Veterinary Medicine Commons^™

Effect Of Forage Allocation On Steer Performance When Grazing Cereal Rye, Shelby L. Davies-Jenkins, Abigail M. Sartin, Daren D. Redfearn, Mary E. Drewnoski

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

Cereal rye is the most common cover crop planted today. With its good winter tolerance and rapid spring growth during a gap in perennial pasture productivity, it is an attractive forage source in early spring. Unfortunately, optimum stocking rates and how they are related to forage biomass availability are unknown. The study objective was to understand the effect of forage allowance on steer performance when rotationally grazing fall-planted cereal rye in spring. Stocking rate was negatively correlated with pounds of forage offered. Surprisingly, amount of forage offered related to average daily gain. Growing steers grazing cereal rye …

Strategies Affecting Performance And Profitability Of May-Born Steers, Dempster M. Christenson, Jacki A. Musgrave, Richard N. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

This study compared the performance and economic outcomes of differing backgrounding and feedlot systems in May-born yearling steers. We hypothesized reduced supplementation with adequate forage availability while backgrounding weaned steers will yield a similar carcass with greater profitability. It was hypothesized yearling steers backgrounded on pasture before finishing in feedlot would have a more valuable carcass that is more profitable than steers that enter the feedlot immediately. Weaned steer calves were backgrounded with ad libitum hay and 4 lb/d supplement in drylot or on pasture with 1 lb/d supplement. As yearlings, half of each backgrounding group immediately …

Impact Of Feeding Distillers Grains Compared To New Fractionated Distillers Grains (Solbran) On Feedlot Cattle Performance And Enteric Methane, Debora G. Sousa, Rebecca L. Mcdermott, Mitchell M. Norman, James C. Macdonald, Rick Stock, Ryan A. Mass, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

This study evaluated feeding wet or dry traditional distillers grains with wet and dry fractionated distillers (Solbran) fed at 40% of diet DM compared to a corn control diet on enteric methane emissions and performance. Compared to the control, there was no difference in carbon dioxide production, but there was an increase in methane production in the steers fed fractionated distillers compared to conventional distillers. Feeding steers traditional or fractionated distillers grains increased consumption, increased gain, but improved conversions only for steers fed WDGS, while steers fed the other distillers grains had worse or the same feed …

Assessing Reproductive Health In Zoo-Managed African Elephant Bulls (Loxodonta Africana), Kaitlyn Marie Campbell

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Populations of zoo-managed African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) exhibit substantial individual- and population-level variation in reproductive success, yet research has largely focused on females, leaving male fertility poorly understood. Subfertility in bulls, characterized by low libido and inconsistent semen quality, poses significant challenges to genetic management and long-term population sustainability. This study a) systematically evaluates semen quality, b) identifies physiological, behavioral, social, and environmental determinants of fertility, and c) advances ex situ conservation through the expansion of the African elephant sperm bank. Between January 2023 and July 2025, 209 semen collection events were conducted from 13 sexually mature bulls …

The Evolution Of Veterinary Technology Education: Growth, Accreditation, And The Role Of Murray State University’S Veterinary Technology Program, Tara Joiner

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the evolution of veterinary technology education, focusing on the growth, accreditation, and role of Murray State University’s (MSU) veterinary technology program. The veterinary profession has experienced significant advancement and expansion in recent years. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredits veterinary technology programs, setting standards and conducting reviews to ensure quality. Murray State University’s veterinary technology program, accredited by the AVMA in 1986, prepares students for the Veterinary Technology National Exam (VTNE) through a comprehensive curriculum and internships (practical experience). Findings from a three-year period (2022–2024) highlight mentor confidence in student readiness at 77.3%, with qualitative feedback …

Analyzing The Impact Of Geographic Location, Owner Knowledge, And Veterinary Guidance On Equine Vaccination Protocols, Colleen Mcanally

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how equine owners decide which diseases their horses are vaccinated for based on their geographic location, the knowledge they have on specific equine diseases, and how much they rely on their veterinarian’s recommendations. A total of 55 horse owners throughout the United States completed an online survey. The results showed that while most owners vaccinate for common core vaccines including West Nile Virus, Tetanus, and Rabies, fewer vaccinated for risk-based vaccines like Leptospirosis. Many owners felt confident in their knowledge of national guidelines for annual core vaccinations, but only a small number of owners were able to …

Form And Function In Mobulids: A Comparative Analysis Of Filter Morphology With Bioinspiration Applications, J. B. Teeple, S. R. Kahane-Rapport, K. E. Cohen, L. Hamann, J. A. Strother, E. W. M. Paig-Tran

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mobulas (manta and devil rays) are large-scale ram filter feeders that separate planktonic food particles from large volumes of water with minimal clogging. This contrasts with most human-made filters that can suffer from problematic clogging requiring additional mechanisms for clearing blocked surfaces and maintaining performance. Prior studies have shown that mobulas employ a unique mechanism referred to as ricochet separation to filter feed, whereby captive vortices in filter pores cause particles to bounce off the filter surfaces and away from the filter pores. This mechanism enables the filtration of particles smaller than the pore size and reduced clogging. However, few …

Hair Growth Rate Estimation In North American Ursids, Jennifer H. Stern, Karyn D. Rode, Craig A. Stricker, Sheriden Ploof, Cindy L. J. Roberts, Celess Edinger, Mary Humbyrd, Nate Wagner, Megan A. Owen, John P. Whiteman, Thea Bechshoft, Brent White, Kristin L. Laidre

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The feeding ecology of wildlife populations has important implications for individual health, population productivity and distribution patterns. For ursids (bears), food resources and feeding behaviour primarily affect population dynamics via effects on cub production and survival. Much of what is known about the feeding ecology of bears is based on analyses of tissues collected from capture-based research efforts, harvested animals or non-invasive approaches. However, inference about diet from hair has been limited by a lack of quantitative data on the timing of the moult and hair growth rates. We conducted a study to develop and test two methods of quantifying …

Trace Level Benzoylecgonine Detections In Equine Plasma/Serum – A Proposed Interim Plasma Level Regulatory “Cut-Off“, Andreas F. Lehner, Kimberly Brewer, Levent Dirikolu, Abelardo Morales Briceñod, Robert Holland, George Maylin, Clara Fenger, Thomas Tobin

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Cocaine is a widely used human recreational substance routinely transferring at pharmacologically irrelevant trace level amounts to non-user humans and horses. Horses and humans rapidly demethylate cocaine to benzoylecgonine which is excreted in urine at concentrations approaching two thousand times higher than the corresponding plasma cocaine concentrations. In human workplace drug testing, these usually pharmacologically irrelevant trace level urinary detections of benzoylecgonine are handled by application of a 100 ng/ml urinary “cut-off“, as presented by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In horse racing several American states have long used published urinary “cut-offs“ for benzoylecgonine of from …

Neuroinflammatory Signaling And Immune Cell Infiltration Differ In Brains Of Rats Exposed To Space Radiation And Social Isolation, Austin M. Adkins, Zachary N. M. Luyo, Alea F. Boden, Riley S. Heerbrandt, Richard A. Britten, Laurie L. Wellman, Larry D. Sanford

Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Inflammatory Diseases (CINID) Faculty Publications

Astronauts on the proposed Mars missions will be exposed to extended periods of social isolation (SI) and space radiation (SR). SI and SR-induced immune dysregulation can result in persistent neuroinflammation and neuronal damage which could negatively impact an astronaut’s health and ability to maintain adequate levels of performance. The synergistic effects of combined SI and SR on immune system functionality and the brain remain unknown. Determining how single and combined inflight stressors modulate the immune system is crucial for fully understanding pathways impacting astronaut health and performance. We used ground-based analogs of SI and SR in rodent models to investigate …

Effects Of A Diet Supplemented With A Blend Of Protected Organic Acids And Essential Oilson Growth Performance And Cecal Microbiota Composition In Broilers, Mehmet Akan, Kadi̇r Serdar Di̇ker, Serdar Özlü, Murat Çelebi̇, Seyyi̇de Sariçam İnce, Barişhan Doğan, Okan Eli̇bol

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Organic acids (OAs) and essential oils (EOs) have several positive effects on the gut microbiota of broilers. In this study, weaimed to determine the efficacy of a blend of protected OAs and EOs [P(OA+EO)] on the growth performance and cecal microbiota ofbroiler chickens. A total of 160 Ross 308 broiler chickens, including 80 male and 80 female birds, all 1 day old, were randomly distributedbetween the control group (basal diet) and the treatment group [basal diet + 300 g/t P(OA+EO)] according to an 8-pen arrangementwith 4 replicates of 20 birds. Body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed consumption (FC), …

Effects Of Ionophore And Yeast Addition To The Diet On Starch Digestion And Rumen Andblood Parameters In Sheep With Subacute Rumen Acidosis, Şevket Evci̇, Mehmet Aki̇f Karsli, Mehmet Demi̇rci̇, Gökhan Şen

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to investigate the prevention of acidosis in ruminants, which causes yield and financial losses, and toevaluate the effects of feed additives on starch digestion. Four male Bafra yearling lambs with cannulated rumens were used in a 60-daystudy. Each lamb underwent 10 days of adaptation to a ration and 5 days of sampling for four different rations including a control ration(CR), monensin ration (MR), Saccharomyces cerevisiae ration (SR), and a ration with the combination of monensin and Saccharomycescerevisiae (MSR). The experiment followed a 4 × 4 Latin-square design. Dry matter intake and digestion rates were recorded as 2404 …

Characterization Of The Biofilm-Forming Ability And Certain Virulence Characters Ofaeromonas Spp. Isolates From Rainbow Trout, Türker Çelebi̇, Ertan Emek Onuk, Esra Demi̇rbaş, Gökçen Di̇nç

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Aeromonas spp., commonly found in the aquatic environment, cause infections in both fish and humans. Their pathogenicitydepends on various virulence factors and ability to form biofilm. The current study aimed to determine the biofilm-forming capabilitiesand certain virulence characteristics of 25 Aeromonas spp. isolates obtained from rainbow trout in Türkiye. The biofilm-forming abilitiesof isolates were investigated comparatively using Congo red agar (CRA), the tube method (TM), and tissue culture plates (TCPs).Potential virulence factors, including hemolytic activity, gelatinase production, serine protease activity, DNase activity, and motility,were evaluated using phenotypic tests. Additionally, the distribution of four known virulence genes, namely aerA, exu, fla, …

Immunoinformatics-Based Design And In Vitro Expression Analysis Of A Multi-Epitope Vaccine Against African Swine Fever Virus, Dhithya Venkateswaran

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal haemorrhagic disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, causing severe economic losses globally. The absence of an effective vaccine has hindered ASF control, as traditional approaches are challenged by the virus’s genetic complexity and immune evasion mechanisms. In this study, we employed immunoinformatics to design a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) against African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), targeting conserved viral proteins—B646L (p72), CP204L (p30), E183L (p54), and EP402R (CD2v). Antigenic and non-allergenic BL and HL epitopes were selected and assembled with appropriate adjuvant and linkers to construct the MEV. No CTL epitopes were included, as they …

Canine Uterine Fibrosis Associated With Age And Pyometra, Maulida Selma Hanim

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigated whether aging and uterine pathology drive fibrosis in the canine uterus by quantifying collagen deposition in endometrial and myometrial compartments. Uterine samples from 55 small-sized, intact, nulliparous bitches were classified into five groups according to age and pathological conditions. Healthy group divided into juvenile, young adult, old adult, and the pathological group included cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH), and pyometra. Fibrosis was assessed using Masson’s trichrome staining; collagen proportion was quantified with ImageJ and analysed in SAS. Across healthy age groups, collagen proportions in the endometrial stroma, circular myometrium, and longitudinal myometrium did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). …

Expression Of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha In Feline Mammary Carcinomas, Ngoc Anh Van Pham

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) in normal tissue and feline mammary carcinomas. Thirty feline mammary carcinomas (FMCs) and eight normal mammary tissues were used in this study. In the same FMC cats, tissues were collected from 2 regions which are the neoplastic tissue and the adjacent non-neoplastic tissues. The study was composed of three parts: (1) clinical data collection and histopathological diagnosis; (2) Immunohistochemistry (IHC) evaluation of PPARα, Ki-67, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA); and (3) Western blot analysis of PPARα isoforms. The results revealed no significant differences in PPARα …

Diagnostic Approaches And Therapeutic Evaluation In Canine Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: An Integrated Analysis Of Prostatic Volume, Serum Canine Prostatic Specific Esterase (Cpse) Levels, And Proteomic Profiles, Panthipa Borikappakul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a highly prevalent condition in intact male dogs. However, its diagnosis and clinical management remain limited by the lack of clear thresholds for clinically significant prostatic enlargement, insufficient biomarkers to monitor treatment response, and an incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving disease progression. To address these gaps, this thesis integrated ultrasonographic, biochemical, and proteomic approaches across three complementary studies. First, the actual to expected normal prostatic volume ratio was evaluated to establish a clinically meaningful cutoff distinguishing subclinical from clinical BPH, providing an imaging-based indicator for early recognition of clinically relevant enlargement. Building on …

Community Ecology Of Domestic Animals And Wildlife At Solid Waste Disposal Sites Near Dong Phayayen – Khaoyai Forest Complex And Its Impacts On Zoonotic Diseases, Paisin Lekcharoen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Solid waste disposal sites (SWS) at forest edges represent critical zoonotic transmission hotspots where wildlife, domestic animals, and humans converge. This study characterized host community structure, pathogen circulation, and network topology at SWS adjacent to the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand. Three study phases (2021-2023) comprised: (1) camera trapping at five SWS (3,907 trap-nights); (2) small mammal trapping across four habitats (1,420 individuals, 12 species), ectoparasite collection (20,560 chiggers, 14 species), and molecular pathogen detection; and (3) network analysis of connectivity among habitat, host, chigger, and pathogen. Domestic dogs dominated communities (88.3%), creating simplified assemblages. Potential transmission operated through …

Optimization Of Artificial Insemination In Swine Through Gnrh Agonist Application In Boar Semen With Special Emphasis On Epithelial Penetration And Pharmacokinetics, Preechaphon Taechamaeteekul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Induction of ovulation in pigs is a widely applied technique in commercial swine farms, using hormonal treatments to improve reproductive efficiency and productivity. The GnRH agonist buserelin acetate is widely used to induce ovulation and can be administered via intramuscular or intravaginal routes. However, the success of ovulation induction via the intravaginal route still depends on several factors, and information regarding the pharmacokinetics and tissue permeation of buserelin remains limited. This thesis aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetic profile, endometrial permeability, and reproductive effects of buserelin to develop an effective and practical ovulation control strategy for commercial swine production. This thesis …

Surveillance And Genetic Characterization Of Atypical Porcine Pestivirus (Appv) In Central Thailand, Sana Shahid

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Atypical Porcine Pestivirus (APPV) is an emerging swine pathogen associated with congenital tremor (CT) Type A-II, a neurological condition characterized by tremors of the head, body, and limbs, as well as poor growth in piglets. From September 2023 to August 2025, nasal and blood samples were collected from 181 pigs from four commercial pig farms in Central Thailand, and APPV was detected in 17 samples. Notably, all APPV-positive samples come from one farm. A follow-up study was conducted at the infected farm to assess APPV persistence and its association with age groups and clinical signs. In total, 275 pigs were …