Semen Collection and Spermatozoa Characteristics in the Kea Parrot (Nestor notabilis).

We describe the seminal characteristics of the kea parrot (Nestor notabilis), an endangered species endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Semen was collected in the full breeding season from 6 birds in the collection of an amateur aviculturist. The manual massage technique was used. A total of 25 ejaculates was collected and evaluated for volume, degree of contamination, and spermatozoa concentration; motility and kinetic parameters were assessed on diluted samples (modified Tyrode's Albumin Lactate Pyruvate, pH 8.2, temperature 37.5°C) with a computer-aided sperm analyzer. Four ejaculates were not analyzed because of an excessively high degree of contamination. Semen color ranged from transparent or turbid yellow to whitish. The geometric mean of spermatozoa number/ejaculate was 765.9 ± 2084.7 × 106. Total and progressive motility were 71.7% ± 20.0% and 59.8% ± 22.0%, respectively. Great variability was observed both among birds and among different ejaculates of the same subject. The seminal characteristics of kea are worth further investigation, with the aim of relating semen quality to fertility and defining a minimum inseminating dose for breeding purposes. A deeper knowledge of male reproductive biology also can increase the success of breeding programs and enable the use of the kea as a model species for other more threatened species, such as the kaka ( Nestor meridionalis ) and the kakapo (Strigops habroptila).

Semen evaluation in four autochthonous wild raptor species using computer-aided sperm analyzer.

At least 10 percent of the approximately 300 species of the order Falconiformes are listed as being globally threatened. The present work describes the seminal characteristics of three diurnal and one nocturnal raptor species. Semen was collected from clinically healthy Accipiter nisus (n = 1), Falco subbuteo (n = 6), and Falco tinnunculus (n = 5) adult males that were housed at the 'Centro Animali Non Convenzionali' of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin. The semen was collected after a period of recovery and before their release as well as from seven Bubo bubo males bred in captivity as part of a raptor conservation project. All the potential semen donors were trained in semen collection during the breeding season via a ritualized procedure. Ejaculation was achieved using a massaging technique. Each sample was evaluated for volume, degree of contamination, and spermatozoa concentration. The semen motility and kinetic parameters were assessed on diluted semen (modified tyroides albumin lactate pyruvate, pH 7.5, temperature 37.5 °C) using a computer-aided sperm analyzer. Semen collection was successful in all the diurnal species and in five B bubo individuals. The sperm motility and sperm kinetic parameters were very variable both among and within species. In contrast with previous studies that involved raptors bred in captivity and imprinted on humans, we worked with wild birds and attempted to overcome the problem of poor semen quality, which is strongly influenced by stress, by adopting a ritualized procedure that has never been reported for semen collection purposes.

Avaliação hemogasométrica em cães submetidos à pneumonectomia esquerda / Hemogasometric evaluation in dogs submitted to left pneumonectomy

Moléstias de natureza infecciosa, traumática ou neoplásica acometem o pulmão dos cães, constituindo-se a pneumonectomia como possibilidade de tratamento para algumas dessas afecções. Assim, diante da escassez de dados encontrados na literatura, objetivou-se avaliar e comparar parâmetros hemogasométricos, pressão parcial de oxigênio (PaO2), de dióxido de carbono (PaCO2), concentração do íon hidrogênio (pH) e do íon bicarbonato [HCO3-] no sangue arterial de cães adultos, antes e após pneumonectomia esquerda. Foram estudados 18 cães, machos e fêmeas de idades variadas, pesando entre 15 e 20 kg, distribuídos aleatoriamente em dois grupos de 9 animais cada. No Grupo A, o coto brôn-quico esquerdo dos cães foi suturado manualmente com fio de polipropileno 5-0, e no Grupo B, o coto brônquico esquerdo foi suturado mecanicamente com grampeador cirúrgico. Os dados foram colhidos em 6 momentos: antes da administração da medicação pré-anestésica (T0), 1 hora após a extubação do animal (T1EXT), 48 horas após a intervenção cirúrgica (T48h), 17 (T7d), 15 (T15d) e 36 dias (T36d) após intervenção cirúrgica. Em seguida, foi realizada a análise estatística (teste de normalidade de Anderson-Darling, Wilcox e teste U de Man-Whitney). Os valores de PaO2 do Grupo A no T1EXT (67,00±11,31) mostraram-se significativamente inferiores em relação ao T0 (99,44±18,34), fato este que não ocorreu no Grupo B: T1EXT (87,00±8,35) em relação ao T0 (87,00±7,55). Não houve diferença do pH entre os momentos nos cães do grupo A, porém no grupo B observou-se uma diminuição em T1EXT (7,3644±0,0353) em relação ao T0 (7,4189±0,0136), sem que os animais tenham desenvolvido acidose. Apesar dessas alterações, concluiu-se que os cães submetidos à pneumonectomia esquerda (sutura manual ou mecânica do coto brônquico esquerdo) não apresentaram tendência a desenvolver desequilíbrio ácido-básico no período em que foram avaliados.

It is well known that different diseases of infectious, traumatic or neoplasic origin can occur in the lungs of dogs, and pneumonectomy technique may be an option for the treatment of some of these diseases. The objective was to evaluate hemogasometric parameters, oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2), hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and bicarbonate ion concentration on the pre- and post-operative moments of the left pneumonectomy. Eighteen adult mongrel dogs, males and females, were randomly distributed into two groups with 9 dogs each. In Group A, the left bronchial stump of the dogs was sutured manually with polypropylene 5-0, and, in Group B, the left bronchial stump of the dogs was sutured mechanically with a surgical stapler. The data were collected at 6 moments: Before the pre-anesthetic administration (T0), one hour after the extubation (T1EXT), 48 hours after the surgery (T48h), 7 days after the surgery (T7d), 15 days after the surgery (T15d), and 36 days after the surgery (T36d). The results were statistically analyzed. PaO2 values of Group A on T1EXT (67.00±11.31) were significantly lower in relation to T0 (99.4±18.34), a fact that did not happen in Group B: T1EXT (87.00±8.35) in regard to T0 (87.00±7.55). There was no difference on pH values in dogs of Group A, but in Group B was observed a decrease on T1EXT (7.3644±0.0353) in relation to T0 (7.4189±0.0136), although the animals did not develop acidosis. It was concluded that dogs submitted to left pneumonectomy (sutured manually or sutured mechanically of left bronchial) did not show immediate and mediate acid-basic instability during the study.