Aim:The current study was undertaken to evaluate the findings of canine hip dysplasia screening in Kenya.Materials and Methods:Records for 591 dogs were included in this study. The data was obtained from the national screening office, Kenya Veterinary Board, for the period between the years 1998 and 2014. Monthly screening records were assessed and information relating to year of evaluation, breed, sex, age, and hip score captured. Descriptive statistics of hip scores was computed based on year, sex, age, and breed.Results:A total of 591 records from the year 1998 to 2014 were retrieved at the National Screening Centre, the Kenya Veterinary Board. Each record was examined and data pertaining to year of screening, the breed, sex, age of the dogs, and the total hip score were recorded. The highest number of dogs screened for hip dysplasia (HD) was in the year 2009 and the lowest in the year 1998. More females than males were screened for HD and the mean age of all the dogs was 22.9±12.7 months. The most common breeds of dogs screened during the study period were German Shepherd (67.0%), Rottweiler (15.6%), and Labrador Retriever (12.2%). The mean hip score for the 591 dogs was 15.1±10.9 and the median 12.0. The mean hip scores per breed were; German Shepherd (16.3±12.1); Golden Retriever (16.0); Hungarian Vizla (15.0); Labrador Retriever (3.0±6.7); Great Dane (13.3±3.2); Rottweiler (12.2±8.2); Doberman (10.3±4.2); Rhodesian Ridgeback (9.6±3.8); and Boxer (9.3±0.6). Based on the hip score, moderate to severe HD was diagnosed in 16.6% of the dogs, mild HD in 32.7%, Borderline HD in 37.7%, fair HD in 6.9%, and good HD in 6.1%.Conclusion:Canine HD is a common occurrence in Kenya with most dogs suffering mild to border line HD. In addition, German Shepherd and Golden Retriever appear to be the most affected breeds. It is therefore recommended that stringent measures be imposed to dog breeding programs to avoid transmission of this undesirable trait and consequently improve the welfare and the quality of dog breeds in Kenya.

The undifferentiated spermatogonial population in mammalian testes contains a spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) population that can regenerate continual spermatogenesis following transplantation. This capacity has the potential to be exploited as a surrogate sires breeding tool to achieve widespread dissemination of desirable genetics in livestock production. Because SSCs are relatively rare in testicular tissue, the ability to expand a population in vitro would be advantageous to provide large numbers for transplantation into surrogate recipient males. Here, we evaluated conditions that would support long-term in-vitro maintenance of undifferentiated spermatogonia from a goat breed that is endemic to Kenyan livestock production. Single-cell suspensions enriched for undifferentiated spermatogonia from pre-pubertal bucks were seeded on laminin-coated tissue culture plates and maintained in a commercial media based on serum-free composition. The serum-free media was conditioned on goat fetal fibroblasts and supplemented with a growth factor cocktail that included glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), stromal cell-derived factor (SDF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) before use. Over 45 days, the primary cultures developed a cluster morphology indicative of in-vitro grown undifferentiated spermatogonia from other species and expressed the germ cell marker VASA, as well as the previously defined spermatogonial marker such as promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF). Taken together, these findings provide a methodology for isolating the SSC containing undifferentiated spermatogonial population from goat testes and long-term maintenance in defined culture conditions.

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BackgroundRegional anaesthetic techniques have been used in combination with systemic analgesics during small animal surgery to provide multimodal analgesia. Brachial plexus nerves block using local anaesthetics provides analgesia of the thoracic limb through desensitization of the nerves that provide sensory and motor innervation. This has been shown to reduce intra-operative anesthetic requirements and provide postoperative pain relief. Decreasing the doses of general anaesthetics allows more stable cardiopulmonary function during anaesthesia and the development of less side effects. The present case reports a successful use of brachial plexus blockade to supplement medetomidine-ketamine-isoflurane anaesthesia for repair of radio-ulna fracture in an adult cheetah (acinonyx jubatus).Case presentationAn adult male Cheetah weighing about 65 kg was presented with a history of leg carrying lameness of the left forelimb sustained following a car accident a week earlier. Clinical examination under general anaesthesia revealed slight dehydration and a swelling with a wound on the caudo-medial aspect of the left radio-ulna region. Crepitation was present on manipulation and radiography confirmed a complete transverse radio-ulna fracture of the left forelimb, which required open reduction and internal fixation. Brachial plexus blockade using lignocaine hydrochloride was used to supplement medetomidine-ketamine-isoflurane anaesthesia for the surgical procedure. Isoflurane anaesthesia was maintained at 0.5 - 2.0% throughout the surgical procedure, which was uneventful. Temperature and cardio-pulmonary parameters remained stable intra-operatively. Limb paralysis extended for 5 hours post-operatively, suggesting prolonged anaesthesia.ConclusionTo the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of the use of brachial plexus blockade to supplement general anaesthesia to facilitate forelimb surgery in an adult cheetah. The use of brachial plexus block with a light plane of general anaesthesia proved to be successful. Brachial plexus block had a sparing effect on isoflurane anaesthesia as evidenced by the concentration used for maintenance of anaesthesia and the stability of the cardiopulmonary function. Moreover, absence of autonomic cardiopulmonary reactions to the surgical manipulation may be attributed to the efficacy of brachial plexus block. This anaesthesia protocol is therefore recommended for surgeries of the forelimb in wild cats.

Introduction Spermatogonial stem cells (SSC), also referred to as undifferentiated spermatogonia, are the germline stem cells responsible for continuous spermatogenesis throughout a male’s life. They are, therefore, an ideal target for gene editing. Previously, SSC from animal testis have been isolated and transplanted to homologous recipients resulting in the successful reestablishment of donor-derived spermatogenesis. Methods Enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene transfection into goat SSC was evaluated using liposomal carriers and electroporation. The cells were isolated from the prepubertal Galla goats testis cultured in serum-free defined media and transfected with the eGFP gene. Green fluorescing of SSC colonies indicated transfection. Results The use of lipofectamine TM stem reagent and lipofectamine TM 2000 carriers resulted in more SSC colonies expressing the eGFP gene (25.25% and 22.25%, respectively). Electroporation resulted in 15% ± 0.54 eGFP expressing SSC colonies. Furthermore, cell viability was higher in lipofectamine transfection (55% ± 0.21) as compared to electroporation (38% ± 0.14). Conclusion These results indicated that lipofectamine was more effective in eGFP gene transfer into SSC. The successful transient transfection points to a possibility of transfecting transgenes into male germ cells in genetic engineering programs.