Animals, Volume 10, Issue 7

In this study, we examined the protein and gene expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in different sections of the small intestine of chickens. In total, 300 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to the control and treatment...

Arousing and emotional situations can improve cognitive performance and the memorability of events. Recently, the enhancement of training performance in Labrador Retriever dogs through 30 min of dog–human play immediately after acquiring a nove...

The liver is an organ that produces large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Human infants or piglets are prone to oxidative damage due to their uncompleted development of the antioxidant system, causing liver disease. Piceatannol (PIC) has be...

The decision for dairy farmers to invest in automated oestrus detection (AOD) technologies involves the weighing up of the costs and benefits of implementation. In this paper, through a review of the existing literature, we examine the impacts of inv...

Nowadays, animal welfare is seen as a ‘common good’ and a societal expectation. Veterinarians are expected to promote and ensure the welfare of animals under their care by using their scientific knowledge and skills in ethical reasoning a...

The efficacy of analgesics such as meloxicam and ketoprofen to control pain in piglets when mixed with iron dextran (ID) before injection is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare perceived pain in castrated piglets treated 1 h before cast...

Animal welfare is an important issue for the live export industry (LEI), in terms of economic returns, community attitudes and international socio-political relations. Mortality has traditionally been the main welfare measure recorded within the LEI;...

The objectives were: (1) to compare the antinociceptive activity of dexmedetomidine and medetomidine, and (2) to investigate its modulation by atipamezole. This prospective, randomized, blinded experimental trial was carried out on eight beagles. Dur...

Gene conservation and management of small populations requires proper knowledge of the background and history of the breed. The aim of the study was the evaluation of population structure and changes of the Hungarian Hucul horse population. Populatio...

Recent interest in the mass production of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae has resulted in many studies being generated. However, a majority of the studies are benchtop, or small-scale, experiments. Results generated from such studies may not translate...

In this preliminary study, we compared changes in mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) of calves and goat kids injected with clove oil or isoeugenol under the horn bud as a potential, more welfare-friendly alternative to hot-iron disbudding. Twent...

The effect of plant extracts (PE; artichoke, celery, beet, onion, garlic, spinach, avocado, oats, and parsley) in the diet of growing pigs under heat stress was investigated. Parameters included growth performance, blood constituents, carcass charact...

Dingo classification and management is complicated by hybridisation with domestic dogs. Northern Australia is a relatively high-risk zone for a rabies incursion, and in the event of an incursion, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who resi...

This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between fatty acids and the pattern that most contributes to discriminate between two farming systems, in which the main difference was the practice, or not, of alpine summer-grazing. Milk and cheese wer...

Modern broiler chickens have ongoing bone health problems. Phosphorus (P) plays an important role in bone development and increased understanding of P metabolism should improve the skeletal health of broilers. Enterococcus faecium has been widely use...

Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has beneficial effects for consumers’ health. Consequently, there is an increased interest in enhancing meat fatty acid profiles (i.e., PUFA and DHA conte...

The Abruzzo Regional Law Nr. 47/2013, following a circular from the Italian Ministry of Health and OIE recommendations, allows the local municipalities to release free-roaming dogs (FRDs) caught on the territory once the local veterinary services (LV...

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of perch positioning on laying hens’ locomotion and the resulting energy experienced at the keel. Twenty Nick Chick and 20 Brown Nick hens were trained to transition from a platform to a perch in s...

Studies on the effects of visitors on zoo animals have shown mixed findings and as a result, the manner in which visitors affect zoo animals remains unclear for many species, including a rarely studied taxa such as penguins. Penguins are a common zoo...

In shelters it is usual to conduct standardised behaviour assessments on admitted dogs. The information gathered from the assessment is used to identify dogs that are suitable for adoption and assist in matching the dog with suitable adopters. These...

In the present study European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) subjected to two different diets (organic vs. conventional) were evaluated in terms of growing performances, oxidative stress, and contaminant markers. Growing performances were evaluated...

Mechanical milking is a critical operation in ewe dairy farming where the operative parameters and the milking routine strongly influence milk production and animal welfare. The challenge in adapting dairy animals to the farm environmental conditions...

As a result of public health concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance in animal-based food products, conventional poultry companies have turned to ‘raised without antibiotics’ (ABF) and organic farming systems. In this work, we evaluat...

Many studies focus on the identification of genomic regions that undergo selective processes, where evidence of selection is revealed and positional candidate genes are identified. The aim of the research was to evaluate the association between posit...

The Thoroughbred (TB) horse has hugely impacted the development of horse breeding around the world. This breed has unique genetic qualities due to having had a closed studbook for approximately 300 years. In Russia, TBs have been bred since the secon...

The objective was to evaluate the effect of oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum CAM6 strain as an alternative to antibiotics in weaned pigs on productive parameters, blood biochemical profile, and IgA serum levels. Thirty-six 21-day-old we...

Over the last few years, several efforts have been undertaken to characterize the aging process in dogs. In the present study, we evaluate a short protocol measuring dogs’ cognitive, social, and physical capacities. Our aim was to develop a fea...

The aim of this exploratory work, because of the existing bias on the size of the sample and some of the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, was to investigate the Eastern European consumers’ beliefs and attitudes toward anima...

Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are powerful police assets to locate a corpse. However, the methods used to select and train them are as diverse as the number of countries with such a canine brigade. First, a survey sent to human remains searchi...

Hyper-prolific sows give birth to large litters and up to 25% of piglets born have been subjected to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The aim of this study was to test whether an oral administration of glucose impacts the survival rate and bod...

Understanding the botanical composition of herbivores’ diets and their nutritional quality is an important question in the development of sustainable strategies for the management of natural resources. In Chilean highland vicuña-grazed g...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of mineral supplementation on the serum concentration of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in pre- and postpartum Blackbelly sheep throughout three successive lambing periods under free grazing...

A challenging problem in the field of avian ecology is deriving information on bird population movement trends. This necessitates the regular counting of birds which is usually not an easily-achievable task. A promising attempt towards solving the bi...

The present study aimed to set up a short-term protocol for synchronization of follicular wave emergence in sheep, concomitant with estrus synchronization, which would improve ovarian response in assisted reproductive technologies. Administration of...

This research was conducted to estimate the effects of Persicaria odorata leaf meal (POLM) on haematological indices, serum biochemical attributes, and internal organs parameters, including histomorphological features of the liver, in broiler chicken...

Unwanted behaviour in mares is a commonly presenting problem to the veterinarian. This behaviour may range from the mare being uncooperative or aggressive when handled on the ground, kicking, bucking or rearing when ridden or being aggressive towards...

Modern day zoos and aquariums continuously assess the welfare of their animals and use evidence to make informed management decisions. Historically, many of the indicators of animal welfare used to assess the collection are negative indicators of wel...

Numerous studies have shown the importance of breed-related differences between hematological and biochemical results in veterinary medicine. The aim of this study is to determine hematologic and biochemical Reference Intervals (RIs) for 5 hunting do...

In Australia, cat owners are encouraged to keep their pet cats contained on their property at all times. This study explores the relationship between the intentions and behaviours of 72 kitten and cat adopters from a RSPCA Queensland animal shelter,...

A recent viewpoint paper by Manuel Magalhães-Sant’Ana (2019) discussed the evidence regarding history, conceptions and modern research related to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Acupuncture (TCVA). Based on the observation of an illustrat...

I am pleased that my viewpoint on traditional Chinese veterinary acupuncture (TCVA) has caught the attention of researchers from the China Agricultural University [...]

The growth of skeletal muscle involves complex developmental processes that play an important part in the determinization of pork quality. The investigation of skeletal muscle mRNA or miRNA profiles is especially important for finding molecular appro...

Reports of a reproducibility crisis combined with a high attrition rate in the pharmaceutical industry have put animal research increasingly under scrutiny in the past decade. Many researchers and the general public now question whether there is stil...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of fermented with a newly isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains combination (Lactobacillus plantarum LUHS122, Lactobacillus casei LUHS210, Lactobacillus farraginis LUHS206, Pediococcus acidila...

Surgical castration is a painful husbandry procedure performed on piglets in the United States (US) to improve meat quality. Veterinarians play a crucial role in developing pain management protocols. However, providing pain management for castration...

For its role in the mediation of growth hormone (GH) galactopoietic effect, growth hormone receptor (GHR) was considered a functional candidate gene for milk performance in cattle. However, its genetic variation and potential effect have not been inv...

Three lactic acid strains were isolated from feces of the native Zungo Pelado breed of pigs (n = 5) and presumably identified as belonging to the Lactobacillaceae family by morphological techniques showing that they were Gram-positive/rod-shaped and...

Cytogenetic monitoring allows the identification and early removal of pigs affected by inherited karyotype defects from breeding herds. These abnormalities cause developmental anomalies, considerably reducing the fertility (by several dozen to 100%)...

Calf disbudding is a painful husbandry practice on dairy and beef cattle farms. An objective measurement of pain is useful to reliably evaluate the pain intensity and anti-nociceptive (analgesic) efficacy of therapeutic agents. The aim of this study...

The present review evaluates and compares the effects achieved after application of rabbit-derived bacteriocin-producing strain Enterococcus faecium CCM7420 with probiotic properties and its bacteriocin Ent7420. The experiments included varying durat...