The growth of the heart in proportion to bodyweight was studied by M-mode echocardiography in 66 Spanish mastiffs aged from one to 12 months and from two to four years. Measurements of the right and left ventricular cavities, septal and parietal wall thicknesses, aorta, left atrium, D-E excursion of the mitral valve and distance between the maximum aperture of the mitral valve and the interventricular septum, were shown to have a curvilinear increase closely related to the development of bodyweight. Least squares regression analysis of the logarithmically transformed data provided the powerlaw equations relating each echocardiographic measurement to bodyweight. The exponential powers of bodyweight varied from 0.22 to 0.45. From the direct measurements the following cardiac indices were determined: ratio of right/left ventricular cavity, shortening fraction, percentage of septal and parietal wall thickness and ratio of aorta/left atrium. The highest coefficient of determination was for the right ventricular/left ventricular ratio.

No abstract

No abstract

In the search for new food sources that contribute to the optimization of livestock production this paper discusses the possibility of using waste (called banquettes) of a marine plant commonly found on the Mediterranean coasts: Posidonia oceanica. The idea stems from the use of a waste that in summertime generates large costs because it is considered bothersome on the beaches. Thus, tons and tons of residues are collected each year from the beach, being destined for incineration. However, alternative uses for these residues are suggested, such as forage that is particularly relevant for the Mediterranean coast, where the weather does not support abundant grass growth. With this purpose, samples of banquettes of P. oceanica from six different points of a touristic place located in the Murcia Region (S.E. of Spain) were collected in April 2012 on the same day directly from the beach above the water line, washed with distilled water and sun-dried for 48 h. Approximately 500 g of each sample of plant material was chopped and two subsamples of 200 g each were placed in airtight plastic containers and sent to the laboratory for mineral and chemical analysis. This report provides data on the nutritional composition of P. oceanica such as mineral contents (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) and chemical composition (ash, CP, ether extract (EE), NDF and ADF, respectively) and ADL. Finally, the in sacco rumen disappearance of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), CP and NDF were studied. Our results showed that minerals, except for Fe, where within the range of values reported for P. oceanica in other parts of the Mediterranean region. Given the high Fe content further studies assessing the antagonic Fe-Cu interaction and its effect on animal health should be addressed. In relation to chemical composition, it is clear that this seagrass is a poor protein source and has levels of DM degradability at 24 h, similar to those obtained for cereal straw. The information summarized here shows some potential for the use of banquettes of P. oceanica as forage source in ruminant nutrition.

No abstract