Abstract
A study of the pattern and relative frequency of diseases in adult female mink during the lactation period was undertaken. All adult females that died between parturition (April/May) and July 1, 1990, from 48 farms in southern Ontario were selected for study, and the cause of death was determined by gross necropsy. In addition, the cause of death was determined by gross necropsy for all adults and weaned kits that died on one farm between April 1988 and March 1989.
The mortality rate among farms in the 1990 study, for adult females during the lactation period, ranged from 0.2% to 10.1%, with a median of 1.9%. Nursing disease (56%) was the most common diagnosis, followed by mastitis (11%), metritis (8%), and dystocia (7%). Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. were the most frequent isolates from the cases of mastitis. In the 1988/1989 study, the mortality rate was highest from May to July, with a large increase in June as a result of nursing disease.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Budd J., Pridham T. J., Karstad L. H. Common diseases of fur bearing animals I. Diseases of mink. Can Vet J. 1966 Feb;7(2):25–31. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hunter D. B., Prescott J. G. Staphylococcal adenitis in ranch mink in Ontario. Can Vet J. 1991 Jun;32(6):354–356. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LEADER R. W., PADGETT G. A., GORHAM J. R. STUDIES OF ABNORMAL LEUKOCYTE BODIES IN THE MINK. Blood. 1963 Oct;22:477–484. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Seimiya Y., Kikuchi F., Tanaka S., Ohshima K. Pathological observations of nursing sickness in mink. Nihon Juigaku Zasshi. 1988 Feb;50(1):255–257. doi: 10.1292/jvms1939.50.255. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wamberg S., Clausen T. N., Olesen C. R., Hansen O. Nursing sickness in lactating mink (Mustela vison). II. Pathophysiology and changes in body fluid composition. Can J Vet Res. 1992 Apr;56(2):95–101. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]