Translational Animal Science最新文献

Various pet food diet formats are available, but many are poorly studied. The objective of this study was to determine the apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility (ATTD) of frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, fresh, and extruded dog foods and assess their effects on serum metabolites, hematology, and fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota of healthy adult dogs. Ten beagle dogs (4.10 ± 0.74 yr) were used in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square study to test the following diets: Chicken and Barley Recipe (extruded; Hill's Science Diet [EXT]), Chicken and White Rice Recipe (fresh; Just Food for Dogs [FRSH]), Chicken Formula (frozen raw; Primal [FRZN]), Chicken and Sorghum Hybrid Freeze-dried Formula (freeze-dried raw; Primal [HFD]), and Chicken Dinner Patties (freeze-dried raw; Stella & Chewy's [FD]). The experiment was composed of five 35-d periods, with each ending with fecal and blood collections. Data were analyzed using Mixed Models in SAS 9.4, with P < 0.05 being significant. Treatment was a fixed effect and dog a random effect. Protein ATTD was higher for FRZN and FD than other diets and higher for HFD than FRSH and EXT. Fat ATTD was higher for HFD than FRZN and EXT and lower for EXT than other diets. Fecal output was higher for dogs fed EXT than those fed other diets and higher for dogs fed FRSH than those fed FRZN, HFD, or FD. Fecal pH was lower in dogs fed EXT and FRSH than those fed other diets. Fecal scores were higher (looser) in dogs fed EXT and FRSH than those fed FRZN and FD. Fecal dry matter was higher in dogs fed FD than those fed other diets and higher in those fed FRZN and HFD than those fed EXT and FRSH. In general, fecal short-chain fatty acids were highest in dogs fed EXT, intermediate in dogs fed FRSH and HFD, and lowest in dogs fed FRZN and FD. Fecal isobutyrate and isovalerate were highest in dogs fed HFD, lowest in dogs fed FRSH, and intermediate in dogs fed other diets. Fecal primary bile acids were higher, while secondary bile acids were lower in dogs fed FRSH than in dogs fed other diets. Fecal microbiota were greatly impacted by diet, with alpha diversity, beta diversity, and relative abundances of over 40 bacterial genera being different among treatments. This study shows that dietary format may lead to great differences in nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota. More research is needed to distinguish the effects of ingredient source, processing method, and nutrient composition.

Experiments were conducted during the summers of 2021 and 2022 to evaluate the effects of feeding strategy and shade on growth performance, animal comfort, water usage, apparent diet digestibility, and ruminal fermentation characteristics of growing heifers during periods of heat stress. In Exp. 1, 852 heifers (initial body weight [BW] = 251 ± 13 kg) were assigned to one of 4 treatments: high-energy diet limit-fed at 2.2% of BW (dry matter [DM] basis; LIM) or high-roughage diet fed for ad libitum intake (ADLIB) with shade (SH) or without shade (NSH). Pen BWs were measured on day 0, weekly from days 14 to 84, day 90, and day 97. Pen weights were used to adjust weekly intakes of LIM. Refusals for ADLIB were targeted at 5% of feed consumed the previous day. Following the 90-d feeding period, a gut-fill equilibration diet was fed to all cattle at 2.5% of BW (DM basis) for 7 d to balance differences in gut-fill between dietary treatments. Dry matter intake was lesser (P < 0.01) for LIM compared with ADLIB. Average daily gain (ADG) and gain:feed (G:F) were greater (P < 0.01) for LIM compared with ADLIB. In addition, ADG and G:F were greater (P < 0.01) for SH compared with NSH. Water usage was less (P < 0.01) for SH heifers compared with NSH and was also less (P < 0.01) for LIM compared with ADLIB. Mean panting scores were lower (P < 0.01) for SH compared with NSH and LIM compared with ADLIB. In Exp. 2, 16 heifers (initial BW = 254 ± 22 kg) were arranged in 4 replicated 4 × 4 Latin squares to evaluate treatments from Exp. 1. Apparent total tract digestibility of DM and organic matter was greater (P < 0.01) for LIM compared with ADLIB. Ruminal pH was more acidic (P = 0.02) for LIM compared with ADLIB. Shade did not affect (P ≥ 0.68) apparent diet digestibility; however, ruminal pH was greater (P < 0.01) for SH compared with NSH. In conclusion, LIM improved feed efficiency, reduced mean panting score, and reduced water usage compared with ADLIB. In addition, SH improved growth performance, reduced water usage, and improved animal comfort during periods of heat stress.

Strip grazing can increase forage utilization, though it has been shown to decrease individual animal performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate forage utilization and cattle performance when strip grazing (STRIP) vs. continuously grazing (CONT) stockpiled annual forages. Experiment 1 consisted of a mix of Jerry oats (Avena sativa) and Trophy rapeseed (Brassica napus) while experiment 2 was a 17-species mix in which the forage mass was predominantly pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), German millet (Setaria italica), and browntop millet (Urochloa ramosa). Fields were divided into six 6.3-ha (experiment 1) or 4.1-ha (experiment 2) paddocks which were blocked by location. Treatment was randomly assigned within block (n = 3 replicates per treatment per experiment). Grazing was initiated in November and terminated in February. This resulted in a total of 83 and 54 grazing days for experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Forage was allocated to STRIP twice a week. The STRIP steers gained 16% less (P = 0.01) per day in experiment 1, but in experiment 2, there was no difference (P = 0.56) between treatments. Compared to CONT, the carrying capacity (AUM/ha) of STRIP was increased (P = 0.03) by 81% in experiment 1 and tended to increase (P = 0.10) in experiment 2. Gain per hectare increased (P = 0.02) for STRIP by 56% in experiment 1 and by 31% in experiment 2. Strip grazing stockpiled annual forages can be an effective way to increase carrying capacity and gain per hectare during the fall and winter months but effects on individual animal performance are inconsistent. Disparities in response to strip grazing could stem from differences in forage quality and allocation. Further research is needed to refine and optimize the utilization of this management approach.

Animal welfare is a global issue. The ability of our future workforce to solve global issues is contingent on their understanding of and ability to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Study abroad programming can improve cross-cultural abilities of participating students. Therefore, study abroad opportunities in animal welfare education may be a particularly fruitful approach for preparing students to address animal welfare issues globally. We discuss the value of offering study abroad courses in animal welfare, detail one such course as a case study, and review pedagogical literature related to course design to guide the development of similar programs.

Dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS) are a popular byproduct used in the livestock feed industry as it is a cost-effective feedstuff that is rich in crude protein and minerals. However, a common concern related to the use of DDGS in livestock diets is the negative impact that affects animal dry matter intake (DMI) and growth. To further investigate this challenge, the experiments aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding 1) two different diets, control versus heat processed DDGS or 2) increasing the concentration of DDGS and its effect on body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), DMI, and gain to feed ratio (G:F) in finishing lambs. In experiment 1, both diets were the same except for the heat processing of DDGS; the control diet used a commercial DDGS source directly from the supplier and the processed diet contained the same commercial DDGS source that differed through additional heat processing. For DDGS heat processing, 40% moisture was added to the DDGS and heated at 150 °C for 70 min. After the heating process, the DDGS was placed in a second oven at 56 °C for 2 d to allow for humidity evaporation. Lambs (n = 34), blocked by sex and BW, were housed in pens (2 to 3 lambs/pen, 6 pens/treatment) and were fed for 42 d. Lamb DMI was measured daily, and BW was measured every 14 d. In experiment 2, lambs (n = 75) were blocked by BW (5 lambs/ pen, 5 pens/treatment) and fed diets differing in inclusion rates of DDGS (10%, 20%, and 30%). The feeding period lasted for 56 d, and lamb DMI and BW were measured daily or every 28 d, respectively. In both experiments, diets were isonitrogenous, and the feeding procedure utilized slick bunk management. Data were analyzed in SAS using a mixed model considering the treatments as fixed effects and pen and block as random effects. In experiment 1, there were no treatment differences (P ≥ 0.13) in ADG, DMI, and G:F in finishing lambs. In experiment 2, a linear and quadratic contrast were used to separate the mean and demonstrated that increasing the concentration of DDGS decreased lamb DMI (linear P < 0.01; quadratic P = 0.05), but did not affect lamb BW, ADG, or G:F (P ≥ 0.26). Despite that previous research shows differences in animal growth because of an increase in DDGS concentration, our experiments illustrated that heat processing or increased concentrations of DDGS up to 30% in finishing lamb diets are not responsible for a decrease in lamb performance.

Concerns have been raised about the prevalence of anemia in sows, yet our understanding of its consequences, particularly its impact on the farrowing process, remains limited. This study investigated the relationship between hemoglobin concentration (HbC) and farrowing duration in sows. A total of 101 sows (n = 16 parity 0, 15 parity 1, 24 parity 2, and 46 parity 3 sows) were monitored for blood HbC (Hemocue Hb 201 device) from the ear vein before farrowing (day 112 of gestation) and between 40 to 48 h after farrowing (day 2). Sows were categorized as anemic (HbC < 10 g/dL), or nonanemic (HbC ≥ 10 g/dL) based on their day 112 HbC (i.e., prefarrowing status). Surveillance cameras recorded the farrowing process for each sow, complemented by human observation. Farrowing duration was defined as the time elapsed between the first piglet born and the last piglet born. All piglets were individually weighed within 18 h of birth, and stillborn piglets were identified using a lung flotation test conducted within 1 h of birth. The correlation between sow HbC, farrowing duration, and stillborn piglets was assessed using the PROC CORR procedure in SAS. Additionally, the effect of HbC category on labor duration was tested using the PROC MIXED procedure, with total piglets born included as a covariate. Anemic sows had a prolonged farrowing (7.2 h ± 0.92 min, P < 0.001) compared to nonanemic sows (3.5 h ± 0.88 min), and negative correlation was observed between prefarrow HbC and farrowing duration (r = -0.62, P < 0.001). There was a weak correlation between farrowing duration and stillborn piglets (r = 0.32, P = 0.01). No correlation was observed between farrowing duration and total born (r = 0.22, P = 0.11). There was no difference in total born (16.41 ± 0.7 vs 16.3 ± 0.7) between anemic (< 10 g/dL) and nonanemic (≥10 g/dL) sows, respectively. Factors such as barn temperature on the day of parturition and feed intake the day prior did not influence the observed differences in labor duration between anemic and nonanemic sows. In conclusion, maintaining HbC above 10 g/dL appears beneficial for sows, as lower concentrations of HbC are associated with prolonged labor and increased removal rates. Blood HbC could serve as a valuable biomarker for identifying at-risk sows, thereby aiding in improving herd management and productivity.

Heat stress (HS) poses a significant challenge to the United States swine industry. Sows and their piglets are particularly vulnerable to HS, as the periparturient phase is characterized by heightened metabolism and increased oxidative stress and inflammation. The study examined the effects of using conductive electronic cooling pads (ECP) and dietary supplementation with 4% Moringa (M) leaf powder on controlling oxidative stress and inflammation caused by HS in sows and their piglets. Forty-eight late gestation sows were assigned to four treatment groups: HS-fed corn-soybean meal (HS + CS), ECP-fed corn-soybean meal (ECP + CS), HS + M, and ECP + M. Blood was collected from sows on gestation (G) day 112, and lactation (L) day 14 and L20, and from piglets (2 males and 2 females) in each litter on postnatal (PN) day 1 and PN20. Colostrum was collected within 2h of birth of the first neonate, and mature milk was collected on L14. Piglet fecal samples were collected on PN14 to measure calprotectin concentration as a marker of intestinal inflammation. Biological antioxidant potential (BAP), derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs). and oxidative stress index (OSi) were measured in blood and milk samples using a Free Radical Elective Evaluator. Milk samples pooled by day of lactation and treatment group were analyzed using cytokine array. Levels of inflammatory cytokines in colostrum were affected by Moringa supplementation and cooling, but not mature milk. Notably, the anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-1ra were 2.14 and 1.57 Log₂ higher in the colostrum of HS + M compared to other groups. The OSi of colostrum was higher (P = 0.0002) than mature milk. Level of BAP in sow serum was greater in ECP + CS and HS + M (P = 0.0291) compared to other groups. Moringa had an overall effect of increasing dROMs (P = 0.0035) and levels of OSi were lowest in ECP + CS (P = 0.0296) sow serum. Treatments did not affect piglet serum oxidative index (P > 0.05) or calprotectin levels (P > 0.05). Findings support further studies to investigate the efficacy of using ECP and Moringa supplementation to mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress imposed by heat stress conditions in lactating sows.

With the majority of the U.S. swine industry being generally bounded by social licensing, there is a growing need to understand social perspectives to better adapt to consumer demands. Online and social media data are rich datasets that researchers are leveraging to tackle economic and societal challenges. The information that can be gleaned from online media regarding public perceptions makes it an important tool for producers to understand driving topics of interest to the public. This study utilized a prominent online and social media listening and data analytics platform to identify and quantify online and social media mentions related to the U.S. swine industry from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2023. A general search for online media referencing pork and pigs was designed resulting in a total of 41,093,309 mentions. The search was further queried to specific topics of food and cooking (20,580,068 mentions), price (2,866,548 mentions), welfare (1,615,208 mentions), sustainability (771,819 mentions), and top authors/organizations within the U.S. swine industry (1,430 mentions). The study spanned the geographic locations of the overall US (including U.S. Minor Outlying Islands), the top 5 most populous states, and the top 5 pork-producing states as of 2024. Of all mentions, X/Twitter was the largest domain for nearly all mentions related to pork and pigs. Major organizations designed to spread information between the general public and pork producers had a minor impact on the overall conversation and no online media presence in the top 5 most populous states. Net sentiment was overall positive across all 4 yr and all geographies except for major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the H1N1 Swine Flu, the passing of California Proposition 12, environmental events, and inflation-associated pork prices. Overall, most media presence had positive net sentiments and with most interest surrounding ways to cook pork and how to keep bacon cheap. Understanding public perceptions of the U.S. swine industry provides the opportunity to make informed decisions on marketing strategies and production practices.

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a significant forage source for livestock grazing in the Southern Great Plains (SGP). However, increasing input costs and changing climate conditions compel producers and researchers to search for alternative forage systems, such as cool-season perennials. Specifically, cool-season perennials with summer dormancy traits can survive droughts in the SGP. This paper aimed to determine the net returns of three different types of cool-season perennial summer-dormant tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.] systems either with N fertilizer or interseeded with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and the traditional graze-out annual winter wheat forage system. The data were from a 5-yr experiment conducted in south-central Oklahoma. Animal performance results indicated that the traditional graze-out winter annual wheat forage system provided more total gains at 434 kg ha^-1 than the three tall fescue variety systems at 326 kg ha^-1 (P = 0.006) due to more grazing days. Thus, the gross revenue estimated at a cost of gain of $1.60 kg^-1 gain for wheat at $694 ha^-1 was greater than the average gross revenue of $521 ha^-1 for the tall fescue systems. However, the average total cost for the perennial tall fescue systems ($374 ha^-1) was less than the total cost ($594 ha^-1) of the wheat system. Overall, the average net returns were similar for all grazing systems at about $145 ha^-1.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a glycosaminoglycan found in joint synovial fluid, is administered to horses as an anti-inflammatory with lubrication properties. This experiment examined the effects of HA administered before and shortly after an exercise test on metacarpophalangeal (MCP; fetlock) and tibiotarsal (hock) joint range of motion (ROM). Horses were injected intravenously (IV) with placebo (4 mL, saline) or HA (4 mL, 40 mg) 24 h before performing a standardized exercise test (SET) on a high-speed treadmill and again at 6-h post-SET. Passive fetlock flexion was measured at 4 and 24 h post-SET. Hock flexion and extension were measured at 24 h post-SET by videography and kinematic evaluation at the trot. Parameters of the SET were sufficient to cause peak lactate values of 6.6 ± 0.15 mM and a maximum heart rate of 203.6 ± 4.8 bpm. A minor gain (P = 0.08) in fetlock flexion prior to SET was observed in HA horses that were not retained at either 4 or 24 h post-SET. Hock flexion in both limbs was greater (P < 0.05) at 24 h post-SET, independent of treatment. Horses receiving HA exhibited reduced (P = 0.04) right hock extension. No differences in either right or left hock ROM were observed between control and HA-treated horses. From these results, it is concluded that IV HA injections surrounding an exercise stressor offer no substantive gains in either fetlock or hock ROM.