An experiment was conducted to study the effect of citric acid supplementation on growth performance of weaned LWY pigs up to market weight at 205 days. Thirty LWY weaned pigs were selected, divided randomly into five experimental groups and fed with five iso-nitrogenous and iso-calorie ad libitum diets, that contained citric acid at 0, 0.5 %, 1 % and 1.5 % and 2 % of feed. Feed intake was measured daily and body weight was recorded at fortnight intervals. The Escherichia coli count of excreta was estimated for all the weaned pigs for initial, middle and end of the experimental period. The weight gain was significantly (p<0.01) increased by 2.61, 4.59 and 4.74 % at 1 %, 1.5 % and 2 % citric acid supplemented groups than control. The feed intake decreased (p<0.05) and feed conversion efficiency improved (p<0.01) in citric acid supplemented groups as compared to control. Best feed efficiency was observed in 1.5 and 2 % citric acid supplemented groups. The Escherichia coli count in feces was significantly (p<0.01) decreased in citric acid supplemented groups than control and best results were observed in 1.5 and 2 % citric acid supplemented groups. It was concluded that the minimum level of citric acid supplementation at 1.5 % improved the growth performance and cost effectiveness to the maximum extent with lower faecal E. coli count in LWY pigs.

Low cost technologies for small and large scale production of meat products need to be developed to initiate and attract a large number of entrepreneurs to the processed meat industry. Retort pouches have advantages of shelf-stability, less weight, less storage space, ease of opening & preparation and storage without refrigeration.It has been shown that the use of retortable pouches for the thermo-processed foods is technical and commercially feasible. The present study was conducted to determine the suitable recipe formulation, retort processing temperature and shelf-life of the chicken curry with desi and broiler under ambient temperature (32+2°C)up to 3 months of period. Shelf-life studies included changes in microbiological, physicochemical composition and sensory characters.

Rabies is zoonotic viral encephalitis targeting the nervous system of several vertebrates and transmitted mostly through the saliva of the infected host causing extensive neurological dysfunction. In this study, 873 post-mortem examinations of different species of animals were done in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Pookode and 17.64% were diagnosed as rabies positive by using direct fluorescent test (d-FAT). Out of all the rabies positive cases, 76.6% were dogs, 9.1% large ruminants, 8.4% cats and 4.5% goats. In dogs, non-descript dogs were highest followed by Labrador, Pomeranian, German Shepherd, crossbred dogs, Rottweiler, Doberman and Spitz. The male dogs contributed about 69.5% of positive cases. Highest number of cases of rabies in animals were found during the winter season (January to March) comprising 33.76% of all the rabies cases.

The study was conducted to assess the perceived impact of the Tribal Sub Plan project on the tribal beneficiaries in terms of socio-economic upliftment. Critical inputs namely sheep/goats, desi chicken, concentrate feed for sheep/goats, dewormers and vaccines, wire net for poultry housing, poultry feed and veterinary first aid kit were provided to the selected beneficiaries. With regard to the perceived direct impact, majority of the beneficiaries opined that their income had increased substantially due to the involvement in the tribal project. Enhanced income was observed through direct marketing and each farmer beneficiary was earning Rs.700-1000/ month by way of selling sheep/goat kids and desi chicken eggs. Among the indirect consequences, significant social, economic and behavioural impact was perceived by majority of the beneficiaries. With regard to social impact, there was increased outside contact followed by changes in food habit, increased organizational participation, better relation and credibility with officers and veterinarians and recognition in the society. With regard to economic impact, majority of the farmers perceived that there was substantial increase in family employment and in addition, few farmers were able to renovate their houses, purchased new land and household materials, invested in monthly savings and cleared their debts. As far as the behavioural impact, majority developed positive attitude towards livestock farming activities and there was increased awareness on the tribal schemes implemented by the Government. Further, majority of the beneficiaries have acquired newer skills namely azolla cultivation, vermicomposting, poultry chick candling and hatching due to their active involvement in the tribal project.

Integrated Farming System (IFS) is an efficient way of recycling farm waste or farm by-products. In present study the fishes (Catla, Common carp, Grass carp, Rohu and Silver carp) were cultivated through ostrich feed wastages and cattle manure in six month period. The average fish survival of 86% was observed and it was varied from 84% to 88%. The total weight of fishes harvested was 50.95 kg, 43.71 kg, 42.58 kg, 54.95 kg and 53.76 kg for individual varieties such as Catla, Common crap, Grass crap, Rohu and Silver carp respectively. The average weight of fish at harvesting was 386.0 g, 502.5 g, 507.0 g, 426.0 g and 632.5 g with 64.33 g, 83.75 g, 84.50 g, 71.00 g, 105.42 g average weight gain of fish per month in Catla, Common carp, Grass carp, Rohu and Silver carp respectively. The benefit cost ratio was observed as 2.35 with the net profit of Rs.21,247.50 for 6 months culture period in 0.06 Ha pond area. It was concluded that ostrich and cattle cum fish integration was a suitable and economically viable integrated system in Tamil Nadu.

A full term pluriparous Kanni doe was presented with the history of difficulty in parturition, bloody vaginal discharge and straining. Based on the obstetrical examination, the case was diagnosed as dystocia due to foetal anasarca. The present communication places on record the successful per vaginal delivery of a foetal anasarcous co-twin.

The objective of the present study is to explore the bacteria associated with the dead-in-shell eggs of psittacines. A total of 132 dead-in-shell eggs of different psittacine breeds (Macaws, Lories, Conures, Amazons, Eclectus, Cockatoos, Grey parrots and Jardine parrots)were obtained from the incubation unit of Cavin estate exotic bird farm, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and subjected to microbological analysis. The overall prevalence of bacteria isolated from the dead-in-shell was 80.30% (106/132). Among these, Gram-negative bacteria were predominant (49.24%, 65/132) was observed followed by Gram-positive organisms (28.78%, 38/132) and Gram-positive filamentous organisms (2.27%, 3/132) were also isolated from dead in shell embryos. Among the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus sp. (21.12%) was found to be more followed by Bacillus sp. (3.78%), Corynebacterium sp. (2.2%) and Enterococcus sp. (1.51%).Similarly, among the Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia sp. (25%) was identified more followed by Pseudomonas sp. (6.60%), Serratia sp. (6.60%), Acinetobacter sp. (4.5%), Enterobacter sp. (3.78%), Yersinia sp. (3.77%), Citrobacter sp. (2.27%), Buttiauxella sp. (1.52%), Klebsiella sp. (1.51%), Cedeacae sp. (1.51%) and Erwinia sp. (0.75%). Among the psittacine species, more numbers of the dead in shell cases were found to be in conures (37%) and lories (14.5%). Commonly found bacterial isolates were subjected to antibiotic sensitivitytest. All the isolates were found to be sensitive to enrofloxacin and cefotaxime whereas, most of the bacteria showed resistance to trimethoprim + sulphamethoxazole and kanamycin. Resistance to other antibiotics were variable. Multiple resistance was not observed for any of the isolate. 

A study was carried out among sheep farmers in Dhubri district of Assam on socio-economic status and management practices adopted by them. Altogether 120 numbers of farmers were selected randomly from two blocks of this district. The data were collected through personal interview method with the help of a well-structured, comprehensive and pre-tested interview schedule. Most of the sheep farmers were illiterate and belonged to middle age group. Majority (65.00%) of the respondents had agriculture as their main occupation. Majority (73.33%) of the respondents had low annual income followed by medium annual income (22.50%) and high  annual income level (4.16%). The study revealed that sheep were sheltered during night only. There was no separate housing for the sheep alone. Sheep were let loose in the morning and returned back to the night shelter before evening when there was no crop in the field. During flood, the animals were shifted to an elevated area and were mostly fed with tree leaves such as jackfruit, mango, neem, guava, banana, and babool. During rainy season, when most of the fields were waterlogged, they even graze in knee deep condition in marshy land. Due to grazing in marshy land during rainy season, they were highly prone to parasitic infection particularly liver fluke infection. During flood, most of the sheep died due to severe starvation. Majority of the farmers reported two breeding seasons in sheep viz. June-August and January-March. None of the farmers vaccinated their sheep in the study area. Hence, there is an urgent need to adopt improved management practices to exploit the production potential of this local sheep. By adopting improved management practices, better growth could be achieved, which will ultimately increase the income of the rural poor.   

Barnacle of the genus Octolasmis are commonly called goose-neck barnacle and are frequently found in infesting corals, echinoderms, molluscs, horseshoe crabs, lobsters, isopods, sea- snakes, stomatopods. They are found in shallow waters attachedto the exoskeleton of the decapod crustacea, including crabs and few are found in depthgreater than 1000 meters. During a visit to Pazhaverkadu fishlanding center located near Pulicat Lake, Tiruvallur district, a single individual of Portunuspelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) infested with Octolasmis sp. (Gray, 1825) was encountered. A further work on the effect of Octolasmis sp., and the correlationof its infestation with the thinning of muscle mass and histopathological changes mustbe studied.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is defined as the presence of structural or functional abnormalities in one or both kidneys that have been present for an extended period usually from three months or more. Nephron damage associated with CKD is usually irreversible and progressive and characterized by a wide spectrum of disease, ranging from a minor structural lesion in a single kidney to extensive loss of nephrons affecting both kidneys (Polzin, 2011).CKD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in older dogs and cats, which were recorded with an overall incidence of 1- 3 per cent in cats and 0.5 – 1.5 per cent in dogs (Brown, 2007).  Azotemia is defined as an abnormal concentration of urea, creatinine, and other nonprotein nitrogenous substances in blood, plasma, or serum. Azotemia is a laboratory finding with several fundamentally different causes. Since non-protein nitrogenous compounds (including urea and creatinine) are endogenous substances, abnormally elevated concentrations in serum may be caused by an  increased rate of production (by the liver for urea; by muscles for creatinine), or by a decreased rate of loss (primarily by the kidneys).  When the structural and functional integrity of both kidneys has been compromised to such a degree that polysystemic signs of kidney failure are clinically manifested, the relatively predictable symptom complex called uremia appears, regardless of underlying cause. In some instances, uremic crises may suddenly be precipitated by prerenal disorders or, less commonly, postrenal disorders in patients with previously compensated primary kidney failure. Uremia is characterized by multiple physiologic and metabolic alterations that result from impaired kidney function.