Effect of ruminal plastic bags on haematological and biochemical parameters of sheep and goats

A study was carried out with the objective of determining the haematological and blood biochemical parameters in sheep and goats with plastic bags in the rumen for a period of 42 days. This was to indicate the possible influence of plastic bags in the rumen on blood parameters. 16, one-year old castrate Dorper sheep with a mean body weight of 26.8 kg (± 0.3 kg) and 16 one-year old castrate small East African goats with a mean weight of 24.5 kg (± 0.3 kg) were used for the study. The 16 sheep and 16 goats were divided into 4 groups of 4 animals each (n = 4). Three groups of each species were implanted with 129 g, 258 g and 387 g of plastic bags, respectively, in the rumen through rumenotomy and the fourth group of each species was control on which rumenotomy was done but with no implanting of plastic bags. Blood samples were obtained by jugular venipuncture from all sheep and goats every 2 weeks for analysis. The only haematological parameter that had significant change was platelets, which significantly (p < 0.05) increased in both sheep and goats with plastic bags in the rumen. However, mean values of erythrocytes, packed cell volume, haemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume decreased but not significantly in the sheep and goats with plastic bags in the rumen. The sheep and goats with plastic bags in the rumen had hyponatraemmia, hypochloridaemia and decreased aspartate aminotransferase enzyme activity. The changes observed in haematological and biochemical parameters could be an indication of adverse effects on the production and well-being of sheep and goats that ingest these plastic bags. These finding may be of diagnostic importance in cases of rumen impaction with indigestible foreign bodies, particularly, plastic bags

Clinical manifestations in sheep with plastic bags in the rumen

Sixteen 1-year-old castrate Dorper sheep were used for the study. The animals were divided into four groups of four animals (n = 4). Three groups were implanted with 129 g, 258 g and 387 g of thin plastic bags into the rumen through rumenotomy, while the fourth group was subjected to rumenotomy without implanting plastic bags, and served as control. All the animals were monitored daily for 6 weeks following implantation. Presence of plastic bags in the rumen was characterized by anorexia, severe depression, discomfort, dehydration, firmness and asymmetrical distension of the abdomen, ruminal hypomotility and diarrhoea with intermittent constipation, weight loss, terminal recumbency and death. The severity of these clinical manifestations increased with increased quantities of plastic bags and their duration in the rumen. Sheep implanted with 258 g and 387 g lost 7.8 percent and 14.2 percent of their initial mean body weight, respectively, by the end of 6 weeks. Presence of plastic bags in the rumen could interfere with digestion, with a gradual loss in body weight, productivity and occasional mortality. Plastic bags in the rumen should be considered as a differential diagnosis in sheep presenting the observed clinical signs, especially in urban and periurban areas

Culture of Kenyan Goat (Capra hircus) Undifferentiated Spermatogonia in Feeder-Free Conditions

The undifferentiated spermatogonial population in mammalian testes contains a spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) population that can regenerate continual spermatogenesis following transplantation. This capacity has the potential to be exploited as a surrogate sires breeding tool to achieve widespread dissemination of desirable genetics in livestock production. Because SSCs are relatively rare in testicular tissue, the ability to expand a population in vitro would be advantageous to provide large numbers for transplantation into surrogate recipient males. Here, we evaluated conditions that would support long-term in-vitro maintenance of undifferentiated spermatogonia from a goat breed that is endemic to Kenyan livestock production. Single-cell suspensions enriched for undifferentiated spermatogonia from pre-pubertal bucks were seeded on laminin-coated tissue culture plates and maintained in a commercial media based on serum-free composition. The serum-free media was conditioned on goat fetal fibroblasts and supplemented with a growth factor cocktail that included glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), stromal cell-derived factor (SDF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) before use. Over 45 days, the primary cultures developed a cluster morphology indicative of in-vitro grown undifferentiated spermatogonia from other species and expressed the germ cell marker VASA, as well as the previously defined spermatogonial marker such as promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF). Taken together, these findings provide a methodology for isolating the SSC containing undifferentiated spermatogonial population from goat testes and long-term maintenance in defined culture conditions

Effects of epidural xylazine, lidocaine and their combination on body temperature in acepromazine-sedated dogs

A prospective randomized and blinded study was carried out to compare the effects of epidural xylazine, lidocaine and their combination on body temperature in dogs. Fifteen healthy dogs were used in this study. The dogs were randomly assigned to three groups of five animals each. The first group was injected with 2% lidocaine at 4 mg/kg body weight, the second with 2% xylazine at 0.6 mg/kg body weight while the third group was injected with the drug combination of lidocaine and xylazine at 2 mg/kg body weight and 0.3 mg/kg body weight, respectively, in the same syringe. All injections were made into the lumbosacral space. Changes in rectal temperature were recorded over a 4-hour monitoring period. A significant (p<0.05) decline in the mean rectal temperature was observed in all three groups. Lidocaine caused a decrease in mean rectal temperature of 1.0 °C, xylazine 1.6 °C and lidocaine-xylazine 2.0 °C. At the end of the 4- hour monitoring period, the mean rectal temperature of the dogs in the lidocaine group remained significantly lower as compared to baseline values. Dogs injected with lidocaine had significantly higher mean temperature when compared to dogs injected with xylazine (p=0.02) and lidocaine-xylazine (p=0.003). Shivering was observed in 20% of the dogs in lidocaine group, 60% in xylazine group and 80% in lidocaine-xylazine group. It was concluded that epidural xylazine, lidocaine, and their combination caused significant change in mean rectal temperature even in the absence of any surgery. In clinical setting, this has both morbidity and mortality implications in the post-operative period.Keywords: Dogs, Epidural, Lidocaine, Xylazine, Temperatur

Categorizing Wounds to Improve Clinical Management and Prognostic Outcome: A Retrospective Study

Trauma and surgeries are common causes of wounds that require proper management to prevent complications, economic losses, pain and suffering, death or euthanasia of the affected animals. A retrospective study of 243 wounds in cattle, sheep and goats treated between 1981 and 2006 is described. It describes practical clinical methods of categorizing and correlating wounds based on their management, complications, and prediction of prognosis. Location of a wound in the body is one of the most important factors that determine the mode of management, possible complications and anticipated outcome. Approximately 22% of the wounds were located on the ventral abdomen and thoracic regions and these healed rapidly due to good drainage of exudates. Periarticular and articular wounds constituted 17.3% and required protective and supportive bandages to prevent contamination and minimize movement. Wounds in areas prone to gross contamination constituted 14.3%, took long to heal and had a high incidence of suture dehiscence. The type of wound meant the state in which it was, while the level of tissues involved determined depth. About 46.1% of wounds involved areas with scarcity of tissue and healed slowly, while sepsis and abscessation formed 39.2% of the wounds and healed after prolonged treatment. Wounds involving dense muscular tissue were 23.6% and these healed within 3 weeks of treatment, but skin-deep wounds made 6.7% and healed within 2 weeks. Those involving the bone were 4.5% and took an average of 16 weeks to heal. Bites and gangrenous wounds were unmanageable and frequently resulted in high patient mortality, while partially granulating wounds healed rapidly. Wounds penetrating to any body cavity were best managed closed rather than open. Effective wound management-entailed debridement of deep-seated necrotic tissue, removal of foreign materials or special surgery to enhance drainage. The complicating factors included presence of subcutaneous emphysema, oedema, sepsis, foreign bodies, maggots and abscesses. Location, type and depth of wounds are therefore useful factors for categorizing wounds and these factors influence management and prognostic outcomes. Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 30 (2) 2006: pp. 73-8

Anaesthesia in Urinary Tract Disease

No Abstract.Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 14 1990: pp. 29-3

Prevalence Of Sole Haemorrhages And Its Correlation With Subclinical And Chronic Laminitis In Dairy Cows

La prévalence et les facteurs de risque de la fourbure aigue étaient déterminés chez 300 vaches laitières de 29 fermes en zéro-pâturage et de 3 ferme en pâturage à Nairobi et dans les districts périurbains. La boiterie était estimée à l\'aide d\'un système d\'évaluation de la locomotion universellement reconnu. Les onglons étaient examinés et une couche de 1-2mm d\'épaisseur de la corne de la sole était rognée pour exposer davantage les lésions qui étaient en-dessous. La localisation des lésions sous les onglons était enregistrée selon les 6 zones universellement reconnues. La prévalence de la fourbure aigue infraclinique et chronique était de 49,3% et 21% respectivement. Alors que l\'hémorragie de la sole n\'était observée que chez 82% sur les 70,3% des vaches souffrant de fourbure aigue (à la fois infraclinique et chronique), elle a en revanche été notée chez toutes les 49,3% des vaches en phase infraclinique de fourbure aigue. Les hémorragies étaient réparties en 5 catégories universellement reconnues. Les hémorragies dans la zone 4 en-dessous de l\'onglon étaient souvent associées à la fourbure aigue infraclinique, tandis que celles dans les zones 2, 3 et 6 étaient surtout associées à la fourbure aigue chronique. Les hémorragies « faible à modérée » (point 1 et 2) avaient une forte corrélation (χ2 = 18,01 ;

Prevalence of laminitis and the patterns of claw lesions in dairy cows in Nairobi and the Peri-Urban Districts

Prospective study was carried out to determine the characteristics of claw lesions in dairy cattle in Nairobi and the peri-urban districts between December 2005 and May 2006. The gaits of 300 dairy cows in 29 zero-grazed and 3 pasture-grazed farms were evaluated and their claws examined for laminitis and other lesions. A retrospectivestudy was also conducted on case records for dairy cattle foot lameness in the Large Animal Clinic of the University of Nairobi. Claws were also collected from abattoirs and examined for lesions. Data was analyzed with GENSTAT for Windows Discovery Edition 2. From the retrospective study, the prevalence of laminitic lesions was 0.79%while infective lesions particularly interdigital necrobacillosis and sole abscesses had prevalence of 35.7% and 11.1% respectively. In the prospective study, the prevalence of laminitis was 70.3%, sole bruising 45%, heel erosion 27.3%, white line separation 18% and double soles 17%. However, the total prevalence of infective claw lesions was 4.7%. Abattoir claws had lesions with similar trends as prospective survey.Current nutrition, housing and management practices that are adopted for increasing productivity and improving hygiene, may account for changes seen in claw lesion patterns of increased laminitis and decreased infective lesions in dairy cattle

Ways for Improving the Prognosis of Ventral Hernias in Food Animals

No Abstract.Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 14 1990: pp. 20-2