LINK BETWEEN PETS ,GOODNIGHT REST AND HEALTH OF PET OWNER.

According to a Mayo Clinic study surveying 150 people, "more respondents perceived their pets to not affect or even benefit rather than hinder their sleep," while "some respondents described feeling secure, content and relaxed when their pet slept nearby." In their research, Krahn's team used interviews and questionnaires to discover how pets in the bedroom affect sleep. Seventy-four of the 150 adults interviewed had at least one pet, and 31 had multiple pets. More than half (56 percent) of pet owners allowed their animal (or animals) to sleep with them in the bedroom or on the bed.Only 15 pet owners (20 percent) considered the pet's presence "disruptive" to their sleep. Some said their pets wandered, snored, whimpered or needed bathroom breaks, for example. One single 51-year-old woman complained that her pet parrot "consistently squawked at 6 a.m.," according to the researchers."A single 64-year-old woman commented that she felt more content when her small dog slept under the covers near her feet," Krahn's group wrote. In addition, they reported that a 50-year-old woman said she did "'not mind when my lovely cat' slept on her chest and another described her cat as 'soothing.'" Some people even said that part of the reason they acquired a dog or cat in the first place was to help them relax at night, and this was especially true for single people or people whose partners often traveled or worked at night.The researchers stressed that having a pet in the bedroom is not always a calming experience, and people should prioritize their need for restful sleep over the need of a pet to be close by. story credit; Health day.

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Early life factors important for broilers .

Early life conditions such as feed and water availability immediately post hatch and housing conditions may influence immune development and therefore immune reactivity later in life.The current study, done by researchers from the Adaptation Physiology Group at Wageningen University, addressed the consequences of a combination of these 2 early life conditions for immune reactivity, i.e., the specific antibody response towards a non-infectious lung challenge.The researchers conclude that the results from the present study show that early life feeding strategy and housing conditions influence a chick's response to an immune challenge later in life. These 2 early life factors should therefore be taken into account when striving for a balance between disease resistance and performance in poultry. Broilers are better protected against a non-infectious lung challenge when the feed, water and housing was optimum during the early life of the animals. read more about research in journal of poultry science.

FEEDING BROILERS FOR OPTIMUM GROWTH.

Chicks grow and develop at an incredible rate during the first week of hatching. With just 34-42 days from the beginning to end of the broiler production cycle, that makes the right choice of starter feed particularly critical.The importance of a feed that is specially tailored to the needs of chicks up to the age of ten days cannot be understated. The key consideration for the producer is the digestibility of the feed. Both the digestive tract and immune system are highly immature at hatching. So, unless the feed is easy to digest, most of the nutrients will pass through the digestive tract un absorbed and be excreted in the droppings. The chick will then draw energy from the immunoglobulins and unsaturated fatty acids in its yolk sac, leaving little for development and immunity.This is a serious problem for a chick that needs to develop vital organs and quadruple in weight by the time it is seven days old. The fact that chicks can go up to 48 hours from hatching to their first intake of feed is an added pressure.For all these reasons, a sub-optimal feed will only add to the challenges a chick has to overcome. Apart from impairing growth due to poor nutrient absorption, it will increase vulnerability to pathogenic bacteria and viruses, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. A lot of nutrients are necessary to ensure proper growth. One of the most important of them is protein. Due to its high quality and lower cost than proteins from some animal sources, soy protein is a popular choice. Here, again, digestibility is the key to success. The issue with soy protein in its untreated form is its content of anti-nutritional factors (ANF). Though not a problem for older broilers, in the immature digestive system of a newly hatched chick ANF have a direct negative impact on protein absorption – and the chick's potential for healthy growth,the answer is reduction of the anti-nutritional factors to a very low level, while maintaining the nutritious protein components intact. An optimized starter feed that takes the immature digestive systems of hatchlings into account is another step in the ongoing optimization process, and also the reduction in rearing time. story credit; world poultry.

PSEUDO-RABIES!!!

A large number of swine-producing 
countries have eradicated the presence of pseudorabies, also known as Aujeszky’s Disease. Aujeszky’s Disease can be found throughout the world, especially in regions with dense swine populations including South America, Asia and Europe. Countries such as Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the United States have eradicated the disease from their domestic swine populations in the late nineties. China on the other hand has experienced an unprecedented outbreak since 2011. Vaccination proves to be an important tool to control PRV. Pseudo rabies virus (PRV), the causing agent of Aujeszky’s Disease, is an extremely contagious herpes virus that causes respiratory disease and reproductive problems, including abortions and stillbirths in breeding swine. In piglets, PRV can cause coughing, sneezing, fever, constipation, depression, seizures, ataxia, circling and excess salivation, with mortality in piglets less than one month of age being close to 100%. Occasional death losses in breeding and finishing pigs can also occur. The virus is transmitted through nasal and oral secretions, food, water, and the environment. It can also be carried on vehicle wheels, including tyres or buggy wheels, boots and clothing. The incubation period is commonly two to five days, with nasal and oral excretion and, in adult swine, vaginal, preputial, and/or milk secretion coincident or just preceding any primary symptoms. Additionally, adult Aujeszky positive swine may harbour the virus without showing clear signs. The virus can live in humid air and non-chlorinated water for up to seven hours; and in the soil, on clothing, and faeces for up to two days. Dogs, cats, and racoons can physically transmit the virus between farms, but usually the virus causes death in these animals. PR viruses comprise a single serogroup. However, both vaccine and wild-type viruses can be differentiated into groups by using combinations of physical and biological markers. Vaccination with modified live marker vaccines is a useful tool in controlling the disease and PRV has been eradicated in many countries by the use of modified live vaccines.

THE ROLE OF IRON IN PIGLET DEVELOPMENT.

Production methods have led to an impressive increase in 
productivity but have also increased iron needs in piglets. A potential iron gap can inhibit growth rates and 
profits significantly thus imposing threat can be eliminated simply by providing iron supplements/injections at early stages of development and over course of the piglet's life. Rapid development in modern swine production is a success , with piglets displaying incredible growth rates in their first weeks of life. However, the increased productivity has increased iron needs in piglets and, thereby, increased the risk of iron deficiency anaemia. Anaemia in piglets is a condition characterized by lack of haemoglobin in the body's red blood cells. Haemoglobin plays an important part in transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body, and when the hemoglobin level is reduced, the body's access to the vital oxygen is reduced. The most common cause of anaemia in piglets is iron deficiency. Iron deficiency occurs when the piglet's own iron stores are depleted or when the exposure to stress conditions either inhibits the build-up of haemoglobin or increases the degradation of haemoglobin in the piglet. A critical time for iron deficiency is at weaning, when iron stores following the initial iron dextran injection in the first days of life may be depleted. The causes of low levels of iron in piglet;Increased litter sizes, result in lower iron stores at birth for the individual piglet and with the increased litter sizes, the already low levels of iron in the sow's milk are diminished to even lower levels. The fast growers are increasingly at risk of developing iron deficiency, as they face an increased risk of depletion of available iron stores due to their accelerated growth rates.The fast growers are often on an all-milk diet which offers a good source of all nutrients required by the piglet, except for iron. Weight gain on an all-milk diet is, therefore, associated with an increased risk of developing iron deficiency, which could eventually lead to iron deficiency anaemia. story credit; pig progress.

How to boost piglet immune response with vitamin D.

The benefits of vitamin D in pig feed go beyond the well-known function of calcium regulation and phosphorus homeostasis and its effect on bone development. Studies are showing that optimizing feed intake of vitamin D can boost piglet immunity in a number of different ways. The post-weaning phase is a critical period in a piglet's life. The development of a strong immune system at this early stage is key to securing its health and future optimum performance. However, a piglet has limited ability to mount and regulate an immune response when it is weaned from the sow at between three and five weeks old in commercial practice. Its immunity needs to develop as the passive protection from the sow's antibodies fade away and viral, bacterial and parasitic infections are at their highest risk. Any compromise to a piglet at this period has repeatedly been shown to impact negatively on its later performance. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient which is routinely added to animal feed, primarily because animals' blood levels of vitamin D vary considerably. It has become the focus of renewed attention by nutritionists and swine producers worldwide in recent years, because of findings that indicate that the benefits of vitamin D go beyond the function of the regulation of calcium and phosphorus homeostasis and its effect on bone development. Vitamin D metabolites control the expression of more than 200 genes through activation of the vitamin D receptor, which regulates or modulates gene expression within the target cell. This gives the vitamin a role in many functions in swine, including immunity, muscle function and reproduction. The vitamin D receptor is not only found in the intestinal enterocyte, the osteoblast, and the renal cells, but it is also found in a wide range of cell types whose function does not relate to calcium metabolism, such as the intestine, pancreas, heart, eye, brain, thyroid, parathyroid, muscle, or immune cells. The newborn piglet is exposed to a vast array of antigens from the moment it is born. It relies on maternally-derived immunity for protection, until it develops its own active immunity. Prior to weaning, sow's milk provides most of the nutrients that the piglet will receive for maximal growth and health. However, sow's milk provides little vitamin D. Supplementing sows with vitamin D before birth could provide a nutritional strategy to increase vitamin D status of the piglet, through placental transport or via sow's milk. story credit; pig progress.

"African Swine Fever is a man-made disease"

Dr Klaus Depner and Dr Sandra Blome, of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Germany have new insights about the virus , they have studied cases and are of the opinion that “Most problems are a matter of human misbehavior.”

 African Swine Fever, it should be that the major threat with regard to the virus is not the virus itself, but how humans deal with it.Trials at the FLI showed that there is no difference in the way the ASF virus affects wild boars or domestic pigs.

Logically, one of the major questions that the researchers had when ASF was introduced in 2007 in the Caucasus was: how would the virus spread and behave in wild boars? Depner: “Essentially, we had two hypotheses.

The first one was that the disease in wild boars would die out due to the high virulence of the virus.”Blome: “Roughly, the animals get sick four days after infection.”Depner: “Usually death will follow within three to six days, .

This means that almost all infected hosts will die very quickly, which means that the virus will cease to exist very soon because it kills its host.

In that case, we would not have to worry, ASF would do its job extinguishing itself.”Blome, however, points to the fact that ASF virus is not that contagious. High viral loads are found in blood, but saliva or faeces contain less virus:

“We overestimated the contagiousness of African Swine Fever. The disease moves very slowly. When looking at affected wild boar populations, most of them have not been significantly reduced. The virus doesn’t spread that quickly at all.” Blome adds, “Wild boars shed the virus mainly when they are very sick and in the final stage of the disease.

When the animals have high fever it’s in their character to stay where they are, and they are certainly not going to walk very far when they feel bad.”Depner: “So what we have here is a virus that is very stable in its environment without fast movement. It neither dies out, nor moves.

 Undisposed carcasses of infected wild boars remain infectious for a long time in the environment and become a source of infection for healthy animals.” The human factor; its usually a case of human misbehavior. What happened is that infected meat made it to the market.

When many pigs started to die, they were sent to slaughter. Pig prices dropped, cheap meat entered the market and the meat made its way into homes – and into suitcases. This is how the virus dispersed.

 The virus spread along the main roads, the transport routes. This spread bears a 100% human mark.” Humans can be identified as having aggravated the situation ever since as well.

 Since wild boars have often been thought to be spreading the virus, in several countries attempts were launched to eradicate them – Poor bio security protocols have also been identified as cause of spread of the virus.

Bio security measures include the following; Changing clothes, working hygienically and making sure nothing from the outside reaches the inside.

 Story credit; world poultry.

POULTRY PRODUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

A team of researchers from US University of Delaware traveled to Africa in 2012 to search for exemplary chickens that could survive a hotter planet. The purpose was to develop new breeds of farm animals that can stand up to the hazards of global warming. Heat-resistant breeds of farm animals will be essential to feeding the world as climate change takes hold. This means that efforts such as trying to map the genetic code of African naked-neck chickens to find out if their ability to withstand heat can be bred into broiler flocks.Warmer temperatures can cause a lot of problems for animals like turkeys as these are vulnerable to a condition that makes their breast meat mushy and unappetizing. Turkeys are not heat tolerant at all, and when heat waves strike their breast muscles problems. According to Gale Strasburg, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Michigan State University Within a day or two after the heat wave hits, you will go from there being no problem at all on a farm to 40% of turkey breasts having a problem. Heat waves and temperature changes linked to breed susceptibility are points of focus for research on producing more heat resistant breeds to ensure food security.Work is ongoing on breeding techniques to incorporate the heat tolerant strains into lines of production.

ADDITIVES ; BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO ANTIMICROBIAL GROWTH PROMOTERS IN POULTRY.

The demand for healthier safety-proven production methods and the trend to reduce antibiotic uses is undeniable, and is steadily expanding. Simultaneously, the increasing ineffectiveness of antibiotics due to resistance 
development is another concern. The concern about antibiotic residues in meat products is solved in many countries, but the bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a much more complex problem, involving the entire medical profession. In animal production—poultry production in particular :ceasing the use of antibiotics as growth promoters has changed the technical approaches used to counter the removal or reduction of these products. Without antibiotics, the microbiota in the birds’ gastrointestinal tract must be viewed as an entity to implant, develop and control to ensure that the animals are healthy and can grow according to their genetic potential. The removal of antibiotic growth promoters has revealed that it is crucial to manage the makeup of the birds' intestinal microbiota to avoid or at least limit the risks of health problems inherent to intensive production, hence alternatives are necessary to ensure health of birds and food safety. The main strategies can be outlined as follows: Selectively introduce favourable bacterial populations from a very young age; Provide a regular supply of nutrients specific to the beneficial bacteria; Act directly on pathogenic bacteria. Different methods are available, such as the dietary supplementation with probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids and essential oils. These products act either avoiding bacterial adhesion to the intestinal cells or through bactericidal or bacteriostatic effects. The goal is to achieve the most stable balance on the microbiota in order to avoid the trouble caused by bacteria like E. coli, Clostridium and Salmonella. The gastrointestinal microbiota profile depends on numerous factors such as the health of the breeding stock, production system, stressors (vaccination, viral episodes, etc.), nutrition and stocking densities. The first bacteria to colonise the animals’ digestive tract will shape the intestinal ecosystem for the introduction of global intestinal microbiota. Selectively colonising the gastointestinal tract with beneficial bacteria can modulate the expression of certain genes in the tract’s epithelium, creating conditions for establishing beneficial microbiota. Since the first micro-organisms that come into contact with a newly hatched chick’s gastrointestinal tract are from the breeding stock, controlling the microbiota in the parents would be ideal. Studies have demonstrated that the use of beneficial bacteria in low doses in the hatchery improves chicks’ resistance to pathogens. Other studies have validated that an in-ovo injection of FOS (fructooligosaccharide) helps maintaining higher levels of bifidobacters, with positive effects on zootechnical performance and mortality rate. Most of the microbial strains in probiotics are of the genus Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus. In certain conditions, lactobacilli can produce metabolites that limit the growth of Salmonella by modulating immunity and avoiding bacterial binding to the epithelial cells of the intestine. However, according to some publications, this type of effect is limited. In poultry production, interactions between the birds’ feed and their intestinal health have been amply demonstrated. In the past, the use of antibiotic growth enhancers had the potential to mask a number of problems. In the field, functional diet-based strategies need to be adapted to the different sanitary and production contexts for each production system. Selectively introducing favourable bacterial populations for young chicks, providing a regular supply of nutritious substrates specific to the beneficial bacteria and effectively controlling pathogenic bacteria are important courses of action to ensure the intestinal health of the birds via their feed. Prebiotics, enzymes, and combinations of organic acids and essential oils can be viable alternatives to antimicrobials. story credit; world poultry.

Strategies for improving broiler feed conversion.

Studies carried out on broilers and finishing pigs have allowed the identification of feeding strategies that improve Feed Conversion Efficiency (FCE) in monogastrics. That was reported in a recent press release by the Catalan research institute dedicated to agri-food research & development (IRTA), headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. Efficient use of nutrients;regarding nutritional conditioning, tests in broiler chickens revealed that the use of diets that are limiting in specific nutrients during the first days of life improves the efficiency of use of such nutrients later in life. In the case of phosphorus, it has been observed that conditioning for this nutrient has a positive effect on bone mineralisation, while conditioning for methionine improves feed efficiency in subsequent stages. Preliminary tests were also out with a wide range of combinations of exogenous enzymes with the purpose of identifying those with a higher potential of improving FCE to be studied in the future. This work will further contribute to improved knowledge on how to optimise feeding strategies for pigs and broiler chickens such that feed efficiency is maximised and ecological footprint minimised. FCE is one of the key factors in cost-efficiency of production. For this reason European scientists are working on the ECO-FCE project, aimed at proposing strategies to optimise feed efficiency in monogastrics, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen and phosphorus excretion story credit; world poultry.

Link between eggshell colour and disease resistance.

Selection for a recently discovered immune characteristic is a potential strategy to improve general disease resistance in laying hens and thus to breed for a more robust chicken, conclude researchers of Wageningen University in PLOS ONE and Poultry Science. In addition, selection for this immune characteristic has minimal negative consequences on production, but surprisingly might have an effect on eggshell colour. The current housings systems in the poultry industry increase the spread of diseases by housing large flocks of chickens on sand. These circumstances require a robust laying hen. In 2012, housing of chicken in individual cages was banned in the EU, because of welfare issues. Nowadays, chickens are group housed on sand with space to move around freely. New challenges to keeping poultry;However, this new system also brings new challenges to keeping poultry: in this new system chickens get more easily infected through sick flock mates, or through the dirtier environment. Preventing or treating these infections is becoming more difficult, due to stringent legislations and limitations set on the use of antibiotics.There is an increased need for a robust laying hen: a chicken that maintains egg production and health, under varying and challenging environments. Breeding for improved general disease resistance could be that strategy to get this robust chicken. Breeding for disease resistance;To investigate the potential of selection for increased general disease resistance, the researchers measured NAb levels of almost 3,700 purebred ISA laying chickens. They measured total NAb levels, and NAb levels for different forms of antibodies. Heritabilities were estimated to be 0.12 for total NAb levels, and between 0.07 and 0.14 for the different NAb forms.In addition, relations between the different forms of antibodies were very high. Tom Berghof, involved in the studies, explains: "This show that there is genetic potential for selection on NAb levels. Also, it is possible to select for different forms of NAb simultaneously, because they seem to be mainly regulated by the same genes." Effect on production;Relations between immune characteristics and production characteristics have been described before in several species, and are often negative. This is in line with the resource allocation theory, which states that energy spend on immunity cannot be spend on, for example, growth. Relations between NAb and production characteristics of almost 2,400 hens were studied.Most production characteristics were found not to be regulated by the same genes as NAb. However, a small negative relation was found between egg production efficiency and one NAb form. Berghof and colleagues conclude that selection for NAb might have some negative effects on production, but these negative effects seem to be small. Eggshell colour;Remarkably, one form of NAb was found to be associated to the mother's eggshell colour and egg breaking strength. Additional analyses were done in order to get more insight in the origin of these maternal effects. Berghof states: "If eggs had a whiter eggshell, than NAb levels in the offspring were higher. If eggs had a stronger eggshell, than NAb levels in the offspring were lower. So it seems that there is some kind of relation between the eggshell and the immune system, especially for the eggshell colour." At this moment the researchers are investigating this relation, since this was never described in chickens before. Read more ; World poultry. http://www.worldpoultry.net/Broilers/Health/2015/12/Link-between-eggshell-colour-and-disease-resistance-2727330W/

Melon based antioxidant for poultry drinking water.

Antioxidant supplementation is highly recommended during growth and key stages of production involving increased stress (weaning, vaccination, transport, heat stress and reproduction among others). Lallemand Animal Nutrition has developed a product based on melon extract and It is now also available for drinking water. We already know Mother Nature knows best and the best solutions often come from nature. Think of the powerful plant extracts and essential oils that are often used as feed additives. But also the juice extract from some specific kinds of melons (with an extremely long shelf-life) posses great characteristics and thus potential for animal diets. It was found that some types of melons have extremely high level of antioxidant enzymes, known as superoxyde dismutase (SOD). This acts as an antioxidant; an ingredient that has great demand in modern livestock breeding conditions. Improved zootechnical performance;Lallemand Animal Nutrition has used this knowledge to develop a novel feed additive Melofeed and together with Bionov released it to the animal feed market. Trials (at INRA among others) have showed great results in different animal species. For example, it can reduce the level of somatic cells count in the milk of dairy cows. In combination with organic selenium and Vitamin E, the melon additive decreased the number of downgraded eggs at farm level, improving the number of hatching eggs and raising the number of pullet sold, as shown in a hatchery trial in France. Also in combination with organic selenium the melon additive reduced piglet mortality. Drinking water;Initially only available as solid feed additive, Lallemand Animal Nutrition has now added a water-dispersible form of the antioxidant solution for use in the drinking water of all animal species (Melofeed Drink). According to Lallemand, this product is tested in farm trials with poultry, piglets and rabbits. Because this liquid version is stable in water for 24 hours, it ensures homogenous concentration of SOD. "This new solution facilitates a flexible application of the antioxidant source, allowing rapid intervention at times of high oxidative challenges such as heat stress, vaccination, pathogen challenges and more", explains Lallemand. Story credit;World poultry.

Improving genetic resources through gene bank management.

The European Commission has selected the IMAGE project (Innovative Management of Animal Genetic Resources) for grant preparation and funding by the Horizon-2020 programme. The aim of IMAGE is to upgrade animal gene bank management and to enhance the use of genetic collections. IMAGE will enhance the accessibility of collection information and will improve the quality of gene bank collections. Genetic diversity in gene bank collections and live populations will be analysed using dense SNP marker and sequence information. Cryoconservation and reproduction technologies; Methods and software for better conservation and use of genetic diversity will be further improved making use of dense marker information. Besides genetic aspects, IMAGE will also further improve cryoconservation and reproduction technologies for different farm animal species. Strengthening of gene bank infrastructure; A variety of stakeholders (gene banks, breeding organisations, science, NGOs) participate in IMAGE. The IMAGE project is very important for strengthening of the gene bank infrastructure in Europe and for the conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources at European level. The importance of gene banks and gene pools cannot be overemphasized; it plays a key role in food security as very proven strains and traits are passed down to subsequent generations.Genetic engineering, gene typing, artificial insemination and synchronization of estrus all are vital to the food security drive. Read more here;http://www.pigprogress.net/Breeding/Genetics-Al/2015/12/Improving-genetic-resources-through-gene-bank-management-2732874W/

CALF BORN WITH HEART IN THE NECK!!!.

The year has been filled with spectacular breakthroughs in science especially in animal health and production,also strange discoveries were uncovered.One of the strange occurrence is the calf born with heart in the neck. This rare case was reported by the Observer-reporter Washington Co.;Tom Leech had never seen anything like it in his 15 years living at Longview Farms in Amwell Township. There was something unusual about the newborn Shorthorn bull he brought in from the frigid air one Saturday in March.He warmed up the calf with a blow dryer and electric blanket, which warded off hypothermia. But when he touched his neck, he felt a pulsation. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.It was his heart.!!!.“No one has ever seen it, never heard of it,” said Leech, who owns the family farm with his wife, Debbie. The calf’s mother, G.I. Jane, has birthed healthy calves in the past, and so has the father. None of the calves born at Longview, a cattle-breeding farm, has had any genetic disorders or abnormalities.But the 6-week-old youngster, dubbed Cardio Brisket, is a “unique calf,” Debbie said. Dr. Todd Moores of Wheeling Veterinary Associates has seen two-headed calves before, but never one with a heart in its neck.“I could tell by looking at it. You can see the heart beating right there,” Moores said. “It even makes a noise because there’s fluid around it, so it makes a sloshing noise.”He said Brisket appears to have a defect in his thoracic inlet, and he suspects that his sternum never developed properly. Several ribs may be missing, as well. The opening allowed the heart to prolapse into the neck region, and while it can be pushed down, it just “flops out” again, Tom said. Researchers at the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine offered to take Brisket for testing, but they couldn’t guarantee his survival, so the Leeches declined. Besides, they were starting to consider Brisket a valuable member of their farm family. Brisket stays in the barn, apart from the other 20-some cattle. He is taken out separately during the day to get exercise.“They’re like kids,” Tom said. “They start playing, they start butting, and I’m afraid they’ll butt his chest and could possibly injure his heart.”Moores said it’s hard to tell how long Brisket could live. He has a heart murmur, which could lead to complications when he grows bigger. The Leeches said they will keep him as long as they can, though. They don’t want to take him to the fair and display him like a “circus attraction,” Debbie said, but they wanted to document the case for future reference. Despite the complications, Brisket appears to be getting by. He just started eating grain and has no problem swallowing the food.“He’s healthy, but all the people I’ve talked to said, ‘You’ve got to put him down,’” Tom said. “If he was suffering, we would probably do something with him, but he’s not.” There has been 2 other documented cases of such abnormality ;one in Kentucky in 1903, and another in Turkey, but the date was unknown.

Preventing infection, dehydration helps ensure good chick quality.

It’s well established that good chick quality is a prerequisite for broilers to perform well throughout grow-out. Too often, however, poor chick quality goes unnoticed until excessive first-week mortality is reported. Fortunately, this is a scenario that can be avoided with careful attention to key factors that can impair chick health. We all know that healthy breeder flocks are more likely to produce healthy chicks. So, if the breeder flock is healthy but chick quality is poor or chick mortality is elevated, what’s the reason? In my experience, one common but often-overlooked cause is the way eggs are handled at the hen farm and hatchery. A bacterial infection is usually at the root of poor chick quality and elevated chick mortality, but chicks rarely get infected at the farm — at least during the first week. The infection almost always starts at the hatchery. As long as eggs are not delivered by Cesarean section, they will harbor bacteria, at least on the shell surface. Eggs that are allowed to sweat before hatch, that have a lot of feathers or are left in litter too long or on dirty floor mats can become contaminated with bacteria. Problems at transfer Another source of bacterial contamination — and a common one — occurs during transfer. This is usually due to improper sanitation of either transfer machines or hatcher trays. Transfer from setters to hatchers is more problematic nowadays because it often involves punching a hole in the shell for in ovo vaccine injection. Transfer machines touch every egg hatched in the hatchery and have been associated with poor chick quality if improperly maintained. Antibiotics administered at transfer have been shown to improve flock livability because no hatchery-sanitation program is perfect. However, with mounting pressure to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics that are also needed in human medicine, many broiler operations have elected to discontinue using an antibiotic in the hatchery. Poor sanitation and other mis-management practices become more evident as untreated bacteria compromise egg quality and chick health. Regardless of whether an antibiotic is used, there should be procedures in place to ensure that routine maintenance and sanitation of trays are up to par. When bacterial contamination is identified, transfer-equipment suppliers should also be intimately involved in resolving the problem. Animal-health companies provide support services that include evaluation of sanitation practices and preventive parts replacement. Excessive time between transfer from setters to hatchers needs to be avoided. This delay may, in turn, delay embryonic development, leading to “green chicks” being placed before they are physically able to endure environmental stresses. Clean hatcher trays are critical to good chick quality because they are the first surface touched by newly hatched, wet chicks. Most hatcheries realize there is benefit to using a disinfectant in the hatcher during the hatching process. Airflow, humidity control and temperature can either help or hurt chicks. A lot of organic matter is released when chicks hatch. In a warm, moist environment, it becomes an ideal incubator for all types of bacteria and fungi. If the water used to increase humidity is contaminated, chicks can become infected. story credit; poultry health today.

German study links red meat to strokes.

German study links red meat to strokes

EQUINE THERAPY!!!

https://veterinarymedicineechbeebolanle-ojuri.blogspot.com/2019/01/veterinary-medicine-emerging-viruses-in.html https://veterinarymedicineechbeebolanle-ojuri.blogspot.com/2015/12/egg-powder.html

Russia gives France a puppy to replace Diesel, dog killed in Paris raid.

German Shepherd Dobrynya is named after a Russian folk hero .Diesel's death in a police raid was mourned on social media with the hashtag #JeSuisChien . He may be no Diesel, but Russia has given France a new puppy following the death of the seven-year-old police dog during a terror raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis last month."The puppy you are giving us today will replace Diesel and proves your friendship," said French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Moscow on Monday."They are waiting for this puppy in Paris," he added, according to Russian news agency Tass. Dobrynya waits patiently during the handover ceremony in Moscow on Monday, December 6.Diesel's death in a police raid on November 18 came five days after 130 people were killed in multiple terror attacks in Paris. Read more;http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/08/europe/france-russia-police-dog/

World's first IVF puppies born to surrogate mother dog!!!

The world's first "test tube" puppies have been born after years of attempts, say scientists in the US.The in-vitro fertilisation success paves the way for conserving endangered breeds and could help in the fight against human and animal diseases, say researchers at Cornell University. The seven beagle and cross-bred beagle-spaniel puppies were born to a surrogate mother. They were from the same litter but have three sets of parents. Frozen embryos were implanted in a female dog using techniques similar to those used in human fertility clinics. Problems with freezing embryos have caused difficulties in the past, but the group say they have perfected this and other techniques. Lead researcher Dr Alex Travis, from Cornell's college of veterinary medicine, said: "We have seven normal happy healthy puppies."He added: "Since the mid-1970s, people have been trying to do this in a dog and have been unsuccessful."Now we can use this technique to conserve the genetics of endangered species." The researchers say IVF is a powerful tool to help endangered species of dog such as the African wild dog. It could also be used in the study of inherited human and dog diseases.Dogs share many similar diseases with humans - almost twice as many as for any other species. Dr Travis said the work was an important milestone. "In vitro fertilisation is a really powerful tool to help preserve endangered species of dog," he told the BBC. "IVF is also important for the health of our pets because it opens up the possibility that we could identify certain genes that cause disease and then fix those." The puppies were born in the summer. Their existence was kept secret until the findings were formally announced to the scientific world this week. They have reportedly been named Ivy, Cannon, Beaker, Buddy, Nelly, Red and Green, and all but one has gone to a new home. The research, published in the journal PLoS One, has been described as a "major step forward" in medicine. Prof David Argyle, head of the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Edinburgh, which was not part of the study, said the new techniques would help understanding of inherited diseases in both dogs and people. "Importantly, it is becoming apparent that dogs and humans share many common biology, diseases and syndromes, and it is likely that these new techniques could have significant benefit for the study of human diseases as well as canine diseases," he added. Story credit; BBC.

SCIENTISTS CREATE INFERTILE FEMALE MOSQUITO TO WIPE OUT MALARIA.

UK scientists say they have reached a milestone in the fight against malaria by creating a genetically modified mosquito that is infertile.The plan is to wipe out the insects that spread malaria to people via bites, Nature Biotechnology reports. Two copies of the mutant gene render the malaria-carrying female insect completely barren. But one copy is enough for a mosquito mum or dad to pass it on to offspring. This should perpetually spread the infertility gene throughout the population so the species dwindles or dies out. However, the Imperial College London team say more safety tests are needed, meaning it will be a decade before the mutant mosquitoes can be released into the wild. Cheating nature; The mutant mosquito can still carry and transmit malaria to people via bites. But their genetic make-up means they should breed with and replace other malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Any offspring with one copy of the gene would carry on passing the trait to future generations, while any female offspring that inherits both copies would be unable to reproduce. In this way, the host of the malaria parasite should eventually become extinct. In the Imperial team's experiments with Anopheles gambiae - a breed of mosquito that is rife in sub-Saharan Africa where the bulk of human malaria deaths currently occur - the mutant mosquitoes were kept with wild-type ones so they could mate. The gene for infertility was transmitted to more than 90% of both male and female mosquitoes' offspring across five generations, thanks to technology called gene drive, say the researchers Dr Tony Nolan and Prof Andrea Crisanti. read more ;http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35024794

TREATMENT OF EAR MITE REDUCES TUMORS IN FOXES.

Until recently, endangered foxes on California's Catalina Island were suffering from one of the highest prevalences of tumors ever documented in a wildlife population, UC Davis scientists have found. But treatment of ear mites appears to be helping the wild animals recover.Roughly half of adult foxes examined between 2001 and 2008 had tumors in their ears, with about two-thirds of those malignant, according to a UC Davis study published this month in the journal PLOS ONE. More than 98 percent of the foxes were also infected with ear mites. These mites appear to be a predisposing factor for ear tumors in the Santa Catalina Island fox. Roughly half of adult foxes examined between 2001 and 2008 had tumors in their ears, with about two-thirds of those malignant, according to a UC Davis study published this month in the journal PLOS ONE. More than 98 percent of the foxes were also infected with ear mites. These mites appear to be a predisposing factor for ear tumors in the Santa Catalina Island fox. Luckily for the foxes, the story doesn't stop there. "We established a high prevalence of both tumors and ear mites, and hypothesized that there was something we could potentially do about it, which now appears to be significantly helping this population," said Winston Vickers, lead author of the prevalence study and an associate veterinarian with the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Santa Catalina Island foxes are intensively managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy. In 2009, when the mite treatment study began, the Conservancy added acaracide to the variety of preventative treatments they administer to the foxes each year.The Conservancy confirms that, in the years since, the overall prevalence of ear mites has dramatically declined in the areas they normally catch and treat foxes, as have the rates of tissue masses in the ear canals, suggesting reduced tumor presence. Read more here; http://phys.org/news/2015-12-scientists-widespread-ear-tumorsand-solutionfor.html

DISEASE RESISTANT PIGS PRODUCED USING GENE EDITING TECHNOLOGY.

A British animal genetics firm, working with U.S. scientists, has bred the world's first pigs resistant to a common viral disease, using the hot new technology of gene editing.Genus, which supplies pig and bull semen to farmers worldwide, said on Tuesday it had worked with the University of Missouri to develop pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSv).The condition, also known as blue-ear disease, can be fatal as it affects the animals' immune system and costs farmers hundreds of millions of dollars a year. There is no cure for this disease resulting in huge loses on affected farms.By using precise gene editing, the team from the University of Missouri was able to breed pigs that do not produce a specific protein necessary for the virus to spread in the animals. Their research was published in journal Nature Biotechnology.Early-stage studies showed the new PRRSv resistant pigs, when exposed to the virus, did not get sick and continued to gain weight normally. Editing the genes of living organisms holds out great promise for treating diseases and improving agricultural crops and animal species. But when applied to humans it could also be used to create "designer babies", prompting critics to call for a global ban on genetic modification of human embryos.The technology allows scientists to edit genes by using biological "scissors" that operate a bit like a word-processing program that can find and replace selected stretches of DNA.It has been put to work in laboratories around the world, even as the ethical and safety issues it raises are fiercely debated. PRRSv affects millions of pigs and costs the swine industry around $700 million a year in the United States and 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in Europe, according to a 2011 Iowa State University study cited by Genus. read more here; http://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-pigs-genus-idUSKBN0TR1DL20151208#5wsWqylIrSm8pFo7.97

BILL GATES AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

Mr. Gates told Mr. Hollande that energy innovation needed to be a top agenda item at the climate change conference now taking place in this airport suburb outside Paris. For years, Mr. Gates had prodded governments to increase spending on research and development of clean technologies. He had sunk $1 billion of his own fortune into start-ups working on new kinds of batteries and nuclear reactors. The June tête-à-tête helped accelerate a sequence of events that led to one of the biggest public-private partnerships to tackle climate change, unveiled at the conference. Mr. Gates, who made billions from Microsoft before remaking himself as a philanthropist, was a linchpin of the effort, acting as an envoy between the worlds of business and policy. His role in sealing the deal offers a peek into how the inner circles of governments and industry intersect. It also underscores how a handful of the world’s wealthiest people can stand with heads of state to spotlight a social, economic and policy issue on the global stage. For Mr. Gates, the world’s richest person and co-chairman of the biggest private foundation, it is another sign of how his vast foreign aid operation and status as a technology icon have turned him into a uniquely influential global diplomat. The seeds for a partnership were planted in January when President Obama visited Mr. Modi in New Delhi. Mr. Obama’s goal was to forge a close relationship with Mr. Modi, in hopes of finding common ground on climate change. During those conversations, Mr. Modi pointed out his challenge: He needed new electricity to help raise India out of poverty, but coal was the cheapest power source. He said India would use clean energy if there were tech breakthroughs that provided that energy inexpensively. Mr. Modi’s message prompted Mr. Obama to consider how to achieve more clean-energy innovation. One idea was a multigovernment coalition to increase spending on clean technology. Read more here;http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/business/energy-environment/bill-gates-takes-on-climate-change-with-nudges-and-a-powerful-rolodex.html?_r=0

SWINE FLU OUTBREAK IN IRAN .

An outbreak of swine flu in two south-eastern provinces of Iran has killed at least 33 people over the last three weeks. Iran's Deputy Health Minister Ali-Akbar Sayyari told the official IRNA news agency 28 had died in Kerman province and five in Sistan-Baluchistan. He warned that the outbreak was likely to spread to other areas of the country, including Tehran.Swine flu is a strain of the influenza virus known as H1N1. The strain first appeared in Mexico in 2009 and rapidly spread around the world. Another Iranian news agency, ISNA, reported that around 600 people had received hospital treatment after contracting the virus in Kerman province. Story credit;BBC.

Green body may help meat producers cut carbon emissions

Green body may help meat producers cut carbon emissions

10 Steps to Improving a Food Company through Mobile Technology

10 Steps to Improving a Food Company through Mobile Technology

OAL Group Steam Infusion to make maize-based yoghurt drinks in Zambia

OAL Group Steam Infusion to make maize-based yoghurt drinks in Zambia

OAL installs Greencore Grocery autocoding system

‘Proof is in the pudding’ as OAL installs Greencore Grocery autocoding system

OBESITY IN HORSES.

Obesity in horses not only comes with weight gain but with endocrine problems such as insulin resistance.Obesity in horses has been linked to heart disease , diabetes mellitus and laminitis. Obesity in horses has been linked to laminitis, a painful condition that affects joint of horses ,the weight of the horse puts a strain on the joint.Horses that develop insulin resistance are at higher risk of laminitis. Obesity in horses has been linked to 1) overfeeding of horses. 2) carbohydrate overload. 3) excessive access to grass and pasture. 4)excessive apple and carrot treats which are high in sugar content. 5) feeding commercial feeds that have high sugar content. 6) lack of adequate exercise. Nutrition and exercise are the major tools needed to prevent and control obesity.

EQUINE HEALTH.

. Horses are adorable aside from been energetic, each with his /her own behavior. The changes in horse's behavior which we term unusual is a pointer that something is wrong. The following signs indicate good health in horses; 1)pricked ears.2) good appetite 3)alert eyes 4)regular passing of droppings and urine 5)clean and shiny coat 6) evenly distributed weight on all four feet. The vital signs for a resting healthy horse are Temperature;.......................36.5-38°c. Respiration...................8-12 breaths/min. Pulse.......................30-40 beats/min. When any of these signs are altered ,its a pointer that the horse is unhealthy.

BIRD FLU VIRUS ,FOOD HANDLING AND FOOD SAFETY.

The bird flu virus is inactivated by heat,hence cooking at high temperature of 70°c will destroy the virus.This fact is of importance when handling and cooking poultry. Several cases of H5N1 in humans have occurred from consumption of improperly cooked or raw poultry products. 

 Freezing,blast-freezing and refrigeration of poultry products does not deactivate the bird flu virus,so ensure that you cook thawed poultry properly at high temperature and make sure the fluid from the poultry does not mix with foods that will be consumed raw. 

 Chicken should be cooked thoroughly with no pink parts, eggs should also be properly cooked. All poultry and poultry products should be thoroughly cooked. Hands should be washed immediately after you handle poultry and poultry products,the bird flu virus can be inactivated in acidic pH ,thus washing with soap is very effective to curb the spread of the virus. 

 Water can be disinfected to ensure its safety,the addition of chlorine to water at normal purification levels >3 is effective to kill the bird flu virus.People in areas where the bird flu virus has been identified should ensure thorough cooking of such products and prevent cross contamination with other foods,utensil and cooking agents should be washed with soap and hot water. 

 The bird flu virus can survive at low temperatures for at least a month,hence common food preservation such as freezing,refrigerating cant inactivate the virus, hence cook poultry properly. In 2007 ;German officials found the H5N1 virus in frozen duck sample at a poultry slaughter house,which confirms that freezing cant inactivate the virus.

 Eggs may contain the virus on the shell and within the eggs,eggs should not be consumed raw,or partially cooked,no runny yolks either.Cooking at high temperature for long periods is a sure way to ensure food safety. In man infection with the H5N1 virus has been linked to home slaughter of poultry,handling and cooking of diseased poultry,hence proper hygiene is essential. 

 The key is thorough washing of hands,cooking utensils and cleaning and disinfecting cooking surfaces.Cross contamination should be prevented by cooking poultry separately. Wash,clean and disinfect.

AGRIBUSINESS: ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION AND QR CODES.

The vet has a major role to play in nation building in terms of animal health and production.Animal identification is a tool for tracing,tracking animals as well as collate data on population.

 Animal identification is also a planning tool that will provide into on different animals in the state,number and location. This will help policy makers to plan for vaccination project and other  preventive protocols in animals.

 It has been documented that 75% of diseases affecting humans are caused by animals, so if the health status of the animals are top priority ,then we can prevent a lot of diseases in man.


 The animal kingdom has a lot to offer the human race ,in terms of food, clothing, medicine, research opportunities, foreign exchange and new improved genetic strains and breeds that can eliminate unwanted traits in certain species.

 There is a fortune to be made from animal husbandry but management of such projects deny us the expected rewards.

  Animal identification benefits for animal health and food  safety.

 Animal/pet identification project: if farmer has his farm registered, the animals on the farm are tagged/ pooled in a data base. This  information is stored , the location of the farm is noted using google earth or the simple G.P.S . Activities on the farm are monitored by vets and of course the farm is insured.

All products from the farm can be traced up to the market,and all food safety procedures adhered to, and documented.  This process alone will give a data base of producers in the country.

 The proper management on farms will be ensured , tracing of products from farms  are possible. This will be of importance if there is a problem that mandates a recall of product for investigation.

 The way to achieve the purpose of wealth creation  from agribusiness venture is to have a data base that shows location, tracks supplies and distribution channels..

AVIAN INFLUENZA!!!