The importance of animal welfare and Veterinary Services in a changing world.

Animal welfare is an essential component of the future of sustainable agriculture and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There is growing global recognition of the importance of animal welfare, which must always be considered as part of the decision-making around food and nutrition security. Veterinary Services, encompassing public and private veterinarians and para-veterinarians, are custodians of animal welfare and key players in future actions to improve it. The welfare of animals is everyone's responsibility, from the individual farmer and practitioner to policymakers at the national and intergovernmental level. In this paper, after providing background information about current animal welfare issues and identifying animal welfare risks, the authors make a number of recommendations for action at the institutional and individual level. They do so because while the former is essential to generate change at scale and effective resourcing, the latter can create immediate action at a local level and drive change from the ground up. Without coordinated action from Veterinary Services, opportunities to improve animal welfare, alongside human and environmental health and well-being, may very well be lost, and animal welfare may fail to improve or even be at risk of decline.

L'accélération de la perturbation numérique depuis quelques années est spectaculaire, transformant tous les secteurs de l'économie, y compris la production animale, la santé animale et le bien-être des animaux. Les auteurs s'intéressent à certaines technologies numériques de pointe qui pourraient influencer le devenir des Services vétérinaires. Toutes ces technologies sont orientées données et trouvent leur illustration dans trois exemples qui se répartissent dans les catégories suivantes : a) les technologies sans fil et mobiles appliquées au suivi de la santé animale, à la surveillance des maladies, aux notifications des foyers et à l'échange d'informations ; b) les technologies avancées de traitement des données, dont les mégadonnées et l'analytique de données qui servent à mettre en évidence des structures sous-jacentes, à extraire des schémas prédictifs, à relever des corrélations et à générer d'autres informations ; c) des technologies prometteuses comme les applications « blockchain ¼ (chaînes de blocs) utilisées pour une gestion efficace et efficiente de diverses chaînes d'approvisionnement en intrants. Les auteurs résument brièvement les défis actuels associés au recours accru à ces technologies dans le secteur de la santé animale et en font ressortir certaines répercussions sur les Services vétérinaires. Les technologies numériques vont profondément affecter les modalités de la prestation des services de santé animale ainsi que la gestion des systèmes de santé animale. Par conséquent, il est crucial que les Services vétérinaires anticipent cette évolution et s'adaptent à la transformation numérique en cours. L'investissement dans les nouvelles technologies et les efforts visant à doter les professionnels vétérinaires actuels et futurs des compétences et des connaissances numériques nécessaires pour rester informés et au centre de l'innovation numérique dans le domaine de la santé animale doivent être les priorités des prochaines années.

El bienestar animal es un componente esencial de la agricultura sostenible del futuro y de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible fijados por las Naciones Unidas. Su importancia está cada vez más clara en todo el mundo. El bienestar de los animales debe ser siempre tenido en cuenta en los procesos decisorios que tocan a la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional. Los Servicios Veterinarios, que comprenden tanto a los veterinarios públicos y privados como al personal paraveterinario, son custodios del bienestar animal y agentes clave de toda acción futura encaminada a mejorarlo. Para lograr que el bienestar animal mejore desde ahora mismo, allí donde haga falta, y asegurar que siga un rumbo de constante progreso en el futuro, es preciso que todos los interlocutores, desde los productores y cuidadores hasta los planificadores de políticas de ámbito nacional e intergubernamental, hagan suya esta responsabilidad. Tras presentar información básica sobre los actuales problemas de bienestar animal y señalar los riesgos existentes en la materia, los autores formulan una serie de recomendaciones para actuar tanto desde las instituciones como a título individual, sabedores de que el primer nivel es fundamental para inducir cambios a gran escala y movilizar recursos eficazmente, mientras que el segundo puede generar inmediatamente acciones a escala local e impulsar desde ahí cambios en sentido ascendente. A falta de una labor coordinada de los Servicios Veterinarios, es muy posible que se pierdan oportunidades para mejorar el bienestar animal, junto con la salud y el bienestar de personas y ecosistemas, y que los niveles de bienestar animal no mejoren o, incluso, corran peligro de deterioro.

Investigating risk factors and possible infectious aetiologies of mummified fetuses on a large piggery in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate risk factors and potential infectious aetiologies of an increased mummification rate (>2%) identified over time on a 1200-sow farrow-to-finish farm in Australia. METHODS: Association of potential non-infectious risk factors and the mummification rate was investigated using 15 years of breeding herd data (40,940 litters) and logistic regression analysis. Samples from a limited number of mummified fetuses were taken to identify potential infectious aetiologies (porcine parvovirus, Leptospira pomona, porcine circovirus type 2, Bungowannah virus and enterovirus). RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis suggested that the mummification rate was significantly associated with sow breed and parity, year and total born and stillborn piglets per litter. The mummification rate was lower (P < 0.001) in Landrace (3.4%) and Large White (2.6%) sows than in Duroc sows (4.9%). Gilts (2.9%) had a lower (P < 0.001) mummification rate than older sows. The mummification rate increased with total born litter size and decreased with the number of stillborn piglets (P < 0.001). A clustering effect within individual sows was identified, indicating that some sows with mummified fetuses in a litter were more likely to have repeated mummifications in subsequent litters. No infectious agents were identified in the samples taken. CONCLUSION: Results from this study suggest that the increased mummification rate identified over time on this farm is likely to be a non-infectious multifactorial problem predisposing the occurrence of mummification. Further research is required to better understand the pathophysiology of mummification and the role that different non-infectious factors play in the occurrence of mummified fetuses.

Managing animal wellbeing: a preliminary survey of pig farmers.

OBJECTIVES: To gather information on producers' perceptions and management strategies towards the detection, alleviation of pain and management of sick, injured and heat-stressed pigs. METHODS: A total of 16 Victorian pig farmers completed a face-to-face questionnaire consisting of 9 open and 26 closed questions regarding their detection and management of sick, injured and heat-stressed pigs and their perceptions of pigs' tolerance to pain. RESULTS: We identified 15 behavioural and physiological indicators of pain and heat stress. Treatment records were kept more often for weaned progeny and lactating sows than for piglets and mated sows. Most producers felt that pigs suffered little pain from routine husbandry procedures and that pain relief was not warranted in those situations. Castration at 10 days of age was the only procedure considered by producers to be very painful. There were inconsistencies in approaches to treating pigs in three case studies of animals with sickness or injury of varying severity. Meloxicam was stated as the most common anti-inflammatory drug used on-farm. A small proportion of farmers incorrectly identified antibiotics as anti-inflammatory drugs. All producers had at least one cooling system in place for preventing heat stress in pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The farmers in this survey group generally relied on behavioural changes in pigs to signal pain and heat stress. Although producers kept treatment records and used hospital pens for compromised pigs, our results suggest that the monitoring of pigs' recovery could be improved. Producers generally have a good understanding of the use of anti-inflammatory drugs to aid recovery of pigs.

The muskrat in biomedical research.

Muskrats are aquatic rodents of moderate size which are plentiful throughout North America, but are not used commonly in the laboratory. Recently, we tested the feasibility of muskrats as experimental models and have found them to be acquired and cared for easily in conventional laboratory animal facilities. Some of their natural characteristics and diseases are described. The husbandry techniques that we used are presented and form a base for the preparation of future guidelines for the maintenance and use of feral animals in research. The results of some initial experiments testing the muskrat's utility for investigations of cardiorespiratory control mechanisms also are presented. Our data show that even anesthetized muskrats possess brisk and dramatic cardiovascular and respiratory reflexes. Our findings that their brains possess the cytoarchitectural and myeloarchitectural features comparable to other mammals, combined with their relative uniformity in size, has allowed us to locate specific neuronal loci stereotaxically. We suggest that the muskrat be considered as an experimental animal model for studies of the neural control of cardiorespiratory systems.

Comparison of Track XI fluorometric immunoassay with Bio-EnzaBead enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of serum antibody to mouse hepatitis virus.

The Track XI system (Microbiological Associates, Bethesda, Md.) was compared with the Bio-EnzaBead assay (Organon Teknika, Durham, N.C.) for the detection of antibody to mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). Strain A/J mice were inoculated intranasally with MHV type 3. Sera were collected at 1, 2, 4, and 9 weeks postinoculation and tested. Individual serum samples were retested twice by each method. The results suggested that the Track XI system was more sensitive and reliable than the Bio-EnzaBead assay in detecting antibody to MHV type 3 in individual serum samples from A/J mice.

Maprotiline fatality: case report and analytical determinations.

A new tetracyclic antidepressant drug, maprotiline hydrochloride was found to be the agent of death in a 23-year-old subject following massive injestion (4.5-6.0 g). The case may be the first reported maprotiline death (sole cause) in the United States. Analytical parameters were studies and various chromatographic and spectrophotometric systems are reported. Quantitation was performed by gas-liquid chromatography using a nitrogen-phosphorous detector. Concentrations of the compound in biological fluids and tissues are also reported.

An ovarian teratoma in a guinea pig.

An ovarian teratoma was diagnosed in a one-year-old, virgin female, Strain 13 guinea pig that died unexpectedly. The left ovary was replaced by a 5.5 x 5 x 3 cm mass. Microscopically, dense fibrous connective tissue, immature neuroepithelium, central and peripheral nervous tissue, respiratory epithelium and cartilage were observed. A similar mass, 1.2 x 1 x 1 cm, composed largely of embryonal neural tissue, was adhered to the abdominal side of the diaphragm. The latter mass probably resulted from transcoelomic seeding by the ovarian tumor.

Reproductive performance and fertility testing in strain 13 and Hartley guinea pigs.

A study to test the effects of certain experimental manipulation on the reproductive capacity of male guinea pigs required verifying the fertility of the male guinea pigs before and after manipulation. Methods of testing fertility were evaluated, and normal reproductive data from preexperimental and control groups were tabulated and analyzed. No data from the actual experiments were included. Virgin and proven fertile males were mated with 1 (1:1) or 2 (2:1) virgin or proven fertile females. Inbred (13/N Umm) and conventional (Mfi:CFDH-ML (DH) ) guinea pigs were used. Ninety-five percent of both groups of males were fertile. Eighty-four percent of both groups of females were fertile. Male guinea pigs previously proven fertile had the same subsequent fertility rate as virgin males. Over one-third of the conceptions did not take place during the first estrus cycle (16 da) during which the males and females were mated. Strain 13 and Hartley females had litters of approximately the same size (3.1 vs 3.0), but the neonatal mortality was statistically lower (P less than 0.001) in the Hartley stock (9.3%) than in the Strain 13 guinea pigs (28.4%).

Bacterial mastitis in guinea pigs.

Necropsy of 37 guinea pigs revealed mastitis to be the primary cause of death in 70% of these animals. Epidemiologic study failed to establish correlation between age, parity, or litter size and the onset of mastitis. The disease did not appear to be contagious. Although mastitis frequently developed during lactation, survivability of offspring was unaffected. The agent most consistently isolated from affected mammary glands was Escherichia coli (17 of 37). Other isolates in decreasing order of occurrence were Klebsiella pneumaniae (6 of 37), Streptoccus zooepidemicus (2 of 37), and Proteus sp (1 of 37). The etiologic agent of 111 cases was undetermined.

Relationship between pancreatic lesions and serum glucose values in Mystromys albicaudatus.

Serum glucose levels and pancreatic islet cell changes were studied in combination in 127 Mystromys albicaudatus in an effort to develop better criteria for defining diabetes mellitus in thiss rodent. The study supports a previous report in which 170 mg/100 ml was selected as indicative of hyperglycemia based on statistical analysis of serum glucose distributions. The presence of exceptions to predicted correlations between islet cell changes and serum glucose levels was identified for further study.