Epidemiological studies on forestomach disorders in cattle and buffaloes

Aim:

To study epidemiology of forestomach (reticuloruminal, omasal, and abomasal) disorders in cattle and buffaloes.

Materials and Methods:

The 106 buffaloes and 32 cattle referred for treatment to the university large animals teaching hospital with the complaint of gastrointestinal diseases constituted the study material. The cases were diagnosed based on history, clinical examination, hematology, biochemistry, radiography, peritoneal fluid analysis and ultrasonography, rumenotomy, and postmortem. A questionnaire was prepared containing important information on housing, husbandry practices, including feeding practices and individual animal information viz. age, species, month of the year, parity, gestation (month), and recent parturition. The animals were divided into eight groups and analysis of variance was performed to study risk factors associated with each condition.

Results:

The forestomach disorders are widely prevalent in cattle and buffaloes between April and October, during summer and rainy season (90%) and constituted a significant proportion of diseased cows and buffaloes (138/1840) at the hospital. Different forestomach disorders and their prevalence was: Diaphragmatic hernia (DH) 17%, traumatic reticuloperitonitis (TRP) 14%, idiopathic motility disorder or vagus indigestion (VI) 22%, adhesive peritonitis (AP) 13%, frank exudative peritonitis (FEP) 12%, reticular abscess (RA) 8%, ruminal and omasal impaction (RI) 5%, and abomaso duodenal ulceration (ADU) 9%. DH and RA were significantly more common in buffaloes as compared to cattle. Similarly, impactions were more in buffaloes but its incidence was very low (5%). ADU was present in buffalo as commonly as in cows. Exclusive feeding of wheat straw was present in an abysmally low number of animals and hence could not be considered the cause of these disorders. DH was significantly higher in buffaloes (>5 years) of 5-8 years of age and TRP, VI and AP were observed in cattle and buffalo of 2-8 years of age during the second half of gestation to 1 month post-calving. FEP (12%) occurred more commonly within 1 month of parturition.

Conclusions:

DH, TRP, frank and AP and ADU are causes of the widely prevalent forestomach (reticuloruminal, omasal and abomasal) disorders in cattle and buffaloes.

Clinico-hemato-biochemical profile of dogs with liver cirrhosis

Aim:

The aim of this study was to determine the relevant tools in the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis in dogs.

Material and Methods:

A total of 140 dogs presented at Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, showing clinical signs of hepatic insufficiency were subjected to clinico-hemato biochemical, urological, ultrasonographic (USG), and USG guided fine-needle biopsy examinations by standard methods. On the basis of these results, 6 dogs out of 140 dogs were found to be suffering from liver cirrhosis. Six clinically healthy dogs constituted the control group.

Results:

The dogs suffering from liver cirrhosis manifested inappetence, halitosis, abdominal distension, weight loss, melena, icterus, anemia, and neutrophilic leukocytosis with the left shift. Levels of hemoglobin, lymphocytes, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular Hb (MCH), and platelet count were significantly lower in liver cirrhosis group than control group while total leukocyte count, neutrophils, and MCH concentration were significantly higher. Glucose, total protein, albumin, A/G ratio, and fibrinogen were significantly lower, and creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin time, and APTT were significantly higher than the control values. Ultrasound revealed diffuse increase in echogenicity with rounded and irregular liver margins. Cytological examination of the ascitic fluid and fine-needle aspiration biopsy of liver was not fruitful in the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis.

Conclusions:

Liver cirrhosis causes clinical and hemo-biochemical alterations, which require special consideration when treating diseased animals. USG, diffuse increase in echogenicity of liver, rounding and irregularity of liver margins and microhepatica were the consistent findings. It is suggested that USG along with hemo-biochemical alterations may be used as a diagnostic tool for liver cirrhosis in dogs.

Elimination of erythromycin in milk after intramammary administration in cows with specific mastitis: relation to dose, milking frequency and udder health

Elimination of erythromycin in milk following intramammary therapy of specific mastitis in cows was studied. Five cows received therapy in one quarter (G1), and eight in two quarters with five milked twice (G2) and three thrice a day (G3). Dose infused was 300 mg/quarter 12 h × 5 times. The drug concentrations in milk were determined using microbial assay technique with Micrococcus luteus as the test organism. Considerable variations occurred in the excretion of drug; levels for treated quarters being 8.25 to 37.61 μg/ml at first milking that declined rapidly at 24 h and no drug activity was observed beyond 36 h post treatment. In total, about 6-25% of the last infused dose appeared in the milk. Drug crossed to 1/15 quarter (G1), 6/10 quarters (G2) and all the six untreated quarters (G3). Crossover levels were significantly higher in mastitic quarters and for G3 cows, but duration of excretion remained same in all cases. It seems that crossover of erythromycin to untreated quarters is related to the udder health and dose infused.

Further reactions of secondary amines and arsines with fluorocycloolefins

The generality of the reaction

[Formula: see text] has been investigated, and examples are given when M = N, X = F or Cl, Y = F, Cl, H, or As(CH3)2, and n = 1, 2, or 3; and when M = As, X = F or Cl, Y = F, Cl, H, or C2H5, and n = 1 or 2. When M = N, Y = OCH3, and X = Cl, the butenone

[Formula: see text] is obtained; the corresponding reaction with (CH3)2AsH gives only a trace of a butenone. When M = N, Y = C2H5, X = Cl, and n = 1, the simple product is not obtained. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the compounds

[Formula: see text] (Y = H or F) show similar features, notably a shift to high field of the Y resonance when Z is a dialkylamino group.

Cyclobutenyl derivatives of phosphorus and sulfur

Diethylphosphine and methanethiol react with the cyclobutenes

[Formula: see text](X = Cl, F) to give the compounds (C2H5)2

[Formula: see text] (Y = Cl, F) and

[Formula: see text] (Y = F, Cl, C2H5). The disubstituted compound

[Formula: see text] is also obtained from CH3SH and

[Formula: see text].The related di(tertiary phosphine) (C6H5)2-

[Formula: see text] can similarly be prepared. Methanethiol adds to

[Formula: see text] to give the cyclobutane, but reacts with

[Formula: see text]to give

[Formula: see text]and with

[Formula: see text] to give the cyclobutenone

[Formula: see text]. Tetra-methyldiphosphine and

[Formula: see text] yield the disubstituted compound

[Formula: see text], whereas a cyclobutenone is obtained when (C6H5)2P—P(C6H5)2 reacts with

[Formula: see text]. In some reactions, the phosphorane (C6H5)2PF3 is obtained, probably from (C6H5)2PF.

Some cleavage reactions of compounds containing As—As or S—S bonds

The reaction between diarsines and disulfides to give compounds containing As—S bonds has been further investigated. Compounds with S—S bonds are cleaved by (CH3)2AsH and HCl. CF3SCl cleaves diarsines. Compounds with As—S bonds are cleaved by CF3SCl and (CH3)2AsH. New compounds obtained are C6H5SAs(CH3)2, C6H5SSCF3, CH3SSCF3, and C2H5SCH3.