168
ABSTRACTS
dogs, 1 gm. per 15 lb. body-weight with the maintenance
dose the same daily ; for horses, 1 gm. per 10 lb. weight with
maintenance dose from 1 gm. per 20 lb. to 1 gm. per 10 lb.
wieght ; and for cows, 1 gm. per 10 lb. weight with main-
tenance dose the same.
Some additional experiments were made on other species
from which it is concluded that sheep may be treated like
cows and pigs like horses. [J. A. I.]
The influence of dietary factors on egg-shell
quality. I. Phosphorus, II. Calcium. R. J. EVANS,
J. S. CARVER and A. W. BRANT (1944). Poult.
Sci. 23, 9 and 36
I. ALTHOUGH a considerable amount of work has been
published on the mineral metabolism of laying hens, there
is little agreement in the literature regarding the phos-
phorus requirements. The authors have studied the phos-
phorus requirements of laying hens and determined the in-
fluence of different levels of phosphorus on egg-shell quality.
Single comb White Leghorn pullets, kept in laying cages,
were fed 11 different diets containing 1.5, 2.5 and 3.0 per cent
calcium. The phosphorus levels of these diets were 0.6, 0.8,
1.0 or 1.2 per cent and the vitamin D content was 60 A.O.
A.C. chick units per 100 gm. of diet. Birds receiving 0.8 per
cent of phosphorus in the diet gave better results on the whole
than those fed any other levels at a 2.5 per cent level of
calcium during the first four months of the experiment. No
significant differences in production, egg-shell weight, egg-
shell thickness or shell smoothness were observed between
0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 per cent phosphorus used at 2.5 or 3.0 per-
cent level of calcium during the last six months.
II. The general procedure followed was the same as that
used to determine the effect of the dietary phosphorus level
on egg-shell quality. Calcium levels of 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.0 and
3.5 per cent, and phosphorus levels of 0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 per cent
were used. Hens receiving 3.0 per cent calcium in the diet
gave more satisfactory results than those receiving higher
or lower levels when egg-shell thickness was used as the cri-
terion. Production and egg-shell quality were considerably
decreased when the dietary calcium level was reduced to 1.0
per cent. A level of 2.5 per cent calcium gave as good pro-
duction as one of 3.0 per cent but the latter level of calcium
was found necessary for the production of thicker egg-
shells. [S. B.]
Enzootic bovine haematuria (red water of cattle)
in British Columbia. J. C. BANKIER (1944).
Canad. J. comp. Med. vet. Sci. 101, 146 and
178
THE disease is prevalent in regions widely separated and
proximity has no relation to prevalence. The majority of
'red water' farms consisted of land partially cleared of
timber, and deficient in pasturage. The soil was coarse,
sandy and deficient in organic matter. The disease was
found to be associated with certain farms rather than the
type of soil. Manuring the land for years with lime and
superphosphate did not prevent the disease, nor did the addi-
tion of mineral supplements to the diet. On a few farms
top-dressing of the soil with gypsum together with crop ro-
tation is said to have controlled the disease. Plant surveys
failed to incriminate any particular regional flora incidental
to the disease. Great variation was observed in the incidence
in different herds maintained under identical conditions.
The introduction of sick animals into clean areas neither
resulted in spread of the disease nor retarded the clinical
course.
The disease is characterized by the presence of a haema-
turia intermittent in the early stage and of short duration.
The quantity of blood increased after each successive attack
and coagulated blood voided. Sometimes blood clots caused
retention of urine and death from uraemia. No systemic
disturbance was noticed unless the loss of blood was heavy.
Age, breed, sex and heredity had no bearing on the incidence
of the disease: animals from 18 months to 13 years were
equally affected. The lesions were confined to the inner
surface of the urinary bladder, and varied from petechiation
to small pedunculated vascular growths extending to the
lumen of the bladder or to excessive granulations resembling
papilloma. The vertex of the bladder was rarely involved,
The coagulation time of the blood and the pH and sp. gr.
of the urine were normal. The findings of Datta were not
confirmed. Feeding experiments conducted on haematuria
farms failed to incriminate water supply, pasture and feeds
as causal factors, but when the animals were supplied with
feeds from non-redwater areas the onset and the progress
of the disease were considerably delayed. However, the
feeding trials as well as field observations indicated that the
disease was in some way associated with the soil content of
red-water farms. No essential difference was noticed in the
output of urinary inorganic sulphate in animals supplied
with feeds from red-water and non-redwater farms. These
results fail to confirm the Australian findings. Chemical
analysis of soils from red-water and non-redwater areas gave
no significant results as regards the content of Mn, Na, K,
Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Co and Se. No essential difference was noticed
in Na, K, Ca, Fe, Si, P, Mg. Zn, Pb, B and Sr contents of the
sera of healthy and sick animals. Experiments indicated
that top-dressing of the soil with gypsum at 300 lb. per acre
and feeding of small quantity of this salt as mineral supple-
ment were beneficial to some extent as control measures.
The results were, however, not conclusive. [N. S. S.]
The role of practising veterinarian in the control
of coccidiosis. A. B. WICKWARE (1942). Canad.
J. comp. Med. 6, 352
THE author in this article, having fully realized the impor-
tance of poultry husbandry to meet the exigencies of war,
has indicated the part that can be played by the practising
veterinarian in checking the sudden outbreaks of infectious
diseases of poultry. It contains much useful information
of immense value to both poultrymen and veterinarians.
Briefly, differential diagnostic features of infections with six
different species of Eimeria are as follows :
E. tenella infection—coecal coccidiosis. Chicks three to
ten weeks of age are affected ; blood is passed in the drop-
pings ; acute cases are marked by purplish red dilated coecal,
pouches.
E. necatrix infection—upper and middle intestinal cocci-
diosis. Affects chicks ten weeks of age and above, occasion-
ally younger birds ; produces sudden deaths in apparently
healthy flocks ; head, appendages may be cyanosed; drop-
pings are devoid of blood ; blanching of the tissues occurs due
to extensive haemorrhage into the small intestine.
E. acervulina infection—upper intestinal coccidiosis,
Nature of infections chronic ; in acute cases entire mucuous
surface appear grayish, mottled and thick ; droppings devoid
of blood.
E. maxima, E. milis and E. praecox infections cause little
damage to the mucosa.
Sporulation time of different fowl coccidia varies from 21
to 48 hours, and therefore to control outbreaks the life-cycle
should be interrupted at this stage. With the onset of list-
lessness and inappetance in the growing stock, especially in the
absence of respiratory symptoms, coccidiosis should be sus-
pected and the entire flock shut up in quarters from which
droppings and litter could be removed every 24 hours for at
least a period of one week. A dose of epsom salt (1 lb. for
each unit of 150 adult birds) at this stage—either in mash
or drinking water—helps to purge out many harmful forms
of Coccidia. Withholding of whole grain is advised during