lasalocid and Fetal-Death

Sixteen 50 day gestational ewes were fed lasalocid at the rate of 30 g t-1 and were orally inoculated with 100 infective Toxoplasma gondii oocysts 5 days after beginning feeding of lasalocid. Seventeen control ewes were similarly inoculated with T. gondii and were not fed lasalocid. The rate of abortion and neonatal mortality in both treated and untreated ewes was similar, indicating that feeding lasalocid was not effective in preventing T. gondii abortion in sheep.

Topics: Abortion, Veterinary; Administration, Oral; Agglutination Tests; Animal Feed; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Female; Fetal Death; Lasalocid; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasmosis, Animal

Forty-eight second, third and fourth parity crossbred sows were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments: corn:alfalfa-orchardgrass hay (46%; CH); CH plus lasalocid (CHL); corn-soybean meal (CS) or CS plus lasalocid (CSL). Sows were fed these diets through two successive gestations with dietary treatment initiated at 35 d post-coitum and continued until parturition. To equalize daily metabolizable energy intake (6.6 Mcal/sow), 2.64 kg of CH and CHL diets and 1.86 kg of CS and CSL diets were fed. Lasalocid intake was 130 mg X sow-1 X d-1. Sows were weighed and backfat measurements were taken at 35 and 109 d of gestation. Sows also were weighed 14 d postpartum. A 14% crude protein corn-soybean meal diet was fed ad libitum to all sows during lactation and feed intake was recorded. Colostrum samples were obtained within 4 h of farrowing. All live piglets were weighed at birth and 14 d of age. There were no significant differences among dietary treatments in number of live piglets born, piglet birth weight, piglet weight at 14 d of age or sow rebreeding efficiency. Sows fed CHL and CSL diets had more (P less than .12) live piglets at 14 d postpartum and lower (P less than .03) total fat in colostrum than did CH- and CS-fed sows. Alfalfa-orchardgrass hay feeding resulted in less (P less than .04) backfat deposition during gestation, more (P less than .04) weight loss from 109 d postcoitum to 14 d postpartum and increased (P less than .002) feed consumption during lactation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Animal Feed; Animals; Birth Weight; Body Weight; Colostrum; Fatty Acids; Female; Fetal Death; Lactation; Lasalocid; Lipids; Litter Size; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Animal; Swine