Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica最新文献

If a male dies suddenly or requires castration, it may still be possible to produce offspring through artificial insemination (AI) by cryopreserving spermatozoa retrieved from the epididymis. Spermatozoa differ in maturation status along the epididymal duct, and only motile spermatozoa that have acquired fertilizing capacity are suitable for AI. Such spermatozoa can be collected from the terminal epididymal segment, located in the cauda epididymidis in the dog, and in both the corpus and cauda in the cat. Unlike ejaculated spermatozoa, epididymal spermatozoa have not been exposed to seminal plasma and therefore display distinct functional and structural characteristics. The method of sperm collection may also affect the sperm quality. While epididymal mincing results in the highest sperm numbers, it is associated with contamination of blood and epididymal tissue. Although numerous studies have reported successful cryopreservation of epididymal spermatozoa in dogs and cats, reports of live offspring following AI with frozen-thawed epididymal spermatozoa remain scarce. This review summarizes the physiological, anatomical, and functional distinctions between epididymal and ejaculated spermatozoa, emphasizing their implications for cryopreservation strategies and fertility outcomes.

Semen cryopreservation is widely applied in the breeding of several domestic animal species. In the domestic dog, artificial insemination with cryopreserved semen is now routinely performed, whereas in the domestic cat the technique is more challenging. Achieving acceptable pregnancy rates requires high post-thaw semen quality. Unfortunately, sperm cells are susceptible to damage caused by temperature reduction. At temperatures below - 130 °C harmful reactions that can damage spermatozoa are essentially halted. Therefore, spermatozoa can be stored in liquid nitrogen at -196 °C for virtually unlimited periods, enabling the transport of genetic material across both time and space. To reach such low temperatures, however, sperm cells must undergo detrimental changes in temperature. Sperm samples are therefore diluted in buffered extenders containing cryoprotective agents that reduce cold shock and freezing induced damages. Despite these measures, freezing and thawing inevitably cause cell injuries, resulting in reduced longevity compared with freshly ejaculated spermatozoa. Therefore, intrauterine insemination and accurate prediction of ovulation are required to achieve acceptable pregnancy results. Protocols for cryopreservation of dog and cat spermatozoa are often adapted from those developed for other species, in which semen preservation is more established. However, sensitivity to cold shock and freezing varies both between species and among individuals, largely due to differences in sperm cell membrane composition. Moreover, spermatozoa from different species may exhibit varying degrees of sensitivity to potentially toxic effects of ingredients in semen extenders. Thus, protocols must be tailored to each species. Understanding mechanisms of cryo-induced cell damage requires a fundamental understanding of how cells are affected by low temperatures. Much of the research on basic cryobiology was conducted decades ago, yet improvements in cryopreservation protocols are still in progress, often driven by empirical studies, comparing alternative strategies. The aim of this review is to synthesize current knowledge on canine and feline semen freezing, placing recent findings in the context of historical research. Several breakthroughs in cell cryobiology have been successfully applied in these species and are still commonly used. Such examples are the basic Tris-buffer, and the use of egg yolk and glycerol in freezing extenders. Future developments may include alternatives to antibiotics and replacement of egg yolk with non-biological alternatives.

Background: Both invasive and non-invasive blood pressure measuring methods are used in clinical and experimental work in veterinary medicine and several studies validating these methods are published. The aim of this study was to assess the level of agreement between non-invasive and invasive arterial blood pressure measurements within a wide range of blood pressures in sheep. Six adult Texel-cross female sheep were included. Anaesthesia was induced with IV propofol (4-8 mg/kg) and maintained with sevoflurane in 50% oxygen and air. Blood pressure measurements were simultaneously obtained using both invasive methods (electronic pressure transducer (EPT) connected to the auricular and carotid arteries, and aneroid manometer connected to the auricular artery) and non-invasive methods (the oscillometric device (OD) and Doppler). Carotid artery EPT was considered the 'gold standard' to which other methods were compared. The agreement between the two methods was evaluated with the Bland-Altman method, in conditions of normotension, hypertension (MAP > 160 mmHg, induced with phenylephrine), and hypotension (MAP < 50 mmHg, induced with acepromazine). The devices were evaluated using the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine guidelines.

Results: Carotid MAP values ranged from 37 to 192 mmHg. Mean bias and limits of agreement were - 2.8 mmHg and - 11-5.4 mmHg for the auricular EPT MAP; 5.1 mmHg and - 12.2-22.3 mmHg for the aneroid manometer MAP; - 2.7 mmHg and - 23.9-18.6 mmHg for the OD MAP; - 1.5 mmHg and - 20.1-23.2 mmHg for the Doppler SAP; respectively. Correlation coefficients for all methods were > 0.95.

Conclusions: Doppler SAP and OD MAP demonstrated acceptable accuracy over a broad blood pressure range, supporting their utility for sheep as surrogate of invasive methods of measuring blood pressure. Auricular EPT was the best surrogate of central arterial pressure to be used in clinical conditions.

The aims of this study were to enhance knowledge of microbiological status of minced meat of Swedish wild boar and to evaluate its compliance with the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. The sampling was performed by the official control staff at Swedish Food Agency during 2024. While wild boar has the capacity to harbor a diverse range of zoonotic agents there is a lack of microbiological data on the products derived from wild boar carcasses. More information concerning the microbiological status of minced meat of wild boar is needed. These results could contribute to the development of risk-based management strategies and the verification of control measures through the safe game meat chain. One sample from each of selected 33 approved establishments producing minced meat of wild boar was sent to a commercial laboratory accredited for the analyses. Process hygiene criteria Aerobic Colony Count (ACC) and Escherichia coli were analysed as well as food safety criteria Salmonella spp. and results were assessed according to the microbiological criteria for minced meat. Results show no presence of Salmonella spp. in any of the samples. The 165 units, clustered in 33 plants, had a median for ACC 5.6 log₁₀ colony forming units, cfu/g and E. coli 1.8 log₁₀ cfu/g. However, 25 of 33 samples (proportion 0.758, 95% Confidence interval, CI: 0.577;0.889) were unsatisfactory. In total, about one fourth of samples, (proportion 0.242, 95% C.I: 0.111;0.423) were satisfactory or acceptable. The evidence for a temporal trend from September to December was insufficient. The results show non-compliance with the process hygiene criteria for minced meat of wild boar. Hunters must be informed about the key importance of proficient shooting skills and adequate evisceration procedures. Food business operators must focus on control of incoming carcasses and hygienic handling in every stage of the production. In case of unsatisfactory results according to in-house sampling, effective corrective action should be implemented by food business operator and verified by official control. Our results show that it is possible to produce minced meat of wild boar of good bacteriological quality.

Background: Equine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is challenging to diagnose and treat. Although the number of horses examined due to suspicion of IBD is increasing, the different treatments in clinical patients and their responses are not well documented. We sought to characterize the demography, signs, clinical and rectal biopsy findings, and treatment response in Finnish horses suspected to have IBD. Horses undergoing clinical examination due to suspected IBD in 2022 and with a good-quality rectal biopsy were selected for the study. General information, signs, clinical and histological findings, and treatment response were collected retrospectively from owners and participating clinics. The effect of variables on symptoms, treatment response, and biopsy results was assessed using statistical methods (significance level P < 0.05).

Results: A total of 152 horses was included. The most common signs were poor performance (68%), nonspecific pain (43%), and irritation/aggression (41%). Intestinal signs were observed in 63% of horses. Sixty-six percent of horses had ultrasonographic changes in the small intestine, and 37% had gastric ulcers. Orthopaedic examination was mentioned in 12% of horses. In rectal biopsy, horses had eosinophilic (35%), lymphoplasmacytic (18%), or neutrophilic (6%) inflammation; 40% had no inflammation. Inflammation was observed mostly in horses aged 5-8 years (P = 0.015). Changes in rectal biopsy were associated with certain behaviour changes (P = 0.002). Sixty-eight percent of horses were treated with medication and dietary change. Glucocorticoids were first-line treatment in 73% of medicated horses. Medication was changed during treatment in 35 horses. Treatment response was considered good in 49% of horses. Access to pasture was associated with a reduction in signs (P = 0.001). Signs, clinical and biopsy findings, and treatment type were not associated with treatment response. Medication change was associated with poorer treatment response.

Conclusions: Most horses had at least a partial positive treatment response. Investment in pasture-like management, forage, and exercise regimen may be helpful during out-of-pasture season. Performance issues and nonspecific behaviour changes should be included as possible IBD-related signs, but a more structured clinical diagnostic workup is needed for a reliable assessment of treatment response and to increase the diagnostic value of rectal biopsy.

Background: Medetomidine-vatinoxan is a relatively new medicinal product indicated for sedation of healthy dogs. Vatinoxan alleviates medetomidine-induced bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction in dogs, but when used as a preanaesthetic medication, it has been shown to cause more hypotension during general anaesthesia compared to medetomidine alone. Our aim was to compare medetomidine-vatinoxan to acepromazine when used as a preanaesthetic medication in a randomised, blinded, clinical study. Healthy client-owned dogs (n = 25) scheduled for elective ovariectomy were randomly assigned to receive 0.2 mg/kg intramuscular methadone combined with either 0.01 mg/kg medetomidine and 0.2 mg/kg vatinoxan (group MV, n = 13) or 0.02 mg/kg acepromazine (group A, n = 12). A sedation scale (SS, range 0-12) and visual analogue scale (VAS, range 0-100 mm) were applied to assess sedation every 5 min until one of the following endpoints was reached: the SS was ≥ 6 or30 min from treatment had passed. After this, general anaesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with sevoflurane vaporised in oxygen. The need for cardiovascular interventions according to current guidelines was recorded. Statistical comparisons were performed with Student's t test, the Mann‒Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: The median (range) time to achieve an SS ≥ 6 was 5 (5-10) minutes in the MV group and 20 (10-25) minutes in the A group (P-value < 0.001). The number of dogs needing interventions for hypotension, bradycardia and/or bradyarrhytmias (7 in group MV, 8 in group A) did not significantly differ between the groups.

Conclusions: When used as a preanaesthetic medication in combination with methadone, medetomidine-vatinoxan causes faster onset of sedation, without statistically significant differences in cardiovascular interventions, compared to acepromazine.

Background: In Denmark, pigs with wounds on umbilical outpouchings (UO) are deemed unfit for transport, due to welfare concerns, particularly the risk of wound rupture when these pigs are transported. Consequently, these pigs are often killed on-farm thereby affecting sustainability of pork production and farmers' economy. To gain more knowledge on the impact of transportation on wounds on UOs of pigs, this study examined 96 Danish slaughter pigs with wounds on the UOs and investigated how clinical signs were associated with the distance between the wound surface and the cavity of the UOs measured at necropsy. The pigs originated from three conventional herds and were clinically examined by the herd veterinarian the day before transport to the abattoir. From the abattoir, the UOs were sent for pathological examination at University of Copenhagen where the distance between the wound surface and the peritoneal lining of the cavity of the UOs was measured.

Results: The results showed that the maximum measurement of either the length or width of the wound measured clinically was 2.93 cm (σ = 0.97). The mean distance between the wound surface and the cavity of the UOs of 87 slaughter pigs was 2.27 cm, and a total of 94% had a distance of at least 1 cm. For one pig there was access from the UO wound to the UO cavity. The association between size of the wound and the distance between the wound surface and the UO cavity, depended on the shape of the UO. If the UO was elongated in shape no significant association was found, however, if the UO was spherical in shape the distance became significantly shorter as the wound became larger. The study also investigated if the wounds on the UOs changed in size when measured before and after transport to the abattoir. Wound size measured clinically and at necropsy showed a correlation of 0.51, indicating a moderate correlation. When comparing the wound sizes clinically and just after individual slaughter the correlation was 0.7 indicating a moderate to strong correlation. With a ± 10% difference from the baseline, a total of 28 wounds measured larger at the abattoir compared to the clinical examination.

Conclusions: This study found that 94% of the wounds on UOs of 87 slaughter pigs examined post mortem had a distance of at least 1 cm from the wound surface to the UO cavity. In one pig the wound had ruptured giving access from the UO wound to the UO cavity. While a number of other factors also need to be considered when evaluating fitness for transport, the results from this study may serve as part of a risk assessment for transporting slaughter pigs with wounds on UOs in the future.

Background: Acquired equine polyneuropathy is a neuromuscular syndrome characterized by digital extensor dysfunction, primarily affecting the pelvic limbs, with consistent, repeated knuckling. Despite being recognized as an emerging disease in Scandinavia since 1995, the aetiology remains unknown, and cases have been limited to Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Case presentation: On a combined breeding and training farm in Iceland, 30 out of 145 horses (21%) presented with acute pelvic weakness, pelvic limb digital extensor dysfunction, knuckling and/or recumbency, from May to August 2019. The affected horses, aged 2-9 years, were from four out of six free-ranging groups on the farm. All affected horses had been fed a specific batch of wrapped forage for 11 days or more, while none of the 40 stabled horses fed a different wrapped forage were affected. Eleven case horses were euthanised due to severe pelvic limb weakness, and/or recumbency, yielding a case fatality rate of 37%. Histopathological examination of peripheral nerves from one case revealed severe demyelination.

Conclusions: This case report documents the first recognized outbreak of equine polyneuropathy in Iceland. Describing one of the largest documented outbreaks of the disease, this report provides crucial insights into the epidemiology and clinical manifestation in mainly untamed horses kept and fed outdoors.

Background: The injection of a local anaesthetic into the periodontal ligament (PDL) to achieve desensitisation of the pulp, periodontium, and adjacent tissues is a well-established technique in human dentistry, particularly in paediatric patients. This approach, commonly referred to as intraligamental or intraligamentary anaesthesia (ILA), has been widely adopted due to its effectiveness and relative simplicity. The aims of the present publication were: (1) to provide a review of the literature, (2) to describe an ILA technique adapted by the authors for use in equine dentistry, and (3) to evaluate this technique in an equine cadaver study.

Results: Following injection of the solution into the periodontal ligament, the solution was observed to spread extensively through the PDL and alveolar bone, accumulating around the apex of the tooth. In horses, this distribution appeared to occur via both diffusion along the PDL within the periodontal space and infiltration into bone marrow spaces.

Conclusion: The described ILA technique is straightforward to perform and can practically be applied in equine dental procedures. The cadaver study demonstrated consistent distribution of the injected solution around the root apex, supporting the anatomical basis for potential desensitisation of the pulp, periodontium, and surrounding tissues. While clinical studies are needed to confirm efficacy, these findings indicate that ILA may represent a useful additional technique for achieving local anaesthesia prior to tooth extraction in horses.

Background: Selenium (Se) is an essential element for mammals, with a relatively narrow safety margin between deficiency and toxicity. It is involved in the function of many vital activities and systems, including antioxidants, immune system, thyroid activity, muscle metabolism, and growth by composing different proteins and enzymes. Northern Europe is a Se deficient region, and livestock have been supplemented with mineral bolus or similar for decades to counteract Se deficiency, whereas Finland even adds Se to fertilizers to supplement soil, plants, animals and humans. Relatively few studies have investigated total Se concentrations ([TSe]) in wildlife, and here we present [TSe] measured in whole blood in moose (Alces alces), brown bears (Ursus arctos), wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) from Norway and Sweden.

Results: [TSe] in whole blood increased with the trophic level of the species: herbivorous moose < omnivorous bears < carnivorous wolves < scavenging wolverines. Compared to established reference ranges of [TSe] in domesticated species, more than half of all moose sampled and 5% of brown bears were Se deficient. Surprisingly, 49% of bears, 42% wolves and 29% wolverines had [TSe] above recommended references range for domesticated species. In general, [TSe] significantly increased with age and body weight in all sampled species, whereas for most species, there was an additional association with region, year, and season sampled, reflecting variations in Se uptake caused by the element's geochemical properties related to bedrock and soil availability and atmospheric precipitation.

Conclusions: Further studies should focus on a wider spatial distribution for these animals and especially include more wolverines to investigate the relatively high [TSe] observed in this species. We also emphasize the importance of measuring Se in poor regions for ecotoxicology studies, since Se deficiency can exacerbate heavy metal toxicosis.