Husbandry

Most people are much more concerned about the potential for wildlife attacks than for dog bites. From Kansas to California, folks worry about mountain lions while the number of attacks in North America only amount to about five per year, with perhaps one fatality. In contrast, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates U.S. dog bites totaled about 4.7 million human victims last year. More than 800,000 of the victims required medical attention, about 30,000 needed reconstructive surgery and at least a dozen died.

“If you know much about animals, you could guess some of the CDC’s other statistics,” says Kansas state wildlife specialist Charlie Lee “The most likely victims are fairly small, curious and lacking in judgment – in other words, children up to 9 years old. Biting victims also are more likely to be male than female. And, their attacker is likely to be a family dog that’s out in its own yard.”

Lee believes the number of dog bites cloud be sharply reduced if people did a more thorough job of preparing children for being around dogs, as well as selecting and training their household pet.

Little children have to learn that a living pet is not the same as a stuffed animal or cartoon dog. They must learn what “be nice” means, while also discovering they can hit, poke, scream, pull, kick, bite and squeeze. So, leaving a baby or toddler alone with a dog is asking for trouble, no matter how gentle the pet may seem.

Parents have to judge when children are ready and mature enough to learn how to interact with dogs. Children who are apprehensive or afraid of dogs may need more time

On some level, even well-trained dogs are always judging human actions in terms of fight or flight (predator or prey). A dog may feel threatened if a child suddenly runs up and tries to pet it. The same dog may give chase if a child yells and runs away.

“Parents need to spend time with their child in interactions with an array of dogs. Their goal should be to build the child’s skills and comfort level, letting the child set the pace,” Lee said.

He recommends starting by taking the child for a stroll where owners will be walking their dogs on a leash. Then, coach the child through three steps: Ask the owner’s permission to pet the dog. If allowed, approach the dog slowly, with hands at sides. Then ask the dog’s permission by holding out one hand to be sniffed.

A fully accepting dog will respond by licking the hand. Fast tail-wagging can be a positive sign, too.

All canines tend to use the same hostile signals: Intent stare. Tense body, perhaps with neck raised and/or head lowered. Grimace or lifted lip to show sharp teeth. Raised hackles (upright hair on neck and back). Growls or fierce barking. Tense tail – which may actually wag, but slowly.

If a dog attacks, the best response is often a calm, stern “NO!” while offering anything else the dog could bite and shake –sweater, backpack, shoe. If knocked down, however, people should roll into a ball, cover their ears with their hands (which also provides elbow protection for the face), and lie as still as a rock. Then, when the dog has wandered off, they should report it immediately.

“Ideally, children will be self-confident, comfortable around dogs before parents get to the lesson about ‘What if the worst happens?’” Lee says. “With lots of positive exposures to dogs under their belt, they’ll be better able to understand that people cause most dog attacks, and they’re not going to be one of those people. But, they’ll be prepared, just in case.”

Avoiding Dog Bites

Dogs tend to guard things they “own.” And, they don’t like to be caught off-guard — surprised. To avoid bites…

• Don’t reach through a fence to pet a dog.
• Leave dogs alone if they’re tied, chained, penned or solo in a car. Even if their situation isn’t a sign that they’re wild or aggressive, the dogs are quite likely to feel protective of their space.
• Don’t sneak up to or disturb a dog that’s eating, sleeping, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies. Avoid causing pain, even in play.
• Avoid any free-roaming dog that you don’t know. If one approaches you, stand very still and avoid direct eye contact by looking at your shoes. Then, when it loses interest, slowly back away, never turning your back on the dog until you’re safely away.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control
Kansas Research and Extension

Dog Food

Dietary supplements made from plums, probiotics, safflower, and tea strengthen poultry immune systems, according to researchers with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Poultry infected with the parasite Eimeria maxima usually develop avian coccidiosis, a disease estimated to cost producers globally more than $1.2 billion every year. So Agricultural Research Service (ARS) immunologist Hyun Lillehoj has been working with colleagues in ARS and around the world to find dietary supplements that strengthen the poultry immune system.

Lillehoj, at the ARS Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., cooperated on the research with scientists at South Korea’s Gyeongsang National University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The researchers discovered that chickens that consumed ground green tea for two weeks prior to parasitic infection produced significantly fewer fecal E. maxima oocysts than a control group.

Chickens eating diets supplemented with Pediococcus-based probiotics were less likely to get parasites and experienced improved weight gain. Probiotics are health-promoting dietary supplements derived from live bacteria or yeasts.

Plum powder stimulated spleen immune cell production and killed tumor cells, according to the ARS researcehrs. Infected poultry fed the supplement also gained weight and reduced parasite shedding.

Supplements of safflower, which have been used by traditional Chinese practitioners for thousands of years, were found to be similarly beneficial.

• The Poultry Pantry (Agricultural Research Service)
• Husbandry

After deciding which cows to cull from a herd, feeding them for a couple months before sending them off to market can be profitable.

Researchers at Kansas State University have found that by putting cows on concentrated feed for 70 to 90 days before sending them to market producers can add enough value to the animal to make it worthwhile, depending on the price of feed and the market for cows.

“This practice is not real prevalent,” said Michael Dikeman, meat scientist with K-State Research and Extension. “That’s why we think that there may be some lost opportunities out there.”

Dikeman, along with meat science specialist John Unruh, coordinated the efforts of research teams that included beef cattle specialist John Jaeger, meat science graduate students, and other faculty members.

Cows in one study netted nearly $172 per head, after considering purchase price, feed, supplements, trucking, check-off and yardage costs. The value of the cull cows was increased from $54.50 per 100 pounds to $77.00 per 100 pounds. The cost of gain averaged $80 per 100 pounds.”

Two studies were conducted at K-State’s Western Kansas Agricultural Research Center at Hays. In the first, 60 cows were split into equal number groups, each with different feeding scenarios for 70 days:

• Grass only;
• Concentrate diet;
• Implanted with Revalor-200® plus a concentrate diet;
• Concentrate diet plus feed additive Zilmax® (beta-agonist designed to improve ADG, feed efficiency, and muscling);
• Implanted with Revalor-200®, fed concentrate diet, and fed Zilmax® the last 30 days (with three-day withdrawal period).

In the other study, 60 cows were separated into 12 pens, holding five cows each. The cows were four- to nine-year old Angus crossbreds. All were implanted with Revalor-200® (developed to enhance weight gain and feed efficiency). Each was fed a high-energy diet, and assigned one of four treatments:

• Fed no beta-agonist (feed additives designed to increase feed efficiency and/or stimulate muscle production);
• Supplemented with Optaflexx™ (beta-agonist) for the last 25 days of feeding;
• Supplemented with Zilmax® (beta-agonist) for the last 20 days of feeding;
• Supplemented with Optaflexx™ for 25 days, followed by Zilmax® for last 20 days of feeding.

“One thing about feeding a high concentrate diet is that with cows you can step up the diet to a high concentrate ration one to two weeks more quickly than you can with younger steers and heifers,” Dikeman said. “A cow’s rumen physiology is more mature and can handle higher concentrations of feed more quickly.”

In addition, cows that have been on grass or roughage only diets have yellow fat, which is not acceptable to most beef consumers. Putting cows on feed 70 to 100 days changes a cow’s fat to a white color, resulting in what the industry calls a “white cow.” The muscle takes on a more attractive color that is more typical of grain-fed animals and the marbling fat that the animal puts on makes the meat more tender and juicy.

“What we found across these studies,” Unruh said, “was that implanted-plus-grain and implanted-plus-Zilmax® plus grain should increase total gain, hot carcass weights, dressing percent, ribeye area, and total subprimal weight compared to grass-fed cows.”

The animal scientist warned that producers should be mindful of feed prices and seasonal trends in cow prices. March through August is when cow prices tend to be higher. It’s a good idea to avoid those periods in the fall when there are more cows on the market because they didn’t conceive or in the late winter or early spring when a cow may have lost her calf.

Dikeman also cautioned that Zilmax® currently is only approved to feed to steers and heifers in feedlot finishing rations and Intervet, Inc. controls sales to be used only for steers and heifers. Experiments such as the two K-State studies are needed to determine if approval will come for cows. Revalor-200® can be used in any age cattle; Optaflexx™ can be purchased for diets of any age cattle, although the label does not state its use for cows.

The researchers also suggested that producers who intend to feed cull cows before marketing them should make sure they have an interested buyer before going through the process.

Source: Kansas State Research & Extension

Houseflies congregating around broiler poultry farms have once again been linked to drug-resistant bacteria, creating increased risk for human exposure.

The findings of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health demonstrate another potential link between industrial food animal production and exposures to antibiotic resistant pathogens. Previous studies have linked antibiotic use in poultry production to antibiotic resistant bacteria in farm workers, consumer poultry products and the environment surrounding confined poultry operations, as well as releases from poultry transport.

“Flies are well-known vectors of disease and have been implicated in the spread of various viral and bacterial infections affecting humans, including enteric fever, cholera, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and shigellosis,” said Dr. Jay Graham. “Our study found similarities in the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both the flies and poultry litter we sampled. The evidence is another example of the risks associated with the inadequate treatment of animal wastes.”

Graham and his colleagues collected flies and samples of poultry litter from poultry houses along the Delmarva Peninsula, a coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia that has one of the highest densities of broiler chickens per acre in the United States. The analysis by the research team isolated antibiotic-resistant enterococci and staphylococci bacteria from both flies and litter. The bacteria isolated from flies had very similar resistance characteristics and resistance genes to bacteria found in the poultry litter.

Flies have ready access to both stored poultry waste and to poultry houses. A study by researchers in Denmark estimated that as many as 30,000 flies could enter a poultry house over the course of a six-week period.

Source: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

As feed costs rise and the production of ethanol from corn grain increases, swine producers have ramped up their search for new feed supplements for younger swine. According to studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, feeding dried distiller’s grains (DDGS) to piglets can give their immune systems an extra boost.

Researchers divided weanling pigs into four groups and fed them either a standard control diet or diets supplemented with DDGS, soybean hulls or citrus pulp. After one week, the researchers observed an increase in cytokine expression in the pigs’ small intestine, which they linked to DDGS consumption. Cytokines are chemical messengers that are essential for proper immune function.

This response reinforced findings of previous DDGS studies showing that pigs consuming diets supplemented with DDGS exhibited reduced levels of ileitis, a common inflammation of the small intestine.

Researchers have found that adult pigs can be fed with a corn and soy-meal feed that is up to 40 percent DDGS. However, piglets are given feed with a maximum DDG content of 7.5 percent, because their growth may be reduced when they consume too much fiber.

The U.S. ethanol industry generates an estimated 10-14 million metric tons of DDGS annually from the milling of corn grain that yields fermentable sugars for conversion into fuel alcohol. The majority of DDGS are currently fed to beef and dairy cattle.

Source: Agricultural Research Service

Skin problems on pets can be frustrating to diagnose and even more troublesome to treat.

The most common reason for an itchy dog or cat is fleas.

Flea allergies are much more common than food allergies, according to Dr. Domenico Santoro of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Even an indoor dog or cat can pick up fleas drag into a home on the bottom of shoes.

“The only real way to prevent a dog from ever contacting fleas is to put it in a bubble,” said Dr. Santoro.

In order for a flea to be successful, they have to find a dog or cat and then inject their saliva (which prevents blood from clotting) into the animal. Then, while holding onto the animal’s skin, they begin to enjoy their blood meal.

The one good thing about dog and cat fleas is that owners needn’t worry about contracting them from their pets. Fleas generally don’t like humans.

Dogs afflicted with flea allergies have very distinct clinical signs: hair loss, scabs, and flakiness, especially localized at the base of the tail, thighs, and abdomen.

Fortunately, there are several products on the market to treat fleas, some of which are better than others. Many flea products available at the grocer are less expensive than what can be purchased through a veterinarian, but be cautious. Some ingredients can sound similar to one another and while one may be okay to use, the other one may be deadly.

Even among the flea preventatives sold only through veterinarians, some actually prevent the flea from even coming near the dog, while others only kill the flea after it has had its last supper and bitten the dog.

It is important to note that fleas are by no means the only reason for an animals’ itchiness. Dogs can have allergies as the seasons change, as do humans. Food allergies could also be to blame, as well as a long list of other parasites, bacteria, and fungi.

Only a veterinarian can effectively diagnose the problem and provide the right treatment.

Source: University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine

Sit!
Sit!

A few year ago, trainers may have forced a dog to learn the command “sit” by placing his hand on the animal’s rump. Today’s methods are quite different, according to Dr. Pamela Reid.

“We no longer use physical manipulation because we have realized that reward-based training is much more successful.”

As example, Dr. Reid points out that a simple way to teach your dog to sit is to take a treat and slowly move it over their head. Most dogs will track it with their eyes and sit down on their own. At this point, you can reinforce the behavior with a reward and begin to associate it with a word.

Another innovation that has been enormously successful is the use of a “clicker” — a small device that owners can push to make a clicking noise. The noise can be used to help the dog understand that it has done something good. When the dog sits on command, the owner clicks the clicker and gives the dog a treat.

When the owner wants to teach the dog to put its paw out hand and “shake,” the owner waits until the animal places its paw on his or her hand by its own free will and then makes a “click” followed by a treat. The animal quickly learns that the click means it performed well.

Another valuable piece of training equipment is The Gentle Leader, invented by veterinary behaviorist R.K Anderson, which makes the choke collar appear barbaric. It fits onto a dog’s muzzle and head just as a horse halter would, allowing for more control, yet it is not nearly as traumatic as other training collars.

Dr. Reid steers away from using choke collars and pinch collars in her practice, but in cases where either a choke or a pinch collar needs to be used she advocates the pinch collar. The pinch collar is effective punishment, however the choke collar just chokes the animal and annoys them.

As vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal Behavior Center in Urbana, Illinois, Dr. Reid frequently counsels pet owners, veterinarians, trainers, and shelters on behavioral issues. In her eyes the profession has changed greatly compared to just a few decades ago.

“We have really come a long way with the advent of reward-based learning pioneered by Ian Dunbar,” she explains.

Source: University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine

• Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness for Dogs
• StarMark Clicker
• Before and After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog by Dr. Ian Dunbar
• Pet Supplies
• Pet Collars

The first 20 volumes of the first English-language beekeeping journal, The American Bee Journal, has been added to the Hive and the Honeybee online library of historical beekeeping materials at Cornell’s Albert R. Mann Library.

In print since 1861, The American Bee Journal (ABJ) has featured contributions by such major apiculturists as L.L. Langstroth, Henry Alley, Moses Quinby and A.I. Root. The first 20 volumes cover the years 1861 through 1884.

“From observations on Chinese methods for harvesting honey to tips on the use of wild onions and other herbs as honey plants, these early volumes present a treasure trove of often beautifully illustrated details on the theory and practice of 19th-century American beekeeping,” says Eveline Ferretti, Mann Library’s public programs administrator.

The digitization of the ABJ’s early volumes is the result of a multiyear initiative supported by beekeeper associations from across the United States. Matching funds from Mann Library’s preservation program have supported the scanning of an additional 20 volumes that will be available online by spring 2009.

The Hive and the Honeybee is a free, full-text digital archive of selected rare works from Mann Library’s E.F. Phillips Collection, one of the world’s most comprehensive apicultural libraries. The site also offers more than 30 key historical monographs, including classics such as the 1623 edition of Charles Butler’s “The Feminine Monarchie” and Samuel Hartlib’s “The Reformed Commonwealth of Bees,” published in 1655.

• American Bee Journal
• Honey
• Bee Pollen
• The Shamanic Way of the Bee