Cattle tracking to curb rustling in Nigeria.

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello has asked the National Implementation Committee for the Curtailment of Cattle Rustling in Nigeria to evolve mechanism to track all cattle coming from neighbouring countries. The Minister stated this while receiving members of the committee led by its chairman, AIG Charles Ugomuoh yesterday in Abuja. Bello said all such cattle could be tracked from the border thereby reducing friction often generated by their activities in the hinterland, which can also be used for statistical purposes. He said: "It would be a good idea for your committee to set up a robust mechanism to track all those coming across the border even for statistical purposes." continue

Taurine and cat health.

Felines have a greater need for taurine in the diet than other animals and deficiencies take a long time to be obvious and thus cause significant damage to a cat’s health. Cats fed a nutritionally balanced, fresh meat-based diet won’t need supplemental taurine,hence make sure balanced diets are presented. Home made cat diets should be supplemented with taurine, and all commercial cat foods should be checked and ensure it contains supplemental taurine. carnivores (cats) aren't able to synthesize all the taurine their bodies need from the dietary amino acids methionine and cysteine,unlike herbivores and omnivores that can synthesize all they need. Kitties can only conjugate bile acids with taurine thus they need taurine supplement with every meal. A low rate of taurine synthesis plus a loss of taurine in bile means kitties have an increased dietary requirement for taurine. Deficiencies will cause central retinal degeneration, disturbed reproduction and fetal development and heart cardiomyopathy. Taurine is an amino acid found primarily in muscle meat, especially dark meat, and organs like the heart, kidneys and liver, as well as seafood, including shellfish. It's also found in small amounts in dairy products, including eggs. Plants contain little to no detectable amounts of taurine. The way the meal is presented affects concentration of taurine available for the cats in the finished product. The highest concentrations are found in raw meat, then frying with juices retained, frying without retaining the juices, baking and finally, boiling. Home cooking for cats should consider this, cook the meat lightly, and retain all the liquids from the meat. The higher the temperature, the more taurine lost, so make sure to keep cooking temperatures low.

Agri-tech company kicks off poultry waste to energy project

Agri-tech company kicks off poultry waste to energy project: Irish agri-tech company BHSL has launched a $3m pilot project in the US state of Maryland, aimed at reducing the environmental challenges of the region’s poultry industry.

How service animals help People with needs.

Some people with disabilities rely on trained service animals to assist them in everyday life. The roles of the service animal include but not limited to the following. A service animal is usually a dog that is specifically trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Service animals perform some of the things that the individual with a disability cannot perform for himself or herself. The most familiar type of service animal is a dog who assists some people who are blind, diabetic patients, sick children, depressed and people struggling with PTSD. Service animals are trained to assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Service animals can help people with a variety of needs. Dogs may be trained to:I)Alert someone with diabetes when blood sugar reaches high or low levels. 2)Remind someone to take his or her medication. 3)Detect the onset of a seizure and help the person remain safe. 4) Alert people with hearing impairments to sounds such as doorbells. 5) pick up items for people with mobility impairments. 6) cleaning up in the home.

Scientists might be allowed to make genetically modify humans, changing DNA to avoid diseases.

Scientists want to be able to genetically engineer humans so that they don't get diseases. That is the conclusion of a new report from two of the world's most elite scientific institutions, which calls for people to be allowed to make modifications to inherited human DNA so that diseases are edited out or treatments are edited in. Such controversial changes could allow scientists to stop diseases from being passed on to future generations. Gene editing, which effectively allows the precise "cutting and pasting" of DNA, is already used in basic research and clinical studies that involve non-heritable "somatic" cells. continue

Air Pollution Caused 1.1 Million Premature Deaths In India During 2015.

A new study reveals that India will soon outpace its Asian neighbor, China in the context of increasing air pollution levels. U.S.-based Heath Effects Institute, along with the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation released a report , which indicates that 1.1 million premature deaths were encountered in 2015 due to increasing air pollution in India. The same statistic applies for China as well, but the country has taken numerous measures to keep a check on carbon emissions and also to stabilize the level of air particulates in the atmosphere. Michael Brauer, a professor at the University of British Columbia and the lead author of the study, states that this situation is the "perfect storm" for India. Factors Contributing To The Pollution The report states that the amount of a fine dust particulate matter known as PM2.5 has risen sharply and is largely responsible for the 1.1 million premature deaths in India. Brauer believes that the country's growing industrialization, along with the rapid growth in population, are behind the rise of PM2.5 in India. continue

AVMA introduces 2 new mental wellness initiatives to boost veterinarians.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, has launched two new mental wellness initiatives to protect the health and welfare of its members. Joined by their insurance trusts, AVMA LIFE and AVMA PLIT, the AVMA initiated a pilot programme to train individuals to identify and assist those who might be considering suicide. The programme is free of charge to 4,000 veterinarians and 1,000 veterinary students. Cost considerations restrict the number of participants at this time, but the program may be expanded in the future. In addition to the training, a new LinkedIn community offers all veterinarians the opportunity to connect with thought leaders in the mental health profession and discuss a wide range of topics related to wellness and well-being. “AVMA is very much a family,” said AVMA President Dr. Tom Meyer. “When a recent study reported that one in six US veterinarians has contemplated suicide, we needed to act. As veterinarians we are saving the lives of our patients every day. We need to empower our member veterinarians with knowledge that might save a colleague’s life." Training for veterinarians: Called QPR – an acronym that stands for “Question, Persuade, Refer” – gatekeeper training teaches people without professional mental health backgrounds to: Recognize the signs that someone may be considering suicide; Establish a dialogue with the person; Guide the person to seek professional help. continue