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Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical countries that include the Indian sub-continent and some Mediterranean countries such as Egypt. The transition period is the most stressful period for buffaloes, and it is considered as a turning point in the productive cycle from one lactation to the next and includes different metabolic, physiological, and nutritional changes. Metabolic disorders are common causes of lower productivity in buffaloes. Of these metabolic disorders, ketosis and hypocalcemia are most prevalent. This study aimed to study the ketosis- and hypocalcemia-related biochemical changes during the transition period and their impacts on the postpartum reproductive fertility in Buffaloes. Out of 120 total number of examined buffaloes, 40 buffaloes were used in this study; control group (n=10), hypocalcemia-affected (n=15), and ketosis-affected group (n=15). All buffaloes were subjected to thorough clinical and gynecological examination. Both urine and blood samples were collected from all groups. The amounts of ketone bodies were detected in urine. Biochemical parameters were evaluated including concentrations of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, albumin, total protein, urea and progesterone hormone (P4) in blood the following time-points (2-weeks prepartum, 1-week prepartum, partum, 1-week postpartum, and 2-weeks postpartum). Both hypocalcemia- and ketosis affected buffaloes had lower glucose, phosphorus, sodium and albumin and higher NEFA than control group. Hypocalcemia-affected buffaloes showed lower calcium and higher total protein than control group, while, ketosis-affected buffaloes showed lower cholesterol and total protein than control group. Moreover, metabolic disorders negatively affected the reproductive performance. Both ketosis and hypocalcemia significantly prolonged the duration to first estrus, increased both the number of days-open and the number of services per conception

Dystocia is a critical obstetrical problem in farm animals and is classified into maternal or fetal dystocia. The maternal causes of dystocia include different causes such as uterine torsion (UT), failure of cervical dilation (FCD), and uterine inertia (UI). Maternal dystocia induces massive oxidative stress due to increased production of free radicals with high levels of malondialdehyde (MDA). Little information is available on oxidants and antioxidant biomarkers and blood lactate (bLac) in parturient buffaloes with maternal dystocia. The current research aimed to clarify different causes of maternal dystocia in buffaloes and the association between the oxidative stress of parturient buffaloes and different types of maternal dystocia. Thirty-five parturient buffaloes were included in this study. Parturient buffaloes included normal parturition (NP; n=7), UT (n=23), FCD (n=4), and UI (n=1). Ten-ml blood samples were collected via jugular vein puncture into two tubes; plain vacutainer tubes for separation of serum to measure bLac and heparin coated vacutainer tube for separation of plasma for determination of MDA, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The results revealed that the major cause of maternal dystocia in the included buffaloes was UT. The UT was commonly post-cervical, clockwise, and > 180°. UT negatively affected both dam survival and calf viability. In addition, evaluation of oxidants and antioxidants biomarkers indicated that maternal dystocia causes more oxidative stress added to physiological stress of calving. This study found that, 4-days post-treatment period was not sufficient to resume antioxidant defense mechanism in UT buffaloes as no significant changes had been detected throughout the sampling period after treatment of UT. Moreover, evaluation of both GPx and bLac indicated their possible detection as indicators for prognosis of UT cases, where the concentration of GPx was significantly lower and the concentration of bLac was significantly higher in dead/culled buffaloes with UT.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of pudendal nerve block as an alternative procedure to epidural analgesia for penile relaxation in male goats. Five healthy male goats were subjected to pudendal nerve block and lumbosacral epidural analgesia with a twoweeks interval as a washing period. Bilateral pudendal nerve block was performed using 1% of lidocaine hydrochloride (HCl) by ischiorectal fossa approach. Lumbosacral epidural analgesia was performed using 1% of lidocaine HCl in the lumbosacral space. Nociception was investigated by pinprick. Time to the onset and duration of the anti-nociception effect in the perineal region were recorded. Area of desensitization and penile relaxation were observed. Incoordination, ataxia, and analgesic effects were carefully observed and recorded according to the scoring system before analgesic administration and at 5-, 15-, 30-, 60-, and 90-min after administration. Pulse rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature were recorded at 0-, 5-, 15-, 30-, 60-, and 90- min after administration. This study showed that both the pudendal nerve block and the epidural analgesia resulted in analgesic effects, however, the penile relaxation without manipulation was observed in 4 out of 5 male goats subjected to the pudendal nerve block. None of the male goats subjected to lumbosacral epidural analgesia showed penile relaxation, spontaneously. The time of onset was significantly earlier in the pudendal nerve block compared to the epidural analgesia, Moreover, the duration of action was significantly shorter in the pudendal nerve block compared to the epidural analgesia. Incoordination, ataxia, and recumbency were observed in 3 out of 5 male goats subjected to epidural analgesia. In conclusion, the pudendal nerve block is likely superior to the epidural analgesia for examination of the penis and surgical procedures on the male goat reproductive system in the standing position.

Osteoarthritis (OA) has been considered the most common cause of lameness in equine, especially athletic horses. Different therapies are used for the treating of OA; hyaluronic acid (HA), a component of the articular cartilage matrix, has been shown to reduce OA-related lameness in horses. Recently, another biological therapy named platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is used for the treatment of OA. PRP consists of several growth factors which would be useful to inhibit the OA progression, till now, the obtained results of using either HA or PRP are still of contradictory effects on OA. Subsequently, one other novel alternative treatment option has been recently emerged in the veterinary field for treating musculoskeletal disorders. This novel treatment is known as stem cell therapy. In the present review, we explain different treatments of the OA such as HA, PRP, and stem cells therapy that would be effective to control lameness and locomotor disorders in equine.

The vascularization of the testis through testicular artery is of great importance to maintain its normal function. The vascular disruption due to inadequate arterial blood flow of the testis negatively affects testicular function and semen quality. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) administration on testicular vascularity in relation to testosterone hormonal response. Five clinically healthy adult ossimi rams 18- to 30-months-old were used. Testicular arteries Doppler examination, blood sampling following GnRH administration and testosterone hormonal assay were conducted. Both pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) significantly decreased in all treated rams starting from 1 hr till 120 hrs after single GnRH administration, both Doppler indices returned to their pre-treatment values at 144 hours after GnRH administration. Doppler peak systolic velocity (PSV) did not change in response to GnRH administration. Testosterone hormone concentrations negatively correlated with PI and RI but not PSV. In conclusion, GnRH would be useful a beneficial therapy for the treatment of testicular dysfunction in rams by increasing testosterone concentrations and testicular blood flow. And pulse wave Doppler ultrasonography would be a useful non-invasive clinical tool for evaluation of the efficacy of novel therapeutic treatments in rams