Hyperthyroidism, primarily due to functional thyroid adenoma, is the most common endocrinopathy of older cats worldwide. Even though the etiopathogenesis of feline hyperthyroidism is not yet fully understood, the four common therapeutic modalities that can be implemented individually or in combination for management are surgical thyroidectomy, radioactive iodine, pharmaceutical therapy and dietary therapy using a limited-iodine diet. Regular monitoring of a hyperthyroid cat is important to assess therapeutic efficacy, to detect iatrogenic hypothyroidism and to confirm comorbidities that become evident with resolution of the hyperthyroidism. Thyroid gland is an endocrine gland located at the neck area. In cats, this gland has two lobes connected by an indistinct isthmus. The functional unit of the gland is the thyroid follicle and the three hormones produced are triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and calcitonin. Secretion of T3 and T4 are regulated by the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) produced by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, respectively. Ectopic or accessory thyroid tissue is relatively common in many species including cats and may be located anywhere from the larynx to the diaphragm. Hyperthyroidism is characterized by the overproduction of thyroid hormone and a subsequent increase in metabolic rate

Cattle can act as asymptomatic carrier in leptospirosis and can transmit the infection to other animals and humans either by direct contact or indirectly by contaminating the environment with infected urine. Thus, the role of apparently healthy cattle in the maintenance and transmission of the organism needs to be studied. The present study was conducted in 90 apparently healthy cattle in Mannancherry panchayat of Alappuzha district. Serum samples were collected from cattle and subjected to Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) using a battery of serovars. A serum dilution of 1:50 and above was taken as positive. Out of the 90 samples analysed, 47 (52.2 per cent) were found positive. The predominant serovars observed in the study were Grippotyphosa (34.04 per cent), Sejroe (25.53 per cent) and Autumnalis (21.3 per cent). The study revealed the importance of asymptomatic cattle in the maintenance and transmission of the disease.

Hyperplasia of vaginal mucous membrane is an unusual reproductive disorder observed in canines. It is the protrusion of oedematous vaginal tissue into and through the opening of the vulva occurring during proestrus and oestrus stages of the sexual cycle. This study was aimed to find out the overall occurrence of canine vaginal hyperplasia and its occurrence based on breeds, age, parity and stage of oestrous cycle. The occurrence of canine vaginal hyperplasia was 1.02 per cent. The highest occurrence of vaginal hyperplasia within a breed was observed in Labrador retrievers (48.94%), while the lowest occurrence was in German shepherd, Spitz, and Dachshund breeds (2.13%). The highest occurrence was recorded in dogs of one to two years old (43.62%) and the lowest occurrence in dogs of above 4 years of age (13.83%). Highest occurrence of vaginal hyperplasia was found in nulliparous (60.71%) and in intact dogs (100%).

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of jackfruit powder on the physicochemical characteristics, proximate composition and sensory attributes of cocktail nuggets containing 75 per cent chicken and 25 per cent duck meat. Jackfruit powder was added in cocktail nuggets at three different levels i.e., one, two and three per cent over and above the cocktail nuggets formulation and its effect was evaluated against control cocktail nuggets. There was no significant difference in emulsion pH values of control and jackfruit powder incorporated treatment samples. When compared to control nuggets, significant increase was noticed in the product pH of all the three treatment nuggets incorporated with jackfruit powder. No significant difference was observed in the water activity and cooking yield of treatment and control nuggets samples. No significant difference was observed in the moisture, fat, carbohydrate and calorie content of the jackfruit powder added treatments and control nuggets. Protein percentage of treatment samples were significantly lower than the control nuggets. Significantly higher ash content was observed for jackfruit powder incorporated treatment samples when compared to control samples. On sensory evaluation, no significant difference was observed for the appearance and flavour between control and the treatment samples. Functional cocktail nuggets containing three per cent jackfruit powder had significantly lower values for juiciness, texture, saltiness, mouth coating and overall acceptability when compared to other treatment and control samples. The addition of jackfruit powder in the nugget formulations was effective in sustaining the desired sensory attributes besides the nutritional benefits. Hence, acceptable functional cocktail nuggets can be made with the addition of jackfruit powder up to two per cent over and above the cocktail nuggets formulation without affecting the sensory attributes.

Thirty faecal samples were collected from diarrhoeic neonatal calves reared in organized farms and households of Wayanad district. The collected rectal swabs were subjected to bacterial isolation and biochemical tests. Based on their cultural and biochemical characteristics isolates were confirmed as Escherichia coli. Based on clinical signs and bacterial isolation calves were diagnosed as affected with colibacillosis. Antibiotic sensitivity patterns of the isolates were evaluated using standard disc diffusion method in Muller Hinton Agar. Antibiogram revealed susceptibility to Chloramphenicol (70.0 per cent), Trimethoprim/Sulphamethoxazole (60.0 per cent), Ceftriaxone (33.3 per cent), Ampicillin (33.3 per cent) and Tetracycline (3.3 per cent). The sensitivity patterns of the isolates to the three antibiotics viz. Trimethoprim/Sulphamethoxazole, Ceftriaxone and Ampicillin correlated well with clinical response.

Study was conducted to determine the occurrence of repeat breeding and prolonged oestrus among crossbred cattle in organized farms. Data were collected from breeding registers maintained on farms over a period of four years and tabulated in relation to age and parity. Overall occurrence of repeat breeding, prolonged oestrus and occurrence of prolonged oestrus among repeat breeder animals was 25.96 per cent, 25.86 per cent and 55.42 per cent, respectively. Occurrence of repeat breeding, prolonged oestrus and repeat breeding among prolonged oestrus exhibiting animals among cows was 27.35, 30.29, and 61.58 per cent, respectively. Occurrence of repeat breeding, prolonged oestrus and repeat breeding among animals exhibiting prolonged oestrus, among heifers was 23.07, 16.66, and 40.27 per cent, respectively. Among cows, the occurrence of repeat breeding was highest in the age group of 2-4 years and occurrence of prolonged oestrus among repeat breeders was highest in the age group 8-12 years.

Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) can be explained as an interaction between humans and wildlife where negative consequences, whether perceived, exists for one or both the parties when the action of one has an adverse effect on the other. The human population residing the forest buffer zones sharing a common geographical border with it are considered to be more affected with HWC. These populations encompassing the tribal and non-tribal communities usually manage the HWC by external assistance and internal efforts by the affected one. The present study was conducted in such a community so as to identify the above type of affect to identify the constraints in management of HWC encountered by tribal and non-tribal the inhabitants associated with the Eastern Palakkad forest circle of Kerala state in India. A total of sixty respondents including thirty non-tribal and tribal families each from the affected people were purposively selected for study various division of Palakkad forest area. The responses were recorded initially with group discussion, pilot study etc., and the final schedule was used as the scale with final statement to analyse the constraints of the respondents using Garret ranking method. The constraints faced by encountering HWC and implementing control measure. Most of the non-tribal and tribal respondents perceived HWCs to be caused by water scarcity during the summer period and inadequate food availability due to climate change and deforestation, shrinkage of grassland/pasture land, lack of proper barriers (solar fence, trench) and proximity to forest land as the major constraints.

The clinicopathological profile of Babesia canis infection in dogs presented to University Veterinary hospital, Kokkalai was studied. Eight animals with clinical signs of babesiosis like pyrexia, anorexia, amaemia and lethargy and found positive for Babesia piroplasms in blood smear were included in the study. The organism was identified as Babesia canis vogeli by PCR. Haematological analysis showed highly significant alterations in granulocyte count, monocyte count, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), platelet count and significant alterations in total RBC count. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), as per the classification of Matijatko et al. (2010) was noticed in two out of eight animals. This indicate that B. c. vogeli organisms which are considered to be benign in some parts of the world can cause severe complications in a different geographical location.

Study was conducted to determine the reliability of bubble test for assessment of lung surfactant in amniotic fluid and its application in clinical level to judge the foetal maturity. Amniotic fluid samples were collected from the foetuses of dogs undergoing elective caesarean section (Group I) at term and from the foetuses of dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy at different stages of gestation, following misalliance (Group II). All the samples from neonates of Group I were found positive for bubble test, with variable grades ranging from two to four. All the samples from Group II foetuses were found negative for bubble test, with grade of zero and one. The results signify the presence of adequate foetal surfactant in amniotic fluid of mature foetuses when compared to that of immature foetuses and also suggest the potential practical utility of bubble test for foetal maturity assessment, particularly for timing elective induction of whelping or timing of caesarean delivery

The objective of the present study was to compare the efficacy of endometrial cytology (EC) and uterine echobiometry by transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) for the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis (SCE) in crossbred dairy. A total of 20 crossbred cows, at 30 and 40 days postpartum (DPP), without any clinical signs or abnormal discharge were subjected to transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and endometrial cytology (EC) examination. Among the TRUS parameters, uterine horn diameter (UD) was found to be least useful in the diagnosis of SCE. Cervical diameter (CD) also had poor to moderate sensitivity when compared to EC and less accurate in diagnosing SCE. Fluid in uterus (FIU) had more sensitivity than UD and CD for the diagnosis of SCE but its presence is dependent on the stage of oestrous cycle. Hence, when TRUS is used as a supporting diagnostic aid along with EC, it has promising value in the diagnosis of SCE.

Canine pyometra is the most common uterine disease in intact, sexually mature female dogs. The disease is broadly classified as open and closed type, based on the patency of cervix. The study was conducted to evaluate the changes in clinical, physiological and haematobiochemical parameters in open and closed-cervix pyometra. Physiological parameters were not altered among pyometra-affected dogs. Vomiting, dehydration and dullness were more frequently noticed in open-cervix pyometra cases. Significantly higher total leucocyte count and band cell per cent and significantly lower total erythrocyte count was recorded among dogs with open-cervix pyometra than closed-cervix pyometra. The present finding is contradictory to most of the previous reports.

The aim of the study was to identify the factors influencing postpartum resumption of ovarian activity in crossbred cows. Sixty crossbred cows on day 30 postpartum were selected and the details of age, parity, milk yield, peripartum and postpartum complications were recorded. Animals were examined per rectally from 30 to 90 days postpartum at 12 days interval for the presence of corpus luteum (CL) of any stage during the period of study. Serum progesterone concentrations were estimated and cows which resumed ovarian activity (progesterone concentration >1 ng/mL) at early and late postpartum periods were identified. Association of age, parity, BCS, milk yield and reproductive complications with postpartum resumption of ovarian activity (ROA) at varying periods was analysed. No significant association between ROA and variables such as age, parity. milk yield and reproductive complications were observed. BCS was significantly (P<0.01) associated with ROA. The higher number of animals with postpartum complications belonged to not resumed period than that of early and late resumed periods. The odds ratio for BCS indicated 6.46 times risk for ROA for every unit increase of BCS.

The current study was carried out to determine the physico-chemical and structural attributes of buffalo muscles from two anatomical locations obtained from animals belonging to two different age groups. Six each of young (2-4 years) and spent (8-10 years) buffaloes were procured from University Buffalo Farm, Mannuthy and were slaughtered scientifically at Meat Technology Unit, Mannuthy. Each carcass was electrically stimulated. The longissimus dorsi (LNG) and Biceps femoris (BIF) muscles were harvested, connective tissue and fat removed, aged for 72 hours at 4±1°C and analysed for the parameters. The ultimate pH values did not differ significantly between the muscles as well as the age groups. Hunter L* and a* values were significantly different between the muscles. Hunter L* and b* values had significant difference between the age groups. Myofibrillar fragmentation index and Warner bratzler shear force of LNG and BIF were significantly different between age groups as well as between muscles. With respect to structural characteristics, no significant variation was noticed in sarcomere length between the muscles and the age groups. Between two age groups, muscle fibre diameter of samples from spent animal group showed significantly higher values. Thus, the results indicate important differences in the quality attributes of buffalo meat of two different age groups, which may be reflected in their palatability and processing properties.

Hair distribution patterns in the deer, goat and sheep were studied using skin samples collected from spotted deer brought for post mortem at College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, from the Thrissur zoo and forest department and from goats and sheep freshly slaughtered at the Meat Technology Unit, Mannuthy. Samples of 1cm3 were collected from 27 regions of skin, viz. muzzle, infraorbital, horn glands, dorsal face, lateral face, ventral face, ear pinna, dorsal neck, lateral neck, ventral neck, dorsal abdomen, lateral abdomen, ventral abdomen, dorsal forelimb, palmar, dorsal hindlimb, plantar, interdigital part of fore limb, interdigital part of hind limb, forelimb foot pad, hindlimb foot pad, inguinal, preputial scrotal regions of male dorsal thorax, perineum and dorsal nasal regions. The hair arrangement in the three species was simple, but arranged in groups. Mostly two to three hairs formed a group and they emerged out very closely but not from a single orifice unlike in the case of compound hairs. The muzzle region lacked hair on the rostral aspect and sparse wool hairs were found on the dorsal surface. Dorsal nasal and carpal regions consisted of dense population of short, stout hairs. Maximum hair density per microscope field under low power was noticed in the lateral aspect of neck, dorsal abdomen, palmar, interdigital aspect of hind limb, lateral abdomen and dorsal aspect of hind limb in deer. Hair was absent in the muzzle followed by dorsal face region in all three species in the present study. Maximum hair density per microscope field under low power was noticed on the dorsal aspect of fore limb, palmar aspect, pinna of ear, dorsal abdomen and interdigital space of hind limb in goat with minimum hair distribution on the ventral abdomen followed by lateral face region. Maximum hair density per microscope field under low power was noticed on the dorsal aspect of neck, interdigital space of fore limb, lateral aspect of neck and infraorbital in sheep with minimum hair distribution on the ventral abdomen, dorsal face and lateral face. In general, density of hair distribution was more in the deer than the goat and sheep.

Oxidative stress management has been found to have beneficial effects in the management of several disease conditions. A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Coenzyme Q10 supplementation on the total antioxidant status and lipid peroxides levels in dogs with chronic valvular heart disease. Total antioxidant status was measured by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay and level of lipid peroxides in serum was determined by estimating malonaldialdehyde level. Ten dogs with chronic chronic valvular heart disease were administered with coenzyme Q10 @ 45mg q12h orally for 60 days along with the treatment for management of valvular heart disease. A significant decline in Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power value was recorded at the end of the study. The malonaldialdehyde levels declined in animals with chronic valvular heart disease by day 60, though reduction was not statistically significant. The administration of Coenzyme Q10 in chronic valvular heart disease may be beneficial in improving the quality of life of the patient.

Increased milk production and environmental alterations caused by climate change makes dairy animals highly vulnerable to Thermal Stress (TS). Cross bred cattle shows some level of adaptation, characterized by reproductive performance of low level, almost uniformly throughout the year. Hence, objective of the present study was to find out the pattern of feed intake and body condition score of cross bred cows in the context of adaptation to TS across seasons prevailing in Kerala. The study was carried out at Livestock Research Station, Thiruvazhamkunnu, Kerala, in 22 post partum cows between Day 7 and Day 135 of calving. Daily intake of concentrate and weekly body condition score (BCS) were recorded. Blood samples were collected from 10 cows every week for estimation of thermal stress indicators and the climatic variables were recorded daily. Data were analyzed for monthly and seasonal variations and correlations between each other. Temperature Humidity index (THI) and other climatic variables showed exposure of the animals to TS throughout the year. During summer months, ambient temperature and THI were significantly higher to cause moderate TS. Feed intake, BCS and cortisol levels were significantly high during summer, even though there was no significant correlation with climatic stress factors. HSP 70 was elevated throughout the year and significantly high during the period of moderate THI, indicating adaptation to TS. It is concluded that higher feed intake and BCS during summer months is attributable to TS adaptation because of continuous exposure across many years.

The mounting tide of bovine mastitis by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses serious threat to efficacy of antibiotic treatment. Therefore, plant derived essential oils and their constituents are gaining great importance in the recent times as promising antimicrobial agents. Hence the present study was conducted to evaluate antibacterial activity of lemongrass oil (LGO) and its active principle, citral against methicillin and oxacillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from bovine mastitis cases. Among the 16 S. aureus organisms isolated, six isolates identified as MRSA by antibiogram against methicillin and oxacillin were selected for further study. The findings of the study indicated significant antimicrobial activity of LGO and citral as evident from their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and diameter of zone of inhibition values.

Ksheerabala residue is a by-product obtained during the preparation of ksheerabala oil which is made by incorporating bala (Sida cordifolia), cow milk and gingelly oil (Sesamum indicum). This residue is available in considerable quantity and many farmers use this byproduct for feeding livestock. But the level of incorporation and the effect of Ksheerabala residue on growth in rats are not yet well studied. Hence, the present study was planned to evaluate the effect of dietary incorporation of Ksheerabala residue as a feed resource in the diet of Wistar rats on their performance. Twenty-four male Wistar albino rats weighing 80 ± 5g were used as experimental animals and were allotted randomly to two treatments of six replicates each. Group 1 was fed basal diet as per BIS specification (control-T1) and other group was fed a diet containing 5 per cent Ksheerabala residue (T2). The average body weight, body weight gain, dry matter intake, haematological and biochemical parameters were found to be similar in both the groups (P >0.05). The results of the present study indicate that Ksheerabala residue can be included in the rat ration up to five per cent level without any adverse effect on their growth performance.

An experiment was conducted with eighteen weaned Malabari kids of three months of age for 90 days to assess the effect of dietary incorporation of Ksheerabala residue on nutrient digestibility and blood biochemical profile in goats. Kids were divided into three groups (T1, T2 and T3) as uniformly as possible with regard to age, sex and body weight and were offered kid starter containing Ksheearabala residue at 0, 10 and 20 per cent, respectively. Kid starters were made isonitrogenous and isocaloric (24 per cent CP and 70 per cent TDN). Kids were fed as per ICAR standards (Ranjhan, 1998). Green grass was offered as the sole source of roughage. Data on digestibility of nutrients and haematologcal parameters like haemoglobin, plasma protein, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum cholesterol and triglycerides were the criteria employed for evaluation and they did not show any significant difference (P >0.05) among the groups. It could be inferred that digestibility of nutrients and haematological parameters of kids were not influenced by the inclusion of Ksheerabala residue in kid starter.

Vechur, the native cattle breed of Kerala, India is well-known for economically valuable phenotypic traits like disease resistance, adaptability to hot and humid tropical climatic conditions, low feed requirements and high quality milk. However, genomic information underlying these traits is rare. In the present study, the whole exome sequencing of a Vechur cow using Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform is reported. Comparison of sequences with Bos taurus reference genome assembly (UMD 3.1) identified 1,716,847 variants including 1,578,749 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and 138,098 Insertion/Deletions, of which 359,034 variants (20.91%) were novel. Detailed annotation of the identified variants showed that majority were situated in the intergenic region. Out of the 724,808 variants found inside the gene region, 107,880 were exonic variants. In the exonic variant, substantial proportion of non-synonymous (34.83%), frameshift (12.47%), nonsense (0.3%), start loss (0.06%) and stop loss (0.0009%) variants were identified. This information will provide a better understanding of genetic differences responsible for the peculiar phenotypic traits inherent to Vechur cattle.

Goat rearing occupies an important place in augmenting the economy of our country. In India there are 23 well defined goat breeds and Kerala has two native breeds namely Malabari and Attappady Black, which vary significantly in milk production. Data on quantity of milk was collected from 100 Malabari and 70 Attappady Black goats. There was a significant influence of breed (p=0.01) and parity (p=0.05) on milk production. The average milk yield of Malabari goats was, 558.94 ± 4.21 ml per day, while for Attappady Black it was 340.22 ± 4.45 ml per day. Milk samples were collected from 54 Malabari and 35 Attappady black goats and significant difference was observed in fat per cent between two groups. Double digest restriction associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) is a modern reduced representation sequencing technique which is a powerful and inexpensive approach for identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) across populations. This technique was applied on two groups of Malabari and Attappady Black goats with differing milk production and the preliminary evaluation of results revealed SNPs in five major genes affecting milk production.

The observation indicated that from THI 82 to 86 the body of the animal could maintain body temperature by physiological means of thermoregulation primarily by increasing respiration. Rectal temperature showed a positive correlation when THI reaches 86 and rectal temperature started increasing at ambient temperature of 340C and THI 86. But beyond 86 all these mechanisms failed and body temperature started rising. The relative humidity affects evaporative cooling negatively when it cross limit. This limit is very important to adopt management practices and could be identified by doing experiments at different RH levels using a climate chamber. The absence of correlation between THI and AH is also pointing to the fact that temperature and humidity affect the evaporative mechanism independently.

Lactoferrin, a minor whey protein present mainly in milk as well as in small quantities in most of the secretions of the body, has a wide range of biological activities to its credit including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer and immunomodulatory properties. A low molecular weight peptideisolated from the pepsin hydrolysate of lactoferrin called aslactoferricin B, has been found to be more functionally active than its parent compound. The present work focussed on the isolation of lactoferrin from the colostrumof Malabari goats by cation exchange chromatography, followed by the assessment of its molecular weight by SDS-PAGE andits characterization by dot blot assay and western blotting.The concentration of lactoferrin as estimated by Lowry’s method was found to be 15.103 mg/L of colostrum. Lactoferrin was hydrolysed by treatment with three per cent porcine pepsin under acidic conditions to form lactoferrin pepsin hydrolysate. The results of this study point to a single one step method to obtain pure lactoferrin from goats and further preparation of its pepsin hydrolysate.

Rotaviral enteritis is a common condition observed in farm animals especially piglets and calves. Though the presence of porcine rotaviruses (PRV) have been reported in pigs in Kerala, no study has been conducted to characterize them. This paper reports the finding of a study conducted to detect and characterize PRV based on VP6 gene. A total of 87 samples collected from cases of piglet diarrhoea were subjected to VP6 gene based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and five (5.74 per cent) was found to be positive. All the positive samples were from Palakkad district. On analysis of the nucleotide sequence it was observed that the viruses belonged to inner capsid type I5 and I14 indicating diversity in the PRV prevalent in Kerala.

Haptoglobin is an acute phase protein that is of diagnostic significance in dairy cattle. In the present study, haptoglobin level was assessed during the periparturient period in 15 clinically healthy pregnant cows. The mean concentration of haptoglobin during transition was found to be 5.60 ± 0.54 mg/dL, whereas the concentration during the period immediately before and after transition was 4.80 ± 0.59 mg/ dL. The concentration obtained was greater than the reported concentration of 2mg/dL or less, in healthy ruminants. The higher concentrations observed were also associated with a higher concentration of serum non-esterified fatty acids of 0.576 ± 0.10 mmoles/L during transition and 0.328 ± 0.03 mmoles/L immediately outside the transition period. Increased haptoglobin might indicate the transient inflammation and a response to negative energy balance during transition in dairy cows.

Antibiotic residues in milk pose a potential risk to the health of consumers and are of public health significance due to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. The present study was conducted to assess oxytetracycline and enrofloxacin residues in pooled raw milk samples in Palakkad district. A total of 120 pooled raw milk samples collected from five co-operative societies in Palakkad district were screened by Microbial Inhibition Assay (MIA). The positive samples were subjected to charm assay to determine whether the level of antibiotic residues viz., oxytetracycline and enrofloxacin were within or above Maximum Residual Limit (MRL). Of the 120 samples screened using MIA, 14 samples (11.67 per cent) were found to be positive for antibiotic residues. The occurrence of tetracyclines and enrofloxacin residues in pooled raw milk samples was found to be respectively 3.33 and 4.16 per cent using charm assay. Statistical analysis using chi-square test for multiple proportions revealed that the occurrence of antibiotic residues between the cooperative societies did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). The occurrence of antibiotic residues in milk necessitates prudent use of antibiotics, observance of the withdrawal period and monitoring system for antibiotic residues in foods of animal origin

The present study was conducted in anaemic cats presented to the University Veterinary Hospital, Kokkalai and Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Mannuthy. They were subjected to a detailed physical examination, blood smear and faecal sample examination and haematology to reach an etiological diagnosis and to assess the severity of anaemia. Xenotransfusion with dog blood was carried out in 10 severely anaemic cats. Clinical outcome and variation in haematological parameters before and 24 hours after the transfusion was evaluated.