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Image analysis and artificial intelligence will change dairy farming
Dairy farmers are busy with routines such as cleaning cowsheds, milking, and feeding, so it’s very difficult to determine the condition of cows. If this continues, they will remain too busy to ensure the quantity and quality of milk and dairy products. A group of researchers led by Professo...Read more -
Care of horses Damage found in the bit area of most Finnish trotters
“Soft tissue damage associated with the bit is a common concern in the equine world, but no prior studies on the topic have been carried out among trotters in Finland. This is why we surveyed the oral health of trotters after a race as part of a welfare project coordinated by Suomen Hippos,...Read more -
Bovine genetics The startling diversity of Buša cattle
In a study of the genetic structure and population dynamics of a unique breed of cattle that is indigenous to Southeastern Europe, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers have discovered a remarkable degree of genetic variation. The Buša breed is a threatened autochthonous str...Read more -
New treatment strategies for chronic kidney disease from the animal kingdom
The field of biomimetics offers an innovative approach to solving human problems by imitating strategies found in nature. Medical research could also benefit from biomimetics, as a group of international experts from various fields, including a wildlife veterinarian and wildlife ecologists from V...Read more -
Gene hunting The power of precision medicine
Humans and animals are made up of trillions of cells, and each cell contains DNA specific to that individual. Therefore, identifying DNA that causes genetic disorders gives researchers and clinicians a better understanding of how to treat inherited diseases and possibly prevent the diseases from ...Read more -
Exosomes promote remarkable recovery in stroke
It’s been almost a quarter century since the first drug was approved for stroke. But what’s even more striking is that only a single drug remains approved today. In a publication appearing this month in the journal Translational Stroke Research, animal scientists, funded by the Nation...Read more -
Antibiotic resistance in food animals nearly tripled since 2000
The growing appetite for animal protein in developing countries has resulted in a smorgasbord of antibiotic consumption for livestock that has nearly tripled the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria easily transmitted from animals to humans, according to a recent report...Read more -
Achieving a balance Animal welfare and conservation
In a paper recently published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, a team of researchers, animal care experts and veterinarians evaluate the balance between animal welfare and conservation needs for a number of rare species of native birds being raised in San Diego Zoo Global breeding ...Read more -
A well-known animal health drug could stop outbreaks of malaria and Zika virus
Medicines given to household pets to kill fleas and ticks might be effective for preventing outbreaks of malaria, Zika fever and other dangerous insect-borne diseases that infect millions of people worldwide, according to a new study led by scientists at Calibr, a non-profit drug discovery instit...Read more -
Spread of early dairy farming across Western Europe
A study has tracked the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to early farming that occurred in prehistoric Europe over a period of around 1,500 years. An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of York, analysed the molecular remains of food left in pottery used by...Read more -
New experimental vaccine for African swine fever virus shows promise
Government and academic investigators have developed a vaccine against African swine fever that appears to be far more effective than previously developed vaccines. The research appears this week in the Journal of Virology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. Currently, there ...Read more -
Goat milk formula could benefit infant gut health
The laboratory study by RMIT, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, analysed two types of commercial goat milk formula. The research looked at oligosaccharides, a type of prebiotic that can boost the growth of beneficial bacteria and protect against harmful bacteria in the gut. Researche...Read more -
Genome-edited bull passes on hornless trait to calves
For the past two years, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have been studying six offspring of a dairy bull, genome-edited to prevent it from growing horns. This technology has been proposed as an alternative to dehorning, a common management practice performed to protect other c...Read more -
A study to evaluate the field efficacy of ivermectin, fenbendazole andpyrantel pamoate, with preliminary observations on the efficacy ofdoramectin, as anthelmintics in horses
ABSTRACT The efficacy of ivermectin, fenbendazole, pyrantel pamoate and doramectin was evaluated under field conditions at 2 sites in the Free State Province of South Africa. The study involved 25 horses at each site, divided into 5 groups of equal size. Ivermectin, fenbendazole and pyrantel pam...Read more -
Evaluation of Bioequivalence of Two Long-Acting 20% Oxytetracycline Formulations in Pigs.
The aim of this study was to explore the bioequivalence of long-acting oxytetracycline in two formulations, a reference formulation (Terramycin 20% LA, Pfizer) and a test one (Kangtekang 20% LA, Huishen). Both formulations were administered intramuscularly at 20 mg/kg body weight at each of 24 he...Read more -
Correct dosage of methane-inhibiting additive in dairy cow feed shown in study
The optimum amount of a methane-inhibiting supplement in dairy cattle feed has been determined by an international team of researchers, indicating that widespread use of the compound could be an affordable climate change-battling strategy, if farmers embrace it. Previous studies conducted at Penn...Read more -
Bulls Two lost Holstein lines reconstituted
Artificial insemination (AI), breeding value estimation, and genomic selection have allowed substantial increases in milk and component yields for Holstein cows. However, their widespread use has also led to challenges including declining fertility, emergence of recessive genetic conditions, and ...Read more -
Unexpected ways animals influence fires
Animals eating plants might seem like an obvious way to suppress fire, and humans are already using the enormous appetites of goats, deer, and cows to reduce the fuel available for potential wildfires. But other animals such as birds, termites, and elephants can also double as ecosystem engineers...Read more -
Turmeric could have antiviral properties
Curcumin, a natural compound found in the spice turmeric, could help eliminate certain viruses, research has found. A study published in the Journal of General Virology showed that curcumin can prevent Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) — an alpha-group coronavirus that infects pigs...Read more -
Mitigation of greenhouse gases in dairy cattle through genetic selection
Researchers in Spain propose mitigating methane production by dairy cattle through breeding. In an article appearing in the Journal of Dairy Science, scientists are targeting reduction of enteric methane in the breeding objectives for dairy cattle to select for animals that use feed more efficien...Read more -
Meet Cosmo, a bull calf designed to produce more male offspring
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have successfully produced a bull calf, named Cosmo, who was genome-edited as an embryo so that he’ll produce more male offspring. The research was presented in a poster today (July 23) at the American Society of Animal Science meeting. Usi...Read more -
Antimicrobial resistance is drastically rising
The world is experiencing unprecedented economic growth in low- and middle-income countries. An increasing number of people in India, China, Latin America and Africa have become wealthier, and this is reflected in their consumption of meat and dairy products. In Africa, meat consumption has risen...Read more -
A win-win for forests and small-holder dairy farming in East Africa
The native Napier grass could hold the key to improving diets, boosting farming yields and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in East Africa. Growing and using Napier as a nutrient rich animal fodder on the farm, could also reduce pressure on forests, according to new research. Intensive farming &...Read more -
Stand out from the herd How cows communicate through their lives
Farmers might finally be able to answer the question: How now brown cow? Research at the University of Sydney has shown that cows maintain individual voices in a variety of emotional situations. Cows ‘talk’ to one another and retain individual identity through their lowing. Studying a...Read more