Cow Urine Unfit for Humans, Contains Harmful Bacteria, Says Veterinary Research Body

“Statistical analysis of 73 urine samples of cows, buffaloes, and humans suggest that antibacterial activity in buffalo urine was far more superior than cows. The urine of buffalo was significantly more effective on bacteria like S Epidermidis and E Rhapontici,” Bhoj Raj Singh, who led the study, told the Times of India.

Singh, who heads the epidemiology department at the institute, carried out the research along with three of his PhD students between June 2022 and November 2022 on three types of cows, namely Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Vindavani (cross breed), from local dairy farms. Even samples from humans and buffaloes were considered for the study. He noted that a “sizeable proportion of urine samples from apparently healthy individuals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria”.

While highlighting that there is a widespread belief that ‘distilled’ cow urine, as opposed to fresh cow urine, does not have infectious bacteria, he said the research on the same is still on. However, he noted that it is cannot be generalised that cow urine has anti-bacterial properties.

Meanwhile, a former director of IVRI, R.S. Chauhan, questioned the research. “I have been researching cow urine for 25 years and we have found that distilled cow urine improves the immunity of humans and helps against cancer and Covid. This particular research was not done on distilled urine samples which we recommend people to actually consume,” Chauhan told TOI.

The research and its findings assume significance given that cow urine (gau mutra) is sold in the country widely as a cure for several ailments without any requirement for the trademark of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The sale and consumption are not only unregulated but gain legitimacy as cows and their products are accorded religious sanctity in the Hindu culture.

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How well do livestock antibiotic restrictions work? Not too well, according to new research

The use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials to reduce infection and increase production in beef cattle, poultry, and other livestock has long been a driving factor in the dangerous growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans.

In the absence of strong federal oversight on this rising threat to public health, several states and cities have implemented policies to restrict antimicrobial use and to increase industry transparency. But how well do these strategies work?

In California, Maryland, and the city and county of San Francisco, the answer is: not too well, according to Jay Graham, associate professor at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, who oversaw the first qualitative study of state and city restrictions, published in PLOS One last month.

“Unfortunately, these policies do not have the enforcement teeth that they need in order to see any real change,” said Graham in an interview. “Antibiotics are a shared resource. We all benefit from them, and by allowing industry to use them in a way to make more economic gains is not helping the public.”

The study was based on surveys and scripted interviews with 19 key informants in California, Maryland, and San Francisco; including individuals working as veterinarians, grocers, animal food producers, researchers, and policy developers.

Results of the interviews found that the effectiveness of state and county policies to reduce antimicrobial use in livestock has been hampered by several obstacles, among them: the refusal of food animal producers to reveal their use of antimicrobials as required; the lack of money for data analysis and enforcement; and vague language that permits loopholes for producers to exploit.

The California and Maryland state laws share the goal of limiting antimicrobial use to sick animals, and for only as long as medically needed, instead of using them routinely on healthy animals to increase production or avoid future illness. The Maryland law has more defined reporting requirements than the California law, requiring veterinarians to report antimicrobial prescriptions. The San Francisco ordinance—under consideration by several other U.S. cities—requires grocers to report the presence of antimicrobials in meat and poultry for sale.

Berkeley Public Health researchers, led by graduate students Scarlet S. Bliss and Maya Homsy-King, found none of the programs were working as planned.

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Scientists Produce First Calf Resistant to Major Viral Disease

BVDV is one of the most significant viruses affecting the health and well-being of cattle worldwide, and researchers have been studying it since the 1940s when it was first recognized. This virus does not affect humans but is highly contagious among cattle and can cause severe respiratory and intestinal diseases.

BVDV can be disastrous to pregnant cows because it can infect developing calves, causing spontaneous abortions and low birth rates. Some infected calves survive to birth and remain infected for life, shedding massive amounts of virus to other cattle. Despite more than 50 years of vaccine availability, controlling BVDV disease remains a problem since vaccines are not always effective in stopping transmission.

However, over the past 20 years, the scientific community discovered the main cellular receptor (CD46) and the area where the virus binds to that receptor, causing infection in cows. Scientists modified the virus binding site in this recent study to block infection.

Aspen Workman, lead author and researcher at ARS’ U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska, said, “Our objective was to use gene-editing technology to slightly alter CD46 so it wouldn’t bind the virus yet would retain all its normal bovine functions.”

The scientists first tested this idea in cell culture. After seeing promising outcomes in the laboratory, Acceligen edited cattle skin cells to develop embryos carrying the altered gene. These embryos were transplanted into surrogate cows to test whether this approach might also reduce virus infection in live animals.

It worked, and the first CD46 gene-edited calf, named Ginger, was born healthy on July 19, 2021. The calf was observed for several months and then later challenged with the virus to determine if she could become infected. She was housed for a week with a BVDV-infected dairy calf that was born shedding virus. Ginger’s cells displayed significantly reduced susceptibility to BVDV, which resulted in no observable adverse health effects.

The scientists will continue to closely observe Ginger’s health and ability to produce and raise her own calves.

This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the possibility of reducing the burden of BVDV-associated diseases in cattle by gene editing. The edited calf also represents another potential opportunity to lessen the need for antibiotics in agriculture since BVDV infection also puts calves at risk for secondary bacterial diseases. This promising trait is still in the research phase and no associated beef is entering the U.S. food supply at this time.

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New research reveals how grazing management practices affect cattle weight gain by altering foraging behavior

Ranchers often rotate cattle seasonally among different pastures on their operations but may allow cattle to graze season-long in a single pasture. Implementing a more intensive rotational system within the growing season—dividing the pasture into smaller areas, or paddocks, and shifting a herd of animals throughout the season—has been suggested to offer a greater chance for more sustainable grazing management. However, there have been very few experimental studies testing these ideas in extensive grazing systems.

A team of researchers at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service is completing a 10-year study on how grazing practices used in these two systems affect cattle foraging behavior, diet quality, and yearly weight gain in semi-arid, extensive rangelands.

The team started by exploring the efficiency of using cattle global positioning system (GPS) tracking collars, combined with activity sensors, to monitor the animals' grazing activities.

"The primary objective of the study was using the sensors to measure the steers' foraging behavior, and relate this to how they are gaining weight," said David Augustine, a research ecologist with the ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research in Colorado.

The collars collected precise data based on the animals' feeding habits per day, such as how much time was spent grazing every day, how many steps were taken (grazing speed), the shape of the foraging pathways, and how long each animal lowered their head as a sign of eating (representing the length of meals).

Even though the accuracy of the application is still being refined, results showed that the technology can inform livestock managers about animal distribution and foraging behaviors of free-ranging cattle in extensive rangelands. Being able to monitor foraging behavior continuously in turn allows managers to make more timely decisions on how, when, and where to move cattle within their operation, or to sell cattle at optimal times.

The researchers then applied the same technology in a range-scale experiment where steers were either divided into smaller herds in the paddocks of a non-rotational (season-long) grazing system or managed as a single large herd in a multi-paddock rotational system (using a collaborative and adaptive rangeland management approach). The first five years of data showed that the rotationally managed cattle gained, on average, 14% less weight than cattle in the season-long management system.

"Cattle did not have as much freedom to roam and be more selective on what to eat, so they ended up eating what was available in front of them, which was lower quality forages with less protein, and they gained less weight as a result. These behaviors were directly correlated to the average of 14% reduction in steer weight gain in the multi-paddock rotating system compared to the non-rotational continuous system," explained Augustine.

The study showed herds in the multi-paddock rotating system feeding in more linear pathways instead of moving around looking for greener grass and selecting bites of more digestible vegetation. They also fed slower, spent more time on the same patch of grass, and didn't turn their heads around much while feeding, compared with steers in the continuous grazing system. These behaviors of less selective foraging resulted in a lower diet quality, which led to reduced weight gain during the growing season.

Results, published in Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment, show that large herds grazing in small, homogenous paddocks have little opportunity to move around in ways that let them feed on high quality diet.

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Study reveals how grazing management affects cattle weight gain

Rotational or continuous grazing? Which system allows for more sustainable and profitable free-range livestock production?

Ranchers often rotate cattle seasonally among different pastures on their operations but may allow cattle to graze season-long in a single pasture. Implementing a more intensive rotational system within the growing season—dividing the pasture into smaller areas, or paddocks, and shifting a herd of animals throughout the season—has been suggested to offer a greater chance for more sustainable grazing management. However, there have been very few experimental studies testing these ideas in extensive grazing systems.

A team of researchers at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service is completing a 10-year study on how grazing practices used in these two systems affect cattle foraging behavior, diet quality, and yearly weight gain in semi-arid, extensive rangelands.

The team started by exploring the efficiency of using cattle global positioning system tracking collars, combined with activity sensors, to monitor the animals' grazing activities.

"The primary objective of the study was using the sensors to measure the steers' foraging behavior, and relate this to how they are gaining weight," said David Augustine, a research ecologist with the ARS Rangeland Resources and Systems Research in Colorado.

The collars collected precise data based on the animals' feeding habits per day, such as how much time was spent grazing every day, how many steps were taken (grazing speed), the shape of the foraging pathways, and how long each animal lowered their head as a sign of eating (representing the length of meals).

Even though the accuracy of the application is still being refined, results showed that the technology can inform livestock managers about animal distribution and foraging behaviors of free-ranging cattle in extensive rangelands. Being able to monitor foraging behavior continuously in turn allows managers to make more timely decisions on how, when, and where to move cattle within their operation, or to sell cattle at optimal times.

The researchers then applied the same technology in a range-scale experiment where steers were either divided into smaller herds in the paddocks of a non-rotational (season-long) grazing system or managed as a single large herd in a multi-paddock rotational system (using a collaborative and adaptive rangeland management approach). The first five years of data showed that the rotationally managed cattle gained, on average, 14% less weight than cattle in the season-long management system.

"Cattle did not have as much freedom to roam and be more selective on what to eat, so they ended up eating what was available in front of them, which was lower quality forages with less protein, and they gained less weight as a result. These behaviors were directly correlated to the average of 14% reduction in steer weight gain in the multi-paddock rotating system compared to the non-rotational continuous system," explained Augustine.

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Calling all canines: Help sniff out the dangerous spotted lanternfly

From New York to North Carolina and as far west as Illinois, the invasive spotted lanternfly is causing chaos in many states where agricultural and forestry industries are essential to the economy. It has been estimated that crops and forest production losses caused by insects and pathogens are close to $40 billion a year.

Spotted laternflies, native to mainland China, prey upon 70-plus host plant species, stealing their nutrients with their piercing snouts, called stylets. They are often characterized as “hitchhikers” for their ability to move long distances through human-assisted movement. Envision logging trucks traveling back and forth across the country with a few unwelcome pesky passengers braced to the back.

Officials in infested states have brainstormed different approaches to stop the spread of this deadly leafhopper.

Stomp, squash, or smash the dastardly bug, they say.

Now, researchers in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are experimenting with a new approach and calling upon dogs in the fight against the spotted lanternfly.

With a four-year, $475,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Erica Feuerbacher, an associate professor of applied animal welfare and behavior in the School of Animal Sciences, and Mizuho Nita, a Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist and an associate professor in the School for Plant and Environmental Sciences, have partnered with researchers at Texas Tech University to combat both the spotted lanternfly and the deadly fungal disease powdery mildew with the help of canines and their citizen-scientist counterparts.

The project, unofficially called the Canine Citizen Science Study, began two years ago in an olfactory lab at Texas Tech and has recently expanded to the East Coast, where Feuerbacher and assistants are asking dog owners to unite and utilize their pets’ scent work skills to sniff out spotted lanternfly eggs.

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FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Donor Eligibility and Manufacturing of Cellular Therapies for Animals

The U.S Food and Drug Administration issued for public comment two draft guidance documents that, if finalized, will help manufacturers of animal cells, tissues, and cell- and tissue-based products (ACTPs) understand current good manufacturing practice requirements (CGMPs) for new animal drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). CGMPs help prevent contamination and help ensure ACTP quality. If finalized, the recommendations are intended to support the development of promising and innovative products that can benefit animal health.

“ACTPs have the potential to make significant changes in how we treat diseases and may provide novel therapies for unmet therapeutic needs of animals. We want to support manufacturers in the safe production of these promising products,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, Acting Commissioner of the FDA. “It is important to note that the FDA is not imposing any new requirements on the manufacturers of ACTPs with these new draft guidance documents. These draft guidance documents, if finalized, are intended to assist manufacturers by providing product-specific recommendations that will help developers of these products meet existing FDA manufacturing requirements. Our goal is to help manufacturers be successful in their efforts to develop innovative products that can benefit animal health.”

In the draft guidance, ACTPs are defined as products that contain, consist of, or are derived from cells or tissues that are intended for implantation, transplantation, infusion or transfer into an animal recipient. Furthermore, ACTPs refer to products that meet the definition of a new animal drug. In the draft guidance, ACTPs include both cell-based products and animal stem cell-based products. ACTPs are most commonly investigated for regenerative medicine applications because they have the potential to repair diseased or damaged tissues in animals through regeneration and healing. Currently, these products are most commonly investigated and used in companion animals including dogs, cats, and horses; however, ACTPs may be also be developed for use in other species.

All new animal drugs are required to be manufactured in accordance with CGMPs to ensure that such drugs meet the requirements of the FD&C Act for safety, and to have the identity, strength, quality, and purity characteristics which they purport to or are represented to possess. Because the manufacture of ACTPs present unique considerations for complying with CGMPs, the FDA is issuing two draft guidance documents for industry.

The first draft guidance, #253, “Good Manufacturing Practices for Animal Cells, Tissues, and Cell- and Tissue-Based Products” provides manufacturers of ACTPs with recommendations for meeting requirements for CGMPs. It addresses the methods, facilities and controls used for manufacturing ACTPs, including steps in recovery, processing, storage, labeling, packaging and distribution. The draft guidance also addresses methods for preventing contamination and ensuring quality of the ACTP during manufacturing.

The second draft guidance #254, “Donor Eligibility for Animal Cells, Tissues, and Cell- and Tissue-Based Products”, if finalized, will assist sponsors, firms or establishments that participate in the manufacture of ACTPs or perform any aspect of the ACTP donor eligibility determination. Selecting appropriate donors is critical to product quality and preventing the transmission of disease.

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Britons urged not to buy exotic pets ‘on a whim’ amid welfare concerns

The British Veterinary Association has urged people to reconsider buying exotic pets because of fears many owners are struggling to look after the animals properly.

More than eight in 10 vets raised concerns about the welfare of exotic reptiles, amphibians, birds and other animals in a BVA report, with most blaming what they called “irresponsible animal ownership”.

A survey of council licensing data in England last year identified nearly 2,500 wild animals in the hands of private collectors, including capuchin monkeys, lemurs, mountain lions, alligators, hyenas, zebras, camels, grey wolves, honey badgers and ostriches.

Vets who treated exotic animals said nearly 60% of the pets they saw did not have their basic welfare needs met, while more than a quarter of the vets reported a rise in the number of exotic animals brought in for treatment in the past year, according to the Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey.

“We understand why so many people would love to have them as pets, as they are often unusual and are a bit different to owning a cat or a dog,” said Justine Shotton, a veterinary surgeon and senior vice-president at the BVA. “But it is so important not to buy exotic species on a whim as they have very complex needs and it can be both challenging and expensive to look after them properly.”

Many exotic pets have particular environmental, dietary and housing needs and require specialist care that may only be available in certain parts of the country, the BVA said. Some animals have specific heating, lighting or ultraviolet needs that could go unmet if people cut back on their energy usage because of soaring bills, it added.

Exotic pet ownership in the UK has risen dramatically since 2000, according to the wildlife charity Born Free. Its 2021 analysis of Dangerous Wild Animals Act licences revealed at least two elephants, more than 300 wild cats including tigers, leopards and pumas, more than 200 primates, and crocodiles, venomous snakes and scorpions all kept in private collections in the UK.

Chris Lewis, a captivity research officer at Born Free, said the charity’s 2021 report on exotic pets highlighted the need for urgent action on the issue. Its recent UK wildlife conservation and animal welfare manifesto urges the next government to conduct a comprehensive review of the trade in and keeping of exotic pets and give due consideration to regulations in place or in development in other countries.

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Moonpig to stop selling cards with pugs over animal welfare concerns

Moonpig is to stop selling cards featuring pictures of pugs and French bulldogs after criticism from vets and campaigners who fear the images fuel demand for the breeds, which often have serious health complaints.

Last year, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) wrote to the Greeting Card Association and card retailers, including Moonpig, Paperchase and WH Smith, urging them to stop using pugs and other flat-faced dogs on cards.

There has been a sharp rise in ownership of flat-faced breeds, including pugs, French bulldogs and English bulldogs in the UK in recent years, with the BVA concerned that their growing presence in advertising as well as on cards and gifts is normalising perceptions of their short noses and big eyes.

While some perceive the squashed wrinkly faces of these breeds as “cute”, vets warn that dogs with short muzzles can struggle to breathe, even when doing day-to-day activities such as walking or eating. Other problems faced by brachycephalic, or flat-faced, dogs include eye disease and an inability to mate or give birth naturally.

A Royal Veterinary College study published in May 2022 suggested “urgent action is needed as many health issues of pugs are associated with their extreme body shape”.

It concluded that the health of pugs in the UK is now substantially different from and largely worse than other breeds, revealing they are almost twice as likely to experience one or more disorders annually compared with other dogs.

Despite this backdrop the popularity of these breeds has surged thanks to celebrity owners and social media exposure and in 2018 the French bulldog overtook the labrador retriever to become the UK’s most popular. That reflected an almost 3,000% increase in numbers in the previous 10 years. Faced with the increase, the BVA has run several campaigns including #HugsNotPugs and #BreedtoBreathe to raise awareness.

On Friday, a search for “pug” and “French bulldog” on Moonpig’s website on Friday did not yield cards showing either breed. However, several cards adorned with images of English bulldogs, which are also flat-faced, remained on sale.

The animal rights lobby group Peta had also raised concerns with Moonpig about promoting “breathing-impaired” dog breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs on its cards. The company has now confirmed to Peta that it is the process of removing any cards that feature pugs or French bulldogs from its website. It also told Peta that it will not be designing or sourcing any card designs featuring these breeds in future.

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Pets could be gene-edited under new English law, says RSPCA

Pets could be subjected to gene editing under a new government act, the RSPCA has warned.

The animal charity has said that the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act applies to all vertebrate animals, not only farmed animals, and that it could lead to cats and dogs being gene-edited to include extreme features.

The law allows the creation and marketing of “precision-bred” or genome-edited plants and vertebrate animals in England. The government said it would allow farmers to grow crops that are drought- and disease-resistant, reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and help breed animals that are protected from catching harmful diseases.

The UK environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, described the act, which received royal assent on Thursday, as a “Brexit freedom”, but the RSPCA said it could have dire consequences for animal welfare.

David Bowles, the head of campaigns and public affairs at the RSPCA, criticised what he described as an “ill-judged policy”. He said the charity had tried to get the government to include an exemption for pets, but was “sadly ignored”.

He added: “Gene editing could be a huge step backwards for animals. We do not believe this act should include animals, whether they are farm, pet or wildlife. Invasive procedures are needed to create each line of gene-edited mammals, there is no history of use for this powerful technology, and it can cause unintended changes to the genome, with unpredictable effects. The RSPCA has serious animal welfare and ethical concerns about this.”

Genome editing is a group of techniques that enable changes to an organism’s DNA, and the animal charity warned that editing an animal’s genome involved procedures that could cause “pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm”. Gene editing was previously subject to the strict rules and regulations that control genetically modified organisms (GMOs), but under this new law gene-edited animals and food will not be classed in England as GMOs and will not need to be labelled as such.

There are concerns that a demand for cats and dogs with extreme appearances could cause breeders to use gene editing to create pets with these characteristics.

“We feel there is no justification whatsoever for non-farm animals to be covered by the [legislation],” Bowles said. “Ongoing demands for dogs and cats with harmful physical characteristics and exaggerated conformational features, and relentless pressure on sporting animals, are already of deep concern, and there has been no public consultation on gene editing non-farm animals.”

The government has said it would take a “step-by-step” approach when releasing the regulatory framework that goes with the act. It said in a press release: “While there is great potential for increasing innovation, the government recognises that there is a need to safeguard animal welfare in the new regulatory framework. That is why we are taking a step-by-step approach, enabling use of precision breeding technologies with plants first followed by animals later.”

But the RSPCA does not think vertebrate animals should be in the act at all, let alone non-farmed creatures such as pets.

Bowles continued: “By allowing the inclusion of all vertebrate animals within this [legislation], the UK government is opening a Pandora’s box of what could be allowed in the future.”

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said: “We are clear that we will not compromise on animal welfare and we have no plans to introduce secondary legislation to cover precision-bred companion animals.”

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Cat-astrophe? Whiskas pet food criticised over shrinking servings

The mercurial nature of cats means owners spend a lot of time trying to understand “cat speak”. However, the chances that loud miaowing is about food have increased after Whiskas not only slashed the size of its cat food pouches but changed the recipe .

The price of Whiskas has risen sharply in the past year and pet owners have taken to the brand’s Facebook page to vent their outrage over the smaller packets, which are 85g rather than 100g, but cost the same. Others complain their cat does not like the “new taste” and, in extreme cases, that it disagrees with them.

The practice of reducing product sizes but keeping the price the same effectively increases their cost per gram and is known as “shrinkflation”. Smaller Whiskas packs started arriving in stores last month but many owners did not spot the change until their pets started making a racket.

Cat owner David Reid said he was shocked by the price of Whiskas, with the pack size reduction the final straw. “It’s taken a couple of weeks to dawn on me why the pets were still hungry after being fed. I will now move to a different brand … it is now too expensive to feed them Whiskas pouches, as much as I love my cats dearly.”

Other recent casualties of shrinkflation include Magnum ice-creams, which these days are being sold in three- rather than four-packs, and Mini Cheddars, where a new bag size is “mini” too.

In her post on Whiskas’ Facebook page, Mauri Ann Beardshaw said she had been left wondering why her cats were asking for extra food. “Shrinkflation is probably fine for human snacks but it’s just not fair on the cats to reduce fixed meals. If they weren’t fussy I would be changing brand.”

The upshot of the smaller size meant you were getting just under two pouches fewer per box, commented Stephen La Velle. “The texture and taste has also changed significantly enough for both my cats to turn their noses up at it,” he wrote.

A 12-pack of Whiskas costs £4.50, which is almost £1 more than a year ago (when the Whiskas pouches were bigger), according to the average price across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons. The price is up almost 40% over two years as in 2021 these packs cost £3.25, according to the price analysts Assosia.

Britons spend £2.7bn a year on pet food in a market dominated by big companies such as Whiskas owner Mars Petcare, as well as Nestlé and Colgate-Palmolive, and other brands have gone up in price too. An eight-pack of Nestlé’s Purina One now costs £4.50, which is 10% more than a year ago and 20%, or 75p more, over two years.

Dog owners are also having to dig deeper. The price of a 12-pack of Cesar Senior 10+ costs £6.75 today which is £2.08 more than a year ago, an increase of 45%. The same size pack of Pedigree Pouch Favourites is now £5, up £1.18 or 31% on a year ago, according to the Assosia figures. Both brands are owned by Mars Petcare.

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