Welfare Implications of Low-Dose Atipamezole Reversal of Tiletamine/Zolazepam/Xylazine Anaesthesia in Pigs.

Anaesthesia is sometimes required for the effective restraint of laboratory pigs for sample collection. Yet, anaesthesia can initiate a range of physiological disruptions that can increase variability in study data and lead to poorer animal welfare. Judicious use of anaesthesia can mitigate experimental, human safety, and animal welfare concerns, but it does not eliminate the potential for adverse effects.

The impact of stress and anesthesia on animal models of infectious disease.

Stress and general anesthesia have an impact on the functional response of the organism due to the detrimental effects on cardiovascular, immunological, and metabolic function, which could limit the organism's response to an infectious event. Animal studies have formed an essential step in understanding and mitigating infectious diseases, as the complexities of physiology and immunity cannot yet be replicated . Using animals in research continues to come under increasing societal scrutiny, and it is therefore crucial that the welfare of animals used in disease research is optimized to meet both societal expectations and improve scientific outcomes.

Horn bud size of dairy-bred and suckler-bred calves at time of disbudding.

Background: Hot-iron disbudding is a common management procedure to prevent horn growth in calves. The study objective was to examine effect of age, breed and sex on horn bud size of dairy-bred and suckler-bred calves at time of disbudding.

Results: The left and right horn bud size (diameter and height in mm) of 279 calves, including dairy-bred Holstein-Friesian (Male (M) = 88) and 191 suckler-bred (86 Charolais, CH; (M = 39, Female (F) = 47), 67 Limousin, LM; (M = 32, F = 35) and 38 Simmental, SI; (M = 22, F = 16) sired)) was measured using a digital calliper at time of disbudding.

Assessment of the efficacy of an autogenous vaccine against Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in young Merino sheep.

AIMS To assess the efficacy of an autogenous vaccine against Yersinia pseudotuberculosis III in preventing clinical disease and deaths due to yersiniosis in young Merino sheep, and to determine the effect of vaccination on the prevalence of faecal shedding of pathogenic Yersinia spp., daily liveweight gain, and development of antibodies to Yersinia spp. following vaccination and natural exposure.

Outbreaks of diarrhoea ('winter scours') in weaned Merino sheep in south-eastern Australia.

Objective: Identify the cause of outbreaks of diarrhoea during winter that are not attributable to gastrointestinal nematodes in weaned Merino sheep in the high rainfall regions of south-eastern Australia and determine the efficacy of antimicrobials used to treat this syndrome.

Methods: We investigated 45 outbreaks on 24 farms. Faecal samples from affected animals were cultured for Yersinia, Campylobacter and Salmonella spp.