An experimental meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing sled dogs.

A dog's nutrient requirements can theoretically be met from a properly balanced meat-free diet; however, proof for this is lacking. Exercise places additional demands on the body, and dogs fed a meat-free diet may be at increased risk of developing sports anaemia. We hypothesised that exercising dogs would remain in good health and not develop anaemia when fed a nutritionally balanced meat-free diet. To this end, twelve sprint-racing Siberian huskies were fed either a commercial diet recommended for active dogs (n 6), or a meat-free diet formulated to the same nutrient specifications (n 6). The commercial diet contained 43 % poultry meal, whereas soyabean meal and maize gluten made up 43 % of the meat-free diet, as the main protein ingredients. Dogs were fed these diets as their sole nutrient intake for 16 weeks, including 10 weeks of competitive racing. Blood samples were collected at weeks 0, 3, 8 and 16, and veterinary health checks were conducted at weeks 0, 8 and 16. Haematology results for all dogs, irrespective of diet, were within normal range throughout the study and the consulting veterinarian assessed all dogs to be in excellent physical condition. No dogs in the present study developed anaemia. On the contrary, erythrocyte counts and Hb values increased significantly over time (P < 0.01) in both groups of dogs. The present study is the first to demonstrate that a carefully balanced meat-free diet can maintain normal haematological values in exercising dogs.

Whole Body Computed Tomography with Advanced Imaging Techniques: A Research Tool for Measuring Body Composition in Dogs.

The use of computed tomography (CT) to evaluate obesity in canines is limited. Traditional CT image analysis is cumbersome and uses prediction equations that require manual calculations. In order to overcome this, our study investigated the use of advanced image analysis software programs to determine body composition in dogs with an application to canine obesity research. Beagles and greyhounds were chosen for their differences in morphology and propensity to obesity. Whole body CT scans with regular intervals were performed on six beagles and six greyhounds that were subjected to a 28-day weight-gain protocol. The CT images obtained at days 0 and 28 were analyzed using software programs OsiriX, ImageJ, and AutoCAT. The CT scanning technique was able to differentiate bone, lean, and fat tissue in dogs and proved sensitive enough to detect increases in both lean and fat during weight gain over a short period. A significant difference in lean : fat ratio was observed between the two breeds on both days 0 and 28 (P < 0.01). Therefore, CT and advanced image analysis proved useful in the current study for the estimation of body composition in dogs and has the potential to be used in canine obesity research.

Serotypes and virulence gene profiles of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from feces of pasture-fed and lot-fed sheep.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains possessing genes for enterohemolysin (ehxA) and/or intimin (eae), referred to here as complex STEC (cSTEC), are more commonly recovered from the feces of humans with hemolytic uremic syndrome and hemorrhagic colitis than STEC strains that do not possess these accessory virulence genes. Ruminants, particularly cattle and sheep, are recognized reservoirs of STEC populations that may contaminate foods destined for human consumption. We isolated cSTEC strains from the feces of longitudinally sampled pasture-fed sheep, lot-fed sheep maintained on diets comprising various combinations of silage and grain, and sheep simultaneously grazing pastures with cattle to explore the diversity of cSTEC serotypes capable of colonizing healthy sheep. A total of 67 cSTEC serotypes were isolated, of which 21 (31.3%), mainly isolated from lambs, have not been reported. Of the total isolations, 58 (86.6%) were different from cSTEC serotypes isolated from a recent study of longitudinally sampled healthy Australian cattle (M. Hornitzky, B. A. Vanselow, K. Walker, K. A. Bettelheim, B. Corney, P. Gill, G. Bailey, and S. P. Djordjevic, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:6439-6445, 2002). Our data suggest that cSTEC serotypes O5:H(-), O75:H8, O91:H(-), O123:H(-), and O128:H2 are well adapted to colonizing the ovine gastrointestinal tract, since they were the most prevalent serotypes isolated from both pasture-fed and lot-fed sheep. Collectively, our data show that Australian sheep are colonized by diverse cSTEC serotypes that are rarely isolated from healthy Australian cattle.

A study of the foodborne pathogens: Campylobacter, Listeria and Yersinia, in faeces from slaughter-age cattle and sheep in Australia.

In a study of faeces from 475 slaughter-age cattle and sheep from 19 herds or flocks, Campylobacter species (C. jejuni and C. coli) were cultured from all production systems studied and from 73.7 per cent (14/19) of herds or flocks. Within individual properties there was a higher prevalence in cattle than in sheep, with Campylobacter being most commonly isolated from feedlot cattle. The median prevalences and ranges were: for dairy cattle, six per cent (0-24%), feedlot beef cattle, 58 per cent (12-92%) pasture beef cattle, two per cent (0-52%), mutton sheep, 0 per cent (0-4%) and prime lambs eight per cent. Listeria ivanovii was cultured from one dairy cow but Yersinia enterocolitica was not cultured from any animal. Campylobacter is the leading bacterial causative agent of acute diarrhoea in humans in many industrialised countries. While the role of cattle and sheep in producing human campylobacteriosis either directly or via contaminated food, remains to be epidemiologically clarified, this study suggests that the production system, particularly for cattle, may be an important consideration.

Virulence properties and serotypes of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli from healthy Australian cattle.

The virulence properties and serotypes of complex Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (cSTEC) were determined in two studies of healthy cattle in eastern Australia. In the first, a snapshot study, 84 cSTEC isolates were recovered from 37 of 1,692 (2.2%) fecal samples collected from slaughter-age cattle from 72 commercial properties. The second, a longitudinal study of three feedlots and five pasture beef properties, resulted in the recovery of 118 cSTEC isolates from 104 animals. Of the 70 serotypes identified, 38 had not previously been reported.