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Biomedical subjects

R W Blowey

Publications and source records attributed to R W Blowey.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Proliferative osteitis of the femoral greater trochanter and humeral medial epicondyle as a cause of lameness in sows.

Thirteen chronically lame female breeding pigs were examined clinically and post mortem. Of the eight sows with hindleg lameness, one showed detachment of the ischial tuberosity and a second showed detachment of the ischial tuberosity on the left and a mid-shaft femoral fracture on the right. Two showed no lesions apart from a change in the positional relationship between the femoral head and the greater trochanter, resulting in a lowering of the femoral head. In the remaining four sows an apparently unreported condition was seen, which produced a proliferative osteitis of the greater trochanter. All five animals lame in the forelimb showed varying degrees of proliferative osteitis of the medial epicondyle of the humerus. Advanced cases could be palpated in the live animal. It is proposed that proliferative osteitis may be a response, at the point of attachment of the muscle masses of the major limbs, to the trauma of over exertion.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effect of premilking teat disinfection on mastitis incidence, total bacterial count, cell count and milk yield in three dairy herds.

An iodophor teat disinfectant was applied before milking by dip or spray to 50 cows and 50 cows were left untreated in each of three commercial herds. The mean incidence of clinical mastitis was reduced by 57 per cent, the total bacterial count by 70 per cent and the count of thermoduric organisms by 32 per cent. These results were not statistically significant, except that one herd showed a significant decrease in total bacterial count. There was no effect on somatic cell count, milk production or milk iodine residues. Atmospheric iodine concentrations increased in the two herds which applied the treatment as a spray, but the levels attained were not likely to be detrimental to human health.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

A simple treatment for heel abscesses and deeper foot infections in cattle.

A simple technique for the treatment of deep navicular and pedal joint infections in cattle is described. Under regional or local anaesthesia, a hoof-knife is inserted into the full depth of the discharging sinus and a large drainage area is created. A wooden block is glued to the sound claw and parenteral antibiotics are administered for four to six days. Of 64 cows treated between March 1986 and June 1989, 55 (86 per cent) recovered. The causes of failure and comparisons with other treatments are discussed.

Abscess↗
PubMed1988

Digital dermatitis in dairy cattle.

A condition of digital dermatitis causing lameness in a dairy herd is described. The lesion was a small circumscribed area of epidermal inflammation in the skin immediately above the coronet between the bulbs of the heel. Topical treatment, consisting of excoriation and application of a gentian violet and tetracycline aerosol spray, was effective. Although the high incidence and rapid onset of the condition suggested an infectious cause, no organism was isolated consistently.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

An assessment of the economic benefits of a mastitis control scheme.

Over a six-year period from 1979 to 1985 the incidence of mastitis among dairy herds being recorded in a veterinary practice in Gloucestershire decreased from 26.5 per cent to 19.6 per cent of cows affected each year and from 51.0 to 31.7 cases per 100 cows per year. Over the same period the rolling mean herd milk cell count fell from 346,000/ml to 243,000/ml and the usage of intramammary antibiotic tubes fell from 2.6 to 2.1 per lactating cow per year. The proportion of cases needing repeat treatments in a 12-month period also fell from 25 per cent to 10.6 per cent. Possible causes for the decrease in the incidence of mastitis are given. The cost of an average case of mastitis was estimated to be 40 pounds, and on this basis the farms involved reduced their losses from mastitis by 772 pounds per 100 cows per year, a more than 12-fold return on their investment in veterinary services.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Investigations into the relationship of selected blood components to nutrition and fertility of the dairy cow under commercial farm conditions.

Blood chemistry, nutrition, productivity and fertility were monitored and their interrelationship examined in groups of cows from 15 commercial dairy herds. Plasma urea, albumin, glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), acetone, calcium, magnesium, inorganic phosphorus (IP), blood copper, haemoglobin and packed cell volume were examined in relation to the intakes of starch equivalent (SE) digestible crude protein (DCP), calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper and manganese. The most consistent correlations were found for the regressions of SE intake as a percentage of requirements (I/R per cent) on plasma non-esterified fatty acids, the ratio of SE intake over DCP intake on plasma urea, DCP I/R per cent on plasma urea and phosphorus I/R per cent on plasma IP, but factors other than nutrition accounted for a large part of the variation in all cases. The mean plasma glucose concentration within +/- three days before or after first service of cows which held was higher than that of cows which returned, but the difference was only approaching significance at the 5% level and it is doubtful whether it could be of practical value. No other differences in blood component levels were demonstrated for first or second service. It is concluded that, within the nutritional ranges encountered, the levels of the selected blood components did not show a consistent relationship to nutrient balance or potential fertility. In this context a multiple analytical scheme employing these components would appear to be of limited value, particularly if samples are taken on only one occasion. The technique is more appropriately regarded as an aid to the conventional approach involving the examination of feeding systems and feedstuffs, herd records, management and clinical conditions.

Animal Feed↗