Exotic pet medicine is rapidly evolving, with reptiles becoming increasingly popular pet animals. Yet, there are only a few literature reports on veterinary perception of reptiles kept as pets. The ...aim of the study was to assess opinions and knowledge of the Croatian veterinarians-to-be about pet reptiles and their welfare. The questionnaire survey was conducted in the academic year 2019–2020 and included students of all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate study at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb. First-year students were surveyed twice, before and after having attended the compulsory course on animal welfare. Questionnaire statements were 5-point Likert scale questions, requiring the students to express their opinions about turtles, lizards and snakes as pets, issues related to their welfare, risks they pose to the health and safety of humans, other animals and the environment, and their self-reported knowledge about pet reptiles. Although expressing higher opinions after having attended the course on animal welfare, first-year student responses remained neutral to most of the statements. Such a trend continued until the end of the study. Student responses revealed that they were uncertain about their knowledge of reptiles as pets, considering different educational areas observed. Study results emphasised the need of alterations in veterinary curriculum and additional student education in reptile medicine. The results obtained have broad implications involving not only the welfare of pet reptiles in clinical practice and elsewhere but also the health and safety of humans and other animals, as well as environmental protection.
This study aimed to compare fungal contamination of poultry litter between warm and cold seasons. It was carried out in commercial production conditions over two five-week fattening periods: one in ...the summer (July-August) and one in the winter (December-January). Broilers were reared on a litter composed of chopped straw and sawdust. Litter fungal concentration and composition were investigated weekly, along with litter temperature, moisture, and pH. Litter concentration of total fungi increased over both fattening periods, with no differences in median concentrations between them. Season also had no effect on yeast,
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This survey was the first one investigating opinions of veterinary students in Croatia towards companion animals and their welfare, with special reference to dogs and cats as the most popular ...companion animals in the European Union. The study included students of all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate veterinary medicine study programme in Croatia. First-year students were surveyed twice, before and after having attended the course on animal welfare. Student opinions were assessed on the basis of their mean responses to five-point Likert scale questions and frequency of responses to Yes/No/I do not know questions and ratio scale questions. Study results revealed students to have strongly positive opinions towards companion animals and their welfare. The majority of student statements did not differ significantly between the first and sixth study years or before and after having attended the animal welfare course in the first study year, mostly yielding a straight, non-fluctuating line. Students were not sure whether welfare of companion dogs and cats was compromised. Study results pointed to reliable and reasonable opinions of veterinary medicine students in Croatia towards companion animals and their welfare, as well as to the welfare issues these species may be facing nowadays.
Dobrobit životinja ne obuhvaća samo njihovo fizičko, već i njihovo mentalno zdravlje te može varirati od vrlo lošega do vrlo dobrog stanja. Uvriježeno je mišljenje da je, u usporedbi s intenzivnom ...proizvodnjom, dobrobit životinja u ekstenzivnim sustavima proizvodnje manje ugrožena, no uvjeti proizvodnje u ekstenzivnome stočarstvu mogu predstavljati znatan rizik za dobrobit unatoč većoj mogućnosti životinja da izraze vrsno specifično ponašanje. Pothranjenost životinja među najvećim je rizicima koji proizlaze iz neodgovarajuće hranidbe. Izazovi povezani s hranidbom najčešće se odnose na varijabilnost u dostupnosti i kvaliteti hrane i vode, pri čemu su klimatski uvjeti i gustoća naseljenosti neki od ključnih čimbenika koji utječu na dostupnost i kvalitetu krme, a potom nadmetanje za resurse s istovrsnim i drugim životinjama, utjecaj grabežljivaca i straha na unos hrane, korištenje neprikladnih mineralnih dodataka, otrovanja biljkama te temperaturni stres. Najvažniji je izazov postići konsenzus o relevantnim pokazateljima dobrobiti na koje hranidba u ekstenzivnoj proizvodnji može utjecati i postaviti prihvatljive minimalne standarde. U ekstenzivnome stočarstvu trebale bi se implementirati inovacije temeljene na praksi, koje podupiru suradnju i razmjenu znanja s proizvođačima. Izazov za proizvođače jest osiguranje uvjeta i fleksibilnosti u praksi, koji će životinjama omogućiti da izraze vrsno svojstveno ponašanje i nose se s izazovima na način koji se u najvećoj mjeri povoljno odražava na njihovu dobrobit i proizvodnost.
Animal welfare encompasses not only animals’ physical health, but also their mental health, and it may vary from a very poor to a very good. It is a conventional wisdom that animal welfare in extensive production systems is less compromised if compared with intensive production; however, in spite of a greater behavioural freedom, extensive conditions may pose a significant welfare threat. Undernourishment is among the greatest threats related to inadequate nutrition. Nutritional challenges are mostly associated with variability in the availability and quality of feed and water, with climate conditions and stocking density, as some of the crucial factors that influence forage availability and quality; a competition for the resources with conspecifics and non-livestock animals; the impact of predators and fear on feed intake; the use of inappropriate mineral supplements; toxic plant poisoning; and thermal stress. A major challenge is to reach consensus on relevant welfare indicators that may be influenced by nutrition in extensive production and establish acceptable minimal standards. In extensive systems, practice-based innovations that support cooperation and exchange of knowledge with producers should be implemented. A challenge for the producers is to ensure the conditions and flexibility in their practice to allow the animals to express their natural behavior and cope with the challenges while maximizing their welfare and productivity.
Cilj je ovog našeg istraživanja bio pratiti, analizirati i usporediti mikroklimatske uvjete u stajama za goveda. Vrijednosti mikroklimatskih pokazatelja praćene su u ožujku i travnju tijekom četiri ...godine (2018. -2021.) u staji za junad u tovu i staji za mliječne krave. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su smjer rasta temperature zraka i međupovezanost mikroklimatskih pokazatelja u objema stajama, a i veći broj bakterija u zraku u staji za junad u tovu, nego li u staji za mliječne krave. Dobiveni rezultati potvrđuju važnost analize mikroklimatskih uvjeta u stajamaza goveda te upućuju na moguću buduću potrebu za prilagodbom u tehnologiji njihova držanja.
Prevencija bolesti na razini stada dobiva sve više na važnosti. Tako je osmišljen koncept planiranja i upravljanja zdravljem stada, uključujući mliječne krave, čijim se preventivnim mjerama nastoje ...očuvati zdravlje i dobrobit životinja te dobra proizvodnost. Stoga higijena držanja životinja ima krucijalnu ulogu u konceptu zdravlja stada, uključujući smještaj i mikroklimatske uvjete, njegu životinja, higijenu hrane i vode te biosigurnost na farmama. Suradnja između doktora veterinarske medicine i stočara od iznimne je važnosti. Doktori veterinarske medicine svojim znanjem, savjetima, praćenjem stada i edukacijom stočara pomažu u očuvanju zdravlja i proizvodnosti životinja, profitabilnosti proizvodnje i kvalitete proizvoda.
The increasing importance is being paid to herd-level disease prevention. Therefore, the concept of herd health planning and management including dairy cows has been designed to ensure animal health and welfare, and good productivity by use of preventive measures. Consequently, animal housing hygiene is crucial for the herd health concept, including accommodation and microclimatic conditions, animal care, food and water hygiene, and farm biosecurity. The cooperation between veterinarians and farmers is of utmost importance. With their knowledge, advices, monitoring of herds and education of farmers, the veterinarians have been helping to preserve animal health and productivity, production profitability and product quality.
Mačke su među najbrojnijim kućnim ljubimcima Zapadnog svijeta. Mačke kao kućni ljubimci ovise o vlasniku i često su zbog neznanja i neinformiranosti o njihovim vrsno/pasminsko specifičnim potrebama ...izložene stresnim podražajima. U ovom radu sažeti su najčešći i najistaknutiji čimbenici i problemi dobrobiti mačaka - kućnih ljubimaca. Glavni uzroci narušene dobrobiti mačaka najčešće su neprikladni smještaj i hranidba, uz nemogućnost izražavanja vrsno karakterističnog ponašanja. Takvi uvjeti mogu rezultirati bolestima, poremećajima u ponašanju ili neželjenim ponašanjima. Zbog neznanja i neinformiranosti o njihovim vrsno/pasminsko specifičnim potrebama potencijalno vlasnici bi se prije nabavke mačke trebali informirati o njezinim potrebama kako bi joj osigurali dobro fizičko i mentalno zdravlje.
This study aimed to identify the opinions and knowledge of Croatian veterinarians-to-be relating to exotic pet birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, and their welfare. A total of 589 (87%) veterinary ...students from all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate study programme were surveyed in the 2019-2020 academic year. Student opinions and knowledge were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale and the following statements: the level of cognition, sentience and welfare compromise in pet animals observed; the importance of biological functioning, emotional states and natural living for their welfare; their acceptability as pets and owner awareness; the level of risk posed by these pet animals to other animals, public health and safety, and the environment; and the level of knowledge students considered themselves to have about their feeding, housing, health and behaviour. Students provided neutral responses to or disagreement with most of the statements, in particular for animals other than birds, with no significant differences between study years. Accordingly, the study results point to the need for additional student education on exotic non-mammal pets, and can serve for the upgrading of the veterinary curriculum in the field, having implications not only for the welfare of these animals but also for other animals, public health and safety, and environmental protection.
U domaćih životinja nasljedni poremećaji mogu biti specifični za pojedine vrste, odnosno pasmine. Nedostatak adhezije leukocita kod goveda nasljedna je bolest koja se pojavljuje u holštajn pasmine i ...njezinih križanaca, a utječe na zdravlje, uzrokuje uginuća teladi, rezultira smanjenom reprodukcijskom sposobnošću životinja i znatnim ekonomskim gubitcima u proizvodnji. Bolest nastaje kao posljedica mutacije gena odgovornog za ekspresiju receptora na površini bijelih krvnih stanica, uslijed čega dolazi do smanjene funkcije ili potpunog nedostatka bjelančevina koje sudjeluju u upalnom odgovoru. Učestalost bolesti u istraživanim populacijama iznosila je i do 21,5 %. Primjena suvremenih molekularno-genetskih metoda od iznimne je važnosti u identifikaciji nositelja i pridonijela je smanjenju broja životinja nositelja recesivnog alela. Strategije očuvanja niskog broja oboljelih životinja kao i nositelja recesivnog alela uključuju redovitu genotipizaciju rasplodnih bikova i krava prije uvođenja u uzgoj u sklopu uzgojnih programa i genomskog vrednovanja životinja.
In domestic animals, inherited disorders may be species-specific or breed-specific. Leukocyte adhesion deficiency in cattle is an inherited disease that occurs in Holstein breed and its crossbreeds, and affects health, causes the death of calves, results in reduced productivity of breeding animals, and significant economic losses in production. The disease occurs as a result of a mutation in the gene responsible for the expression of receptors on the surface of white blood cells resulting in reduced activity or a complete lack of proteins involved in the inflammatory response. The incidence of the disease in the population ranged to 21.5%. The application of modern molecular genetic methods is extremely important in the identification of carriers and has contributed to the reduction of the number of animals carrying the recessive allele. Strategies for maintaining a low number of diseased animals as well as carriers of the recessive allele include regular genotyping of breeding bulls and cows before introduction into breeding as part of breeding programs and genomic evaluation of animals.
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