Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2.1
Vertebrae of the spine
Ox
C7
T13
L6
S5
Cy 18-20
Sheep and goat
C7
T13
L6
S4
Cy 16-18
Horse
C7
T18
L6
S5
Cy 15-21
Pig
C7
T14-15
L6-7
S4
Cy 20-23
Rabbit
C7
T12
L7-8
S3-4
Cy 14-20
Chicken
C15-17
T7
L + S14 (fused synsacrum)
Cy 5-6 + pygostyle
(fused caudal vertebrae)
Table 2.2
Ossification of the cartilaginous extensions of the spines of the first five dorsal vertebrae (bovines)
Age (years)
Ossification
1
The extension is entirely cartilaginous, soft, pearly white and sharply delineated from the bone, which is soft and red
2
Small red islets of bone appear in the cartilage
3
The cartilage is greyish, and red areas are more numerous
4-5
The area of ossification within the cartilage extends until the proportion of bone is greater than that of cartilage
6
The cartilage has ossified into compact bony tissue, though the line of junction between the cartilage and bone can
still be defined
the soft vascular bones of the young animal with carti-
lage discernible at the joints and the hard, white,
bleached appearance of bones in old cows. In young
bovines, the cartilage is discernible between the indi-
vidual segments of the sternum, but after 5 years of age,
it begins to be replaced by bone; at 8 years, two or three
cartilaginous divisions are still apparent, but at 10 years,
the cut surface of the sternum presents a uniform bony
structure.
In
sheep
, the break at the carpus, or knee joint, is a
valuable guide as to the age. In
lambs
, the joint breaks in
four well-marked ridges resembling the teeth of a saw,
the ridges being smooth, moist and somewhat pink or
congested. In older sheep, the surface of the joint is
rough, porous and dry and lacks redness. The determi-
nation by X-ray of the amount of cartilage present at
the epiphysis of a long bone in a joint of meat provides
unassailable evidence in cases where there is dispute
as to the age of the animal from which the meat was
derived. The degree of ossification, determined by
X-ray, in the ischial portion of the pubic symphysis
enables a leg of lamb to be differentiated with certainty
from that of an old sheep.
part of the dorsum, that is, the upper surface, is promi-
nent and defined anteriorly by a transverse depression
which is frequently the seat of erosions due to actino-
bacillosis. On either side of the midline on the promi-
nent dorsum are 10-14 circumvallate papillae; the
epiglottis, if left on the tongue, is oval in shape. Black
pigmentation of the skin of the tongue is frequently
observed but is quite normal and of no pathological
significance.
Sheep and goat
The tongue is similar to that of cattle, but the centre of
the tip is slightly grooved and the papillae are not horny.
The sheep tongue may be differentiated from that of the
calf by the fact that it is narrower, the dorsal eminence is
more marked, the surface is smoother and the tip is more
rounded. Black pigmentation of the surface of the tongue
is common in black-skinned sheep.
Pig
The tongue is long and narrow and there is no dorsal
ridge. One or possibly two circumvallate papillae are
present on each side of the midline near the base of the
tongue, and the surface is studded with fungiform
papillae.
Digestive system
Tongue
Ox
In the ox tongue, the filiform papillae are horny and
directed backwards; they have a rasp-like roughness
which aids in the prehension of food. The posterior
Horse
The tongue is long and flat with a spatulate end. There
is no dorsal ridge, and only one circumvallate papilla
is present on each side. The epiglottis is pointed.
Pigmentation is never seen.
