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1. The production of propionate in the caecum of the horse has been measured in two Shetland-type ponies fitted with caecal and colonic cannulas and fed on hay or on hay and wheat bran. A continuous intracaecal infusion of *4C-labeHed sodium propionate was used and samples were obtained from a cannula at the origin of the right ventral colon. A simultaneous intravenous infusion of [2-3H]glucose was used to measure total glucose entry.2. On a hay diet which provided 177 kJ/kg body-weight per d, mean caecal propionate production was 19.6 (range 17.2-21.2) mg/h per kg body-weight and on a hay and wheat bran diet, which provided 187 W/kg bodyweight per d, mean caecal propionate production was 34.0 (range 28.9-38.3) mg/h per kg body-weight.3. Mean total glucose production (mg/h per kg body-weight) in one pony was 104 (range 100-1 10) and in the other 135 (range 123-153). Rates were not influenced by diet.4. About 7% of total glucose production was derived from propionate produced in the caecum and this percentage was unaffected by diet or by individual animals.Herbivorous animals convert a variable proportion of dietary carbohydrate to fatty acids by bacterial fermentation. In ruminants the process takes place mainly in the rumen and there is extensive literature on the production and absorption of the short-chain or volatile fatty acids, acetic, butyric and propionic. Propionic acid is an important substrate for gluconeogenesis in ruminants. It is generally thought that the caecum and colon of equidae perform a similar function to the rumen and whilst there are reports on the production of volatile fatty acids in the caecum, there is little information on the synthesis of glucose from substrates produced in this way. Therefore, we have used the technique of isotope dilution to measure propionate production and its conversion to glucose in ponies fitted with infusion and sampling cannulas in the caecum and at the origin of the right ventral colon. M A T E R I A L S A N D M E T H O D S AnimalsTwo female ponies, weighing between 120 and 170 kg and aged 3-4 years, were bedded on wood shavings in loose boxes and fed on one of two diets with free access to drinking-water. One diet consisted of chopped hay and provided 177 kJ/kg body-weight per d and the other, which provided 187 kJ/kg body weight per d, consisted of chopped hay with 27% of the hay replaced by wheat bran. Under general anaesthesia, screw-capped plastic cannulas were inserted into the caecum and into the right ventral colon, about 100 mm from its origin at the caecum. The cannulas were a modification of those described by Alexander (1970). Animals were not used for experiments until they had completely recovered from surgery and were eating the full diet and maintaining steady body-weight. They were trained to stand in stocks during infusions and had access to food and water throughout these periods. At any one time one pony was fed on hay and wheat bran and the other on hay. Diets were then switched and, after a settling-down period, a second series of mea...

This paper reports seven cases of penile paraphimosis which occurred in both entire and castrated horses in association with general debility. Two cases were discharged after treatment while still suffering from partial paralysis; one was discharged at the owner's request with complete paralysis; three were destroyed and one died during treatment. Identified causes of debility were malnutrition, severe parasitism, glucose malabsorption and salmonellosis.

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To determine the primary excretory by-products of testosterone (T), 85 microCi [3H]T was administered i.v. to two adult Eld's deer stags. Blood (10 ml) was collected by jugular venipuncture at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240, and 480 min after isotope infusion, and all urine and feces were collected for 96 h after injection. Seventy percent of labeled circulating steroid was conjugated by 30 min postinfusion. The majority (80.4 +/- 3.2%) of T metabolites were excreted into urine, and 95.0 +/- 0.9% of these were conjugated, 95.8 +/- 0.2% being hydrolyzable with glucuronidase. Seven urinary androgen metabolites, including androstanediol (5 alpha-androstan-3 alpha-17 beta-diol and 5 beta-androstan-3 alpha-17 beta-diol), were identified in glucoronidase-hydrolyzed, ether-extracted Eld's deer urine pools after gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A double-antibody 125I RIA for 5 alpha-androstanediol-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol,17-glucuronide (3 alpha-diol-G) was validated for unprocessed urine. Longitudinal assessments of urine samples collected from 13 stages for 3 yr revealed biological concordance between fluctuations in urinary 3 alpha-diol-G and serum T, as well as seasonal changes in secondary sexual characteristics. Overall correlation between "same-day" matched serum T and urinary 3 alpha-diol-G was 0.58, (n = 6; p < 0.001). Thus, monitoring urinary 3 alpha-diol-G provides a noninvasive, alternative method for characterizing male endocrine interrelationships in an endangered ungulate species.