eChapters

Veterinary oncology is an upcoming field in recent years due to the integration of the importance of spontaneous canine cancers in understanding and developing novel strategies for human cancer management. We are stepping towards a very exciting era in veterinary oncology, where comparative oncology has played a significant role for many decades in understanding the molecular basis of cancer in companion animals. The comparative animal models have generated remarkable interest in both academia and industry. Studies have demonstrated the utility of comparative oncology in understanding drug resistance and tumor biology, contributing to the translational research[1]. This has yielded breakthrough discoveries, from advanced diagnostics to novel therapies, providing opportunities to improve the longevity and quality of life of the pets. These inputs have led to advancements such as the first conditionally approved chemotherapeutic agent for lymphoma, novel BRAF testing for canine urothelial carcinoma, tyrosine kinase inhibitors for mast cell tumors, updates in stereotactic/FLASH radiation, and novel immunotherapeutics. As the understanding of cancer biology has advanced, the field of veterinary oncology has grown significantly, paralleling developments in human oncology. Veterinary oncologists treat a variety of cancers in domestic animals, particularly dogs and cats, but also in exotic animals, horses, and even zoo animals. While the types of cancers in animals share similarities with human cancers, treatment strategies can differ significantly due to species-specific differences in anatomy, physiology, and response to therapies [2, 3].

• Neoplasm General

• Neoplasm in cattle and buffaloes

• Neoplasm in sheep and goat

• Neoplasm in equines, swine and camels

• Neoplasms in pet animals

• Neoplasms in poultry

• Neoplasms in wild animals

• Neoplasms in laboratory animals

1.    Pasteurization can be used to destroy

(a) Soamtic cells

(b) Bacteria

(c) Antibiotics

(d) All of these

2.    The higher amount of total solids in milk will result in

(a) Increased heat stability

(b) Decreased heat stability

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) Decreased or increased heat stability depending upon temperature

Animals worldwide provide meat, milk, eggs, draft power, skins, transportation, and a variety of other useful items. India has a vast livestock population with a diverse spectrum of species. Animal husbandry plays an important role in the life of rural farmers. Animal breeding is an area of science concerned with sound animal husbandry methods. Animal breeding is the use of genetics and reproductive physiology to improve the genetic makeup of animals. The goal of animal breeding is to improve not only individual animals, but the entire animal population. The breeder has two basic tools namely selection and breeding for genetic improvement of livestock. The kinds of selection are natural and artificial selection. In artificial selection, breeder has choice to choose superior animals over the average of population for desired traits and allow them to produce offspring for future generation. Animals are selected using four criteria (basis): individual selection, pedigree selection, family selection, and progeny testing selection. Individual selection selects animals based on their own performances.  Individuals are chosen through pedigree selection using ancestral records. In Family selection,

Slaughter is an act of killing or destruction of animals for food purpose and includes all processes and operations on all such animals in order to prepare it for being slaughtered. It is an expert act requires expertise and willingness. Slaughter is necessarily to be performed in a slaughter house recognized or licensed by authority empowered under law for the time being in force to do so.  Only authorized animals are to be slaughtered for food purpose and restricted animals or animals prohibited for slaughter should not be converted into meat in any case. Animals in pregnancy, has offspring less than three months or under the age of three months, animals not certified by veterinarian for fitness should never be slaughtered. Slaughterman should also have a valid license or authorization issued by municipal or other authority. The persons below eighteen years of age and suffering from communicable or infectious diseases shall not be permitted to slaughter an animal.

1 History

Animals are culturally worshipped and revered as gods in India by different communities such as cow as Kamadhenu by Hindu religion. The scientific study of animal welfare has rapidly grown during last few years. Many religions follow principles of ahimsa such as Jains and Hindus do not harm cattle; Muslims do not harm pigs etc. Thus caring for welfare of animals is an inborn attitude of majority of Indians. As per the Indian tradition and culture, animals always had a respect and a special place in society. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism have always preached kindness and compassion to animals. Each Hindu God or Goddess is seen with an associated animal as vehicle or incarnation. For example, Lord Krishna was a shepherd and is seen with a cow, Lord Rama with the monkeys, Lord Vishnu with the eagle and Lord Shiva with a snake around his neck and the bull ‘Nandi’ at his feet, Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom and literacy is seen with swan.

Animal Welfare Board of India was started under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, well known humanitarian. The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country. The board established in 1962 under Section 4 to 10 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (No. 59 of 1960).  The primary sources of funding of the AWBI are grants from the Government of India. However, contributions, subscriptions, bequests and gifts will also be encouraged.

A disaster (from Latin meaning, “bad star’) is the impact of a natural or man-made event that negatively affects life, property, livelihood or industry often resulting in permanent changes to human societies, ecosystems and environment. The event itself is not a disaster; it is the impact that is a disaster. Their possibility of occurrence, time, place and severity of the strike can be reasonably and in some cases accurately predicted by technological and scientific advances. Hence, we can to some extent reduce the impact of damage though we cannot reduce the extent of damage itself.  The impacts suffered include trauma, starvation, dehydration, infection, disease, shock etc. Animals are often the silent victims of disasters, and there is a real need around for the provision of effective training and management programmes to ensure that their survival and welfare are adequately accounted for. This demands the study of disaster management in methodical and orderly approach.

Animal welfare organizations are those organizations which are volunteered to help people to protect their animals. It is concerned with the health, safety and psychological wellness of animals. They have a deep understanding of needs of animals and thus help animals in distress. The types of stake holders depend on what type of animals are reared.

ETHICS OF ANIMAL USE IN RESEARCH

• The use of animals in scientific research is a controversial issue. Animals have been used throughout the history for anatomical and physiological research as well as for testing toxic substances.
• Many medical advances, including vaccines for polio and rabies, the development of certain antibiotics, anti cancer agents and transplant medicine have been developed by using animals in research.
• But the question is whether it is right or wrong to use animals for these purposes.
• All scientists working with laboratory animals must have a deep ethical consideration for the animals they are dealing with.
• From the ethical point of view it is important that such considerations are taken care at the individual level, at institutional level and finally at the national level.

What are Ethics ?

Abstract

By loosely inspiring the actions of neurons in the human brain, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are widely accepted as a powerful nonlinear adaptive approach to tackle complex, dynamic, highly nonlinear, and ill-defined problems in an increasing number of fields of food industry.They have been used extensively in food drying to solve problems of nonlinear function approximation, pattern recognition, data description, optimization, simulation, pattern recognition, control, data sorting, clustering, and noise reduction, due to their massively parallel structure and capability to learn from examples. In this chapter, after providing a brief description of ANN technology and its principles as well as the structure of the most commonly employed ANNs in this context, an example is given to explain how the ANN technique is used for modeling and controlling food drying process. Generally, modeling, prediction, and optimization of heat and mass transfer, thermodynamic performance indicators, and quality parameters as well as physico-chemical attributes of dried foods are the most popular subjects to attract researchers’ attention to apply the ANNs in food drying industry.

Anoestrus in cows is a condition in which there is absence of observable estrus signs. Anoestrus in cattle is suspected when estrus in not expressed by the female animal or in case the farmer fails to detect it. Among reproductive problems, it is one of the most commonly occurring conditions in cattle. It affects the production and economics of a cow to a great extent and the economic losses occur due to increase in inter-calving interval, poor net calf crops, loss of production, expenses incurred on treatment etc. It is caused by multiple factors including mostly inadequate or unbalanced nutrition, environmental stress, uterine or ovarian pathologies and poor managemental practices.

Diagnosis

• Rectal examination of animal. The ovaries are small and smooth. Should be confirmed by repeated examinations at 10 days interval.

• Ultrasound examinations at regular intervals can be done to diagnose and confirm anestrous.

• Progesterone estimations at intervals of 10 days would aid in confirmation. Low progesterone levels at both times indicate true anestrous.

Anorexia in dogs with heart failure is very important clinical sign of concern as continued anorexia leads to weight loss and cardiac cachexia. Cardiac cachexia in dogs is the main reason that contributes to an owners’ decision to opt for euthanasia. It is therefore much more important to understand the various factors that lead to anorexia in dogs having heart failure. 

Introduction
• Meat inspection involves proper veterinary examination of live food animals prior to slaughter (called ante-mortem examination), inspection of carcases and offals and pathological examinations where deemed fit
• Full ante-mortem inspection represents 50% of meat inspection
• Ante-mortem inspection is particularly useful for detecting scheduled or infectious diseases which are communicable to man e.g. anthrax, rabies and glanders
• Diseases where animals show nervous symptoms like tetanus, tuberculous meningitis, sturdy in sheep, lysteriosis, rabies, cysticosis etc. and where skin lesions are manifested such as food and mouth disease, swine fever etc. are easily detected during ante-mortem inspection which are difficult to be detected in post-mortem inspection
• Animals must undergo veterinary ante-mortem inspection on the day of their arrival at the slaughterhouse or before the beginning of daily slaughtering
The inspection must determine
1. Whether the animals are suffering from a disease which is communicableto man and to animals or whether they show symptoms
2. Whether they show symptoms of disease or of a disorder of their general condition which is likely to make their meat unfit for human consumption-- any medicine/substances
3. Whether they are tired, agitated or injured
4. Whether they are sufficiently clean to enter the normal slaughter protocol
• For public health purposes, the veterinarian must separate normal animals from those which may be suffering from a potentially zoonotic disease or present a hygiene risk to the slaughter hall environment owing to the soiled condition of their hide/fleece

Ante-mortem examination includes all procedure or tests conducted by a competent person on live animals for the purpose of judgement of safety, suitability and disposition. It is an integral step to be performed by qualified veterinarian during conversion of animal to carcass for wholesome meat production. The animals are examined for cruelty due to overcrowding or suffocation or any other inflicted injuries and stress during transportation or otherwise, because it not only directly affects the quality of meat but also downgrade the carcass. Ante-mortem inspection ensures that only healthy animals are slaughtered and wholesome meat reaches to the consumers. A complete record of the ante-mortem inspection of all animals received in the abattoir should be maintained to ascertain that animal’s health status at the time of slaughter. Antemortem examination not only ensures the health animals entry into slaughter house but also assist in postmortem examination. It is also important to make a decision on certain diseases based on symptoms because they may not show the postmortem lesions for final judgment. Ante-mortem inspection has twofold functions as it enables veterinarians to protect public health and to assess the welfare conditions in which the animal is placed.

Synonyms: Splenic fever, wool sorter's disease, Tarka

It is an infectious disease of livestock and worldwide in distribution. This is a zoonotic disease. It is also known as splenic fever because of enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly).

Etiology: It is caused by a rod shaped bacteria of 4-8 µm X 1-1.2 µm known as Bacillus anthracis. It is non-motile, capsulated, aerobic, spore bearing and Gm+ in nature. The organisms remain in chains. It was the first pathogenic bacterium to be observed under the microscope, the first communicable disease to be transmitted by inoculation of infected blood, the first bacillus to be isolated in pure culture and shown to possess spores and the first bacterium used for preparation of an attenuated vaccine.

The capsule is polypeptide in nature being composed of a polymer of d(-) glutamic acid. Capsules are not formed under ordinary conditions of culture but only if the media contain added bicarbonate or are incubated under 10-25% CO₂. Capsules are formed in the body of an infected animal.

Spores are formed in culture or in the soil, but never in the animal body during life. Spores are formed only in the presence of O₂. Spores are central, elliptical or oval in shape. The spores are very resistant to physical and chemical agents. They have been isolated from naturally infected soil for as long as 60 years. They resist dry heat at 140°C for 1-3 h and boiling for 10 min.

Anthrax bacilli is Gm + and non-acid fast. When blood films containing anthrax bacilli are stained with polychrome methylene blue for a few seconds and examined under the microscope, an amorphous purplish material (capsule) is noticed around the bacilli called M'Fadyean's reaction. On agar places, irregularly round colonies are formed 2-3 mm in diameter raised, dull opaque, grayish white with a frosted glass appearance. Under the low power microscope, the edge of the colony is composed of long, interlacing chain of bacilli, resembling locks of matted hair. This is called "Medusa head appearance." Virulent capsulated strains form rough colonies while avirulent or attenuated strains form smooth colonies. On gelatin stab culture, a characteristic 'inverted fir tree' appearance is seen with slow liquefaction commencing from the top.

Synonyms :  Splenic fever, wool sorter’s disease, Tarka
It is an  infectious disease of livestock and worldwide in distribution. This is a zoonotic disease. It is also  known as splenic fever because of enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly).

Etiology : It is caused by a rod shaped bacteria of 4-8 µm X 1-1.2 µm known as Bacillus anthracis. It is non-motile, capsulated, aerobic, spore bearing and Gm+  in nature. The organisms  remain in chains. It was the first pathogenic bacterium to be observed under the microscope, the first communicable disease to be transmitted by inoculation of infected blood, the first bacillus to be isolated in pure culture and shown to possess spores and the first bacterium used for  preparation of an attenuated vaccine.

Thrips – Chaetanaphorothrips  orchidii, Thripidae: Thysanoptera

It is a polyphagous feeder that attacks other ornamentals, herbs, fruits, vegetables, grasses, and weeds, but shows preference for Anthurium species. It is a widely distributed species infesting green houses and out door landscapes.

Both adult and immature thrips start feeding within unopened Anthurium spathe. Damage appears as white streaks on the upper and lower surface of the spathe, resulting in deformed spathe and bronzing of the injured tissue with age. In severe cases, spathe  fails to open and the foliage may be deformed with streaming and bronzing and thereby reduced plant growth.

This may be defined as the factor present in feeds/ fodders or trees leaves and impair some aspects of animal metabolism, produce adverse biological effect in animal production. These are referred mostly as toxic factors because of the deleterious effects they produce when taken by the animals. The term ‘toxic factor’ however, is misleading because there is an implication that the substances are lethal beyond certain level of intake.

An anti-nutritional factor is a substance which, when present in human or animal foods, reduces growth. Examples are phytate, protease inhibitors (notably soybean trypsin inhibitor) and excessive dietary fiber.

Anti-Nutritional Factors

    ·    Protease inhibitors inhibit the activity of trypsin, chemotropism and other proteases. They are found in legumes such as beans and peas, but also in cereals, potatoes, and other products. Their presence results in impaired growth and poor food utilization.