Comparison of Tonovet® and Tonovet plus® tonometers for measuring intraocular pressure in dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and sheep

Background and Aim: Reference ranges for intraocular pressure (IOP) in healthy animals are device-specific; therefore, it is strongly recommended to use appropriate reference values according to the device. Therefore, our aim was to compare IOP readings made by TonoVet® and TonoVet Plus® in healthy dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, and horses. We compared IOP values measured by TonoVet® and TonoVet Plus® tonometers in clinically normal eyes of dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and sheep. Materials and Methods: Five groups comprising 20 animals each of dogs (various breeds, 9 months–10 years old, 14 females, 6 males), cats (various breeds, 6 months–12 years old, 8 females, 12 males), horses (various breeds, 5–12 years old, 12 females, 8 males), cattle (Holstein, 1–7 lactation, female), and sheep (Latvian Darkhead ewes, 1–8 years old) were included in the study. Both eyes of all animals were subjected to ophthalmic examination, including evaluation of IOP by rebound tonometry using TonoVet® and TonoVet Plus® devices. Normality was determined using the Shapiro–Wilk test. The independent t-test was used to determine differences between IOP values in the right and left eyes and between both tonometers. This study was approved by the Ethical Commission of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (Nr. LLU_Dzaep_2022-2-4). Results: No differences in IOP between the right and left eyes were found in all cases (p > 0.05). The mean IOP ± standard deviation values in both eyes for TonoVet® and TonoVet Plus® tonometers were as follows: for dogs, 15.25 ± 2.73 mmHg and 19.65 ± 3.46 mmHg; and in cats, 18.88 ± 3.98 mmHg and 18.78 ± 4.26 mmHg, respectively. In horses, mean IOP was 22.15 ± 3.74 mmHg and 24.28 ± 3.00 mmHg; in cattle, 24.73 ± 2.89 mmHg and 23.28 ± 2.97 mmHg; and in sheep, 18.05 ± 3.54 mmHg and 22.49 ± 4.66 mmHg, respectively. Significant differences in IOP values were observed between the tonometers in sheep, dog, and horse groups (mean difference –4.40, –4.48, and 2.13, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed significantly higher IOP values measured by the TonoVet Plus® tonometer in dogs and sheep

The Novel Solution for Acid Whey Permeate Application in Animal Feeding

The experiment was conducted to analyse the effect of fermented acid whey permeate on milk yield and composition in the lactating cows. Propionic acid bacteria and their metabolites have been used in the lactating cows feeding over decades, primarily to improve growth performance, feed conversation and milk production efficiency. Two groups of the lactating cows were arranged in the study: control group (n=50) and experimental group (n=50). Experimental group’s animals received 0.5 L of fermented whey permeate daily. Acid whey permeate was inoculated with the freeze-dried PS-4 (Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii, Chr.Hansen, Denmark) starter and fermented anaerobically for 48 hours at 20±2 oC. Fat, protein, lactose and total solids concentration in acid whey permeate and fermented acid whey permeate was analysed by the standard methods, but propionic acid was detected by HPLC. Milk composition and quality indices were determined at the beginning of the study and each month during 6 months period. At the end of the study the feeding of fermented acid whey permeate was stopped, but milk composition and quality data were monitored additionally after one month. Milk fat, protein, lactose, total solids, urea concentration and somatic cell count were analysed by a near infrared spectroscopy