Nutrient digestibility, but not mineral absorption, is age-dependent in cats

Availability of nutrients is influenced by extremes of age, and a better characterization of this influence is necessary for appropriate development of foods and nutritional management throughout life stages of cats. This study investigated nutrient digestibility, mineral absorption, faeces and urine production in three groups of six young, mature and old cats fed two diets containing different energy densities. Apparent digestibility and mineral absorption were calculated by total collection method and values were tested with ANOVA and regression analysis. A quadratic relationship was detected between age and digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, acid-hydrolysed fat and starch in the low-energy diet. Starch digestibility showed the same response in the high-energy diet. Young adult cats had intermediate digestibility, mature cats the highest and old cats the lowest. Mineral absorption (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride) and urinary pH were not different among groups. These findings confirm previous studies that found low digestibility of nutrients in some old cats, and support evidence that this trend is even more important in less digestible dry foods. on the contrary, data suggest that mineral formulations do not need to be varied in diets for adult cats of different ages.

Bone mineral density of tibae and femura of broiler breeders: growth, development and production

The aim of this study was to follow-up the physiological variations in the development of the bone tissue, associating them with the egg production curve. This study was carried out in the facilities of the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia of the UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil. Twenty-three families of Ross broiler breeders were used, each family consisting of 13 females and 1 male, distributed in 23 pens of 5.0m² each. The management was that recommended by the genetic company manual (Agroceres Ross, 2003), with daily feeding until 6th week of age; and birds were fed according to a 5:2 schedule (5 days fed, 2 days of fasting) between 7 and 17 weeks of age, returning to daily feeding starting at 18 weeks of age. Birds did not receive afternoon calcium supplementation. on the fourth week of rearing, 84 females were removed for bone analyses of the right tibia and femur, using optical densitometry in radiographic images technique. These analyses were sequentially carried out in 4, 8, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 35, 42, 47, and 52 week-old birds. The egg production curve of the birds was followed-up and associated to bone mineral density results. For bone mineral density evaluation (BMD) birds were divided by weight categories as light, intermediate, or heavy within each data age. BMD values of the tibias were not influenced by weight range, but by the age at collection. on the other hand, interactions were found among femur BMD values and weight and age categories. There was no correlation between eggshell quality and femur BMD. A negative correlation (-0.15) was observed between tibia BMD and eggshell percentage. It was possible to conclude that the egg production has little influence on bone mineral density of the birds probably because there was no need of bone mineral mobilization during the production period, since the observed egg production was below that observed under commercial conditions.

Influência do manganês no crescimento e na composição mineral de mudas de caramboleira

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Avaliação da densidade mineral óssea em matrizes pesadas por meio da técnica de densitometria óptica em imagens radiográficas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Performance of steers supplemented with mineral mixtures in the State of Mato Grosso

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influência do manganês no crescimento e na composição mineral de mudas de caramboleira

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Densidade mineral óssea de perus de corte vacinados e não vacinados contra coccidiose

It was evaluated bone mineral density of turkeys submitted the vaccination against coccidiosis. Used 420 turkeys of one day, divided in 4 treatments with 5 repetitions: T1 – control diet; T2 - diet and anti coccidiosis drugs; T3 - diet and commercial vaccine; T4 - diet and recombinant vaccine. To the 28 days the birds had been submitted to the challenge of coccidiosis, carried through inoculation of oocisty talked back directly in the esophagus of the birds. The bone quality was evaluated to the 21, 35, 49 and 72 days of age. For this, 8 birds for treatment had been collected, in each age of collection that had been sacrificed by cervical displacement. The tibiae and femura had been radiographed and tomographed for evaluation of the bone density, had been later evaluated texts of dry substance, bone ashes, calcium and of phosphorus. It had differences only between the ages, being that the treatments had not caused alterations of the bone characteristics. To the 56 days the birds had presented bone quality worse. The treatments had not influenced the studied parameters. What it allows to conclude that the vaccination against coccidiosis promotes good mineralization of the bones.