Ruminal microorganisms in cattle at a Florida agriculture research station did not have the ability to detoxify leucaena by degradation of 3-hydroxy-4(lH)-pyridone (3,4,-DHP), but a DHP isomer (2,3-DHP) was degraded in some cattle. Cattle with microorganisms that degraded 2,3-DHP were mostly Senepol cattle imported from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, where leucaena is an indigenous species. Hereford cattle at the research station in Florida generally did not degrade 3,4-DHP or 2,3-DHP. An experiment was conducted in which a pure culture of 3,4-DHP-degrading bacteria was inoculated into Hereford cattle (with ruminal fistula) grazing leucaena. The bacteria successfully colonized the rumen of recipient cattle and persisted through the following winter when there was no leucaena in the diet.

The main goal of feed analysis is to predict the productive response of animals, in this case ruminant production, when fed diets of a given nutrient composition. A systematic approach to the overall aspects of animal production is vital for a stable and profitable output. Ranking forages can benefit the local producers to value each type of forages they feed the animals. From this point of view, a database must be developed containing sufficient samples of feeds and forages with relevant data determined under relatively uniform conditions, although animal variation due to preference, physiological state or genetic potential for production may, on the other hand, contribute to errors in measurements of forage quality. Relative feed value (RFV) is the forage quality index used widely in the United States as an important tool in the marketing of forages. In Malaysia, however, this index has not been established for assessing the status of local grass quality and how it relates to the performance of the local ruminant industry. The objective of this paper is to estimate RFV of the local B. decumbens grass towards the future establishment of its index under tropical climate. RFV between 74-84 obtained from this study was calculated using CP and ME values from a 5-year proximate analysis data from the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) of local B. decumbens, sampled from the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia. If this forage is produced on a large scale, this assessment can help the producers and farmers differentiate between lots that are more or less valuable, thus making it a useful marketing and decision-making tool.

The small ruminant industry in Malaysia is plagued by several significant problems related to health and management. Due to the hot, wet tropical climate, parasitic, bacterial and viral diseases are rampant and conveniently spread and enhanced by poor management. The Veterinary Research Institute has initiated a working group to
identify and control critical diseases in small ruminants as an educational cum advisory programme for farmers on the lower economic rung so that productivity and profits may be heightened. Farms are attended to base on the complaint of high mortality and morbidity, whereby a complete and holistic approach to disease control is taken. All the farms sampled were in the vicinity of the laboratory
that is within 150 km radius. Samples collected were faeces, blood (serum and whole blood) and nasal swabs as well as water and feed samples. A questionnaire on the management practices as well as
history of the farm was recorded. Tests on all samples were conducted according to routine procedures. Results from this study
on 7 farms involving 175 goats and sheep revealed that the common parasitic diseases encountered are helminthiasis, coccidiosis and blood protozoans. More than 80% of the animals showed strongyle and coccidial infections. The prominent bacterial infections are Caseous Lymphadenitis (34.3%), Brucellosis (Brucella melitensis), Leptospirosis (1.7%), Melliodosis and QFever whereas the viral diseases are Caprine Arthiritis Encephalitis (1.1%) and Blue Tongue (15.4%). Early detection for these diseases is critical so that production losses can be minimised. Poor nutrition and hygiene is a contributing factor for the high incidence of disease in small
ruminants. Farmer awareness on latest farming methods and services provided also contributes to general wellbeing of animals. One of the outcomes of this programme is to create awareness and getting farmers to be independent and confident in problem solving with regards to management and disease in their herds.

Parasitic helminth infections in small ruminants are prevalent in South East Asia (SEA), limiting productivity and causing major economic loss for farmers. The hot, wet, tropical climate all year
round favours trichostrongylid infections, predominantly haemonchosis in sheep and goats. Commercial large scale farms, with
more than 300 animals, as well as small holders or backyard farmers with less than 50 animals face the debilitating effects of haemonchosis when they graze their animals as effective worm control is often hampered by anthelmintic resistance. In Malaysia, frequent and indiscriminate use of anthelmintics in the past has resulted
in the majority of the small ruminant population facing resistance to one or more anthelmintics. Several alternative methods of worm control are being employed by farmers; the most important and effective being cut and carry or zero grazing, where the animals are kept in pens and grass is cut and fed. In Cambodia and Myanmar,
ruminants are still tethered or stall fed with minimal drug use. In Indonesia and Thailand, commercial goat and sheep farms are fast expanding to produce breeder stock for the SEA market. However, up to
75% of the small ruminant population is still traditionally managed by small scale farmers. In most of SEA, the McMaster method for faecal worm egg counts is the only diagnostic test used to assess helminthosis in ruminants. There is an urgent need to increase awareness and information on the need for testing faecal samples regularly before drenching, conducting faecal egg count reduction tests on a yearly basis, use of the FAMACHA technique to enable
selective treatment of individual animals. The use of alternative worm control methods to manage helminthosis will help promote effective ruminant production with reduced drug use and ncourage “green” farming methods. Extension of research on local bioactive plants which may have the potential to control helminthosis may also be beneficial in the longer term.

This review attempted to explain factors associated with negative energy balance (NEB) occur¬ring during the periparturient period in dairy cows raised under tropical climatic conditions. The NEB has long been proven as an inevitable event in periparturient dairy cows. This condition had negative effects on the overall performances of dairy cows, including milk production, reproduc¬tion, and health condition. Therefore, periparturient management to overcome the NEB problem is vital for optimizing profit in dairy farming. In most tropical countries such as Thailand, dairy cows have been predominantly kept by small-holder farmers. Consequently, baseline milk yields, feed availability, feeding management, and general farming practices are different from typical commercial dairy farming. Heat stress also plays a crucial role in NEB conditions, and elevated temperature-humidity indexes above-normal conditions are recorded throughout the year. These factors influence the NEB in tropical dairy cows, which could result in different outcomes and consequences. Understanding the affecting components of NEB in dairy cows would help alleviate the severity of the NEB and its consequences, optimizing the dairy cows performance. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2021; 8(3.000): 378-387]

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the heritability (h2 ), repeatability (r), and correlations (r yi yi ) in some traits of zootechnical interest in a population of New Zealand white rabbits of a tropical dry forest area. Materials and Methods: Three mating groups were formed, each one of 1 male and 70 females. The traits evaluated were littersize at birth (LB), born alive (BA), born dead (BD), litter weight born alive (LW), litter weight at weaning (LWW), weaning weight (WW), slaughter weight (SW), and carcass weight (CW). Weaning took place at 42 days, and the fattening phase lasted 60 ± 3 days. A descriptive statistical study was carried out on the study variables. Paternal heritability was esti mated (h2 f ) and maternal (h2 m), repeatability, rabbit index IC, and Pearsons correlations (r yi yi ) between traits. The descriptive statistics showed high variation for the BD traits. Results: The values of the productivity found were similar to those presented in studies around the world. h2 presented magnitudes between low and medium. h2 f ranged between 0.09 and 0.42 and between 0.11 and 0.45 for h2 m. In general, the values of h2 m were higher than the values of h2 f . The r valuesforthe traits LB, BA, LW, LWW, and SW presented low magnitude, while it was medium for WW and CW. From the values of r, IC was calculated for each of the rabbits, allowing their categorization, which will be used in future selection plans. r yi yi among the variables ranged from −0.01 to 0.860. They were generally positive and mostly not significant (p > 0.05); they took a magnitude from low to moderate, except for the correlation between LB and BA. Conclusion: The production of rabbits under tropical conditions is similar to other reports. The genetic parameters evaluated were medium-to-low, indicating a robust non-additive gene and/ or environmental effect. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2021; 8(3.000): 471-478]