Feline diabetes incidence increases when dry food is the diet.

A new study has shown that feline diabetes incidence increases when dry food is the diet. The study shows the risk of cats fed with dry food developing diabetes ,even cats with normal weight fed with dry foods have a risk of developing diabetes. The study which was conducted by an online survey,had various questions such as age,breed, diet,exercise,neuter/spay status,body weight,medication,exercise and behavior.The result of the survey further provided a platform for classifying the cats based on diet,with cats fed dry food in a section,cats with wet food in another and those fed a combination of the 2 diets types. The research showed that obesity was a precursor for feline diabetes but also that cats with normal weights fed with dry food were at risk of diabetes. The underlying cause is that dry food(kibble) is rich in carbohydrates and all these carbohydrates breakdown to sugars which triggers diabetes. Cats should be fed on low carbohydrate diet and even treats with high carbohydrate level should be avoided.

AI-infected poultry hits grocery shelves in Russia

AI-infected poultry hits grocery shelves in Russia: Russia’s veterinary body Rosselkhoznadzor has discovered several batches of turkey infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) on supermarket shelves.

Benefits of feeding soaked hay to horses with certain health conditions.

Hay refers to grasses ,herbaceous plants and legumes that are cut,dried and sold to be used as animal fodder. Hay is commonly used in horses, ruminants, rabbits and guinea pigs. Hay is commonly made from grasses,but can also be made from legumes. Farmers also make hay from barley,oats and wheat plants are also used. Hay is usually fed to animals in pen or stalls instead of allowing them to pasture. The benefit of feeding hay is that animals have constant access to feed even when conditions such as drought is experienced and also its the main feed of grazing animal,hence it can supply 100% of fodder required. The process of making hay makes it dry and dusty making it difficult to feed some animals especially those with respiratory conditions hence several methods have been employed to reduce the dusty nature without reducing nutritional quality. Soaking hay is an accepted and most common method of presenting hay to animals. There is a proper method of soaking hay before presentation as soaking for about 30 minutes will reduce the nutritional value of the hay. The key ingredient that is manipulated when soaking is the nonstructural carbohydrates which can either make or mar the purpose of feeding the hay. In obese horses, soaking the grass hays before feeding will reduce the nonstructural carbohydrates in the hay,thus help manage weight as less feed will be consumed by the horses as the moisture content will also promote satiety level thus managing the weight of obese horses. Horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis(HYPP), a genetic condition associated with high levels of potassium resulting in muscle twitching and paralysis. Soaking hay reduces the level of potassium it contains,thus feeding soaked hay will be a remedy for horses with HYPP. Horses with insulin resistance and equine metabolic syndrome are sensitive to increase in carbohydrate can be fed on soaked hay to reduce the level of non structural carbohydrates thus preventing laminitis. Horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction(PPID) better known as Cushing's disease ,should be fed with hay with less than 12% non structural carbohydrates .This can easily be achieved by soaking hay to reduce the non structural carbohydrate level . The benefits of feeding soaked hay to horses with certain health conditions outlined above can be sabotaged if soaking is not done properly. Soaking of hay for as little as 30 minutes reduces the nutrient level thus making it useless and of no benefit,hence soaking should be done quickly for about 10-15 minutes to get desired results.

How to use nutrition to heal sick horses.

Nutrition is vital for growth and development in horses, but sick horses also need a healthy plan to stay alive,healthy and recover fast. Sick horses can be difficult to manage if the proper combination of feed is not presented as certain conditions require restrictions of certain food groups to aid healing. Horses with respiratory diseases such as heaves and inflammatory airway disorder should be handled with care as these conditions are intensified with inhalation of particles. Feeding horses with these conditions will require altering typical feed or changing presentation of feed to reduce possibility of inhaling feed particles. Horses with these conditions can be fed using hay cubes or soak the hay for about 10-15 minutes before presentation. Horses can also be fed steamed hay,which will reduce the intensity of dust particles and also sterilize the hay by killing any pathogen in the hay. Hay can also be presented in pelleted form to reduce the chances of inhaling dust particles. When horses have chronic kidney disease ,the aim will be to avoid dietary protein but encourage the normal eating and drinking .Horses with chronic kidney disease fed on dietary protein will urinate excessively thus putting further pressure on kidneys thus protein is not recommended also the amount of calcium must be reduced so as to decrease the amount of substance the kidney must excrete in urine. The horse should be fed high quality hay or keep horses on pasture. Horses that have been off feed for a while or had feed that had restricted energy requirement are prone to hepatic lipidosis which is life-threatening. Horses must be encouraged to eat and a balanced ration presented. The feeding regimen must be aggressive to get the horse back in shape,this can be achieved by using hand feeding or passing of a nasogastric tube.

Horses: The benefits of boots and bandages in horses.

Boots and bandages usually for support and protection. Horses are active animals usually sporty,so its only logical to strap on boots when off to the field,sport track or generally when in transit. The extent of injury on limbs are also reduced when in boots as opposed to being bare footed. Bandaging works for support,protection and also as a source of pressure when horse is injured. Horse lovers and owners use bandages and wraps to apply pressure to a wound to stop bleeding by encouraging clotting and protect that wound from contamination. Wrapping a leg wound will reduce swelling as keeping the swelling down is the most important aspect of the healing process.

Study shows that kicks from shod horses can break bones.

Never stand behind a horse,never.This is one of the most ,if not the most common tip in equine class and on the field. The force of a horse kick can be fatal aside from bone damage,and its common knowledge that a kick from a shod horse will inflict more damage than from a bare foot horse. A new study by Swiss researchers has confirmed that a kick from a horse with metal shoes comes with a much greater risk of fracture to another horse’s long bones than a horse with plastic shoes,but with risk significantly minimized if the horse has no shoes at all. This is why its important to keep horses barefoot on the hind limbs when in groups on pasture .

Fracture: Tiny bubbles used to heal non-healing fractures in pigs.

Scientists have used a new procedure employing tiny bubbles to heal bones in pigs. The scientists embarked on research to find an alternative to bone grafts for bone fractures. These scientists have developed a much needed alternative to bone grafts that could help alleviate the long-term hospitalization, disability, and considerable costs to the health system associated with non-healing fractures. Bone injuries sometimes fail to heal completely resulting in nonunion fractures resulting in attempts to ensure healing by using bone grafts. The procedure is painful and most bone grafts donated usually fail to integrate. The researchers devised a two-step gene therapy method coupled with FDA-approved ultrasound and microbubbles that completely healed nonunion fractures in pigs within eight weeks of treatment. This technique is safe,minimally invasive but promoted complete bone healing.