Lame Animals Research Articles

Up-regulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes 3 and 5 in spinal cord in a clinical model of persistent inflammation and hyperalgesia

Evidence from experimental pain research has revealed that metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play a pivotal role in nociceptive processing, inflammatory pain and hyperalgesia. The aim of this study was to characterise expression of group I and II mGluRs in spinal cord in a model of naturally occurring persistent inflammation (sheep with unilateral lameness due to inflammation of the digital tissues of the feet, estimated to have been affected by the condition for >2 weeks) and an experimental model of acute inflammation (injection of intradermal carrageenan into lower forelimb in sheep). Animals with unilateral clinical inflammation displayed significant mechanical hyperalgesia on the affected limb. Carrageenan treatment produced significant bilateral limb mechanical hyperalgesia 3 h post-injection. Up-regulation of mGluR 3 and mGluR 5 mRNA was observed in ipsilateral spinal cord recovered from clinically lame animals, restricted to laminae II–V and I–II, respectively. Western blot analyses of protein extracts revealed a bilateral increase in mGluR 2/3 and mGluR 5. No change was detected in spinal cord mGluR 1 or mGluR 2 mRNA. There was no change in mGluR 1,2,3,5 subtype mRNA or proteins in spinal cord recovered from animals 3 h post-carrageenan. These results demonstrate for the first time that mGluR subtypes are differentially expressed in spinal cord dorsal horn in response to persistent inflammation, and suggest that mGluR activity may be involved in mediating altered behaviours associated with clinical inflammatory pain.

Methodological Aspects for the Assessment of Social Behaviour and Avoidance Distance on Dairy Farms

AbstractSome aspects of on-farm assessment of social behaviour and avoidance distance were investigated on 20 Austrian dairy farms. The avoidance distance of at least 75% of cows was assessed. Social behaviour of the cows was observed for one hour and the number of animals standing was recorded every 10 min. Lameness of each animal was scored, and Spearman correlations were calculated. Generally, the avoidance distance of the cows was very low. Lameness did not correlate significantly with avoidance distance. The number of agonistic interactions with body contact per cow correlated negatively with the percentage of lame animals (rs = -0.49; P = 0.029). However, this correlation was no longer found (rs = -0.22; not significant) when calculated on the basis of standing animals only. The total number of social interactions correlated highly with the number of social interactions when interactions in the feeding rack were disregarded. The present study suggests that lameness confounds the assessment of social behaviour but not that of avoidance distance of cows, and that social interactions of animals standing in the feeding racks can be disregarded without decreasing the reliability of the assessments.

Lameness and reproductive performance in small ruminants in Nsukka Area of the Enugu State, Nigeria

Four communities in Nsukka Area of Enugu State, known for sheep and goat keeping were purposefully selected for this work. Seventy-one sheep and goat farms were visited between January 1995 and December 1999. During the course of visit no one animal was registered twice in one farm during the study except where the cause of lameness was entirely different from the one already reported. Information sought include species of ruminants, number kept, management practices, sex, age, lambing/kidding interval, number of lambs/kids per parity and health status of all the animals in each flock. In some cases, the hooves were cleaned and washed to reveal the cause and the extent of the lesions. Animals were classified as kids/lambs (<7 months), young (8–18 months) and adults (>18 months). The results of the observation were statistically analysed using chi-square and Students t-test. Of the 338 sheep, 57, 68 and 213 were lambs, young and adults, respectively, whereas out of 484 goats, 100, 76 and 308 were kids, young and adults, respectively. About 15% of the animals kept suffered various kinds of lameness. There was no significant association between age and lameness in sheep (χ 2=4.45, P<0.05) and goats (χ 2=3.47, P<0.05) . Of the 338 sheep examined, 13 (3.83%) and 43 (12.72%) were found to be lame during dry and wet season, respectively. A significant association (χ 2=8.35, P<0.05) between season and lameness in sheep was observed. The mean kidding/lambing interval (15.2±0.78 months) in lame goats was significantly different both (t=18.042, P<0.01, d.f.=138) than (10.87±1.48 months) in non-lame goats, while for sheep a mean lambing interval of (14.59±1.53 months) recorded for lame animals was also significantly different (t=9.667, P<0.01 , d.f. 197) than the (11.69±1.92 months) for the non-lame sheep. Lameness adversely affects lambing/kidding interval in small ruminants. Overgrowth of the hoof, scalds and ectoparasite wounds are the main causes of lameness in small ruminants in the study area. Since the majority of lameness cases were observed during the wet season (especially in sheep), it is suggested that these small ruminants be closely monitored during this season and foot lesions promptly attended to. Dampness should be avoided in the animal pens as this will severely reduce the incidence of lameness.

Footbathing in the Management of Papillomatous Digital Dermatitis

Papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD), or hairy heel warts, continues to be a growing problem among the nation's dairies, and the corresponding profit loss associated with the disease continues to rise. While much of the work to date has focused on the treatment of lesions in lame animals, minimal investigation has been done on pro-active approaches to controlling the spread of PDD. Footbathing is the most commonly used method in the attempt to prevent hairy warts. Often it is used with solutions containing antibiotics, copper sulfate or formaldehyde. Concern has been expressed about the use of such products and the health and environmental consequences of farmers disposing large amounts of these residues into watercourses after treatment. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a novel, non-antibiotic compound in controlling papillomatous digital dermatitis when used in a footbath application.

Tiergesundheit im Außenklima-Kistenstall für Mastschweine

In order to assess the health status in two outside climate houses with kennel boxes and a conventional insulated house, the nasal flora of fattening pigs was examined for four pathogens. Pasteurella multicoda and Bordetella bronchiseptica could be isolated in each compartment. The proportions of pathogens in the systems developed unevenly and mostly without significant differences. Injuries on the integument showed no clear differences between housing systems. Regarding the locomotory apparatus, all three housing systems had few lame animals and proved their appropriateness.

Detection of borreliacidal antibodies in dogs after challenge with Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ixodes scapularis ticks.

Detection of borreliacidal antibodies is an accurate serodiagnostic test for confirmation of Lyme disease in humans. In this study, 13 pathogen-free beagles, 12 to 26 weeks old, were infected with Borrelia burgdorferi by tick challenge. Dogs were monitored for clinical signs and symptoms of Lyme disease along with borreliacidal antibody production against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto isolates 297 and 50772. Ten (77%) dogs developed lameness in one or more legs within 210 days after attachment of Ixodes scapularis ticks. Eight (80%) of the lame animals had concurrent fever of > or =38 degrees C. Spirochetes were also recovered from the skin and joints of 12 (92%) dogs, but rarely from other organs. Borreliacidal antibodies against B. burgdorferi isolate 297 were detected in only four (31%) dogs, and the levels of killing antibodies remained low for the duration of the infection. In contrast, borreliacidal antibodies against B. burgdorferi isolate 50772 were detected in 13 (100%) dogs within 21 days of infection. Furthermore, the borreliacidal antibody levels correlated with the severity of B. burgdorferi infection. Detection of borreliacidal antibodies, especially against B. burgdorferi isolate 50772, is also a reliable serodiagnostic test for detection of Lyme disease in dogs.

Post mortem examination of the hooves of cattle, horses, pigs and small ruminants under practice conditions

A SOURCE of frustration for clinicians dealing with lameness in livestock is a discrepancy between pronounced clinical signs and a lack of visible changes in the hooves, especially in cattle...

A study of 118 cases of navicular disease: radiological features.

Dorsoproximal-palmarodistal oblique, lateromedial and palmaroproximal-palmarodistal oblique radiographic projections were used with standard techniques to examine 118 horses with clinical signs of navicular disease. All radiological features which have previously been reported as significant changes in the navicular bones of horses with navicular disease were recorded. Comparisons were made between these features in lame limbs and sound limbs in unilaterally lame horses and most lame limbs and least lame limbs in bilateral but asymmetrically lame animals. Their relationship to the degree of lameness was also analysed. No relationships were identified between the characteristics of distal border synovial invaginations, flattening and/or thinning of the flexor cortex and limb distribution or severity of lameness. Defects in the flexor cortex, proximal border remodelling, medullary trabecular disruption and medullary sclerosis appeared to be related to limb affliction and severity of lameness while proximal border enthesophytes, and poor flexor corticomedullary demarcation presented evidence of a relationship to the grade of lameness. Poor flexor corticomedullary demarcation and fragmentation of the distal border were related to the severity of lameness in bilateral but asymmetrically affected horses. The presence of peri-articular osteophytes and mineralisation of the flexor digitorum profundus were too infrequently recognised to permit meaningful data evaluation.

Receptor changes in the spinal cord of sheep associated with exposure to chronic pain

There is evidence that post-injury hypersensitivity is partly due to changes in the central nervous system. Sheep with footrot were used to investigate the effect of chronic pain on some receptors thought to be involved in spinal nociceptive processing systems (alpha 2 adrenoceptor and mu and delta opioid receptors). Saturation binding studies showed a variable distribution of [ 3H] clonidine (alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonist) in the spinal cord of normal sheep. The number of receptors (B max) present in areas thought to be involved in nociceptive processing, laminae I and II and lamina X, increased to 131% and 169% of control sheep values respectively in animals exposed to chronic pain. The affinity of the receptors ( K D ), however, remained unchanged at approximately 2 nM. There was less [ 3H]DAGO (mu opioid agonist) and [ 3H]DPDPE (delta opioid agonist) binding in the sheep spinal cord. Both opioid receptor types being mainly located in the superficial dorsal horn. The [ 3H]DPDPE binding was unchanged in the sheep with footrot, whilst the number (B max), but not the affinity, of the [ 3H]DAGO binding sites increased in laminae I and II in lame animals to 130% of the control sheep values. Hence, in animals in chronic pain, the number of alpha 2 adrenoceptors and mu opioid receptors increased mainly in areas of the sheep spinal cord associated with nociception.

Changes in limb loading with lameness for a number of friesian cattle

Lameness in cattle is an expensive problem. Gait studies may assist in understanding the factors involved. The gait changes of four lame cows were related to the gaits of non-lame cows. The vertical forces and horizontal fore-and-aft forces during the stance phase of steps were investigated using a force plate. The maximum vertical force (MVF) was often reduced on lame limbs. The horizontal forces showed an initial decelerative force followed by an accelerative force. For sound cows the maximum accelerative force (MAF) and the maximum decelerative force (MDF) were of the same order of magnitude, while those for lame animals were generally modified. Forces applied to the non-lame limbs of lame cows were also changed, probably to reduce further the loads exerted upon the lame foot.

Variations in some inorganic components and physical properties of claw keratin associated with claw disease in the British Friesian cow

Horn hardness, water content and mineral composition were measured in the feet of 42 Friesian cows, 27 with no history and 15 with a history of lameness. Water content and magnesium concentration increased with age, potassium concentration was lower in the hooves of pregnant animals, but none of the variates was affected by lactation. Horn hardness was related to composition, the harder keratin of the claw wall containing more calcium, copper, zinc and phosphorus and lower concentrations of water, sodium, potassium and iron than the heel. Zinc concentration was lower in the horn of lame animals but those of magnesium and copper were increased. Mineral composition varied significantly with respect to the position of the horn in the claw (heel, sole or wall). The results are discussed with regard to the function of the horn constituents.

EFFECT OF HOUSING SYSTEM ON THE RECOVERY OF BOARS FROM LEG WEAKNESS

A total of 30 market weight boars, including 25 lame animals and 5 normal animals, were obtained from a swine performance testing station to study the effect of housing system on the recovery from lameness. Boars were housed in 1.7 × 2.0-m concrete floor pens with straw as bedding and allowed access to a 4 × 23-m indoor concrete area for 2 h per day (group I) or in outdoor sheds which opened onto 10 × 15-m dirt lots (group II). During the 7-wk experimental period, there was no appreciable improvement in locomotory ability in any of the animals studied. Though gait was slightly improved in one of the boars from each group, postmortem examination of joints revealed considerable degeneration of the articular cartilage surfaces. The incidence and severity of joint lesions in the 18 lame pigs were greatest (P &lt; 0.05) in the proximal articular surface of the ulna, the distal articular surface of the humerus and the distal articular surface of the femur. Lesion occurrence and severity were similar between boars from groups I and II. No differences (P &gt; 0.05) were observed in any of the performance characteristics among normal and lame boars that completed the experiment.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO HINDLEG LAMENESS IN DAIRY COWS

A hind leg lameness of dairy cows was investigated in south-east Queensland. Samples of bone, blood, saliva, faeces, urine and milk were collected from lame and normal cows, some of which had received a phosphorus supplement of 30 g per day. Results of these investigations are presented and discussed. Clinical observations and pathological examinations indicated that the disease was an arthropathy affecting either the coxo-femoral or femoro-tibial joints. The disease was present in 30% of herds surveyed. Each owner reported 2 to 3 lame cows. The affected cows could not be differentiated from the normal cows on biochemical grounds. An hypothesis is advanced to explain the reported response of lame animals to large supplements of phosphorus. Information which indicates that previous nutritional status and methods of production cannot be ignored as predisposing factors is presented.

Proteoglycans of the knee-joint cartilage of young normal and lame pigs.

Intensive rearing, and restricted activity, induce rapid growth in pigs, but they often become lame. Groups of normal and lame pigs reared intensively were killed when 10 or 25 weeks old. Although there were no differences in the overall composition of the knee-joint cartilage of lame and sound animals, the proteoglycans in the cartilage of the lame pigs were extracted more easily by a standardized sequential procedure and contained a higher proportion of molecules of smaller size as assessed by gel chromatography on 6% agarose and Sepharose 4B. These increased at the expense of both the larger and mediumsized molecules. Differences were most evident at 10 weeks of age, when there was twice as much of the smaller proteoglycans in the cartilage of lame pigs. Despite these size-differences, the compositions of the proteoglycans in corresponding sequential extracts of cartilage of lame and normal groups were the same, as were the changes in chemical composition that accompany development. Proteoglycans from lame animals may have undergone limited proteolysis, thus decreasing their size without changing their composition detectably. As the differences between normal and lame groups were greater at 10 weeks than at 25 weeks of age, the first weeks after birth (when the greatest changes occur in the proteoglycans and in the cartilage) may be a critical period in the maturation of articular cartilage in this species. At this time, rapid gain in weight produced by intensive rearing may be too great for the immature cartilage to bear.

Lameness in buffalo in N.E. Malaya

The skeletons of most of a group of lame buffalo from an area around Pasir Puteh and of some of a group of similarly lame animals from an area S.W. of Pasir Mas were poorer than those of a control group from around Kota Bharu. Analyses of blood and liver indicated that the defective mineralization of the skeleton was caused by a shortage of phosphorus rather than of calcium or copper.Evidence for a relationship between lameness and the quality of the skeleton was not strong and further study including a feeding experiment is needed to establish the validity of this.

Art. VIII.—Notice of a remarkable Hospital for Animals at Surat

On the 1st of June 1823, I visited the “Pinjra Pol,” at Surat; a place which is appropriated for the reception of old, worn-out, lame, or disabled animals. At that time, they chiefly consisted of buffaloes and cows; but there were also goats and sheep, and even cocks and hens; some of which latter had lost their feathers, and here, shorn of their plumes, walked about the courts without molestation.