Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Gene Therapy In An Ovine Osteoarthritis Model, Crystal Collier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humans rely on the health of their joints for stability and mobility in daily life. In a normal, healthy functioning joint, complex processes maintain joint tissues, including remodeling, lubrication, and immune function among many other tasks. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder in the U.S. It becomes most prevalent in adults 60+ years of age and causes decreased mobility, discomfort, and in some cases, excruciating pain. In the biological processes of osteoarthritis, the metalloproteinase enzymes responsible for the degeneration of cartilage are upregulated. The inhibitors of metalloproteinase activity are known as Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs), which keep …

Assessing The Impact Of Supplements, Food Aversions, And Silica On Medusahead Use By Sheep, Tyler Hamilton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ranchers, farmers, land managers, and resource management agencies have been plagued with various types of invasive weeds for decades, ultimately affecting millions of acres of viable wildlife habitat, grazing, and recreational opportunities. Invasive weeds often have nutritional contexts that negatively affect animals in some way, increasing the incentive to avoid consuming it by various animal species and domestic livestock. With the current amount of land infested with this weed, and the limited knowledge of the reason for avoidance, the underlying causes of livestock avoidance require in-depth and fundamental understanding.

In my MS program, I sought to explore the relationship of …

Investigation Of The Toxicity And Toxicokinetics Of Selenium From The Accumulator Plant Symphyotrichum Spathulatum (Western Mountain Aster) In Sheep, Amanda Wilhelm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to observe the effects of selenium from plant material in sheep after a single, oral dose. Purified sodium selenite and selenomethionine were given as positive controls. The plant Symphyotrichum spathulatum (Western Mountain Aster) was collected, analyzed for selenium content, and administered orally to sheep at varying doses according to body weight. Clinical signs were observed for 7 days during which time whole blood, serum, and expired air were collected. Following euthanasia, tissues were collected for histopathological analysis and mineral analysis.

Clinical signs were less apparent than expected and included depression and mild dyspnea in sheep receiving …

Self-Medicative Behavior Of Sheep Experiencing Gastrointestinal Nematode Infections And The Postingestive Effects Of Tannin, Larry D. Lisonbee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Diet selection and self-medication are fundamental to the survival of all species. The abilities to choose healthy foods in response to past consequences are basic elements of evolution. This study explores self-medication regarding tannins both as a medication and as a dietary challenge. In the first study, sheep with natural parasite infections were offered a low quality supplement containing a dose of tannins considered to be therapeutic (medicine), while the control infected lambs received the same supplement without tannins (placebo). This study included a group of parasite-free lambs. The parasitized lambs ate more of the tannin containing supplement than non-parasitized …

Feeding Behavior Of Sheep In Relation To Kinetics Of Sagebrush Monoterpenes: Implications For Landscape Biodiversity, Luthando E. Dziba

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The sagebrush steppe is one of the most extensive vegetation types in the western US and an important habitat for wild and domestic herbivores. When sagebrush dominates, however, forage and habitat quality decline. Although sagebrush is nutritious, its forage value is reduced by terpenes. A better understanding of how terpenes limit intake is vital for increasing consumption of sagebrush and for enhancing and maintaining biodiversity in the sagebrush-steppe.

To better understand how terpenes in sagebrush limit intake, we studied feeding behavior of sheep in the field, influence of sagebrush monoterpenes on regulation of intake in pens, and the feeding behavior …

Livestock Watering Practices In The Moroccan Pre-Sahara: Their Effects On Water And Nutrient Metabolism Of Sheep In Different Body Conditions, El Mostafa Darfaoui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A field survey and a metabolism experiment were conducted to study livestock watering practices in the Moroccan Pre-Sahara and their changes with drought extent, season, ecological zone, pastoral system, and herd size. The metabolism experiment was designed to determine effects of once per 2 days (ID), once daily and twice daily drinking frequencies, and high and low body conditions on water and nutrient utilization by sheep fed high- and low-quality diets.

The way herds are managed in this region exposes all sex and age categories of animals to food and water shortages during annual dry seasons and occasional droughts. Livestock …

Endocrine Interrelationships During Early Postpartum In St. Croix Sheep, Richard Michael Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationships of estradiol-17-beta, progesterone, and LH in the early postpartum St. Croix ewe were monitored during the breeding season in 1988. A second group of non-postpartum, ovariectomized St. Croix ewes were used to determine non-ovarian levels of progesterone for comparison. Results of this study indicate that:

1. The short duration rise in progesterone exhibited by some ewes is indicative of an ovulation.
2. Ewes that do exhibit a short luteal phase prior to the first "normal" luteal phase have a longer period from parturition to the first "normal" luteal phase.
3. Serum levels of LH increase beginning 3 days postpartum.
4. There is …

Some Factors Affecting The Postpartum Interval In Sheep, Jose Pedro Cannas Simoes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effect of genotype on the occurrence of ovulation and estrus during the interval from lambing to ovulation accompanied by estrus (postpartum interval) was measured in White-Face and Black-Face ewes that lambed during the breeding season in 1986 and 1987. A group of St. Croix ewes was added to the study in 1987. The influence of lactation on the events of the postpartum interval was measured by comparing intact and mastectomized White-Face and Black-Face ewes. The effect of prolactin on postpartum interval was measured in these two genotypes and in a group of bromocriptine-treated Black-Face ewes that lambed in 1986. …

Utilization Of Poultry Waste (Composted Caged-Layer) As A Supplement For Sheep Fed Straw During Late Pregnancy, Raul Meneses R.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The utilization of composed caged-layer waste (CCLW) in diets for pregnant ewes fed cereal straw was evaluated. Five sheep were assigned to five diets containing, 0, 5.72, 11.37, 23.80, and 32.69% CCLW in a 5x5 Latin square design. Water intake, feed intake and feces output were measured. Feed and feces were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), organic matter, hemicellulose and minerals. Thus, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance could be calculated. Forty dry, pregnant ewes in the last third of generation were assigned to four dietary treatments contained 0, 11.25, 22.08 and …

Comparison Of Post-Weaning Performance And Carcass Traits Of Columbia And Cormo Crossbred Lambs, Carl Kim Chapman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thirty-seven Columbia and Cormo Crossbred July-weaned weather lambs were utilized in this study. A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate feed efficiency, average daily gain, feed cost per pound of gain, wool growth per day and per pound of grain, and average wool fiber diameter and distribution of fiber population of the wool. Lambs were raised to a uniform market weight of between 115 and 125 pounds and slaughtered to evaluate carcass weight, backfat thickness, loin eye area, internal body fat, leg circumference, dressing percentage, untrimmed wholesale cuts, trimmed retail cuts, and yield and quality grades. Suffok x Cormo/Rambouillet lambs …

Effects Of Grazing Intensity By Sheep On The Production Of Atriplex Nummularia And Sheep Live Weight In Jordan, Kamal I. Tadros

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rangelands in Jordan are deteriorated due to a combination of harsh environmental conditions and human misuse. Jordan is importing increasingly large quantities of meat and animal products to meet the demand from its growing population. Sheep are supplementarily fed during the dry season and large quantities of grain supplements are imported every year.

Significant success has been attained in the establishment of Atriplex nummularia Lindl. (ATNU) in Jordan. There is, however, a general lack of adequate research to determine if ATNU is effectively utilized by local sheep, to what extent it is utilized and to what extent it tolerates grazing. …

Electronic Feeding Doors For Individual Feeding Of Group Housed Sheep Compared To Individual Housing And Feeding Or Group Housing And Feeding, Ronald J. Lane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thirty-six mature purebred cheviot ewes and 36 polypaysired wether lambs were used in two separate experiments to determine the usefulness of an electronic feeding door as contrasted with traditional feeding situations. The sheep were stratified by weight into three management categories; group housing and feeding (G+G), individual housing and feeding (1+1), or group housing and individual feeding (G+1) using an electronic feeding door. The weight stratification formed a light and a heavy weight class resulting in a 3x2 factorial design. Two different training procedures were used to arrive at a generalized 14-day training sequence that does not require physical handling …

Reproductive Behavioral And Physiological Traits In Domestic, Wild, And Hybrid Ovis, Kara-Lynn Crocker-Bedford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was part of a program to develop new genotypes of sheep (Ovis spp.) and goats (Capra spp.) which are more useful for food and fiber production. The study examined the influence of domestication on behavioral and physiological traits of ewes and lambs, the influence of a single or twin offspring on ewe and lamb behaviors, and general relationships between ewes and lambs during the lambs' first month of life.

Domestication has caused the intensities of observed traits to diverge greatly from the tendencies shown by wild populations. Domestication has produced increases in measurements associated with maternal …

Linear Models For Estimating The Nutritive Value Of Sheep Diets, Michael L. Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Digestibility data were determined in 2 replications of a 2 x 3 x 2 x 2 factorial arranged experiment to: (1) determine the effects of forage type (grass vs alfalfa), forage maturity (late vegetative vs midbloom vs fullbloom), diet ingredients (forage only vs 50:50 forage plus corn), and diet texture (coarsely chopped vs pelleted) on the digestibility of diet chemical constituents by sheep; (2) develop equations to estimate digestible energy of sheep diets from nutrient content of the diet; and (3) compare popular chemical methods used to partition feed dry matter into fibrous and soluble components. Diets were fed to …

Forage Selection And Nutrition Of Sheep And Goats Grazing In The Tunisian Pre-Sahara, Rudolfo Ricardo Griego

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nomadic pastoralism has been the traditional method of utilizing grazing resources in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. However, increased sedentarization accompanied by growing human and animal populations during the past two decades is thought to be accelerating the desertification process, or desert expansion. The specific interactions of the grazing animal with this process has been speculated upon but not studied in detail. A comparative study was initiated during the spring grazing season of 1974 to determine sheep and goat nutritional and production responses, as well as patterns of vegetative selection and utilization under the pastoral system currently employed in …

The Development Of The Endogenous Stages Of Eimeria Ninakohlyakimovae (Yakimoff And Rastegaieff, 1930) In Domestic Sheep, Richard S. Wacha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forty-five mixed breed lambs, 1 to 4 months of age, were used to study the patent period and endogenous stages in the life cycle of Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae. The lambs were inoculated with oocysts of this species and killed at daily intervals from 1 through 14 days after inoculation. From all lambs of the study sections of intestinal tissue were prepared by routine methods for histological examination.

E. ninakohlyakimovaewas observed to have 2 generations of schizonts in its endogenous development. Mature, first-generation schizonts had an average diameter of about 290 μ and had many thousands of merozoites, averaging 11.9 …