There is a global move from individual to group housing of gestating sows. In the EU, individual gestating stalls will be banned by 2013. Just like in other industrialised regions, these stalls have been the standard housing system for intensively kept sows from the 1960s onward in the Flemish region of Belgium. As the socio-economic […]
Continue ReadingThe domestic hypercarnivores cat and mink have a higher protein requirement than other domestic mammals. This has been attributed to adaptation to a hypercarnivorous diet and subsequent loss of the ability to down regulate amino acid catabolism. A quantitative analysis of brain glucose requirements reveals that in cats on their natural diet, a significant proportion […]
Continue ReadingBACKGROUND: Fleece rot (FR) and body-strike of Merino sheep by the sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina are major problems for the Australian wool industry, causing significant losses as a result of increased management costs coupled with reduced wool productivity and quality. In addition to direct effects on fleece quality, fleece rot is a major predisposing factor […]
Continue ReadingFetal and postnatal growth are mediated by insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (IGFBPs). Maternal nutrient intake during gestation can program the postnatal IGF-axis. This may have significant economic implications for beef cattle production.
Continue ReadingBackground: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited autosomal dominant trait in cats. The A31P single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the myosin binding protein C 3 gene is thought to be the causative mutation in Maine Coon cats. Additionally, the A74T SNP is offered as a genetic test for HCM. Objectives: To evaluate the genetic association […]
Continue Reading
