Causes of Death in Stray Cat Colonies of Milan: A Five-Year Report

The presence of cats in urban environments has a long history. In Italy, stray cats are protected by national and regional laws, and programs of neutering and reintroduction to colonies are ongoing. Colony cats have been widely studied from a behavioral perspective, while surveys regarding their causes of death are limited, although they may provide relevant information related to public health and cat welfare. This retrospective study provides pathological descriptions and statistical analyses of the causes of death of 186 cats from 100 colonies in the city of Milan. Inflammatory processes represent the primary cause of death (37.7%) and include common feline infectious diseases such as feline panleukopenia (67.5%), particularly in kittens, and feline infectious peritonitis (32.5%), most common in adult cats. Trauma was found to be a common cause of death of young/adult cats (14%) with a generally good body condition, while severe parasitosis was less represented (2.6%). The death of old cats was statistically associated with organ failure (24.7%), particularly renal failure, and tumors (11.8%). Knowledge of the most common causes of death of colony cats could make an important contribution to the health monitoring of these cats and sanitary control of their habitats and provide information on possible related emerging animal welfare concerns.

Survei Prevalensi Ektoparasit pada Populasi Anjing Pemburu (Canis Lupus familiaris) di Kecamatan Jagong Jeget Kabupaten Aceh Tengah

Dogs are one of the domestic animals that are much loved by humans as pets because of their relatively easy maintenance. The existence of dogs is becoming popular among the public, because for some people, dogs are kept as friends, guards, hunters, scouts or drug trackers.. On the other hand, to maintain their good body condition, then need to control their health.. One of the parameters for dog health disorders is the presence of ectoparasites in their body. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of ectoparasites of hunting dogs that are kept in Jagong Jeget District, Central Aceh Regency. Research activities have been carried out from November 2019 to February 2020. The samples used in this study were 30 hunting dog samples that owned by the member of PORBI in Jagong Jeget subdistrict by manual ectoparasites examination. The Analysis of results were conducted descriptively. The results showed that the prevalence of ectoparasites in hunting dogs in Jagong Jeget District was 83.3%. In detail, this result comprised of the prevalence of ectoparasites of the Ctenocephalides canis group at 80%, followed by Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Boophilus sp. with a prevalence of 16.6% and Trichodectes canis with a prevalence of 3.3%. We concluded that there was ectoparasitic infection in hunting dogs that were kept in Jagong Jeget District and hunting dog maintenance management in Jagong Jeget District was still classified as poor.Abstrak Anjing merupakan salah satu hewan domestik yang banyak digemari manusia sebagai hewan kesayangan karena pemeliharaannya yang relatif mudah. Keberadaan anjing sangat populer dikalangan masyarakat tertentu, karena bagi mereka, anjing dipelihara sebagai teman, penjaga, pemburu, pengintai atau pelacak narkoba. Disisi lain, untuk menjaga kondisinya tetap stabil sesuai kebutuhan pemeliharaannya, maka kesehatannya perlu dirawat dengan baik. Salah satu parameter gangguan kesehatan anjing adalah keberadaan ektoparasit dalam tubuh. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui prevalensi pada ektoparasit pada anjing pemburu yang di pelihara di Kecamatan Jagong Jeget Kabupaten Aceh Tengah. Kegiatan penelitian telah dilaksanakan dari bulan November 2019 sampai bulan Februari 2020. Sampel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah 30 sampel anjing pemburu yang diperiksa dari pemilik anjing pemburu anggota PORBI dari Kecamatan Jagong Jeget dengan pemeriksaan ektoparasit secara makroskopis. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis secara deskriptif. Hasil pemeriksaan menunjukkan bahwa prevalensi ektoparasit pada anjing pemburu yang di pelihara di Kecamatan Jagong Jeget adalah 83.3%. Secara rinci ektoparasit dari kelompok kelompok Ctenocephalides canis yaitu 80%. diikuti oleh Rhipicephalus sanguineus dan Boophilus sp. dengan prevalensi 16.6% dan Trichodectes canis dengan prevalensi 3.3%. Dapat disimpulan bahwa terdapat infeksi ektoparasit pada anjing pemburu yang dipelihara di Kecamatan Jagong Jeget dengan tingkat infestasi yang tergolong tinggi

Differential allocation in a gift-giving spider: males adjust their reproductive investment in response to female condition

Background When males are selective, they can either reject low-quality females or adjust their reproductive investment in response to traits that indicate female quality (e.g., body size or condition). According to the differential allocation hypothesis, males increase their reproductive investment when paired with high-quality females (positive differential allocation) or increase their reproductive investment when paired with low-quality females (negative differential allocation). This hypothesis has been proposed for monogamous species with biparental care, and most empirical studies focus on birds. Here we used the polygamous spider Paratrechalea ornata, in which males offer prey wrapped in silk as nuptial gifts, to test whether males adjust their reproductive investment in gift size, pre-copulatory and copulatory courtship, and sperm transfer in response to female body condition. Results Males exposed to females in good body condition added more flies to the gift, stimulated these females longer with abdominal touches during pre-copulatory courtship, and had longer pedipalp insertions than males exposed to females in poor body condition. Female condition affected neither silk investment in nuptial gift wrapping nor the quantity of sperm transferred by males. Finally, females in good body condition oviposited faster after copulation and laid more eggs than females in poor body condition. Conclusions We provide experimental evidence that males of a gift-giving spider exhibit positive differential allocation in three key aspects of their reproductive investment: the size of the nutritious gift, duration of pre-copulatory courtship, and duration of pedipalp insertions, which is regarded as a form of copulatory courtship in spiders. This positive differential allocation is likely associated with the benefits of copulating with females in good body condition. These females are more fecund and oviposit faster after copulation than females in poor body condition, which under natural field conditions probably reduces the risk of multiple matings and thus the level of sperm competition faced by the males. As a final remark, our findings indicate that the hypothesis of differential allocation also applies to species with a scramble competition mating system, in which males heavily invest in nuptial gift construction, but not in parental care.

Preventive Hoof Trimming and Animal-Based Welfare Measures Influence the Time to First Lameness Event and Hoof Lesion Prevalence in Dairy Cows

Background: The objectives of this study were to, (1) investigate the impact of the Dutch five-step hoof trimming (HT) technique on time to lameness and hoof lesion prevalence in grazing (GR) and non-grazing (NGR) dairy cows, and (2) determine the association between potential benefits of HT and animal-based welfare measures during lactation. A total of 520 non-lame cows without hoof lesions from 5 dairy farms (GR = 2, NGR = 3) were enrolled at early (within 30 days in milk; DIM) and late lactation (above 200 DIM), and randomly allocated to either trimmed (HGR or HNGR) or control groups (CON-GR and CON-NGR). Locomotion scores, body condition, hock condition, leg hygiene, and hoof health were assessed at monthly intervals until the following 270 days in milk. The data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariable Cox, and logistic regression models. The overall incidence rate of lameness was 36.2 cases/100 cows/month, with corresponding rates of 27.4, 31.9, 48.4, and 45.8 cases/100 cows/month in HGR, HNGR, CON-GR, and CON-NGR, respectively. Time to first lameness event was significantly higher in HGR (mean ± S.E; 8.12 ± 0.15) compared to CON-GR (7.36 ± 0.26), and in HNGR (8.05 ± 0.16) compared to CON-NGR (7.39 ± 0.23). The prevalence of hoof lesions in the enrolled cows was 36.9%, with a higher occurrence in CON-GR (48.8%) than HGR (23.2%), and in CON-NGR (52.6%) compared to HNGR (32.2%). The majority of hoof lesions were non-infectious in grazing (HGR vs. CON-GR; 21.3 vs. 33.3%) and non-grazing herds (HNGR vs. CON-NGR; 25.0 vs. 40.4%). The risk of lameness was higher in underconditioned cows (Hazard ratio; HR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.2–7.4), presence of hoof lesion (HR = 33.1, 95% CI 17.6–62.5), and there was variation between farms. Aside HT, lower parity (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.8), normal hock condition (OR = 0.06; 95% 0.01–0.29), and absence of overgrown hoof (OR = 0.4; 95% 0.2–0.7) were protective against non-infectious hoof lesions. Functional HT is beneficial as a lameness preventive strategy during lactation; however, ensuring older cows are in good body condition and free from hock injuries are equally important.

Emergence of fowl aviadenovirus C-4 in a backyard chicken flock in California

Fowl aviadenovirus (FAdV) species D and E are associated with inclusion body hepatitis (IBH); species C, serotype 4 (hereafter, FAdV4) is associated with hepatitis–hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) in young chickens. Outbreaks of HHS have led to significant losses in the poultry industry in several countries, predominantly in China. In April 2020, FAdV4 was detected in a remote backyard flock in California. In a mixed flock of chickens of various breeds and ages (6 mo to 2 y old), 7 of 30 were found dead within a week without premonitory signs. One additional bird died after the flock was relocated to fresh pasture, bringing the total mortality to 8 of 30 (27%). Postmortem examination of 3 birds revealed good body condition scores and active laying. One chicken had subtle hemorrhages throughout the liver, and the other 2 had diffusely dark mahogany livers. On histopathology, 2 chickens had hepatic necrosis with hepatocytes containing large, mostly basophilic, intranuclear inclusion bodies, identified by electron microscopy as 82.2-nm diameter adenoviral particles. Virus isolation and genomic sequencing performed on a liver sample revealed strains with 99.9% homology to FAdV4 isolates reported from China. To our knowledge, FAdV4 has not been reported in the United States to date. Furthermore, the chickens affected here were all adults and exhibited a variation of serotype 4 disease in which IBH was present but not hydropericardium.

Traumatic Reticulo-Peritonitis in an Adult Friesian Holstein Cow: A Case Report

An adult Friesian Holstein cow raised in a zero-grazing system was presented with a history of being off feed, respiratory distress and no defecation since 04/09/2018. She had been treated without any significant improvement. There was improvement with subsequence treatment. A week later, the cow became off feed and abscess developed on the right ventrolateral aspect of the thoracic region filled with purulent pus. General examination revealed good body condition, dullness and depression, grunting and grinding of teeth. Physical examination revealed normal respiratory and heart rate, temperature of 38.4°C, ruminal atony and no eructation. Hematological analysis revealed septicemia evident by neutrophilia. The animal was managed with 20% Oxytetracycline 15mg/kg given intramuscularly and multivitamins given via intramuscular route. Surgical management of the abscess was managed by lancing and draining the pus and a long wire was incidentally recovered, then lavaged with hydrogen peroxide, normal salt and povidone iodine, and antibiosis for three 3 days. The cow fully recovered. This communication reports a case of traumatic reticulo-peritonitis (TRP) caused by a long wire (10.1cm long). The wire penetrating through the reticulo-ruminal wall, abdominal cavity and the thoracic wall, and sequela to an abscess and localized peritonitis. Therefore, dairy cattle with signs of constipation, ruminal stasis, ruminal impaction, abscess and more than seven months pregnant, one should consider traumatic reticulo-peritonitis as differential diagnosis.

Case Report: Multiple Cavernous Pericardial Lymphangioma (Pericardial Lymphangiomatosis) in a Captive Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus brookei)

A 12-year-old female peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus brookei) from a private raptor breeding facility that presented a good body condition, died suddenly without showing previous symptoms. At necropsy, in the coelomic cavity, multiple cystic structures demarcated by a thin transparent wall and filled with a serous content were observed. They were firmly adhered to the cranial part of the epicardium and adjacent tissues and occupied the entire thoracic area of the coelomic cavity. Microscopically, emerging simultaneously from several areas the epicardium, multiple irregular channels and cystic spaces, lined by a single endothelial cell layer and separated by fibrovascular septa containing smooth muscle tissue, were observed. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that the neoplastic endothelial cells positively immunolabelled for the pan-endothelial marker factor VIII-related antigen but immunostained negative for cytokeratins (PCK26) while strong positivity for sarcomeric α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was detected in the cystic walls. Based on the morphological and immunohistochemical findings, lesions were determined as consistent with a multiple cavernous pericardial lymphangioma, or pericardial lymphangiomatosis, a rare vascular neoplasm. The animal also showed a diffuse chronic perihepatitis, a necrotic area in the liver and foci of cartilaginous metaplasia and calcification in the aorta and vena cava. Literature review, particularly on the epidemiology of lymphangioma, demonstrated the rarity of this tumor in the different animal species and in this location, particularly in birds, being the first report of this type of tumor in a peregrine falcon.

Nutritional Wasting Disorders in Sheep

The different ovine production and breeding systems share the cornerstone of keeping a good body condition to ensure adequate productivity. Several infectious and parasitic disorders have detrimental effects on weight gains and may lead to emaciation. Flock health management procedures are aimed to prevent such conditions. Nutritional management is equally important to guarantee adequate body condition. Persistent bouts of low ruminal pH due to excess concentrate in the diet may lead to subacute ruminal acidosis. Pre-stomach motility disorders may also lead to ill-thrift and emaciation. An adequate mineral supplementation is key to prevent the effects of copper, selenium, and other micronutrients deprivation, which may include, among others, loss of condition. This review elaborates on the clinico-pathologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of some of these conditions, and highlights the necessity of considering them as contributors to states of wasting in sheep flocks.

Characteristics of Reproductive Tracts of Repeat Breeders in Cattle

The study observed the characteristics and assessed abnormalities in reproductive tracts of repeat breeders in cattle. Fourty (40) herds were sampled during the study and fifty seven (57) repeat breeders were identified. The animals had normal reproductive tracts with good body condition scores (BCS) ranging from 2.5- 4.5. There was no correlation between the ages and the body condition scores of the repeat breeders (r = -0.4576. Higher number of repeat breeders were found within the ages of 3 -6. Variation within the ages of the repeat breeders were not significantly associated. Physical and behavioral characteristics observed were: crystal clear eyes; appearing more like a castrated bull; physically strong; active; vibrant; alert; stubborn; wild; temperamental; aggressive and difficult to handle; very sensitive to their environment and have a quick idea of the presence of a stranger which they show by having their ears in erect disposition signaling a sign of insecurity and danger. They always appear as superior animals in the herds; and could even be used as draught or pack animals with a very good output. They could yield better meat compared to none repeat breeders in the herds. Thus, most repeat breeders are not sterile, have normal oestrus cycle every 18-24 days but rather suffer from lowered fertility resulting to huge economic waste due to more services; reduced milk yield; wide calving interval and culling rate. It was concluded that repeat breeders suffer from lowered fertility which results into reduced milk yield, wide calving interval and culling rate.

Hypomagnesemia in beef cattle

ABSTRACT: Hypomagnesemia is a major cause of death in grazing beef cows in countries of the Southern Hemisphere such as Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Here we review the literature on hypomagnesemia in beef cattle and describe an outbreak in Uruguay. The disease occurred in late autumn, affecting 6 to 11-year-old Aberdeen Angus and Hereford x Aberdeen Angus lactating multiparous cows in good body condition, grazing on natural grasslands that had been improved by fertilization and sowing of seeds of ryegrass and oat. Approximately 40 out of 225 cows were affected and 24 (10.7%) died. A presumptive diagnosis of hypomagnesemia was established based on sudden death, acute neuromuscular clinical signs, epidemiological data, and the response to Mg administration. The diagnosis was confirmed by detecting low Mg concentrations in serum (0.47-0.57mmol/L), vitreous humor (0.47-0.80mmol/L), aqueous humor (0.66mmol/L) and cerebrospinal fluid (0.59mmol/L). The largest component of the diet corresponding to fast-growing and exuberant forages of ryegrass and oat had high concentrations of K (3.48%), N (4.38%) and P (0.94%), suggesting secondary hypomagnesemia. In addition, the K/(Ca+Mg) ratio was 2.38 in forages of ryegrass and oat (reference value: 2.2), and 0.15 in the soil (reference value: 0.09), which represent risk factors for hypomagnesemia. In conclusion, hypomagnesemia is an important cause of mortality in beef cattle grazing improved natural grasslands in Uruguay and it can be easily prevented by correct seasonal Mg supplementation.