Effect of enclosure expansion on the activity budgets of eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys, Colobus guereza.

Behavior is one of the most observable and informative indicators of animal welfare. This study used behavioral observation methodologies to evaluate the impact of an enclosure expansion on the activity budgets of a group of three eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys, Colobus guereza, housed at the Adelaide Zoo in South Australia. Instantaneous scan sampling methods were used to record the monkeys' behavior before and after they were given access to new aerial walkways at 2-min intervals between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., over a total of 109 h (66 baseline hours, 43 post-expansion hours). Broad state behaviors (e.g., social, moving, resting, interacting, and feeding) were recorded and were used to generate activity budgets. Locomotion, feeding, and social behaviors increased following the addition of the aerial walkways, along with an overall increase in activity, attributed to the larger area and increased complexity of the environment. Results indicate that the addition of aerial walkways was effective for increasing the behavioral repertoire in colobus monkeys, aligning activity budgets more closely with their wild counterparts, and increasing active and affiliative behaviors.

Comparison of tiletamine-zolazepam-ketamine and tiletamine-zolazepam-ketamine-xylazine anaesthesia in sheep.

The anaesthetic effects of intravenous tiletamine-zolazepam 6.6 mg/kg-ketamine 6.6 mg/kg (TK) and tiletamine-zolazepam 6.6 mg/kg-ketamine 6.6 mg/kg-xylazine 0.11 mg/kg (TKX) were evaluated in six wethers. Heart rate, respiration rate, arterial blood pressure, and the electrocardiogram were monitored during anaesthesia. Analgesia was tested by electrical stimulation in the left flank. Atropine (0.03 mg/kg) was given intramuscularly before induction, but after recording of baseline heart rate and respiratory rate. The duration of analgesia was 28.7 +/- 6.9 min with TK and 82.8 +/- 26.6 min with TKX. Heart rate increased significantly within 5 min after TK or TKX administration. Respiratory rate remained unchanged after TK administration, but increased significantly from 5 to 45 min after TKX administration. Arterial blood pressure decreased significantly at 15 min with TK and 30 min with TKX. Sheep remained recumbent for 201 min with TK and 166 min with TKX. All recovered uneventfully. We conclude that either TK or TKX may be used for anaesthetising sheep.

A case report on the use of guaifenesin-ketamine-xylazine anesthesia for equine dystocia.

In 4 mares suffering from dystocia, general anesthesia was induced with xylazine (1.1 mg/kg, IV) and ketamine (2.2 mg/kg, IV) and maintained with continuous intravenous infusion of ketamine (2 mg/ml), xylazine (0.5 mg/ml) and guaifenesin (50 mg/ml) in 1 L of 5% dextrose. The duration of the procedure of these mares were 40, 45, 180, and 35 minutes, respectively. For procedures required more than 1 hour (Mare 3), the dose of ketamine and xylazine in the mixture was reduced to 1 mg/ml and 0.25 mg/ml, respectively. Average infusion rate of the mixture used to maintain anesthesia for each mare was 2.5, 2.67, 2.28, and 2.21 ml/kg/hr. Recovery to standing occurred at 55, 75, and 180 minutes after termination of infusion for mares 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Xylazine reversal agent, tolazoline (2.2 mg/kg), was given to mare 1 to hasten the recovery; the mare stood within 30 minutes after tolazoline administration. Continuous infusion of guaifenesin-ketamine-xylazine can be an alternative anesthetic technique for prolonged obstetrical procedures under field conditions when suitable anesthetic equipment is not available. If recovery to standing is extended over 30 to 40 minutes, yohimbine or tolazoline can be administered to hasten recovery.

Adolescents' perceptions of the costs and benefits associated with cigarette smoking: Sex differences and peer influence.

This study explored the perceptions of young adolescents of the costs and benefits of cigarette smoking. These perceptions were examined as a function of the sex of the adolescent and peer smoking habits. The sample consisted of 155 White middle class male and female adolescents, aged 12 to 15. The results indicate that endorsement of particular costs and benefits was related to the respondent's sex and whether or not the respondent had friends who smoked. The girls seemed to view smoking as a sign of rebellion or autonomy, while the boys seemed to view smoking cigarettes as a social coping mechanism. The effect of having friends who smoke was always mediated by the sex of the adolescents. Boys who have friends who smoke have attitudes that appear more conducive to smoking than do boys with nonsmoking friends. This relationship did not hold for girls. The implications for smoking education and intervention are discussed.