Selecting goats for juniper consumption did not improve their liver Phase I detoxification.

A sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time study was conducted on 15 adult intact male Boer × Spanish goats selected for high (J+, n = 7) or low (J-, n = 8) juniper consumption (estimated breeding values of 13.1 ± 1.0 and -14.3 ± 0.8, respectively; mean ± standard deviation). Pentobarbital sleep time is an in vivo assay of Phase I hepatic metabolism that can be induced by exposure to barbiturates and monoterpenes. Monoterpenes and pentobarbital are initially oxidized by this pathway; thus, we hypothesized that J+ goats would have shorter sleep times than J- goats. Time to the righting reflex after pentobarbital-induced sleep was measured in all goats following a minimum period of 21 d on three different diets: 1) grazing juniper-infested rangeland (JIR), 2) forage diet with no monoterpenes (M0), and 3) forage diet with 8 g/kg added monoterpenes from camphor, sabinene, and α-pinene in a w/w ratio of 5:4:1 (M+). Fecal samples from the JIR diet were analyzed with near-infrared spectroscopy for the percentage of juniper in the diet. Fecal samples from the JIR and M+ diets were analyzed for camphor and sabinene concentrations. The percentage of juniper in the diet of J+ goats grazing rangelands was greater (P = 0.001) than J- goats (31.1% and 18.6%, respectively). Sleep time did not differ between selection lines (P = 0.36). However, the sleep time of the goats fed M+ diet was 26 min shorter (P < 0.001) than JIR or M0 diets, which were equal. The concentration of camphor and sabinene in the feces was higher (P < 0.001) for goats on the M+ diet than on the JIR diet. There were no differences between selection lines in the serum enzymes indicative of liver disease (aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase; P > 0.12), and all treatment means were within the reference interval. Selecting goats for juniper consumption did not affect the Phase I detoxification system, and several alternative hypotheses for differences in juniper consumption between J+ and J- goats are discussed.

Juniper is an encroaching woody plant with high levels of essential oils and condensed tannins that can limit its consumption by herbivores. Goats were divergently selected for 15 yr to increase or decrease their juniper consumption. This study was conducted to determine if a physiological pathway for metabolism of essential oils differed between high and low juniper-consuming goat lines. The metabolic pathway for the elimination of essential oils is similar to that of the barbiturate pentobarbital. A pentobarbital-induced sleep time was used to detect differences in detoxification rates between the divergent goat lines selectively bred for either a high or low percentage of juniper in their diet. We hypothesized that high juniper-consuming goats would have shorter sleep times, indicating their detoxification pathway was more active. However, there was no difference between these lines. Additionally, there were no differences between the selection lines in blood metabolites that indicate liver tissue damage or liver weights. Therefore, higher dietary juniper preference may be associated with other detoxification mechanisms, may not be limited by essential oils, or may be a socially facilitated learned behavior.

Veterinary prescription errors in a community pharmacy setting: A retrospective review.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacies are poised to see more veterinary prescriptions as a result of increased pet ownership especially during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic. Concern has been raised about the lack of veterinary pharmacy training that community pharmacists receive, but no studies have evaluated the actual prevalence of errors in veterinary prescriptions including the prevalence of prescription writing errors. OBJECTIVES: This study identifies the prevalence of errors in veterinary prescriptions at independent community pharmacies. METHODS: An electronic form was used to ensure required information was pulled from the pharmacy software systems in a consistent manner. Information was pulled from the hard copy image and the prescription label corresponding to that fill. Prescribing trends, such as species and errors, were assessed using descriptive statistics for the overall sample. Error comparisons between written and verbal prescriptions and between weight-based and nonweight-based prescriptions were assessed using chi-square and Fisher exact tests. RESULTS: Weight, although not legally required but clinically necessary for evaluation of veterinary prescriptions, was omitted from 97.8% of prescriptions. When evaluating the prevalence of errors between handwritten and verbal prescriptions, it was more likely to see errors in prescriptions handwritten by the veterinarian (105 of 119; 88%) than verbal prescriptions (257 of 389; 66%). Conversely, handwritten prescriptions were less likely to omit the required Drug Enforcement Agency number on controlled substance prescriptions. CONCLUSION: Based on the number of errors seen in both handwritten and verbal prescriptions, emphasis should be placed on training pharmacists to be competent in clinically evaluating veterinary prescriptions and training veterinarians on handwriting prescriptions to include both legally and clinically required information needed before dispensing.