Zoetis, the animal health developer, has announced a new partnership with Danone, a company behind dairy, plant-based, water, and specialized nutrition brands, with the purpose of driving sustainable practices on dairy farms, using genetics to ensure healthier cows.

 The collaboration will combine Danone’s environmental experience with Zoetis’ animal genetics experience. Danone will gain access to Zoetis’ genetic technologies across the world. The companies’ shared goals are to integrate sustainable practices into dairy genetics and selection. They will emphasize the wellbeing of the animals, reduce their environmental impact, and promote long-term growth.

“Collaborative partnerships allow us to harmonize genetic innovation with sustainable practices,” Wafaa Mamilli, EVP, chief digital and technology officer, group president for China, Brazil, and Precision Animal Health at Zoetis, said in a news release.

 “Through our partnership with Danone, we intend to leverage our respective expertise to set new benchmarks for healthier herds that contribute to a sustainable future for the dairy industry.”

Zoetis’ genetic testing solutions allow for accurate predictions of an animal’s susceptibility to costly diseases, in addition to the potential that the animals will remain healthy and productive during their lifetime. Danone will be able to leverage these tools, supporting dairy production, and prioritizing environmental resiliency.

According to the release, Zoetis became a part of Danone’s global “Partner for Growth” program in 2023. The company entered the program as the preferred provider for genetic testing on dairy farms on account of their Dairy Wellness Profit Index (DWP$) from CLARIFIDE Plus.

 DWP$ is a multi-trait animal ranking selection index that calculates and reveals the value of critical wellness traits in cattle.

 These traits include cow and calf wellness, production, fertility, functional type, longevity, livability, calving ability, and milk quality traits, in addition to polled test results. The tool allows Zoetis to accurately estimate the potential total lifetime profit that Holstein and Jersey cattle could contribute to a given dairy operation.

“We really look forward to embarking with Zoetis on this journey,” Jean-Yves Krummenacher chief procurement officer at Danone, said.

 “Together, we are committed to utilizing genomic testing as an important tool for incorporating sustainability at its core. This partnership aligns with our vision of creating positive change throughout the dairy value chain.”

A 2022 update to Zoetis’ innovative genetic technology incorporated new traits that impact lifetime profitability, including first calving and residual feed intake. The company also increased the economic values of fat, protein, and milk, along with cow and calf wellness traits, in a matter that reflected current and projected prices faced by dairy farmers.

The incorporation of this technology into breeding and culling decisions ensures future generations of biologically resilient cattle, capable of higher lifetime profit. The partnership allows for the wider adoption of the technology, and aspires to positively impact the environment, increased the longevity of cattle, improve farm resilience, and meet increased consumer demand for sustainably sourced dairy products.

Zoetis and Danone Announce Strategic Partnership to Pioneer Sustainable Innovation in Dairy Farming Using the Power of Genetics. News release. Zoetis. September 26, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240925718835/en/Zoetis-and-Danone-Announce-Strategic-Partnership-to-Pioneer-Sustainable-Innovation-in-Dairy-Farming-Using-the-Power-of-Genetics

Dairy Wellness Profit Index enhancements for profitable genetic selection and helping sustainable practices. Zoetis. Accessed September 30, 2024.

Championing a Healthy, Sustainable Future Through Genomic Testing. Zoetis. 2022. Accessed September 30, 2024.

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Danone will leverage Zoetis’ innovative genetic technology to make the cattle industry more sustainable worldwide

Partnership pioneers sustainable, genetic-based dairy farming

Lauren Thielen, DVM, DiplABVP (Avian Practice), talks all about the avian respiratory system, as well as what makes birds susceptible to respiratory infections

The unique avian respiratory system

What makes the avian respiratory system so special? In an interview with 

about one of her lectures presented at the Southwest Veterinary Symposium in Fort Worth, Texas, Lauren Thielen, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice), provided an in-depth explanation of the mechanics of avians’ upper and lower respiratory system. As unique as their respiratory system is however, these animals’ physiology and anatomy also have some drawbacks, which Thielen also discussed in the interview.

Lauren Thielen, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice): 

So birds, to start, what makes them so unique with their respiratory system is they don't have a diaphragm, and so they do breathe a little bit differently, and everything's all connected through this network of what's called air sacs.

And the air sacs are just like this phenomenal thing that makes them so much more efficient at oxygen exchange than a mammal ever could be. And so what happens is, when a bird breathes, [the oxygen goes] into these air sacs­—and you can think of the air sacs as…bellows. So they don't exchange oxygen in those air sacs, but they mostly just hold the oxygen and then them holding that oxygen allows them, on their second breath, to be able to take that air and put it through their lungs and then oxygenate, and then take the oxygen from the air sacs into the rest of their body. And so, it's because of these air sacs that not only allows them to exchange oxygen so, so well, but also just makes them just so unbelievably efficient.

However, it has its drawbacks. Because these air sacs are like little balloons, or like little bellows, there's not a lot of things there as like a primary immune system, like little cells that can help get trapped debris out, or even good blood supply to allow white blood cells to really try to treat an infection, and it's because [of] you know, this efficiency of them being able to breathe; but it also has a downfall that they're more susceptible to infections just because they don't have that primary clearance mechanism.

Lauren Thielen, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice), talks about the avian respiratory system, including what makes birds susceptible to respiratory infections

Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V discusses how poor consideration of patients’ emotional wellbeing can have undesirable consequences

How emotional care can improve emergency outcomes in patients

Although emergency veterinary practices may succeed in triaging and assessing patients’ airway, breathing, and circulation (ABC), there is sometimes a lack of consideration for the emotional wellbeing of those patients. In an interview with 

 on her Fetch Kansas City conference lecture, Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V, spoke about the intersection of a patient’s emotional health during an emergency visit and a veterinarian’s ability to get a diagnosis for that patient. She also explained that a painful and fearful emergency room experience for a patient can lead to a more extreme response the next time that patient goes to a hospital.

Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V: 

…often, when a patient is brought into an emergency setting and immediately brought into I'm just going to call ‘the back’—into the treatment area—, there are certain situations and sometimes certain practices where there is not a lot of consideration about the emotional health in that moment as well, meaning that we're doing a great job of triaging, temperature, pulse respiration, pulse [oximeter], ability to walk, just assessing ABC—you know, all of the emergency strategies for physical health and triage—but often, if we just took a step back just for a few seconds and thought about some of the other factors that play a role, like pain and fear and anxiety, not only can we help that patient often feel better, because we know pain (which is often a big component of many of our patients in the emergency room and emergency situations) will often create fear, anxiety, and stress; but we also know that [in] anxious patients and fearful patients 2 things happen:

It's very difficult to do a physical exam accurately on a patient who's highly anxious because often (if we'd miss the signs they're showing us, which often in an emergency setting, we're not really thinking about that)…they will get to a point where they become reactive, which means it's very difficult, of course, to get an accurate heart rate or to work in their mouth, or to do some of the different procedural imaging that we need to do. So it delays our ability to get a diagnosis.

the other thing it does is it basically imprints on that patient that that experience, for lack of a better term, sucked, and they're going to remember that permanently in their amygdala as a very fearful experience for them and for the pet parent, and so the next time that patient goes to a veterinary hospital, it's going to be even worse for that team, the next team to work with that patient, because it's going to not only trigger that fearful memory, but we know very clearly that any time that fearful memory is triggered, we actually will see a longer intensity and duration of response.

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Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V discusses how poor consideration of patients’ emotional wellbeing can have negative consequences

Investigators from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tested the long-held hypothesis that declines in pollinator health could be attributed to interacting biotic and abiotic stressors, including nutritional limitations, exposure to pesticides, and infection with pathogens and parasites.

 In a study that, for the first time, considered all 3 factors, these researchers concluded that good nutrition enhances honeybee resilience against the other factors that threaten their health.

“Multiple stressors are often bad for survival,” Edward Hsieh, the graduate student who led the research alongside University of Illinois professor Adam Dolezal, said in an article on the science news website Phys.org.

 “However, it is always context-dependent, and you have to be aware of all these factors when you’re trying to make broad statements about how interactive effects affect honey bees.”

, demonstrated the complexity of multi-stressor interactions—and the importance of context—with the potential to affect bees’ health and physiology.

 Investigators evaluated pollen collected by honeybees from small areas of restored prairie bordering agricultural fields in Iowa, using maximum insecticide and fungicide levels found in bee-collected pollen grains as an indication of chemical exposures in the wild.

Want to learn more about veterinary nutrition?

Check out dvm360's nutrition resource center

Groups of caged honeybees were exposed to different dietary, viral, and/or chemical treatments (an organophosphate, a pyrethroid, or a neonicotinoid), and they were fed either artificial or natural pollen.

 Additionally, some of the bees were infected with the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus—a known threat to honeybee populations.

The study found that artificial pollen-fed bees often died as a result of exposure to the virus. When exposed to the virus and pesticides at the same time, mortality rates were even higher. Bees that were fed natural pollen showed similar reactions to virus exposure, and many of them died. In contrast to the bees fed artificial pollen, though, fewer of the natural pollen fed bees died as a result of exposure to chlorpyrifos and fungicide mixes.

“Bees have this inherent ability to deal with stress, and so, if you give them a little bit of stress, like a low-level exposure to a pesticide, it may help them deal with a bigger stress from a pathogen like the virus,” Dolezal said in the Phys.org article.

 “However, it only works if they have the natural resources to do it.”

Investigators cautioned that chemical exposures should not be disregarded because of these findings. Reactions may vary depending on the chemicals in question. The study proves the complexity of interactions between biotic and abiotic factors within the honeybee system, and that the alteration of any factor within the paradigm could have serious implications.

“The takeaway from this study is that bees are quite resilient even to the interaction of pesticides and viruses if they have really good nutrition,” Dolezal told Phys.org.

 “However, we don’t want people to conclude that pesticides are not a big deal for the bees.”

Yates D. Study finds good nutrition boosts honey bee resilience against pesticides, viruses. Phys.org. September 24, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2024. 

https://phys.org/news/2024-09-good-nutrition-boosts-honey-bee.html

Hsieh E, Dolezal A. Nutrition, pesticide exposure, and virus infection interact to produce context-dependent effects in honey bees (

. July 30, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2024. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175125

Research finds honeybees with certain diets are more resilient to common threats

Study demonstrates the importance of nutrition in honeybees’ survival against pesticides and viruses

North Carolina (NC) State University researchers have announced the development of a tool to assist veterinarians and clients in evaluating elderly dogs’ frailty. When coupled with simple assessments of body and muscle condition, the tool can predict the probability of short term mortality (within 6 months) as well as provide owners important data to make decisions on treatment and quality-of-life choices for their elderly dogs.

“In humans, we classify frailty as a physical or physiological state associated with loss of strength, slow walking speed, weight loss, exhaustion and reduced activity – which is what happens as your body starts winding down,” explained Natasha Olby, Vet MB, PhD, MRCVS, DACVIM (Neurology), the Dr Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson distinguished chair in Gerontology at NC State, in an organizational release.

 the researchers created a frailty screening questionnaire that was given to owners, asking about their pets overall body condition, appetite, exhaustion/energy level, mobility, muscle condition, and social activity. These domains are also utilized within human frailty assessments. The team then validated the tool against 2 dog populations, 39 dogs that were currently participating in an already existing neuro-aging study that Olby is conducting and then 198 dogs over the age of 10 that were not enrolled in the study.

Out of the 39 dogs, 12 died over the evaluation period due to disease, accident, poor quality of life, and natural causes. Results concluded that dogs classified as impaired in 3-5 domains on were considered frail, and twice as likely to die within 6 months when compared to the dogs that were not frail. 

“Of course, the reality is that you never really know how long a dog will live, but this questionnaire coupled with body and muscle condition scores is good at predicting 6-month mortality,” Olby explained. “And it is an easily deployable screening tool that doesn’t require any lab work – a veterinarian can assess body and muscle condition with simple palpation.”

 researchers were able to define frailty phenotype that represents a valuable screening tool for veterinary professionals and clients to utilize for early detection and intervention. Within the study, researchers included covariates to adjust for age, breed, sex, and weight. Researchers discovered that within the covariates they evaluated, only breed was significant in having a 1.85% higher mortality rate than mixed breeds.

New tool can assess elderly dogs’ frailty. News release. North Carolina State University. September 30, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2024. 

https://news.ncsu.edu/2024/09/new-tool-can-assess-elderly-dogs-frailty/#:~:text=The%20researchers%20developed%20a%20frailty,used%20in%20human%20frailty%20assessments

Russell KJ, Mondino A, Fefer G, et al. Establishing a clinically applicable frailty phenotype screening tool for aging dogs. 

. 2024;11. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1335463

The new tool could predict the likelihood of short-term mortality and give owners and veterinary professionals important data 

New tool assesses elderly canines' frailty

Photo: Baldomero Jesús Espinosa Megias/Wirestock Creators/Adobe Stock

A research team at the Arizona Cognition Center, University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine in Tucson, developed a new evaluation tool for monitoring the health of aging dogs. This new research provides a deeper understanding of cognitive aging in dogs, according to a news release.

Led by Evan MacLean, PhD, the team developed a series of short, pet-friendly tasks to measure spatial memory, executive function, and social cognition, all of which are impaired in Alzheimer’s disease.

 This neuropsychological assessment was achieved through 2 research experiments.

Understanding cognitive aging in dogs has the potential to advance veterinary medicine and support discoveries that translate to human health," said MacLean in a news release.

 "Unlike other diseases, we cannot simply perform a blood test or use medical imaging to measure cognitive impairments. Our research produced problem-solving games to measure specific aspects of cognitive function, providing a vital tool for monitoring cognitive health and measuring the effectiveness of interventions to promote healthy aging."

The first experiment tested a cross-sectional sample of dogs and estimated associations between age and task performance.

 The dogs participated in 5 tasks over 2 sessions on different days. Each session lasted around 30 to 60 minutes.

The first session involved 2 memory tasks and a sensory screen. Meanwhile, the second session measured executive function with a cylinder task and a spatial reverse task. It also measured social human interaction with an unfamiliar experimenter.

According to the study, each task involved a handler who set the dog in a starting position and timed the trials, along with an experimenter who conducted the test and collected data. Additionally, with the exception of the human interaction task, all tasks required participants to engage in spontaneous problem-solving to obtain food rewards.

In the second experiment, researchers showed the feasibility of the tests carried out in the first experiment in clinical settings. This involved 35 dogs being evaluated for cognitive dysfunction. The study’s staff conducted the cognitive tests in an exam room during research visits, which took place when clients brought their dogs to the veterinary hospital for medical check-ups.

The relationship between age and test performance was similar for small and large dogs, despite the fact that small dogs generally have longer lifespans.

The unexpected result prompts further questions about whether cognitive aging follows a different path than other age-related conditions.

Memory and mental flexibility showed a significant correlation with age, with older dogs scoring notably lower than younger ones. Additionally, signs of cognitive decline were detected in mid-life, well before the usual onset of dementia in canines. According to a news release, recognizing these early signs of impairment could be essential for interventions to prolong cognitive health.

The study received funding from the Dogtopia Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, the research was carried out as part of the Dog Aging Project—a nationwide initiative aimed at uncovering the genetic and environmental factors that influence healthy aging in dogs.

Although cognitive decline and dementia are increasingly recognized as major concerns for aging dogs, studying these issues has been difficult due to the lack of objective, pet-friendly methods for assessing cognitive function. The newly developed tests will play a vital role in research focused on evaluating interventions that can improve cognitive health and help prevent dementia in dogs, according to Dogtopia.

New study uncovers key findings on cognitive aging in dogs. News release. Dogtopia. September 24, 2024. Accessed September 27, 2024. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-uncovers-key-findings-on-cognitive-aging-in-dogs-302256528.html

Hargrave SH, Bray EE, McGrath S, et al. Characterizing dog cognitive aging using spontaneous problem-solving measures: Development of a battery of tests from the Dog Aging Project. 

. Published online August 6, 2024. doi:10.1007/s11357-024-01278-x