the transient increase of Mg²⁺ and Mg_tot serum concentrations are discussed.Abbreviations Ca²⁺ ionized calcium - Ca_tot total calcium - Mg²⁺ ionized magnesium - Mg_tot total magnesium - P_i inorganic phosphate - PTH parathyroid hormone - PTHrP parathyroid homrone related protein