Objective. To assess animal welfare (AW) in female cattle and calves by applying an adapted Welfare Quality (R) (WQ) protocol in dual-purpose production units under tropical conditions in Tecpat & aacute;n municipality, Chiapas, Mexico. Materials and methods. A total of 188 calves (1-12 months) and 215 adult female cattle (average 72 months) were evaluated across four dual-purpose production units during March-May 2024. Three WQ protocol principles (Good Feeding, Good Housing, and Good Health) with seven criteria and their respective animal-based indicators were adapted and validated specifically for extensive tropical systems. Validation included inter-observer concordance tests (kappa>0.75) and adaptation to local climatic conditions (average temperature 37 degrees C, 400 masl). Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis) with SAS (R) v.9.4. Results. Significant differences (p <= 0.05) were observed temporally and between production units. In calves, poor body condition was higher in March (10.1%) versus April (4.6%) and May (4.1%), coinciding with the critical period of forage availability. Poor cleanliness was significantly lower (p <= 0.01) in May (2.4%) compared to March (11.3%). Among units, Chicharra presented the greatest challenges: poor body condition (12%), cleanliness problems (14.28%), ocular discharge (6.8%), and diarrhea (2.38%), all significantly higher (p <= 0.05) than other units. In adult females, Pi & ntilde;ita showed significant differences in poor cleanliness (7.30%) and nasal discharge (16.50%). Conclusions. The adapted WQ protocol successfully identified specific welfare deficiencies in tropical dual-purpose systems. Chicharra and Pi & ntilde;ita units require priority interventions in nutritional management, housing infrastructure, and preventive health programs to improve animal welfare.
Objective. To evaluate the safety, including pathogenicity and infectivity, of Pichia guilliermondii LEVICA-27, a yeast strain with potential as a zootechnical additive. Materials and Methods. Thirty White Leghorn L-33 laying hens were random distributed in three treatments (n=10 per group): T1) control diet (corn-soybean) without microbial culture, T2) control diet and active microbial culture at a concentration (10(8) CFU/mL), and T3) control diet and microbial culture inactivated by heat shock. Each bird was considered as an experimental unit. At the end of the trial, birds were individually weighed and slaughtered. Blood samples were collected and the abdominal cavity was opened to collect the liver, pancreas, and digestive tract. Morphological, hematological, immunological, and biochemical blood indicators were determined. Microorganism translocation was assessed in blood and liver samples. Results. Hens intake the active culture showed a significantly higher relative crop weight (p=0.0335) and lower weight of the small intestine (p=0.0068) compared to the other groups. There were no significant changes in the other digestive organs. There were no alterations in blood parameters or immune organs, and no microbial translocation to the blood or liver was detected. Conclusions. P. guilliermondii LEVICA-27 does not induce pathogenicity or infectivity in laying hens, supporting its safety for potential use in animal feeding.
Objective. In this case report, the long-term results of femoral head and neck excision (FHNE) surgical treatment for chronic coxofemoral dislocation in an adult ram with good genetics are presented. Materials and Methods. Although it is generally known that FHNE operation is successfully applied in animals with a body weight of less than 17 kg, the presented case study was performed on a ram with a body weight of 52 kg and to our knowledge, there is no previous report presenting the long-term results of FHNE operation in rams. Results. There are some studies in horses and species such as alpacas and these studies believe that FHNE will have positive results even in horses with different body weights. In general, FHNE is recommended even in large animals with genetic quality and the continuation of reproductive ability is possible. According to the long-term results of the present study, it was determined that the clinical results were positive and the continuation of reproductive ability continued but the radiographic images were not the same. Conclusions. According to the long-term results of this case weighing 52 kg, the FHNE operation is quite advantageous in terms of both easy applicability and cost, and the clinical results are satisfactory, thus it is saved from being offered for meat consumption and continues to be used as a breeding animal without any problems. It is aimed that the results of this case will contribute to clinical practice.
Objective. To determine the presence of antibodies using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to detect EHV-1 infection via nested PCR in breeding horses in the Meta department. Materials and methods. In a cross-sectional study, blood samples were collected from 41 breeding horses of different breeds and ages in five municipalities. An indirect ELISA containing a monoclonal antibody against equine IgG and a semi-nested PCR for the amplification of a 287-bp fragment of the gH gene encoding the H glycoprotein of EHV-1 were performed. Results. The PCR detected a lower number of positive animals (9/41) than the ELISA (11/41). Of the various factors analyzed- including breed, age, location, and body condition-using the chi-square test, only age was found to be associated with higher seropositivity. Conclusions. The natural circulation of the virus and its endemic presence in the studied municipalities are confirmed, necessitating the implementation of prevention, control, and ongoing education measures regarding the avoidance of stress and the reactivation of viral latency. The complementary use of diagnostic techniques would be of valuable assistance in the timely diagnosis of the infection.
