Donkeys (Equus asinus) face a global crisis. Their health, welfare, and even their local survival are compromised as the demand for their skins increases. Such demand for donkey skins aims to supply the ejiao industry. Ejiao is a traditional remedy made from the collagen of donkey skins. Some people believe it has medicinal properties. It is estimated that the ejiao industry currently requires approximately 4.8 million donkey skins per year. Although the future of the donkeys is still uncertain, we must guarantee a life free from suffering to the animals under our responsibility. The trade of donkey skins also undermines the cultural role of donkeys. Donkeys have developed an essential role in Brazil, especially in the Northeast region of the country, carrying on their backs construction materials, water, and food, and, as a consequence, helping people build cities in the deepest hinterland. The close relationship between people and donkeys affords donkeys a unique place in the local culture. This central importance has been recognized by Brazilian artists throughout history. We have many examples of songs, books, “cordeis” (typical Brazilian literature), poems, documentaries, movies, woodcuts, paintings, and sculptures, created to honor this important actor. Here we describe some examples of this human-donkey relationship, and its influence on our culture.

Enteroliths are concretions of minerals that cause partial or total obstruction of the intestinal lumen, resulting in recurrent and chronic colic in horses. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the in vitro solvent effect of carbonated beverages (CocaCola® and Coca-Cola® Zero), and papain and cellulase enzymes (Robinson Pharma®, Santa Ana, CA, USA) on enteroliths obtained from horses. Six 51-grams samples of six enteroliths were assigned to six treatments of immersion solutions: T1, Coca-Cola®; T2: Coca-Cola® Zero; T3: distilled water + papain (90 mg) and cellulase (120 mg); T4: Coca-Cola® + papain and cellulase; T5: Coca-Cola® Zero + papain and cellulase; and, CT: distilled water (control). The volume for immersion in the assigned solution was 150 mL, at a pH of 7.1, using an incubation shaker (Heidolph® , Germany) at 37ºC and 25 rpm, for 72 h. The evaluation periods of the dissolution percentage (difference between the initial weight and final weight of the samples), were 0, 3, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h. After 72 h of immersion, solutions T4, T5, and T1 presented 47, 38.8, and 14.9% of dissolution, respectively. The other solutions did not have major differences with CT (control). Under the in vitro conditions of this pilot study, papain and cellulase enzymes potentiated the dissolving effect of the carbonated solutions on the enteroliths obtained from horses. Further studies are suggested since the existing literature is on the dissolution of phytobezoars and not of enteroliths.

This study aims to assess farmers' knowledge and attitudes towards the use of antibiotics in broiler chickens in Aceh Besar Farm. The respondents' population was obtained from 13 farmers who were interviewed, and the results obtained were 13 samples with a margin of error of 5%. Data were collected by interview using an open questionnaire that had been validated. The validity test results of farmers' knowledge and attitudes have a value of r 0.5529, which means that they are declared valid. The reliability test results of knowledge and attitudes of animal husbandry have a value of 0.60, so both are declared reliable. Data were analyzed using independent t-test. Based on the interview results, 80% of the farmer respondents in Aceh Besar had good knowledge of the use of antibiotics, 93.33% of respondents gave antibiotics according to clinical symptoms. Farmers' knowledge and attitudes towards the use of antibiotics based on business experience (5 years and ≥ 5 years) showed significantly different results (p0.05). The farmer's knowledge and attitudes towards the use of antibiotics based on the number of broilers raised on the farm showed no significant difference (p0.05). Based on gender and age, farmers' knowledge and attitudes showed no significant difference (p 0.05 in all comparisons). The knowledge and attitudes of 13 farmers were good towards the use and resistance of antibiotics in Aceh Besar District.

Boerka goat is the best meat type goat. Feed quality is one of the biggest factors that affect productivity, so it is necessary to know in advance the need for nutrients. The purpose of this study was to determine the dietray of crude protein (CP) and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) in efficient feed for the production of Boerka goats male growing phase. This study was designed in a completely randomized design, consisting of six combination feed treatments with six replications. Namely: 1 (CP 13.00% and TDN 63.10%); 2 (CP 13.03% and TDN 65.07%); 3 (CP 13.00% and TDN 70.00%); 4 (CP 15.00% and TDN 62.69%); 5 (CP 15.12% and TDN 65.00%); 6 (CP 15.00% and TDN 70.00%). The observed variables were feed consumption, feed consumption ratio (FCR), nutrient digestibility (dry matter, organic matter, crude protein) and average daily gain (ADG). Results of this study show that the balanced of CP and TDN has no significant effect on consumption and FCR. However, it was significantly different for digestibility and ADG. Feed treatment (CP 13.03% and TDN 65.07%) obtained the higher digestibility of DM and OM (71.49 and 70.5%), while the highest CP digestibility was treated with CP 15.05% and TDN 62.69% (71.59%). The ADG response of Boerka goats with CP 13.03% and TDN 65.07% was the good results (144.90 g head-1day-1) while the lowest response was on CP 13.08% and TDN 63.10%. It is concluded that the dietray of CP 13.03% and TDN 65.07% is a recommended of Boerka goat male growing phase.

Bovine mastitis is the most important disease of dairy herds worldwide. Its main etiologic agents are bacteria, including Streptococcus agalactiae. The importance of this agent in bovine mastitis is because it is highly contagious and has a high impact on the occurrence of clinical mastitis cases and in the increase of the bulk milk somatic cell counts. The dry cow therapy and the treatment of the clinical mastitis cases stand out among the measures to control intramammary infections in cows. However, these strategies require knowledge about the antimicrobial susceptibility of the causal microorganisms. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of 89 S. agalactiae strains isolated from bovine mastitis between the years 2004 and 2008 in dairy herds from Campo das Vertentes region, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The disc diffusion technique was used and the antimicrobials currently used in mastitis therapy were tested. The isolates tested showed 100% susceptibility to chloramphenicol, ceftiofur, cefotaxime, enrofloxacin, and cefquinome. High frequencies of susceptibility (>95%) were also observed for the beta-lactams (penicillin G, ampicillin, and oxacillin), cephalosporins (cephalotin, ceftiofur, cefotaxime, cefoperazone, and cefquinome), florfenicol, gentamicin, lincomycin, nitrofurantoin, and sulfamethoprim. The strains showed high frequencies of resistance to neomycin (15.74%), and tetracycline (21.35%). Multidrug resistance was detected in 2.25% of the tested isolates. The results pointed to variations in the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the studied strains and the importance of the use of the susceptibility tests to determine the correct antimicrobial to be applied in the treatment of bovine mastitis caused by S. agalactiae. The high frequencies of resistance observed to some antimicrobials, such as neomycin and tetracycline, commonly used in the treatment of mastitis and other pathologies, highlighted the need for more judicious use of antimicrobials on dairy farms.

Currently, the use of alternative medicine is necessary, even in animals. Our study focused on the valorisation of the use of herbal products in Algerian veterinary medicine. This study is based on a 6-month exploratory survey of 257 private practicing veterinarians, followed by a study of the bacteriological activity of the essential oil of the Pistacia lentiscus plant. The survey results generally  indicate that private veterinarians support phytotherapy as an alternative to conventional drugs in several areas and species. Also, the results of research conducted on the antibacterial activity of Pistacia lentiscus essential oil show that it inactivates 50% of the bacterial strains. This confirms the well defined role of this medicinal plant used as an alternative in veterinary medicine.

Salmonellosis is a foodborne disease (FBD) that affects public health and can cause death in people. Many outbreaks of Salmonellosis have been reported due to the contamination of raw milk and dairy products with the pathogen. To determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in milk samples from four dairy herds in the Sabana of Bogotá in 2017, 112 milk samples were taken directly from the mammary gland during milking. All milk samples were cultured and tested to isolate and identify Salmonella spp. using microbiological and molecular methods. Salmonella spp. prevalence of milk samples was found to be 20.5% (n=23). The main Salmonella serovars isolated were S. Newport (60.87%), S. Typhimurium (17.4%), S. Virchow, S. Bredeney, and S. Anatum (4.3% each one of the serovars). However, it was not possible to determine the Salmonella serotype in two isolates. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in milk has not been studied extensively in Colombia. The 20.5% in the prevalence might be due to fact that the sample was taken directly from the mammary gland allowing a better chance of isolation by avoiding the dilutional effect of mixed milk from different cows in the buckets. This also suggests that the infection of the udder could have occurred by hematogenous dissemination or by milking machine contamination. This study highlights the need to implement measures to prevent contamination and reduce the problem in the herds, which will result in milk and dairy products with high standards of innocuity and quality and decrease the risk of foodborne illness.

The donkey population has increased in the last 10 years, with an estimated 50 million donkeys currently worldwide. Donkey welfare, meanwhile, is an increasing global concern that receives close public scrutiny. However, multiple challenges are surrounding how donkey welfare is assessed and recorded. The Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) project is the first project, funded by the European Commission, intended to improve donkey welfare by developing a scientifically sound and practical on-farm welfare assessment protocol. The present study describes the procedure for the development of the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for donkeys: 1) selection of promising welfare indicators; 2) research to cover gaps in knowledge; 3) stakeholder consultation; 4) testing the prototype protocol on-farm. The proposed two-level strategy improved on-farm feasibility, while the AWIN donkey app enables the standardized collection of data with prompt results. Although limitations are linked with a relatively small reference population, the AWIN welfare assessment protocol represents the first scientific and standardized approach to evaluate donkey welfare on-farm.

Ureteral ectopy is a rare disorder in the small animals’ clinic. It is characterized as a congenital anomaly, resulting from the ducts differentiation failure during embryogenesis. In this scenario, the ureters present themselves outside the anatomical site, being inserted into the uterus, urethra, urinary vesicle neck, or vagina. The clinical signs are urinary incontinence and perivulvar dermatitis. Surgery is the accepted treatment to correct the anomaly. The surgical procedure is based on relocating the ectopic ureter and treating associated modifications. This report describes a case of intramural bilateral ureteral ectopy, corrected surgically through the neoureterocystostomy technique, making it possible to control the animal’s urinary incontinence.

Systemic mastocytosis (SM) pathology is extremely rare in canine practice, with insufficient reported data. The knowledge of the clinical behavior of this pathology is scarce. In human medicine, SM has been widely investigated, being defined as a rare hematopoietic disorder by the World Health Organization (2016), within the type of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Herein, we describe a systemic mastocytosis case in a Portuguese Serra-da-Estrela dog, where a cutaneous grade III/high-grade MCT was also diagnosed. The clinical decline of the animal and owner’s insistence throughout anamnesis that the dog was markedly different after the cytologic exam performed in another clinic, along with both severe eosinophilia and hepatomegaly, led to the clinical suspicion of SM. The animal passed away 7 days later. Post-mortem investigation confirmed SM pathology, and a deletion of 15 base pairs change on c-Kit gene exon 11 was identified. Contemplating the low number of cases described in the literature, this publication aims to disclose clinical and laboratory features of rare and poorly described canine SM, taking into consideration human outcomes described in the literature.