This experiment investigated the effect of olive cake in the feed of weaned Pramenka lambs on their daily gain, carcass traits and on the chemical composition of different groups of muscles. For that purpose, 45 male lambs were divided into three groups with 15 lambs each and fed separately for 50 days. The first group (control) was fed a commercial concentrate, while the second and third (test) groups were fed a concentrate with the addition of 15% and 30% olive cake, respectively. The results showed that the high level of olive cake inclusion (30%) decreased (P < 0.01) daily gain, final weight, empty carcass weight and (P < 0.05) dressing percentage of lambs. The olive cake resulted in a significantly higher (P < 0.01) proportion of stomach and intestines in the carcass compared to the control. The content of fat, proteins and dry matter in all the analyzed groups of muscles was lowest in the carcasses of lambs fed olive cake. The results of this research suggest that the addition of 15% of olive cake to the concentrate had no significant negative effect on daily gain, carcass weight and dressing percentage of lambs.

The aim of this study was to research changes in metabolic and antioxidative status of Saanen goats of different parity occurring during the peripartum period. Blood samples were taken on 10-7 and 3-1 d prepartally and 1-3, 14 and 28 d postpartally from goats allocated in three groups according to their parity: primiparous (PRIM), goats that kidded the 2nd or 3rd time (MID), and goats that kidded 4 or more times (MULTI)). Metabolic profile parameters (non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), glucose, triglycerides, albumin and urea) and indicators of oxidative stress ((superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA)) were determined. Intense metabolic changes associated with late pregnancy and onset of lactation were pronounced the most in MULTI goats that also had the biggest litter per goat. Significant differences were found in metabolic parameters NEFA, BHB, glucose, triglycerides within groups during peripartum period, as well as between them (the effect of parity). MDA concentrations were indicative of increased lipid peroxidation around parturition, especially pronounced in MULTI group 1-3 d prepartally, when the highest GSH-Px/SOD ratio was also found. Postpartally, antioxidant enzymes ratio in MID and MULTI group decreased while MDA concentrations remained high, suggesting antioxidant system inefficiency. Significant time × group interaction was observed for most of the parameters. The obtained results show that the goats of higher parity display higher levels of metabolism intensity and consequently, varying levels of oxidative stress during the peripartum period. Further studies should determine applicability of NEFA and BHB in periparturient metabolic profiling in dairy goats as well as establish normal ranges and cut-off levels for these biomarkers.

Variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplotypes was analysed in nine domestic sheep breeds (159 rams) and 21 mouflon (Ovis musimon) sampled in the East Adriatic. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed a high frequency of type B haplotypes, predominantly in European breeds, and a very low frequency of type A haplotypes, which are more frequent in some Asian breeds. Mitochondrial haplotype Hmt-3 was the most frequent (26.4%), and 37.1%, 20.8% and 7.6% of rams had haplotypes one, two and three mutations remote from Hmt-3 respectively. In contrast, Y-chromosome analyses revealed extraordinary paternal allelic richness: HY-6, 89.3%; HY-8, 5.0%; HY-18, 3.1%; HY-7, 1.3%; and HY-5, 1.3%. In fact, the number of haplotypes observed is comparable to the number found in Turkish breeds and greater than the number found in European breeds so far. Haplotype HY-18 (A-oY1/135-SRYM18), identified here for the first time, provides a link between the haplotype HY-12 (A-oY1/139-SRYM18) found in a few rams in Turkey and haplotype HY-9 (A-oY1/131-SRYM18) found in one ram in Ethiopia. All mouflons had type B mtDNA haplotypes, including the private haplotype (Hmt-55), and all were paternally monomorphic for haplotype HY-6. Our data support a quite homogeneous maternal origin of East Adriatic sheep, which is a characteristic of European breeds. At the same time, the high number of haplotypes found was surprising and intriguing, and it begs for further analysis. Simultaneous analysis of mtDNA and Y-chromosome information allowed us to detect a large discrepancy between maternal and paternal lineages in some populations. This is most likely the result of breeder efforts to 'upgrade' local populations using rams with different paternal origins.

Pigs of two crosses: A (Duroc x Swedish Landrace) x Pietrain (n=24) and B (Swedish Landrace x Large White) x Pietrain (n=26) were used to investigate the effects of different lairage time (2 and 24 hours) on levels of stress and meat quality traits. No direct effect of lairage time on cortisol, lactate, electrolytes and meat quality parameters was observed. However, after long lairage time, pigs showed lower level of glucose and higher CK, AST and ALT activity. Crossbred B pigs exposed to short lairage time, showed higher blood lactate, sodium, and potassium level, higher drip loss and lower pHi, whereas there were no significant differences between the crossbreeds in the long lairage group. The results indicate that long lairage time decreases blood glucose level and produces signs of muscle damage. In the short lairage period, the crossbreed B showed a higher response to pre-slaughter handling affecting the meat quality

Animal-inflicted injuries to humans are a major public health problem around the world resulting in great morbidity, money loss, and mortality. They are related to wild and domestic animals alike. Animals can cause injuries by various mechanisms--biting, stinging, crushing, goring, stomping, butting, kicking, pecking, etc. We present a case of a ram's attack with fatal consequences. A 4-year-old, 120 kg jezersko-solčava breed ram with prior history of aggressive behavior inflicted multiple injuries to his 83-year-old owner, who died in the hospital a few hours later due to severe blunt force injuries sustained in the attack. The autopsy revealed the cause of death to be multiple injuries of the thorax and the head. Sheep, even though they are not considered aggressive or large farm animals such as cattle and horses, can inflict serious injuries with devastating results.