Veterinary Science & Technology

Background: Ingestion of indigestible foreign bodies by ruminants is becoming a common worldwide problem which is the associated with a shortage of feed as well as increased pollution of grazing lands with indigestible materials.

Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to January 2017 on 500 ruminants slaughtered at Asella municipal abattoir with the objective to determine the prevalence and type of indigestible foreign body in rumen and reticulum of ruminants in association with hypothetical risk factors. Simple random sampling technique was used for selecting the study animals which were ruminants brought from various localities to Asella municipal abattoir. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of risk factors with occurrence of for foreign body.

Results: Out of 500 ruminant examined (sheep 240, goats 60 and cattle 200) examined for the presence of indigestible foreign bodies, 109 (21.8%) animals were found positive for one or more indigestible foreign bodies in their rumen or reticulum. The prevalence of foreign bodies was significantly (p=0.000) higher in sheep (29.6%) (OR=2.581, CI=1.587, 4.196) and goat (16.7%) (OR=1.229, CI=0.559, 2.701) than cattle (14%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of foreign body ingestion was insignificantly higher in sheep than goats (OR=2.074, CI, 0.958, 4.486; p=0.064), in female shoat than male (OR=1.137, CI=0.558, 2.317, p=0.723). Significantly highest prevalence was observed in shoat greater than 3 years than shoat less than 2 years (OR=2.564, CI=1.160, 5.670, p=0. 031), in thin body conditioned small ruminants than good body conditioned (OR=3.361, CI=1.554, 9.100, p=0.002), in cattle above 7 years than cattle below 4 years (OR=7.57, CI=2.018, 28.445, p=0.000), in thin body conditioned cattle than good body conditioned (OR=10.347, CI=1.769, 60.520, p=0.013). Plastic was the most commonly encountered (56.9%) foreign material in all study animals, followed by cloth (13.8%), rope and mixed (9.2%), wire (6.4%) and nail (5.5%). In all species the proportion of indigestible foreign body in rumen (77.1%) were significantly higher than reticulum (22.9%) (OR=3.8365, CI=2.4086, 6.1111, p=0.001).

Conclusion: This study revealed ingestion of different types of indigestible foreign bodies by ruminants in the study area which may pose serious health problem for free grazing ruminant and negatively affect their overall productivity and production. This strongly calls for concerned stakeholders to design and implement appropriate waste disposal practice and thereby reduces the chance of ingesting foreign bodies.

Improvements in sow productivity have raised questions regarding dietary mineral recommendations. Current calcium (Ca) levels and/or Ca sources might not support milk requirements of the larger litter in the modern sow. Therefore, four hundred and eighty mixed parity sows of a high prolificacy genetic line were used to evaluate the impact of the calcium source on the performance of highly prolific lactating sows. Sows were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design among six treatments containing different levels of inorganic Ca (INO) and organic calcium carbon-amino-phospho-chelate (CQT) inclusion. The sows were allocated to one of the six treatments represented by increased replacement ratios between sources of calcium: 100% INO; 100% CQT; 80% INO and 20% CQT; 60% INO and 40% CQT; 40% INO and 60% CQT; 20% INO and 80% CQT. Farrowing duration was not influenced (P>0.10) by the treatments, and averaged 185 minutes. Average daily voluntary feed intake did not differ (P>0.10) between treatments (5.54 kg d-1 on average). The lactation BW, backfat losses and chemical composition of body weight loss was not influenced (P>0.10) by the treatments. Litter size and average piglet weight at birth were not influenced (P>0.10) by the treatments (13.7 and 1.26 kg, on average). Litter weight gain, litter size and average piglet weight at weaning were also not influenced (P>0.10) by the treatments. The Treatments did not influence (P>0.10) estimated daily milk yield; which averaged 11.41 kg d-1. The treatments tended to influence (P<0.10) urinary pH levels at day 7 of lactation, were 100% CQT sows had a lower pH value than other treatments (6.72 vs. 7.27). 100% CQT sows also showed a significantly lower pH level at d 14 and 21 when compared to the other treatments (6.44 vs. 7.09; P<0.05; and 6.48 vs. 7.14; P<0.01; respectively for d 14 and 21 of lactation). Free Ca and parathyroid hormone (PTH) serum levels were not affected (P>0.10) by treatments during lactation and averaged 1.38 mmol/L and 14.62 pg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, this experiment demonstrated that in diets for lactating sows an inorganic Ca source can be fully replaced by a more available Ca source (i.e., calcium carbon-amino-phospho-chelate), without negatively impacting the productive and reproductive performance of these animals or the performance of their litters.

Background: Fluralaner is a potent acaricide and insecticide effective against flea and tick (F/T) infestations on dogs and cats. Fluralaner for dogs can be administered orally as a flavored chew with up to a 12-week redosing interval, about three-fold less frequently than monthly F/T medications. This study surveyed dog owners who currently administer fluralaner to their dogs to determine their level of satisfaction with the product and its perceived benefits compared to monthly medications, including the potential for on-time administration compliance.

Methods: In the period April to June 2016, dog-owner clients from 25 veterinary practices in 16 U.S. states completed a 10-item survey questionnaire (n=559) that asked respondents about their experience with fluralaner and monthly medications. In multivariate analyses, predictors of treatment satisfaction and predictors of preference with fluralaner have been estimated by an ordered logistic regression and a logistic regression, respectively.

Results: Seventy-three percent of survey respondents had used monthly F/T medications prior to fluralaner. Respondents identified convenience (74%), the 12-week dosing interval (69%), and less-frequent dosing (68%) as the three most important benefits of using fluralaner. Sixty six percent were very satisfied and 30% were satisfied with fluralaner and 89% preferred fluralaner versus monthly F/T medications. Pet owners who used monthly F/T products, 65% thought that they were more likely to give the next fluralaner dose on time compared to doses of monthly F/T products, and 88% said that giving repeat doses of fluralaner was more convenient than giving monthly F/T products. In multivariable models, “12 weeks dosing/convenience” and “female gender” were positively associated with treatment satisfaction and preference with fluralaner (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Overall satisfaction with fluralaner and preference for fluralaner compared to monthly F/T medications were high. The most significant factor predicting satisfaction and preference was perceived benefit with 12 weeks dosing or convenience.

The study was conducted from October, 2015 to May, 2016 in Wogera district, North Gondar zone, Ethiopia with the objectives of identifying and estimating the prevalence of sheep ked and lice infestation and to appraise potential risk factors of their attachment to sheep. Out of 423 sheep examined, 71.6% were infested either by Melophagus ovinus (M. ovinus) or Bovicola ovis (B. ovis) or both. The prevalence of M. ovinus and B. ovis were 33.57% and 12.07% respectively. Mixed infestation of M. ovinus and B. ovis (25.53%) were also recorded. The overall prevalence of M. ovinus and B. ovis infestation were significantly varied among the age (χ2=56.52; P=0.00), sex (χ2=14.71; P=0.00) and body condition (χ2=22.52; P=0.00) categories of sheep. The prevalence of M. ovinus in sheep of poor (70.1%) and medium (64.5%) body condition was significantly (χ2=23.29; P=0.00) higher as compared to those of good body (40.5%) condition. Furthermore, the prevalence of M. ovinus was significantly varied with age (χ2=99.26; P=0.00). Similarly, B. ovis prevalence was significantly (χ2=16.56; P=0.00) highest in poor (52.9%) and medium (38.2%) than in good (25%) body condition score group. Moreover, the prevalence of B. ovis was significantly (χ2=7.44; P=0.008) higher in rams (46.5%) than in ewes (33%) but, did not significantly varied with age (p>0.05). Significant differences were noted in harboring mixed B. ovis and M. ovinus infestations among the age (χ2=23.42; P=0.00), sex (χ2=18.41; P=0.00) and body condition (χ2=21.74; P=0.00) groups. In conclusion, further studies on prevalence and economic impacts of infestation of sheep with M. ovinus and B. ovis are recommended.

Newcastle disease is a contagious bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species and which can be transmissible to humans. It is caused by avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 virus which, with viruses of the other eight serotypes (avian paramyxovirus 1-9) has been placed in the genus Avulavirus, sub-family Paramyxovirinae, family Paramyxoviridae. Virulent Newcastle disease virus strains are endemic in poultry in most of Asia, Africa, and some countries of North and South America. Other countries, including the united states of America and Canada, are free of those strains in poultry. Highest prevalence of Newcastle disease is recorded in cross breeds of chickens than local breed and the low altitudes do have higher prevalence than the mid and high altitudes. The transmission of Newcastle disease occurs through respiratory aerosols, exposure to fecal and other excretions from infected birds, through newly introduced birds, selling and giving away sick birds and contacts with contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing. The strain of Newcastle pathogenicity can be classified into five pathotype: Asymptomatic enteric strain; Lentogenic strain; Mesogenic stain; Viscerotropic velogenic strain and Neurotropic velogenic strain. Clinical signs are extremely variable depending on the strain of virus, species and age of bird, concurrent disease, and preexisting immunity caused by paramixovirus with worldwide distribution affecting chickens (all poultry and birds are susceptible) of All age group are susceptible. Symptoms from the respiratory tract are gasping, coughing, sneezing and rales. Signs from the nervous system include tremors, paralyzed wings and legs, twisted necks, circling, clonic spasms and sometimes complete paralysis. Other general symptoms that can be seen are greenish diarrhea, depression and inappetence, partial or complete drop in egg production and an increased production of deformed eggs. Clinical diagnosis based on history, signs and lesions may establish a strong index of suspicion but the laboratory confirmation must be done. The general approaches to the control of Newcastle disease are hygiene and vaccination. Humans are among the many species that can be infected by Newcastle disease in addition to avian species. Newcastle disease may cause conjunctivitis in humans, when a person has been exposed to large quantities of the virus. Mostly, Laboratory workers and vaccinators are affected. Recently, the disease which decreases the development of poultry production for industry is the infectious diseases, among infection disease Newcastle is the one which causes economical lose of poultry and its product. The objective of this review is to understand the Newcastle disease causative agent, pathogenicity, clinical sign and how to prevent and control the Newcastle disease, which concerned with the currently published or reported research.

The study was made from November 2008 to April 2009 at the Ethiopia Somali region, Jijiga city. It was carried out with the objectives of providing base line data on the prevalence of C. bovis. A total of 400 carcasses of randomly selected bovine animals were used for the active abattoir survey. Of the 400 carcasses examined during the study period, 9 (2.25%) were infected with C. bovis. The distribution of organ infected with C. bovis were, tongue (55.5%) and heart (55.5%), shoulder muscle (33.3%), masseter muscle (22.2%), and liver (11.1%). Analysis of active abattoir survey revealed that there was no a significant difference (P>0.05) between sex and age of the animal. The viability test on all isolated cysts showed that 20% were viable. the tongue, shoulder muscle, masseter muscle and heart had the highest number of viable (60%), (60%), (50%) and (33.3%) cyst respectively. Meat inspection cannot totally prevent the consumer from being infected through row or under cocked meat/beef. Therefore, an effective control program has to include action intervening at various points of the life cycle of T. saginata. It requires an integrated approach among all stake holders: consumers, medical doctors and pharmacists, meat inspectors, veterinary practitioners and farmers.

Rationale: Artificial insemination allows sport horse stallions within breeding programmes to breed and compete concurrently. The level of exercise of stallions complete during the breeding season is a controversial subject. Daily exercise at low intensities is important for the mental and reproductive well-being of the stallion, however higher intensities of exercise, as seen in competing stallions, may have detrimental effects on seminal quality. The purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding into the effects of competition and discipline on equid stallion semen through analysis of seminal parameters. The identification of optimal competition management for breeding stallions may lead to increased stallion fertility and economic gain.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the seminal data of 1130 stallion collections from two UK based stud farms between 2009 and 2015. Seminal volume, concentration and progressive motility were analysed for differences between competing and non-competing stallions, then for differences between stallion disciplines.

Results: Competing stallion semen concentration and progressive motility was significantly lower than noncompeting stallions (p<0.05). Semen volume was significantly higher in competing stallions (p<0.05) than noncompeting stallions. Non-competing stallion semen count was significantly higher than that of competing stallions (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The difference in semen quality between competing and non-competing stallions, as well as the difference between disciplines suggests endocrinological and physiological changes occur in relation to training intensity and competition. Further research into semen quality considering exercise and competition will allow for contextualisation as to why these differences occurred.

PGF2α, GnRH, estradiol (E2), or antibiotics were given to dairy cows with retained placenta after parturition to establish the most suitable treatment to prevent the development of endometritis. One hundred and seventy five parous Holstein cows with retained placenta were allocated to into six treatment groups, and groups were given PGF2α, GnRH, E2, or antibiotics at 30 or 45 days after parturition. The intrauterine perfusion fluid was collected at 60 days after parturition, and a bacteriological and cytological examination was conducted. Reproductive performance was also investigated. The detection rate for Trueperella pyogenes in the intrauterine perfusion fluid in each group ranged from 0% to 16%, and T. pyogenes was not isolated in cows that were given PGF2α or E2. The percentage of neutrophils observed in the intrauterine perfusion fluid ranged from 37.8 ± 5.3 to 56.3 ± 4.7, and it was lowest in cows given PGF2α and highest in cows given GnRH. The mean number of days from parturition to initial insemination, the mean number of days from parturition to conception and the mean number of artificial inseminations required for conception ranged from 85.9 ± 5.5 to 102.7 ± 8.0, 103.8 ± 9.0 to 162.3 ± 18.6 and 1.5 ± 0.2 to 2.6 ± 0.3, respectively. All three parameters were best in cows that were given a combination of PGF2α and E2. The results suggest that administration of PGF2α or E2, or ideally both, might be a suitable treatment for cows with retained placenta. However, treatment with GnRH might delay the cleansing of the uterus.

Cattle welfare is hindered by several factors such as lack of feed, water, shelter, rest and comfortable transportation facilities; the aim of this study was to assess the effect of marketing system on cattle welfare. The majority age of respondents was range from 31-45 (47.5%) and the analysis for educational status disclosed that 45% of the respondents were illiterates and majority of households owned cattle in the range between 1-3 (42.5%) cattle. Most of the market actors in the study area were farmers which covered 47.5% and 45% of total sellers and buyers respectively. The majority of households owned cattle in the range between 1-3 (42.5%) cattle per head. About 72.5% of the respondents confirmed that price of cattle is set by negotiation between buyers and sellers. Abusive handling by stakeholders was the most frequently observed behavior (48% and 45%) at Mersa and Woldia markets respectively. Highest expressed abusive behaviors by stakeholders were beating of body by stick 45% and 48% at Mersa and Woldia markets respectively. The aggressive behavior of the animals due to human intervention at Woldia and Mersa accounts about 37% and 42% respectively. Transportation system of cattle in the study area was mostly by foot 96% and 94% in Mersa and Woldia respectively. Hunger and thrust was leading welfare problem whereas naturalness is not the main problem. Generally the welfare of cattle at markets was very poor and animal transport conditions are inadequate which implies awareness creation is vital.