Australia’s giant lizards help save sheep from being eaten alive
Giant lizards called heath goannas could save Australian sheep farmers millions of dollars a year by keeping blowfly numbers down - and must be prioritised in conservation schemes to boost native wildlife, say researchers.
Probiotic spray method improves hatchability, health of chicks
Mary Anne Amalaradjou, associate professor of animal science at the University of Connecticut, has found that using a probiotic spray on eggs improves the number and quality of chicks that successfully hatch.
Amalaradjou published these findings in Poultry Science.
Amalaradjou patented a method of spraying eggs with probiotics shown to improve embryonic development and post-hatch growth of chicks raised for broiler production. This method improves chick health without relying on antibiotics, which are increasingly banned due to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria – a threat to human and animal health.
Wild chimpanzees seek out medicinal plants to treat illness and injuries
Many plants produce compounds that have medicinal effects on humans and other animals. Wild chimpanzees eat a variety of plant matter, including some that is nutritionally poor but may treat or lessen the symptoms of illness. However, it is hard to determine whether chimpanzees self-medicate, by intentionally seeking out plants with properties that help their specific ailments, or passively consume plants that happen to be medicinal.
Veterinary researchers help identify possible new pathway to treatment of colorectal cancer
Research led by Irving Coy Allen in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine has unlocked a pathway to possible future treatments for colorectal cancer in humans.
Biting flies on dairy farms can spread bovine mastitis
A study published this week in mSphere, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, has identified Stomoxys flies (also known as stable flies) as carriers of pathogenic bacteria that cause bovine mastitis. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison sequenced microbial communities from these biting flies at 2 connected dairy farms, then compared those findings to manure samples from the same farms. In both samples they identified bacterial taxa associated with bovine mastitis.
RECOVER Initiative unveils major updates to veterinary CPR guidelines, elevating emergency care for pets
In a significant leap forward for veterinary care, on June 26 the Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation (RECOVER) Initiative unveiled the first major revisions to its global veterinary cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines since 2012, setting new life-saving standards based on groundbreaking scientific advancements and extensive community feedback. The initiative is led by three co-chairs, including Dr. Daniel Fletcher, associate professor of emergency and critical care at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.