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Age determination of dog puppies represents a significant issue of animal welfare and forensic medicine. Despite the legislation in force, the illegal trade of puppies that are too young is expanding. To date, none of the available age estimation methods can be credited with a degree of accuracy sufficient for medical-legal purposes due to the many variability factors affecting the measured biological phenomena, such as teeth and skeletal development, and the lack of standardisation. This work aimed at quantifying the degree of correlation between the chronological age of puppies and the biological age that can be estimated by visual teeth examination and the radiographic examination of limb ossification centres (OCs), and combining the information in a predictive model to obtain greater accuracy in estimating the age. The study included 93 puppies of 10 different breeds, which were examined on a bi-weekly basis from 4 to 20 weeks of age and radiographed from 6 to 16 weeks, when not sold earlier. Teeth eruption and development was affected by a wide degree of variability, in line with the information found in the Literature. On the basis of the number of OCs present, the breeds included in the sample could be divided in “early” and “late” breeds, and no correlation between this variability and size or morphological type was observed. However, the radiographic examination of limb ossification centres allowed to determine, with a fair degree of accuracy, whether a puppy was younger or older than 12 weeks old. Contrarily, at eight weeks, it was not possible to determine the age with a good degree of precision, as various degrees of variability were observed. A model to predict if a puppy was 6 or 8 weeks old was constructed using random forests, which proved to be a powerful tool to be further developed.

Two separate, independent trials (n=40 pigs each, 5 pigs/pen) were carried out to investigate the effects of innovative enrichment devices on some welfare aspects of Italian heavy pigs. In Trial 1, 20 pigs received a hanging metal chain (C1) as environmental enrichment, and 20 received wood logs (WL) placed inside a metal rack installed on one side of the pen. In Trial 2, 20 pigs received a metal chain (C2) whereas the other 20 received a specifically formulated edible block (EB) placed inside the same metal rack described above. Pigs were left undocked and enrichments were always available through the entire growing-finishing period (up to 160kg, when pigs were slaughtered). Skin and tail lesions were periodically assessed on farm according to the Welfare Quality® protocol. The severity of gastric lesions was macroscopically scored on a 0-to-6 scale. Data were submitted to analysis of variance using environmental enrichment as the main effect. In both trials, skin lesions did not differ between groups, but tail lesions were slightly more severe in WL if compared to C1 group (score 1.24 vs. 1.11, P

Tail docking in sheep husbandry is often performed due to tradition rather than necessity. This practice causes mild to moderate acute pain and the magnitude of the pain associated with tail removal seems to be related to length of tail removed. Ultra-short docking increases the risk of rectal and vaginal prolapse at lambing relative to sheep with longer tails and predisposes to neuroma and nerve degeneration. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the histological features of the muscles and the related nerves of the pelvic diaphragm in adult sheep subjected in the past to caudectomy as well as in intact lambs. After euthanasia, small samples of external anal sphincter, levator ani, coccygeal muscles and branches of deep perineal nerve were obtained, processed according to the usual histological techniques and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome. The results showed changes in shape and size of the muscle fibers of the adult sheep. In fact, enlarged or “moth-eaten” fibers were observed amidst normal sized fibers in each of the three muscles of the pelvic diaphragm; furthermore, some internal nuclei were observed. On the contrary, the lambs’ muscles appeared normal. Conversely, the nerve fibers were found to be normal both in sheep and lambs. The muscle abnormalities observed in tail-docked sheep suggest that caudectomy, in the long term, may predispose to prolapses. Improved understanding of the long-term consequences of tail docking, especially the possibility of chronic pain, is needed.

The aim of this paper is to describe the most important aspects of the so called "Bilateral Convergent Strabismus with Exophthalmos (BCSE)", the most common aspect of strabismus in cattle. The disease has been known since the end of the XIX century, but no definitive conclusion has been found in respect to the pathogenesis and the etiology. BCSE may affect all major breeds and is known worldwide. It is characterised by a progressive bilateral symmetric anterior-medial rotation of the bulbi associated with a slight to severe protrusion of the eyeball (exophthalmos). The onset of the defect is around the first year of age. It usually ends up with severe visual deficit that might modify the behavior of the affected animal. Although there is few literature, defects in the lateral rectus muscle and the retractor bulbi muscle of the eye and in their appendant nerves (CN III and CN VI, respectively) were suspected to be the cause of BCSE. The presence of "red ragged fibers" in the lateral and median rectus muscles were also found in affected animals. It is common to note changes of character, probably related to insecurity resulting from visual difficulties: the affected animals become scary, move with difficulty, struggling to enter the milking stations, over-react to the routine operations that are carried out in the barn. As to the authors' knowledge, there are no useful therapies to cure or even improve the disease. The majority of the authors consider the BCSE as an inherited defect. However, the exact mode of inheritance has not been found yet. Recent studies carried out on German Brown cattle affected by BCSE showed a significant SNPs association with the disease within two candidate genes located on BTA5 (PLXNC1) and BTA18 (RDH13). Although the role of these genes could not be definitively confirmed, it is most likely that these candidate genes or nearby located structural mutations may be responsible for BCSE in German Brown cows.

The management of livestock affected by fire often comes down to two options: euthanasia or slaughtering. However, the therapeutic approach can be attempted for high-value cattle. The aim of a primary assessment is to identify signs of smoke inhalation injuries, cardiovascular impairment and shock and to determine the severity and extent of burn injuries. Full-thickness burns covering 40% or more of the body are highly unfavorable prognostic factors and are usually fatal. Moreover, it can take several days for the burns to appear in their full extent, leaving the prognosis uncertain. In this case report, the clinical findings, treatment and outcome of two burnt Holstein heifers are described. Daily wound care required cleaning, the removal of eschars and the application of topical antibacterial agents for seven months in order to discharge one heifer. The topical use of honey with a solution of povidone–iodine proved to be affordable and successful, with no residue risks. The other heifer was more severely wounded, and despite the administration of fluid therapy, pain management, anti-oxidants and anti-microbials, after initial stabilization, the animal’s condition worsened, leading to euthanasia. This confirms that the treatment of burnt cattle is possible but challenging due to the late onset of multi-organ failure.

Dairy male calves are at risk of welfare compromise as they are usually transported at a very young age. The European Union has set a “completely healed navel” requirement for calf transport; moreover, a minimum age is established for longer journeys. However, this requirement has proven to be prone to misinterpretation. This study aimed to clarify what is meant by “navel healing” and to provide strong elements for reaching a consensus. The navels of 299 dairy calves (55 males, 244 females) aged 0–90 days were examined and scored 1 to 5 according to their healing status. Based on our results, a completely dry and shriveled navel (score 3) would imply a 25.5–38.0% risk of transporting too young calves. Alternatively, the presence of a scab covering the umbilical wound (score 4) would entail a 4.3% risk of transporting calves less than 10 days old and could be considered good practice for transporting calves (except for journeys exceeding 8 h). Conversely, complete navel healing (score 5) guarantees that calves that are too young are not transported; therefore, it should be considered best practice for transporting calves in general and the minimum requirement for transporting calves for journeys exceeding 8 h.

Age determination of puppies represents a significant issue of animal welfare and forensic medicine, particularly for what concerns trade and imports of dogs. Despite the movement of puppy dogs before the age of 15 weeks is forbidden by Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, the occurrence of illegal transport of younger puppies is not uncommon. The illegal trade of puppies increases instances of falsified documentation, the counterfeit of vaccine certificates and discrepancies between the declared age and the real age of the puppies. Consequently, determining the exact age of animals and evaluating their welfare become legally crucial. Dental examination currently represents the most common approach to estimate the age of a puppy in clinical practice and in forensic investigations. In this work we addressed the legal, health and welfare issues associated with dogs’ trade and import and we reviewed the existing literature referring to the assessment of age in dogs by dental examination. The imprecision and inaccuracy of this method make it poorly convincing in legal proceedings. The reasons for such vagueness are to be ascribed both to the lack of standardization and to many variability factors (size, breed, sex, diet, etc.) which influence dental eruption and development.

Several studies indicate that abnormal megakaryocytes (MK) drive bone marrow fibrosis in primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Since the lung is a site where MK lodge to release platelets (Lefrançais, Nature 2017; 544:105), we investigated whether the MK abnormalities observed in PMF also lead to fibrosis in lung. To this aim, we used Gata1low mice that express MK abnormalities similar to those observed in PMF patients and develop myelofibrosis with age (Zingariello, Blood 2013;121:3345) and compared number/morphology of MK and extent of fibrosis in lungs from Gata1low mice or from their wild-type (WT) littermates. Two age groups were considered: adult, A (5-7 months) and old, O (>12 months). Pulmonary fibrosis was assessed by H&E and Masson's staining and graded from 0 (absent) to 3 (severe). MK were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent analysis with CD42 and their number expressed per 0.144 mm2. Statistical analysis was performed with Shapiro test for normality while chi-square test and Spearman's correlation test for comparisons. Since the mutation is carried in the CD1 background that is known to develop multisite inflammation with age (Brayton, Vet Pathol 2012; 49:85), preliminary experiments compared the pro-inflammatory signature of the mice groups by ELISA determinations of the plasma levels of CXCL1 (murine equivalent of IL-8) and its inducer lipocalin2 (LCN2). WT mice expressed a pro-inflammatory signature with high levels of LCN2 (90±45ng/mL in A; 50±49 in O) and CXCL1 (44.5±11.4pg/mL in A;31.6±4.6 in O compared to 17.0 ±5.1 in O P-Selnull/Gata1low mice which do not express inflammation, p Mild and localized interstitial pneumonia characterized by infiltration with lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages in the alveolar septae and peribronchial-vascular spaces was observed in 66.6% of WT mice. However, mild interstitial pneumonia was detected in 84.6% of Gata1low mice where it was multi-focal to coalescent and extended from alveolar septae to subpleural interstitium. Lungs from 33% of WT mice had mild fibrosis with accumulation of collagen in alveolar septae (grade 1) while those from 70.8% Gata1low mice presented severe fibrosis (37.5% grade 1, 29.4% grade 2 and 17.6% grade 3) (Fig. 1A, 1B). The mild interstitial pneumonia associated to grade 1 fibrosis present both in Gata1low and WT littermates is considered a background lesion due to the pro-inflammatory cytokine profile of the strain investigated. By contrast, despite the severity of pneumonia was similar in Gata1low and WT littermates, grade 2 and 3 fibrosis was only present in Gata1low mice, indicating that it was not due to the baseline inflammatory milieu of their CD1 background. MK were observed intravascularly and within the perivascular interstitium of lungs from both WT and Gata1low mice, the same location where fibrosis was detected. The number of MK was significantly lower in Gata1low than in WT littermates (median=1, range 0.6-2.57 vs 1.8, range 0.4-8.3, respectively, p=0.02) (Fig 1C). The morphology of MK found in the two groups was significantly dissimilar (p In conclusion, the significantly higher number of Gata1low mice that exhibited moderate to severe pulmonary fibrosis compared to WT controls establishes Gata1low mice as a potential new animal model to study human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and to identify possible drug targets to treat this disease. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The objective of this report is to describe an outbreak of pustular dermatitis in a flock of about 200 sheep, its clinical evolution and food safety implications. The onset of the symptoms was sudden and the lesions spread very quickly from ewe to ewe, so that in about 3 days almost all of the lactating sheep were stricken. Pustules from 5 different animals, six milk samples, two cheese samples, teat cup samples from the milking machine and farmer’s hands were analysed. A pure culture of Staphylococcus aureus, producing staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) C, was isolated from pustules. Milk and cheese showed a contamination by coagulase positive staphylococci