Supplementation based on protein or energy ingredients to beef cattle consuming low-quality cool-season forages: I. Forage disappearance parameters in rumen-fistulated steers and physiological responses in pregnant heifers.

Two experiments evaluated the influence of supplement composition on ruminal forage disappearance, performance, and physiological responses of Angus × Hereford cattle consuming a low-quality cool-season forage (8.7% CP and 57% TDN). In Exp. 1, 6 rumen-fistulated steers housed in individual pens were assigned to an incomplete 3 × 2 Latin square design containing 2 periods of 11 d each and the following treatments: 1) supplementation with soybean meal (PROT), 2) supplementation with a mixture of cracked corn, soybean meal, and urea (68:22:10 ratio, DM basis; ENER), or 3) no supplementation (CON). Steers were offered meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis L.) hay for ad libitum consumption. Treatments were provided daily at 0.50 and 0.54% of shrunk BW/steer for PROT and ENER, respectively, to ensure that PROT and ENER intakes were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. No treatment effects were detected on rumen disappearance parameters of forage DM (P ≥ 0.33) and NDF (P ≥ 0.66). In Exp. 2, 35 pregnant heifers were ranked by initial BW on d -7 of the study, allocated into 12 feedlot pens (4 pens/treatment), and assigned to the same treatments and forage intake regimen as in Exp. 1 for 19 d. Treatments were fed once daily at 1.77 and 1.92 kg of DM/heifer for PROT and ENER, respectively, to achieve the same treatment intake as percent of initial BW used in Exp. 1 (0.50 and 0.54% for PROT and ENER, respectively). No treatment effects (P = 0.17) were detected on forage DMI. Total DMI was greater (P < 0.01) for PROT and ENER compared with CON and similar between PROT and ENER (P = 0.36). Accordingly, ADG was greater (P = 0.01) for PROT compared with CON, tended to be greater for ENER compared with CON (P = 0.08), and was similar between ENER and PROT (P = 0.28). Heifers receiving PROT and ENER had greater mean concentrations of plasma glucose (P = 0.03), insulin (P ≤ 0.09), IGF-I (P ≤ 0.04), and progesterone (P = 0.01) compared to CON, whereas ENER and PROT had similar concentrations of these variables (P ≥ 0.15). A treatment × hour interaction was detected (P < 0.01) for plasma urea N (PUN), given that PUN concentrations increased after supplementation for ENER and PROT (time effect, P < 0.01) but did not change for CON (time effect, P = 0.62). In conclusion, beef cattle consuming low-quality cool-season forages had similar ruminal forage disappearance and intake, performance, and physiological status if offered supplements based on soybean meal or corn at 0.5% of BW.

Compartmental flux and in situ methods underestimate total feed nitrogen as judged by the omasal sampling method due to ignoring soluble feed nitrogen flow.

The objective of the present study was to estimate ruminal feed N outflow in lactating cows using the omasal sampling, compartmental flux or in situ method. A total of five ruminally fistulated Finnish Ayrshire dairy cows were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square study with 21 d periods. Experimental silages of grass or red clover harvested at two stages of maturity in addition to a supplement of 9·0 kg concentrate/d were fed to the cows. In vivo omasal N flow was determined using the omasal sampling technique. Ruminal in situ N flow was calculated from N intake and degradability (38 µm nylon bags). The samples of ruminal contents and faeces were divided into seven particle-size fractions by wet sieving; the concentrations of indigestible neutral-detergent fibre and N were used to calculate N flow in the compartmental flux method. In vivo omasal N flow was greater for the red clover silage diets than for the grass silage diets. The N flow calculated using the compartmental flux technique and that calculated using the in situ technique were highly correlated, but both were less than and poorly correlated with the in vivo N flow. In both in situ and compartmental flux techniques, forage maturity increased the particle-associated N flow, with the increase being significantly greater for the red clover diets than for the grass silage diets. In conclusion, the compartmental flux and in situ methods described the N flow associated with the particle fractions rather than the total ruminal outflow of feed N.

Gastrocutaneous fistula as a result of migration of a foreign body in a dog.

A six-year-old, female Tibetan terrier was referred for investigation of a non-healing wound on the left caudal thorax. A subcutaneous swelling had initially developed on the chest wall, followed by a draining tract from which seropurulent fluid drained for two months. There had been no response to antibiotic treatment. Following radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations, a bone sequestrum from a fractured rib or a foreign body was suspected. Surgical exploration of the wound identified a sinus tract and a wooden foreign body (an ice-lolly stick) was located in subcutaneous tissues. Partial wound dehiscence of the surgical site occurred postoperatively, but healed after 10 days. One month later, fluid began to discharge from the area again. Further surgical exploration confirmed a gastrocutaneous fistula. Dissection of the fistula and surgical closure of the stomach, body wall and skin led to resolution of all signs.

Abomasal ulceration and abomaso-pleural fistula in an 11-month-old beefmaster bull.

An 11-month-old, beefmaster bull presented with anorexia and signs of respiratory disease. Physical examination, thoracic ultrasonography and radiography, and pleural fluid analysis indicated pericarditis and septic neutrophilic pleuropneumonia. Postmortem findings were abomasal adherence to the diaphragm, a fibrotic fistulous tract connecting the abomasum and pleural cavity, granulomatous abomasitis, granulomatous pericarditis, and fibrinonecrotic pleuritis.

Degradabilidade ruminal da fibra da cana-de-açúcar, pela técnica dos sacos de náilon in situ, quando suplementada por várias fontes proteicas / Ruminal degradability of sugar cane fiber, when supplemented with different protein sources through in situ bag technique

Quatro bovinos dotados de cânulas de rúmen foram utilizados em um delineamento change over 4 x 4, para testar os efeitos dos seguintes tratamentos: A) farelo de algodäo; B) farelo de soja; C) soja crua e D) soja torrada, sobre a degradabilidade ruminal da fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) da cana-de-açúcar, empregada como único alimento volumoso, com utilizaçäo da técnica dos sacos de náilon in situ. A degradabilidade da fibra foi inferior quando suplementada por soja gräos e superior, quando por farelo de algodäo (p < 0,05). Näo houve diferença estatística nos efeitos dos gräos de soja crus e torrados sobre a degradabilidade da fibra da cana-de-açúcar

Degradabilidade ruminal de forragens nas formas verde e desidratada. III. Degradabilidade ruminal do capim Napier (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) e quatro fases de crescimento pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ" com bovinos fistulados / Fresh and artificially dried forages ruminal degradability. III. Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) degradabilities in four growth stages, through \"in situ\" dacron bags in rumen fistulated steers

Objetivou-se determinar a degradabilidade ruminal da MS, PB e FB, por meio de sacos de náilon "in situ", do capim Napier, em quatro estágios de crescimento correspondentes às seguintes idades em dias após o corte, e respectivas alturas: A = 72 dias e 1,30 m; B = 105 dias e 2,35 m; C = 135 dias e 3,25 m e D = 165 dias e 3,25 m. Foram utilizados 8 bovinos com fístulas permanentes de rúmen, o delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado e os seguintes resultados foram obtidos: as degradabilidades da MS, PB e FB diminuíram de forma linear com o aumento da idade da planta (p<0,05); os valores com 48 horas de incubaçäo foram: para MS = 56,02 por cento, 47,71 por cento e 38,76 por cento; para FB = 47,37 por cento; 41,77 por cento; 32,28 por cento e 22,92 por cento nos tratamentos A, B, C e D respectivamente. Para proteína, foram considerados apenas os estádios A, B e C: 53,59 por cento, 35,32 por cento e 26,42 por cento de degradabilidade às 48 horas de incubaçäo. O volume de líquido ruminal aumentou linearmente de A para D (p<0,01), sendo que o "turn-over" líquido ruminal foi maior em A (p<0,05)

Primary repair of abomasal fistulae resulting from right paramedian abomasopexy in eight adult dairy cattle.

Abomasal fistulae resulting from right paramedian abomasopexy in eight adult dairy cattle were treated by primary closure of the abdominal wall after surgical resection of the fistulae. The median elapsed time from the abomasopexy to recognition of fistula formation was 16 days (range, 10 to 90 days). All cows had normal electrolyte values, and five cows had mildly increased base excess values (range = 4.0 to 7.8 mEq/L). Surgery was performed with the cows in dorsal recumbency using general anesthesia. The fistulated tissue was resected and the abomasum and body wall were closed primarily. One or two layers of appositional sutures using #2 or #3 polyglactin 910 were used to close the body wall. Mean surgical time was 2.2 hours (range, 1.8 to 2.9 hours). Two cows were lost to follow-up. Five of the remaining six cows returned to production (range, 5 to 30 months). Primary closure of the abdominal wall should be considered in the surgical repair of abomasal fistulae in cows that do not have diffuse peritonitis.

Degradabilidade ruminal de forragens nas formas verde e desidratada. I. Degradabilidade dos capins coloniäo (Panicum maximum Jack) e elefante (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ", com bovinos dotados de fístula ruminal / Fresh and artificially dired forages ruminal degradatibility. I. Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) and coloniao grass (Panicum maximum Jack) degradabilities through \"in situ\" dacron bags in rumen fistulated steers

As taxas de degradaçäo ruminal da matéria seca, proteína bruta e fibra bruta dos capins Coloniäo e Napier, nas formas fresca e desidratada, foram determinadas pela técnica de sacos de náilon "in situ". Oito bovinos machos mestiços, com fístulas de rúmen, foram usados em um delineamento em "change-over" com dois grupos de 4 animais, para testar os seguintes tratamentos: A) campim Coloniäo; B) capim Coloniäo desidratado; C) campim Napier e D) capim Napier desidratado. As taxas de degradabilidade mostraram-se estatisticamente semelhantes e foram as seguintes, com 48 horas de incubaçäo: MS = 42,5 por cento; 45,9 por cento; 52,7 por cento e 50,7 por cento, PB = 37,9 por cento; 53,0 por cento; 49,7 por cento e 46,9 por cento, FB = 32,2 por cento; 39,7 por cento; 40,0 por cento e 45,2 por cento para os tratamentos A, B, C e D respectivamente

Degradabilidade ruminal de forragens nas formas verde e desidratada. II. Degradabilidade da soja perene (Neonotonia wightii) e da alfafa (Medicago satira L.) pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ" com bovinos dotados de fístula ruminal / Fresh and artificially dried forages ruminal degradability. II. Perennial soybean (Neonotonia wightii) and alfafa (Medicago satira L.) degradabilities through \"in situ\" dacron bags in rumen fistulates steers

As taxas de degradaçäo ruminal da matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e fibra bruta (FB) das leguminosas alfafa e soja perene, nas formas verde e desidratada, foram determinadas pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ". Oito bovinos machos mestiços, com fístulas de rúmen, foram usados em um delineamento "change-over" com dois grupos de 4 animais, para testar os seguintes tratamentos: A) soja perene verde; B)soja perene desidratada; C) alfafa verde; D) alfafa desidratada. Os resultados mostraram-se estatisticamente semelhantes para MS e PB. As taxas de degradabilidade foram as seguintes, com 48 horas de incubaçäo: MS = 56,89 por cento; 58,73 por cento; 59,55 por cento e 55,43 por cento; PB = 73,91 por cento; 74,43 por cento; 76,44 por cento e 71,16 por cento. Para fibra bruta a degradabilidade da soja perene foi mais elevada que a da alfafa, nos períodos de 12, 24 e 48 horas de incubaçäo, näo havendo diferenças entre as formas verde e desidratada. Os resultados para 48 horas de incubaçäo foram: 20,10 por cento; 21,63 por cento; 35,71 por cento e 29,61 por cento, nos tratamentos A, B, C e D respectivamente

A new device for long-term continuous enteral nutrition of rats by elementary diet via gastrostomy, following extensive oesophageal or lower gastrointestinal surgery.

A device for intragastric nutrition of unsedated and minimally restrained rats under complete alimentary abstinence has been developed. The cannulation system consists of an infusion pump, modified glass syringe as flow swivel, rat-harness and a silicone-tube-gastrostomy. The animals were kept in special cages and coprophagy was prevented by an own model of faecal collection cup. Methionine and Ca-glycerophosphate had to be added to a commercial elementary diet. The rats were allowed to move freely during intragastric infusion, which was applied for 14 to 28 days in 118 Wistar-rats (350-400 g). They maintained weight on an energy supply of 86.4 kcal/day.