Austral Journal of Veterinary Sciences
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Relationship between biochemical analytes and milk fat/protein in Holstein cows
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to assess the relationship between biochemical analytes and milk fat/protein in high-yield (DIM: 42 ± 10 d postpartum) and low-yield (DIM: 91 ± 11 d postpartum) Holstein cows. Stepwise regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationships of biochemical analytes with the fat and protein content of the milk from 126 Holstein cows belonging to nine intensive housed dairy farms. The comparison between the two groups showed differences (P<0.05) in the milk yield, milk fat and milk fat/protein ratio, with the higher values in high-yield cows. The correlations between milk fat, milk protein, milk fat/protein ratio and biochemical analytes concentrations, were assessed within each group. Milk fat level was positively correlated to cholesterol, triglycerides, ?-hydroxybutyrate and albumin in high-yield cows. Milk protein level was positively correlated to urea, and negatively correlated to sodium ion, potassium ion and chlorine ion in high-yield cows. A virtually linear dependence has also been found between milk fat and triglycerides, between milk protein and urea, and between milk fat/protein ratio and cholesterol, and triglycerides in low-yield cows. The metabolic profiles provide a practical tool, to present an insight into the underlying physiological mechanisms of lactation, and the identification of relationships between key analytes and components of milk, such as protein and fat content.Key words: dairy cow, blood chemistry, milk fat, milk protein
Supplementing nursery pig feed with seaweed extracts increases final body weight of pigs
Get PDFProbiotics have been used as an alternative method to antibiotic treatment. In this study, we evaluated the effect of seaweed extracts, commercially named OceanFeed Swine® (OFS), on body weight, average daily weight gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (FE) in nursery and fattening pigs of terminal lines. The study was conducted with 1809 piglets from weaning age until the end of the fattening phase on a commercial farm, divided into two groups (control and OFS; 905 and 904 pigs, respectively). Three replicates were made during the 6 weeks of production. Food was elaborated in the same productive unit and was given to the animals in the form of flour. OceanFeed Swine® (5 g/kg of diet) was added to the diet of the OFS groups during the nursery period, from 21 to 55 days of age. The faecal microbial population was evaluated at 35 and 60 days of life. In this paper, we observed a positive effect of administering OceanFeed Swine® on the production parameters analysed in the fattening phase, showing an improvement of 26 g in ADG and FE of 0.07. It can be concluded that the use of OceanFeed Swine® in the diets of the piglets, aged between 21 to 55 days old, improves FE (Control 2.36, OFS 2.29) and ADG (control 0.798 kg, OFS 0.824 kg). Moreover, its use exhibited an increase in the slaughter weight, a reduction of E coli CFU, and an increase in Lactobacillus sp. in fattening animals. All these improvements have a major positive economic impact per pig at time of slaughter
Energetic metabolic profile of ewes presenting low body condition score induced to subclinical hypocalcemia in early postpartum
Get PDFThe aim of the present study is to assess plasma concentrations of metabolites related to energy balance in ewes showing low body condition score (BCS) induced to subclinical hypocalcemia in early postpartum. Sixteen crossbred ewes (Ideal x Corriedale) presenting BCS <3 were divided in two groups: 1) control group (n = 9), which received no treatment, and 2) hypocalcemia group (n = 7), which was subjected to twelve hours of induced subclinical hypocalcemia through intravenous Na2EDTA infusion six hours postpartum. Ionized calcium levels were monitored and kept between 0.62 and 0.87 mmol/L. All ewes were subjected to daily blood sampling for five days in order to set the postpartum metabolic profile. There was no interaction between day and treatment in total and ionized calcium concentrations (P>0.05), whereas the mean concentrations of these marks after five days were lower in the hypocalcemia group (P<0.05). However, neither the mean group were different at glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate and insulin (P>0.05) level. These results evidence that, despite the subclinical hypocalcemia induction at early postpartum, ewes presenting low body condition do not change the concentrations of energy balance-related metabolites in the following five days
Some cashmere characteristics of hair goats raised in Van province
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to uncover certain physical properties of cashmere fibres obtained from goat hair in Van, Turkey, and determine their usability in the textile sector. For this purpose 36 hair goats were studied, aged between two and three years old, obtained from breeders at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Livestock Facilities and the Özalp and Başkale districts of Van, with twelve goats being taken from each breeder. The sample of hairs were collected by combing three areas of the goat’s body (shoulder, flank and rump). The analysis indicated that the cashmere length of two-year-old hair goats was longer than that of three-year-old hair goats. There was no linear relationship between the differences among cashmere elasticity and yield properties and the altitude levels of the districts. It was determined that the fibre diameter of the cashmere of hair goats in Van was acceptable for the textile sector and competitive with major cashmere-producing countries
The effects of periparturient events, mastitis, lameness and ketosis on reproductive performance of Holstein cows in a hot environment
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to determine the association among periparturient events such as mastitis, lameness (infectious and non-infectious) and ketosis and the reproductive performance of high producing Holstein cows in a hot environment. The health status and reproductive data variables were recorded from 6,566 completed lactations in a large dairy operation. A logistic regression model with the stepwise procedure was used, considering the occurrence of the health problems during the pre-breeding period as fixed effect risk factors and reproductive variables as dependent variables. Pregnancy rate of cows contracting clinical mastitis (CM) around the period of first inseminations was five percentage points lower than cows without this disease. Cows with CM shortly before or after the first service had twice the risk of requiring more than three services per pregnancy than cows with healthy udders. Cows experiencing abortion, laminitis or metritis were two times more likely to require >3 services per pregnancy than cows not experiencing these reproductive disorders. Cows experiencing lameness, mastitis and metritis presented a significantly longer interval between calving and pregnancy compared to healthy cows. Ketosis and lameness increased the odds of a cow of being inseminated for the first time after 70 days in milk. In conclusion, these results suggest that abortion, ketosis, CM, retained placenta (RP), metritis, and lameness are associated with decreased reproductive performance in high producing Holstein cows subjected to thermal stress
Effect of climate and insemination technique on reproductive performance of gilts and sows in a subtropical zone of Mexico
Get PDFThe objective of this study was to analyse the reproductive performance of hybrid (Yorkshire x Landrace) gilts/sows in relation to temperature-humidity index (THI) at artificial insemination (AI), season of AI, occurrence of estrus >8 d post-weaning, repeated estrus, insemination technique (cervical, CAI or post-cervical, PCAI) and parity. Data included 8851 reproductive records (1771 for gilts and 7080 for sows) from a pig farm in a sub-tropical zone (THI ranged from 72.9 in January to 81.8 in June). A decrease in pregnancy rate (PR, 89.8 vs 93.0%; P<0.01) and a tendency to decline farrowing rate (FR, 87.9 vs 90.3%; P=0.07) following AI during high THI (>82), compared to AI at <74 THI were observed. The spring and summer season were associated with decreased (P<0.01) PR compared with fall and winter (90.0% vs 93.0%). Likewise, FR decreased in spring and summer compared to fall and winter (88.5% vs. 90.9%). FR was higher (P<0.01) in non-repeat breeders compared with that of repeat-breeders (90.3% vs 76.2%). Litter size increased (P<0.01) from 10.8 ± 3.2 to 11.1 ± 3.1 pigs when the interval from weaning to estrus was >8 d. The insemination technique did not affect PR and FR but the litter size decreased (P<0.05) from 11.3 ± 3.0 to 11.1 ± 2.9 pigs when PCAI was used compared to CAI. This study reaffirms the negative effects of the hot season on reproductive performance of gilts/sows, although thermal stress at AI did not cause foetal losses. Also, there is no advantage in using the PCAI as compared to the CAI in gilts/sows with high numbers of sperm cells per AI
Immunohistochemical diagnosis of Caprine alphaherpesvirus 1 (CpHV-1) in Mexico
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to identify the presence of Caprine alphaherpesvirus 1 (CpHV-1) in goat organs with suggestive injuries caused by the virus. A descriptive and retrospective study was performed, selecting necropsy cases suggestive of CpHV-1infection during a period of five years. Forty eight suspected cases were obtained, to which the immunohistochemistry technique with a CpHV-1 monoclonal antibody, was applied. We observed positivity in 24 goatling cases under 15 days (50%) and in 4 cases of adult animals (8.3%). The presence of CpHV-1 in goats from the Mexican plateau is confirmed
Relationship between the nutritional state before the breeding period and the reproductive success in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) from the Chilean Puna
Get PDFA poor nutritional state may explain the low fertility rates of domestic camelids from Puna herds. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the nutritional state of alpacas before the breeding period and their reproductive success. The body live weight (BLW) and body condition score (BCS; scale from 1-5) of 35 non-pregnant non-lactating alpacas from the Caquena bofedal in Chile were registered previous to the breeding period. In addition, blood samples were collected (heparinised tubes) to determine the plasma concentration of cholesterol (CHOD-PAP method), triglycerides (GPO-PAP method) and NEFA (enzymatic colorimetric method). Pregnancy was determined by trans-rectal ultrasonography (7.5 MHz, Samsung Madison, Korea) at the end of the breeding period. Data from Pregnant and Non-Pregnant groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test (SPSS programme; P< 0.05). Pregnant (n=20) and Non-pregnant groups (n=15) had similar BLW (47.1 ± 8.8 compared to 52.8 ± 11.1 kg, respectively; P = 0.9), BCS (3.0 ± 0.4 compared to 3.1 ± 0.4, respectively; P = 0.5), plasma cholesterol (1.0 ± 0.4 compared to 0.9 ± 0.3 mmol/l, respectively; P=0.7), triglycerides (0.3 ± 0.1 compared to 0.4 ± 0.1 mmol/l, respectively; P = 0.3), and NEFA (0.6 ± 0.4 compared to 0.8 ± 0.6 mmol/l, respectively; P = 0.1) before the breeding period. NEFA values of both groups showed evidence of negative energy balance. The nutritional state of alpacas before the breeding period did not explain the differences obtained in their reproductive success
Epidemiological study of canine mammary tumors: age, breed, size and malignancy
Get PDFA retrospective study was carried out on 858 female canine patients who were attended at the Surgery Service of the Clinical Veterinary Hospital of the University of Extremadura (Spain), during a period of 5 years (2008-2012). This study aims to determine the incidence of mammary tumors in the canine species of this region together with the analysis of several epidemiological variables (breed, age, and size) and the histopathological variable tumor malignancy. Three groups of patients were considered: (I) general group including all patients (n=858), (II) oncological patients (n=376), and (III) patients with mammary tumors (n=227). Oncology represented the most common pathology for female dogs (n=376, 43.82%), with mammary tumors being the most frequent neoplasms (n=227, 60.37%). Mixed breed dogs were more likely than purebred dogs to suffer from mammary tumors, with these tumors being more frequently malignant. It was also found that large-sized patients show a greater predisposition to malignant mammary tumors. In patients with tumors, age at diagnosis was significantly associated with a higher malignancy rate. The results of the study confirm the importance of oncology in the veterinary clinic in the region. Mammary tumors represent the most frequently diagnosed neoplasia in female dogs. Old age, mixed breed and large size predispose to its development and represent risk factors for malignancy
Energy value of unfermented dried grape pomace as substitute of alfalfa hay in diets for growing lambs
Get PDFThe energy value of unfermented dried grape pomace (DGP) was evaluated in an 84 d feeding trial on 16 Pelibuey×Dorper lambs (17.8 ± 2.0 kg). The control diet contained 90% mature alfalfa hay and 10% concentrates. Treatments consisted in the replacement (DM basis) of alfalfa hay by DGP at 0, 10, 20 or 30%. Lambs were blocked by weight and assigned individually to pens. Increasing DGP level in diet tended (P=0.06) to decrease daily gain and linearly increased (P=0.04) dry matter intake (DMI); thus, feed efficiency, dietary energy, and observed-to-expected diet NE were linearly decreased (P<0.01), increasing linearly (P<0.01) observed-to-expected DMI coefficient as DGP level was increased in the diet. There were no effects of treatments on carcass characteristics. Using the replacement technique, the energy value of DGP were 0.80, 0.75 and 0.67 Mcal ENm/kg DM, for 10, 20 and 30% of inclusion, respectively. It is concluded that the estimated NE of DGP at 10% inclusion level in the diet is very similar to the NE value assigned by the NRC (2007) for the fermented DGP. Increasing the inclusion of DGP levels beyond 10% decreases its energy value, maybe due to the negative associative effects of chemical compounds (such as phenols) naturally contained in DGP