Effect of hay type on cecal and fecal microbiome and fermentation parameters in horses.

The effect of hay type on the microbiome of the equine gastrointestinal tract is relatively unexplored. Our objective was to characterize the cecal and fecal microbiome of mature horses consuming alfalfa or Smooth Bromegrass (brome) hay. Six cecally cannulated horses were used in a split-plot design run as a crossover in two periods.

Caecal fermentation characteristics of commonly used feed ingredients.

Background: Commercial horse feeds use cereal grains and by-products; however, their effects on the caecal environment remain poorly characterised.

Objective: Characterise the effect of commonly used feed ingredients on caecal pH and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration.

Study Design: 6 × 6 Latin square.

Effects of corn distillers dried grains with solubles in finishing diets on pig growth performance and carcass yield with two different marketing strategies.

Feeding diets high in corn distillers dried grains with solubles () before market can negatively impact carcass yield, hot carcass weight (), and belly fat iodine value (). Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of switching from DDGS-based to corn-soybean meal ()-based diets at increasing intervals (withdrawal periods) before harvest on finishing pig performance and carcass characteristics. Diets in both experiments contained either 0% or 30% DDGS and were balanced for net energy ().

Digestibility of diets containing calcium salts of fatty acids or soybean oil in horses.

Calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFAs) frequently are fed to ruminants, but their fate in the equine digestive system is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare Enertia s/f, a proprietary CSFAs, and soybean (SB) oil with respect to impact on apparent total tract nutrient digestion and cecal fermentation parameters in horses. Eight cecally cannulated Quarter Horses were used in a crossover design in which horses consumed a diet for 32 d consisting of 1.

Complementary Feeding of Sorghum-Based and Corn-Based Fortified Blended Foods Results in Similar Iron, Vitamin A, and Anthropometric Outcomes in the MFFAPP Tanzania Efficacy Study.

Background: Fortified blended foods (FBFs) are micronutrient-fortified food aid products containing cereals and pulses. It has been suggested to reformulate FBFs to include whey protein concentrate, use alternative commodities (e.g.

Statistical analyses of chicken intestinal lesion scores in battery cage studies of anti-coccidial drugs.

Establishing the efficacy of an anti-coccidial drug in poultry begins with conducting multiple battery cage studies, where the target animals are challenged with single and mixed Eimeria species inoculum under controlled laboratory conditions. One of the primary outcomes in a battery cage study is the intestinal lesion score defined on a discrete ordinal scale of 0 to 4. So far, the statistical analysis of lesion scores has routinely employed the linear mixed model (LMM).

Technical Note: Assessment of sampling technique from feeders for copper, zinc, calcium, and phosphorous analysis.

Diet treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with the whole-plot consisting of 1 of 6 concentrations of dietary Cu (22 to 134 mg/kg total Cu) and the subplot using 1 of 2 sampling techniques (probe vs. hand grab). A total of 6 feeders per treatment were sampled using a brass open handle probe.

An epidemiological investigation to determine the prevalence and clinical manifestations of slow-moving finished cattle presented to slaughter facilities.

Cattle mobility is routinely measured at commercial slaughter facilities. However, the clinical signs and underlying causes of impaired mobility of cattle presented to slaughter facilities are poorly defined. As such, the objectives of this study were 1) to determine the prevalence of impaired mobility in finished cattle using a 4-point mobility scoring system and 2) to observe clinical signs in order to provide clinical diagnoses for this subset of affected cattle.

Testing for bioequivalence of highly variable drugs from TR-RT crossover designs with heterogeneous residual variances.

Traditional bioavailability studies assess average bioequivalence (ABE) between the test (T) and reference (R) products under the crossover design with TR and RT sequences. With highly variable (HV) drugs whose intrasubject coefficient of variation in pharmacokinetic measures is 30% or greater, assertion of ABE becomes difficult due to the large sample sizes needed to achieve adequate power. In 2011, the FDA adopted a more relaxed, yet complex, ABE criterion and supplied a procedure to assess this criterion exclusively under TRR-RTR-RRT and TRTR-RTRT designs.

Incidence of lameness and association of cause and severity of lameness on the outcome for cattle on six commercial beef feedlots.

OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence of specific causes of lameness and the associations of cause and severity of lameness on the outcome for cattle on commercial feedlots. DESIGN Dynamic population longitudinal study. ANIMALS Cattle on 6 commercial feedlots in Kansas and Nebraska during a 12-month period (mean daily population, 243,602 cattle; range, 223,544 to 252,825 cattle).

Human Food Safety Implications of Variation in Food Animal Drug Metabolism.

Violative drug residues in animal-derived foods are a global food safety concern. The use of a fixed main metabolite to parent drug (M/D) ratio determined in healthy animals to establish drug tolerances and withdrawal times in diseased animals results in frequent residue violations in food-producing animals. We created a general physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for representative drugs (ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, flunixin, and sulfamethazine) in cattle and swine based on extensive published literature.

Medical treatment of horses with deep digital flexor tendon injuries diagnosed with high-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging: 118 cases (2000-2010).

Objective: To describe the location and severity of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions diagnosed by means of high-field-strength MRI in horses and to identify variables associated with return to activity following medical treatment.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 118 horses.

Comparison of anamnestic responses to rabies vaccination in dogs and cats with current and out-of-date vaccination status.

Objective: To compare anamnestic antibody responses of dogs and cats with current versus out-of-date vaccination status.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Animals: 74 dogs and 33 cats.