Stability of dexamethasone sodium phosphate over a 28 day period when added to commercial veterinary wipe and pad products.

Background - Topical glucocorticoids commonly are used in the management of canine atopic dermatitis to control and prevent allergy flares. Compounding commercial veterinary wipe/pad products to include dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dex SP) can simplify treatment protocols for owners. Dex SP has not been evaluated for stability when added to wipes/pads.

Uneven milking intervals are adequate to achieve the benefits of increased milking frequency in early lactation.

Increasing milking frequency (MF) increases milk yield (MY) and farm profit, and optimal milking intervals (MI) prevent milk production decline. The objective of this experiment was to compare the MY effect of even and uneven 4 times daily (4×) MI in early lactation under increased MF. Fourteen multiparous and 6 primiparous cows were milked using unilateral frequent milking, with right udder halves milked 4× and left udder halves milked 2 times daily (2×) for 20 d in early lactation starting on d 5 postpartum.

Technical note: The use of an accelerometer for measuring step activity and lying behaviors in dairy calves.

Calf behaviors such as step activity, lying bouts, and lying time may be an indicator of calf health and welfare. To reduce time-consuming visual observations, the use of behavioral monitoring systems have been developed to capture these data. Previous studies have validated lying behaviors using an accelerometer (HPG; HOBO Pendant G data logger, Onset Computer Corp.

Esterification of essential and non-essential fatty acids into distinct lipid classes in ruminant and non-ruminant tissues.

Extensive microbial biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the rumen reduces the essential fatty acids (EFA) available for absorption in ruminant animals, but there is no published documentation of ruminants developing EFA deficiency. In ruminants, most circulating PUFA are found in the phospholipid (PL) and cholesteryl ester lipid classes that have slow turn-over compared to other lipid classes. The objective of this experiment was to measure fatty acid esterification patterns of the non-EFA palmitic (16:0) and oleic acid (18:1), and the EFA linoleic (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3) in small intestine, liver, and muscle tissue of cows and pigs to identify tissues participating in sequestration of these FA in less metabolically active lipid classes in ruminants.