The influence of food restriction, applied from birth to 36 h post partum, on neonatal thyroid function was studied in newborn Limousin x Romanov lambs. The control animals (n = 18) had free access to the mother and suckled ad libitum. Restricted lambs (n = 16) were removed from the mother and received limited amounts of colostrum in proportion to birth weight; 8 lambs were supplemented with la...

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of unsaturated fatty acids supplementation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing lambs. Thirty-two finishing Afshari lambs (initial weigh 58 ± 5 kg and 8 mo age) were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments (slaughtered in time series) and 8 lambs/treatment for the final 30 d before slaughter. The sla...

In the United Kingdom and Australia sheep have been implicated as sources of Cryptosporidium and Giardia that infect humans, but no such studies have been conducted in North America. Therefore, a study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of these parasites in sheep on a farm in Maryland. Feces were collected from 32 pregnant ewes 1, 2, and 3 days after parturition and from each of thei...

A left-to-right shunt is accompanied by an increased plasma and blood volume. Since this is likely realized through renin/aldosterone-mediated salt and water retention, other body fluid compartments may be changed too. Therefore, we studied blood volume and body fluid compartments by a single-injection, triple-indicator dilution technique in nine 8-wk-old lambs with an aortopulmonary left-to-ri...

We conducted this study to determine the level of immunity after vaccination of lambs with whole bodyEchinococcus granulosus. To do so, 200 mature E. granulosus parasites, which were kept in 10% formalinefor 8 months, were obtained from the Department of Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine, FerdowsiUniversity of Mashhad. The soluble protein of the parasite was prepared. The sample was h...

The Rafter 7 Merino flock was initiated in Nevada in 1990 with the purchase of 500 purebred Rambouillet ewes. A gradeup program was initiated using Australian Merino genetics with the aim of developing a purebred Merino flock. Early in the project the Rafter 7 Merino line was created, which is approximately 5/8 Merino and 3/8 Rambouillet and has been a closed line since 1999. In a genetic selec...

We tested the effects of surfactant protein A (SP-A) on inflammation and surfactant function in ventilated preterm lungs. Preterm lambs of 131 d gestation were ventilated for 15 min to initiate a mild inflammatory response, and were then treated with 100 mg/ kg recombinant human SP-C surfactant or with the same surfactant supplemented with 3 mg/kg ovine SP-A. Addition of SP-A to the SP-C surfac...

Lamb meat quality of two Portuguese products was examined. The influences of slaughter weight, sex and breed on eating quality were evaluated. Data were obtained from 72 lambs of two different breeds with protected designation origin. In accord with the normal slaughter weight in the region three classes were considered: A: 9-14kg live weight; B: 14-19kg live weight and C: 19-24kg live weight. ...

Forty-eight crossbred ewes were subjected to heat stress of short or long duration during the last third of gestation in a completely randomized design to determine the effects of maternal heat stress on lamb birth weight, lamb conformation and subsequent preweaning growth rate. Ewe treatments were spring range pasture, confinement on slotted floors in a heated room maintained between 28 to 38 ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE In fetuses with gastroschisis, toxic products in the amniotic fluid and constriction at the defect of the abdominal wall are considered causative of damage to the eviscerated bowel. The aim of this study was to cover the eviscerated bowel in gastroschisis with a collagen scaffold to protect the bowel and induce cell growth into the scaffold, which could lead to skin or abdomi...