Past Events

This thesis is an investigation on the effects of replacing wheat straw with switchgrass in the ration of lactating Holstein cows on production and health. In two studies, mid-lactation Holstein cows were tested on various dietary rations, and yield, production components, and blood metabolites were measured. In study 1, n=24 cows were assigned a ration containing either switchgrass or straw for a 21-d period in a cross-over design.

Alkaline phosphatases (AP), a group of glycoproteins attached on the apical mucosal membrane of the gut, are crucial for maintaining gut microbiome, health, and whole-body homeostasis. The endogenous AP digestive capacity is contributed by intestinal-type AP (IAP) isoforms and/or tissue-nonspecific AP (TNAP) isoforms in the porcine intestine. This research was conducted to elucidate the effects of in-feed therapeutic antibiotic Aureomycin on growth performances, gut permeability, intestinal AP functionality and genomic determinants of the AP isoforms in weanling pigs.

Get ready for the APRIL Installment of the 2021 ‘Virtual’ Nutrition Seminar Series, hosted by the Centre for Nutrition Modelling (Animal Biosciences Department). Each month in 2021 a different lab within the Nutrition group will share their exciting new research in a dynamic virtual manner.  In April we bring you: Tentative title: Integrating breeder and early life nutrition for enhanced poultry production  

Reasons that wildlife are brought to wildlife rehabilitation centres across Canada has not been documented from coast to coast. However, it is well-known that humans have a direct or indirect impact on wildlife. But just how pervasive are human impacts on wildlife across Canada? How have hunting and fishing activities affected wild birds in Ontario, specifically Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator)? And how can we diagnose some health issues in wild birds, specifically lead toxicity, given constraints of laboratory testing parameters?

The departmental meeting is open to all staff, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants/associates/technicians, students and visitors. Please join us to catch up on everything going on in ABSc! 

The oral portion of the PH.D. Qualifying Examination for Xiaoshu Zhan scheduled for April 22nd, 2021 @ 1:00 p.m. in Room 141, ANNU #70 (Animal Science & Nutrition Building). Examination Committee and main area of responsibility for questioning Examining Chair: Niel Karrow MAJOR AREA:   The regulation of ovarian function: Julang Li/Gregoy Bedecarrats ADDITIONAL SUBJECT AREAS:

This thesis investigates the effects of neomycin inclusion in milk replacer on health and performance, as well as gut health and function in preweaned male Holstein calves. When investigating the effects of neomycin on health and performance, it was found that neomycin reduced the severity and length of diarrhea experienced by calves, as well as the number of days with diarrhea. However, few benefits were observed in other indications of health, including growth, feed efficiency, and respiratory illness.

House soiling in domestic cats has resulted in many cats being surrendered to an animal shelter or euthanized. The objective of this thesis was to determine how effectively cats transitioned from one litter product to another, as well as to determine the efficacy of using an attractant compound built directly into a litter product to attract cats to the litter box.

The objective of this thesis was to investigate the impact of dietary selenium (Se) source on absorption, retention, per-formance, Se status, and immune function. Twenty-four mid-lactation Holstein cows were randomly assigned to receive 0.3 mg/kg DM of either an inorganic or organic Se premix. Following an 11-week dietary adaptation period, cows received simultane-ous intra-ruminal (Se77) and intravenous (Se82) isotope infusions followed by a 4-day total collection. On week 13, a subset of cows (n=20) received an intramammary infusion of 50 μg of lipopolysaccharides (LPS).

Recently, the consumption of grain-free diets has been linked to the development of canine dilated cardiomyopathy, with or without taurine deficiency. The focus of this thesis is on the micronutrients involved in taurine synthesis in healthy dogs fed a grain-free diet and defining the grain-free consumer via survey. Dogs supplemented with methionine had increased plasma methionine and homocysteine concentrations post-meal.