The raccoon dog has only recently been farmed, for its fur, in Finland from stock originating by capture of wild animals. Knowledge of the reproduction of the raccoon dog is limited (Asdell, 1964) and its breeding still involves several problems. Since the raccoon dog is a member of the family Canidae, its mating features can be expected to resemble those of the dog and fox whose reproductive physiology is fairly well known (Harrop, 1960; Venge, 1959). However, more information about the oestrous cycle and gestation in the raccoon dog is needed for adapting this naturally monogamous species to the polygamous mating used in the fur industry. In this study which lasted three seasons, starting in 1974, 20 female raccoon dogs were used in the first two seasons and 14 in the third. All the animals were housed at Helve's Research Farm, Veikkola.
Body fat composition of the mink (Mustela vison), polecat (Mustela putorius), and the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) was studied. The animals were fed a wet diet, supplemented with 5 % lard (LA) or fish oil (FO) for 5-6 months. At pelting, five animals per dietary group were sampled. Dietary levels of cetoleic (C22:1ω11), eicosapentaenoic (EPA, C20:5ω3), and docosahexaenoic (DHA, C22:6ω3) acids were 0.4, 0.3, and 0.5% in the fat of the LA diet, and 7.6, 4.2 and 4.3% in the FO diet, respectively. In the FO diet, EPA and DHA accumulated especially in the liver and heart, while cetoleic acid showed the highest affinity to the heart muscle and subcutaneous fat. The highest levels of EPA were found in raccoon dogs and polecats fed the FO diet. The mean EPA levels ranged from 6.7-9.3% in the liver fat and 7.2-8.0% in the heart muscle fat. In the mink, the corresponding values were 2.7% and 3.9%, respectively. DHA levels were the highest in the liver fat of the polecats, being 18.5% in the FO diet. In addition, the liver in raccoon dogs fed the FO diet (13.8%) differed significantly from themink (9.4%). The differences in the accumulation of these long-chained marine fatty acids were apparently caused by species differences in the efficiency of their peroxisomal β-oxidation.
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