Domesticated cow

Blood can be a source of pheromones. The chemical cues in secretion from the mucocutaneous Junction in domestic cows thatstimulate sexual behavior in bulls have been traced back to the blood (Rivard and Klemm, 1989). 

The systemic presence of estrus odor in domestic cows was confirmed experimentally if estrous and diestrous cows are scrubbed with detergent, a bull cannot distinguish between the two. Furthermore, the response of a bull to a diestrous cow was not affected if the cow was marked with vaginal mucus of an... 

Candidate compounds for sex pheromones have been isolated from cervico-vaginal mucus of domestic cows. Several diols, ketones, and amines were identified in fractions that released sexual responses in bulls, such as sniffing and licking the sample, fiehmen, penile contraction, and preputial secretion (Klemm etal, 1987). 

The domestic cow or ox (Bos taurus) is a massive animal with a heavy body, a short neck with a dewlap hanging beneath, two hollow horns, and a long, tufted tail. The natural tendency of these animals is to live in herds of mature females and their calves, led by a mature bull. One calf is usually bom after a nine-month gestation, and these feed on their mother s milk for six months, after which they are weaned. 

Some races of domestic cattle may be descended in part from the golden ox or aurochs (Bos primigenius) of Europe, which became extinct in the wild in the seventeenth century. Domestic cows are also partly descended from the zebu (B. indicus) and the Indian ox (B. na-madicus). 

The zebu, brahman, or oriental domestic cow is a tropical species of cow with a distinctive, fatty-humped back, and a pronounced dewlap. Relatively minor, domesticated species are the gayal (Bos frontinalis) of southern Asia, and the banteng (B. sondaicus) of Southeast Asia. 

The domestic cow, however, is by far the most abundant cow in agriculture. This species can be used as a draft animal, in which case they are referred to as oxen. These animals are very strong and are capable of hauling heavy loads or plowing soil. There are various races of domestic cows, which vary in the length and shape of their horns, body size and shape, body color, and other characteristics. The black-and-white blotched holstein is a familiar variety, as is the uniformly light-brown jersey. 

B.c.E. Domesticated cows Cows seem to have been domesticated first in India, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. 

Figure 12.8. A ribbon representation of the result of an X-ray crystal structure determination (at a resolution of 167 pm) of the dimeric chymotrypsin peptide, at pH 3.5, from domestic cow B. taurus). The primary structure of each half of the 245 amino acid dimer (molecular mass = 25,666Da) begins with Cys-Gly-Val-Pro-AIa-De-GIn-Pro-Val or (CGVPAIQPV) (after Blevins, R. A. TuUnsky, A. J. Biol Chem.. 1985,260,4264).

The danger to domestic animals, including pets, is an important hazard in the use of all newer economic poisons. Drift dusts or sprays from carelessly applied materials may set back the useful development of many valuable chemicals. Only recently have authorities finally decided that we should slow down on the use of DDT on cows until we know more about the occurrence of the chemical in rtiilk, butter, and steaks. Our sportsmen and, incidentally, a major economic factor in our pleasant way of life—the fish, game, and wildlife activities—are part and parcel of the problem of chemical usage in forests and streams. We need continued and expanded investigations of the effects of the newer pesticides on wild life. 

Faeces from colonised cows may contain from 102 to 107 colony-forming units (CFU) of Salmonella cells per gram of faeces. Particularly calves and heifers colonised with E. coli 0157 H7 may shed the bacteria at levels ranging from 102 to 105 CFU g 1 (Himathongham el al., 1999). Furthermore, calves younger than four months are the main domestic animals that excrete pathogenic protozoa like Giardia and Cryptosporidia. 

No data were found on diflubenzuron effects on mammalian wildlife. However, studies on small laboratory animals and domestic livestock indicate no observable effects in cows (Bos bovis) given... 

Ten species of mammals (cow, Bos spp. domestic dog, Canis familiarise guinea pig, Cavia spp. domestic cat, Fells domesticuse human, Homo sapiens hamster, Cricetus spp. domestic mouse, Mus spp. domestic sheep, Ovis aries laboratory white rat, Rattus spp. domestic pig, Sus spp.). 

Encephalopathies have been known in animals for many years, e.g. scrapie, which occurs in sheep. Others include spongiform encephalopathy in domestic cats and, more recently, bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The latter developed in the UK in the 1980s symptoms include uncoordinated movement and frenzy (hence mad cow disease). There is some evidence that it occurred in cows after they were fed offal that was prepared from tissues of other cattle. 

In domestic cattle, non-estrous cows may become attractive to bulls when in the company of estrous cows. It has been suggested that estrous cows influence their penmates via pheromone(s) (Hradecky, 1989) but other mechanisms may be involved. 

The normal concentrations of urine constituents in domestic animals (cat, cow, dog, goat, horse, pig and sheep) compiled by J.J. Kaneko are given by Stahr (1991) in Analytical Methods in Toxicology. 

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