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Shine and I were stationed at the laboratory while our two companions accompanied Tata Mar on the field in doing AI. We immediately processed the fecal sample we collected from the calf yesterday and after the sedimentation technique, we observed multiple Toxocara spp. and Strongyloides spp. ova. Sir Dadz said to coordinate with Doc Cla and do appropriate actions to treat the calf.

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Sir Dadz then tasked us to process the fecal samples we collected from Saranay using the sedimentation and flotation techniques. We asked for the help of the NVSU interns and we did fecalysis all morning. We then prepared to go for lunch and Mam Noemi, Mam Jhena, and Sir Dadz went with us.

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What we were excited to taste was the famous and unique Tilapia-flavored ice cream of CLSU which they sell here. Mam Noemi told us that it won  the Innovation Gold Award during the Salon International de L’Agroalimentaire (SIAL) ASEAN in Manila last 2016. Surprisingly, it has no fishy smell and aftertaste. It was served in a cup and in an ice cream sandwich.

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After taking a break and touring CLSU, we went back to the laboratory and did PCR extraction with the same protocol as we always do.We went home tired but happy as we had more bonding time with our fellow interns and our supervisors.

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We waited at the Biosafety and Environment laboratory for instructions about our activity for today when Sir Dadz told us that Tata Mar and Doc Cla were requesting for two clinicians to accompany them in doing AI. We draw lots among ourselves and Shine and I won and went downstairs immediately because Tata mar and Doc Cla were already ready to go. We went to San Jose City, Nueva Ecija in a farm with several heads of buffaloes. We were astonished to see that not only it is a buffalo farm but also a fish farm particularly tilapia. As I have learned from my previous courses, the more appropriate term for this type of farm is “Integrated Livestock-Fish Farming”. The buffalo pens were constructed on the side of dikes which serve as fish ponds. I can recall from high school that one advantage of such farming system is that manure can be used in hastening the growth of natural food organisms that are being cultured in the pond and thereby increasing food for the fish. Another is that excess livestock feeds may be directly thrown to the pond for utilization of fish. With these advantages, small-scale farmers can lessen the need for buying expensive fish farm inputs or in other words, lowers the cost of producing fish. PCC is near a Tilapia Research Center, and one of their studies concluded that not only does this type of farming produce high yields of tilapia, but also provides an efficient way of disposing livestock manure.

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Doc Cla only asks for hot water whenever they do AI. They pour the hot water in a Thermos cup with an attached thermometer. When the temperature reaches the 38-42 degrees Celsius range, Doc Cla retrieves semen straw from the cryocan and places it in the hot water. She lets it sit for some time and then she cuts the plug, places the straw at the tip of an AI catheter and covers it with straw sheath. She then hands it over to Tata Mar who has already inserted his hand on the rectum to guide the AI catheter up to the body of the uterus where the semen will be deposited. Doc Cla and Tata Mar said that the semen is deposited at the body of the uterus to allow sperm capacitation which is an important factor for a successful conception. As mentioned earlier, PCC technicians conduct AI as one of their banner services and provide it to their sponsored farms or whoever requests for it.

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The next farm we went into was found in the middle of an onion plantation. There were also other vegetable plantations nearby such as tomatoes. This is also another type of integrated farming. The manure from the buffaloes can be used as organic fertilizers to reduce the cost of commercial ones. We did usual activities of pregnancy diagnosis and deworming and administration of vitamins A, D and E. After that, the farmer was very thankful that he gave us some freshly harvested tomatoes and onions.

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At the next farm, we encountered a month-old caracalf with some worms protruding out from its rectum. We took fecal samples with the help of Doc Cla and also adult worms to be examined at the laboratory.

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Most of the adult caracows in the farm showed signs of difficulty in breathing and mucous nasal discharges. Doc Cla suspected enzootic pneumonia through pattern recognition and instructed us to administed tiamulin hydrogen fumarate intramuscularly. Based on the carton label, it is an antibiotic used primarily for swine to treat pneumonia. It is a bacteriostatic antibiotic which becomes bactericidal at higher concentrations. It has good activity against Mycoplasma spp., spirochetes and many gram positive cocci such as Staphylococci spp. and Streptococci spp.

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Aside from rectal palpation, Tata Mar also observes for clear mucus discharge for heat detection and timing of insemination. He just inserts a straw sheath into the vulva and aspirates fluid with the use of a 50-ml syringe attached on the other end.

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Before going back to PCC, we encountered more of the farmer’s buffaloes near a river. Tata Mar instructed that he ties it to a tree and we dewormed and gave them multivitamins.

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When we arrived at the laboratory, we stored our fecal samples at the refrigerator. We also made friends with two interns form Nueva Vizcaya State University, Jakee and Jendy. Mam Noemi then called us outside to share to us some food that Doc Bong left for us. So, we ended our day with a delicious ensaymada!

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Sir Dadz handled us at the laboratory in the morning while Doc Daryl was our handler for the afternoon activity. Sir Dadz tasked us to do fecalysis using both the sedimentation and flotation techniques. We observed both stronglye-type ova and Trichuris spp. ova.

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We went back to LBRAF in the afternoon with Doc Daryl and Sir Chito to collect samples from the newly arrived caracalves yesterday. We were not able to do these activities yesterday as it was already dark when they arrived. As part of the quarantine program, the caracalves have to be checked for parasites using fecalysis, blood parasitism especially Surra, and leptospirosis using urine.  All those samples were collected when the animals were restrained either in a chute or with the help of Kuya Ger.

Fecal samples were obtained by using a rectal glove and inserting the hand intrarectally such as in rectal paplpation. Approximately 10 grams of feces was collected since an extra sample is needed for storage and just 2-3 grams of sample is enough for fecalysis. They were placed in sterile small plastic bags and labelled with the animal’s ID number. Blood samples were collected via the jugular vein. Urine samples were collected in Falcon tubes by waiting for the animals to normally void the urine. All the samples were placed in a chest box with refrigerant prior to transport.

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Doc Daryl was expecting to meet us again today to accompany us at LBRAF but as he has still some things to settle, he allowed us to go the lab to help Mam Noemi in DNA extraction. This step is important prior to PCR as it lyses red blood cells and the nuclei to expose the DNA to be amplified and to remove contaminants.

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We bought lunch on our way there just like yesterday but Sir Chito brought additional ulamfor us. He brought ham and sausage made from carabeef which he said were products processed at PCC in a facility near genepool. It was delicious and tasted like quality export. The difference of carabeef from beef is that it is less fatty and is darker.

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We also encountered a caracow which has aborted its fetus. Due to the abortion, the caracow was constantly straining and Doc Daryl said that maybe the placenta was not yet expelled. The contractions grew stronger and then there was a prolapse of the uterus. Doc Daryl, Sir Chito and Kuya Ger led the team and we assisted them in bringing back the uterus inside. Sir Chito administered local anesthesia which is lidocaine injection at the first intercoccygeal space. We placed the exposed uterus above a clean sack. Doc Daryl instructed us to put cold water and sugar powder to the exposed uterus after washing it to minimize its size for facilitation of bringing it back inside. However, the caracow just made stronger abdominal contractions and the uterus just keeps on going out. Sir Chito then decided to call a buyer and sell the caracow. For the mean time, Sir Chito and Doc Daryl brought the uterus inside the abdominal cavity and sutured the vulva to prevent it from opening again. If the procedure should have been succesful, we would have done uterine flushing with diluted povidone iodine solution which was already prepared by Doc Daryl.

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It was beginning to get dark but we did not yet leave the facility because we were waiting for Tata Naro who was escorting an elf with the newly arrived caracalves for quarantine. One important guideline in transporting animals is that the animals must be restrained with minimal stress and less risk for injuries.

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While the caracalves were being unloaded one by one, Tata Naro and Sir Chito were checking their records. Doc Daryl, on the other hand, was observing them for abnormalities in walking, breathing, etc. One of the farm staff filled the water troughs with clean water and fed the caracalves with silage. Silage is a fodder that was stored for a long time without drying first. Feeding the animals and giving them water help them compensate with the stress of transport and may help them adapt to the new environment.

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We started this week at the Livestock Biotechnology Research and Animal Facility with Doc Daryl and Sir Chito. It is located at San Jose City, Nueva Ecija which is just 30 minutes away from the PCC National Headquarters. We bought lunch on the way there since it is quite far from the highway and from stores. It is quite understandable that it is distant since it served as a quarantine facility for newly arrived caracalves or adult buffaloes. These caracalves are “payments” for the buffalo loan programs of the PCC and can come from any of their cooperatives or sponsored families. Quarantine is a very important aspect of farm management for PCC as it is a preventive measure which ensures that no disease enters the genepool or whatever farm these buffaloes will be loaned to in the future. Quarantine usually lasts for a month or two or more depending on Doc Daryl’s observations, physical exam and laboratory results from the Biosafety and Environment laboratory.

We started our activity which is deworming and blood collection later in the afternoon as the sun was high and it was very hot. That was to ensure that the animals will not have additional stress brought about by the temperature. So before lunch, I just familiarized myself with the facility. It is wide approximately 3 hectares and has at least 5 buildings.  There were buildings for the farm staff, a parking building, building where the pens are located, a building where hay is stored, and a milking parlor. Half of the vacant land is intended for plantations of Napier grass which is harvested by mechanical harvesters and forage cutters and maintained by tillers, tractors and rotavators.

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In the afternoon, started deworming the buffaloes with triclabendazole. We started with the youngest age group and move our way pen-to-pen up to the adults. We used neon pink marker paints so we won’t have to see the ear tags for identification of the dewormed animals. Restraint was quite hard since there is no chute to place the animals in. With the help of KuyaGer and other farm staff, we just lassoed the animals, pushed them on a corner or at the fence and tied them there. The most important points is to prevent the animal’s horns and being careful that the animals may step on you as Sir Chito keeps on reminding us.

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The animals that we tested for Surra using PCR last week which were positive were treated with isometamidium chloride. We also collected blood form the jugular vein and transferred the blood to purple- and red-topped tubes, as we intend to do the Mouse Inoculation Test in case we observe Trypanosoma evansi on the buffy coat after centrifugation of the blood in capillary tubes.                 

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One of our learning last week was that the PCC has a team doing research in finding a pure Philippine Carabao using genotyping and chromosome analysis.

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For today, we went to San Jose City at the National Impact Zone to make the usual extension services such as check-up, pregnancy diagnosis, vitamin administration, deworming and other technical services. The dairy farmers we met are quite familiar since they are the members of the Eastern PMPC, the cooperative where we conducted the last milk test day yesterday. We went with Tata Mar and Doc Cla. Doc Cla was an alumna of UPLB and graduated the year before we entered the college but she was very kind to us as if we have the “LB Vetmed” connection. She taught us a lot of things about the activities by asking us questions and patiently guided us in the skills together with Tata Mar. The first farm where we went to was at Daduyo Dairy Farm. Mr. Daduyo is the chairman of Eastern PMPC. We arrived there at aroung 10 in the morning and first conducted pregnancy diagnosis. Unfortunately, the minimum number of pregnant caracows the chairman was expecting was not met. In a dairy farm setting, there must be a minimum number of caracows to become pregnant to ensure production.

                The caracows in the farm are also fed by-products of corn since they have a corn farm nearby and it is harvest time. The chairman also gave us corn for merienda and pointed us to the next nearby farm.

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At Miguel Dairy Farm, there are a lot of animals which they are rearing. There are ducks, goats, chickens, of course carabao and they also have dogs. Some diseases affect multiple species and transmission is possible. But in the farm, the animals are enclosed in different stalls and the pens are very organized. The owner of the farm said that not only are they the one drinking the milk produce but the goats who were “orphaned” as well.                                                

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The next farm, Sembrano Dairy Farm was far away from the two and luckily we still have our corn in case we get hungry. At this farm, we observed a buffalo whose horns are very long and extending caudoventrally from the head. Tata Mar said that this characteristic is typical for a Brazilian Murrah. Some of the animals also have long hooves which may interfere with walking if not addressed sooner. But, the one we were really curious about are the ones with short, cut tails. Tata Mar said there was an outbreak of Degnala disease a year ago and they had to cut the tails of those affected. The causative agent is a Penicillium fungus which was found in mouldy hay that the farmers feed the animals. It causes gangrenous lesions in the tail so they have to cut it off. Animals affected also present signs like alopecia, lesions on the foot which they first thought of as FMD, and swelling on the ventral region such as the brisket and legs. Other management measures aside from surgery were administration of antibiotics, supplementations and other medications, washing and disinfection of wounds, cleaning of the environment and ensurance of good quality feed.

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Tata Mar wanted us to practice our skills in pregnancy diagnosis and guided us as we conduct it. He also taught us how he acquires measurements inside to predict the age of pregnancy.

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Marcelino’s Farm was our last stop for the day. In this farm, the caracalves have elevated whitish nodular skin lesions on the face and ears which they scratch on posts and fences. Doc Cla just advised to administer ivermectin subcutaneously. There was also a caracalf which is unable to stand and has diarrhea. The owner said that most of his caracalves die if they have diarrhea within 3-5 days of birth. Doc Cla administered multivitamins to the calf, gave some advice to the owner and said to check it back again for follow-up.

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We thought all along that the Thermos® we carry at the back of our vehicle was Tata Mar’s water bottle but it functioned for containing hot water and measured the temperature at which the semen straw will be thawed. Doc Cla picked up a semen straw from the cryocan with liquid nitrogen and placed it in the Thermos® where a thermometer is attached. When it reached the proper temperature, the semen straw was opened, placed in an inseminating tube and then the tube was placed in a sheath. She then handed it over to Tata Mar who was already wearing a rectal glove. Tata Mar did the rectovaginal technique of cervical insemination. With his gloved hand, he located the cervix through the rectal wall. He then inserted the inseminating tube into the vagina and guided it into the cervix by the gloved hand. Doc Cla then gave us a short review of our lessons in Theriogenology and then we headed back to PCC.

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Today was different since it is the first time we went to a cooperative together as four. We headed to Barangay Sibut, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija in one of the cooperatives there, Eastern Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative. PCC is highly supportive of the establishment of organizations in local communities such as cooperatives. These cooperatives are envisioned to become independent and effective avenues in the promotion of enterprises for the carabao industry. Smallholder farmers or families can find ways through these cooperatives for creating business which is usually only for commercial producers.These farmers consolidate,grade and process (sometimes even trade) water buffalo farm products such as meat, milk and breeders to become more competitive in the market and industry. They also solve issues on production in community levels and are like extensions of PCC itself. Eastern Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative is one of the firstly initiated cooperatives at the so called National Impact Zone (NIZ) in San Jose City.

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We were all tasked to come to Eastern PMPC for this last milk test day since there are a lot of samples that will be submitted and Mam Jilliene and Doc Chat need manpower.

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We arrived back at the Biosafety and Environment Laboratory at PCC just a few hours before lunch and we were tasked by sir Dadz to help him and the other docs to unbox materials, drugs and other equipments sent to them.

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In the afternoon, we were accompanied by mam Noemi in doing PCR for the detection or Trypanosoma spp.. This laboratory at PCC does molecular testing for detection of microbial pathogens such as PCR. Luckily for us, we have had a lot of experience in doing PCR since it is related to our theses.

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We left PCC headquarters at 5:30 am with Tata Naro and traveled for almost 3 hours to Gapan City, Nueva Ecija. We met one of the head officers of Parcutela  Cooperative, Mr. Godofredo, and he and his family let us into their home and prepared for us a delicious breakfast.

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Tata Naro then proceeded with his routine of diagnosing pregnancy for those served through AI, deworming and giving multivitamins to water buffaloes of all ages. He also taught us the proper way of administering these drugs orally and intramuscularly, respectively, but the most important thing we learned was the proper restraint of these large ruminants. Most of the farms we visited have chutes and holding pens but for those who did not have, restraint was achieved by tying the buffalo to a tree or post and having the farmer owner help in the restraint. Sometimes it needs more than two people to restrain these buffaloes. Tata Naro advised that for those aggressive buffaloes or those difficult to restraint, the farmers should just mix the dewormer with darak or rice bran and feed it to them.

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The vitamins we are essential nutrients or supplements for water buffaloes just like minerals are. They are important for metabolism and growth, reproduction and even health. In water buffaloes, the general concern of farmers are mostly on fat soluble vitamins particularly A, D and E.

Vitamin A plays an essential part for vision, immune system function and reproduction. Vitamin D, on the other hand is important for the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus and bone growth. Lastly, vitamin E is an antioxidant in cells and tissues and plays an important role for immune function as well. All these so called “fat-soluble” vitamins are stored in the liver and in adipose tissues so that daily supplementation is not needed. This is in contrast to water soluble vitamins which needs daily supplementation. In the case of water buffaloes, rumen bacteria supply the needs for vitamin K and B vitamins in most situations so they don’t need supplementation via injection with these vitamins. Tata Naro also carries in his car injectable B vitamins and liver extract which he sometimes administer to water buffaloes with non-specific anorexia , during convalescence from diseases and those with debility and showing general weakness.

Albendazole is the one used commonly by PCC technicians or veterinarians to deworm the water buffaloes with the exception of those pregnant, lactating and currently milked for production.It is a suspension and a broad spectrum endoparasiticide against a variety of nematodes, cestodes and even protozoa. It is labeled against Ostertagia ostertagi, Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Nematodius spp., Cooperia spp., Bunostomum phlebotomum, Oesphagostomum spp., Dictacaulus vivaparus (adult and 4th stagelarva), Fasciola hepatica (adults), and Moniezia spp.Unlike albendazole, ivermectin is also an ectoparasiticide. It is a prototype avermectin drug used in variety of species. At times, we subcutaneously inject ivermectin only in caracalves .It is approved for use in the control of gastrointestinalroundworms (adults and 4th stage larva), lungworms (adults and 4th stage larva), grubs (parasitic stages), sucking lice, and mites (scabies). It lacks data about publichealth safety and so is contraindicated in lactating animals.

Tata Naro also told us that it is not that rare to encounter trypanosomosis in farms in Nueva Ecija. He diagnoses them through pattern recognition and usually suspects it for those with clinical signs of emaciation, weight loss and abortion.And so, he carries a drug which is Isometamidium Hydrochloride (Trypamidium Samorin). It is a trypanocidal powder for injection against trypanosomiasis at 0.5mg/kg body weight in cattle for curative, but 1.0mg/kg body weight at three months interval for prophylaxis of animal trypanosomiasis. Tata Naro mixes it with sterile water for injection and also allows us to administer it intramuscularly.

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 Most of the time, Tata Naro let us to practice our skills and allowed us to administer all the drugs he would prescribe to the animals. He would just be the one to record them and do physical check-up and rectal palpation. His records were many which represent the many number of farms he would visit a day and log in his daily reports. For those caracalves without a registered number, Tata Naro would give them ear tags of which technique he demonstrated to us. Records and ear tags are important tools in keeping track of the production and health parameters even in smallhold farms and would help PCC monitor the animals in each area.

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In one of the farms we visited, we observed that the animals are alopecic most commonly in the head, neck and back area. We observed the animals closely when they were restrained and decided to take hair samples that we will bring back to the laboratory. When we looked under the microscope, we observed nits which are the empty egg cases attached to their hair that the buffalo  lice hatch from. Buffalo lice (Haematopinusaspp.)are considered the largest species of the genus occurring on ruminants but are not of great importance.

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For suspected cases of Surra which were diagnosed by Tata Naro through pattern recognition, we collected blood samples from the coccygeal and jugular vein, placed them in purple-top tubes filled with EDTA and transported them via ice box to the PCC headquarters to be processed in the laboratory.

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                Doc Chat gave us a laboratory request form to fill-up first before we can process the blood sample. This was a similar process that farmers or researchers undergo when they submit samples to the Biosafety and Environment Laboratory for processing. Currently, the laboratory performs fecalysis, blood parasite examination, serological testing (Brucella Test, ELISA for Neospora and CAE), molecular testing for detection of microbial pathogens (PCR, nPCR among others), and conventional microbiological testing (bacterial isolation and identification, antibiotic sensitivity testing, coliform count and total plate count).

            With the help of one of the assistants in the laboratory, Mam Noemi, we made blood smears of the sample and observed them under the microscope. We also centrifuged samples and observed them under the microscope but both methods showed negative results.

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As early as 5:30 in the morning, we are already on our way to start the first day of a series of Milk Test days. After almost two hours of traveling with Mam Jillian and Tata Naro, who were our companions from the Production Systems and Nutrition Section of PCC, we finally arrived at the very first cooperative we encountered for this externship which is Ayos Lomboy Dairy Producers Cooperative in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.

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Dairy farmers were already grouped there when we arrived and some were preparing milk samples for the CMT. Some milk samples were placed in gallons and tanks but the ones placed in four different tubes represent the four teats of the water buffalo and it provided more ease of testing. Mam Jillian made us demonstrate how to do the CMT  or “Cow-side Test” after introducing that it is a qualitative test  for detecting subclinical mastitis. We taught the farmers the CMT by the one Doc Chat discussed yesterday.

First, milk samples were drawn in each well of the CMT paddle corresponding to the quarter of the water buffalo. The paddle was tilted to ensure that all the milk was in equal amount. Equal amounts of the reagent solution were added and the paddle was rotated to ensure mixing. The paddle was then observed for a reaction which was graded as Trace, +1, +2, and +3 according to the viscosity. We reminded them to not mix the paddle for more than 10 seconds and to read the result quickly as it may dissolve after 20 seconds. For collection of samples in the future, we reiterated that they clean the udder and teats first, and do forestripping (voiding of the first milk acquired from each teat) at least three times.

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We remembered the one we read on the first day that this is a part of the services offered by PCC to help smallhold farmers. They offer these services as part of their extension support, education and information dissemination and training of technicians and farmers alike. The local farmers in Barangay Ayos Lomboy showed their gratefulness by preparing us a sumptuous breakfast.

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For the rest of the day, we asked permission from Sir Dadz to allow us to go with Tata Naro in his travels for the day. Tata Naro is a supervising livestock specialist of PCC. It is also Tata Naro’s job to extend the services of PCC to the local farmers even in far-flung areas. We traveled to Talugutug to Cabanatuan City to Talavera and then back to the Science City of Munoz so Tata can visit each and every carabao he intended to visit for the day. Most of the carabaos we visited were entrusted by PCC under the Dairy Buffalo Module. It is a service whereby PCC gives dairy buffaloes to qualified farmer-trustees, families or cooperative members who are capable of running a dairy farm business. It follows a Modified “Paiwi” scheme wherein the one entrusted by PCC will take care of the buffalo, maintain records and provide all necessary information required by the contract, and follow approved practices by PCC. The calves produced by the dairy buffalo will be co-owned by PCC on a 50:50 scheme. We observed this practice as Tata was tasked by PCC to receive half the payment from the trustee who sold one of their dairy buffaloes to the meat buyers. Farmers are allowed to buy PCC’s share in each calf or vice versa.

Artificial insemination (AI) is also one of PCC’s banner sevices which AI technicians render to farmers nationwide through their PCC centers which we also have in UPLB. It is a great reproductive tool ued to produce buffaloes with better milk productivity without the hardship of transporting a bull. As part of technical assistance and extension which is free of charge provided by PCC, Tata Naro also checks if AI was successful and the caracows became pregnant by doing rectal palpation. He also allowed us to administer multivitamins (Vitamins A, D, E and K) and a dewormer (Albendazole) to a caracalf. We visited many farms and Tata Naro provided the farmers with information on animal reproduction, nutrition and health and other areas he was knowledgeable of. We learned that he does regular on-site assessment and field visits to respond to the farmers’ needs and they call him Doc Naro. Our duration on each area varied depending on the situations on that area and also on our merienda time. Tata Naro again contacted Sir Dadz and scheduled a trip for the next day for us and sir Dadz allowed us to go again with him. We arrived at the PCC headquarters in the afternoon and sir Dadz called us back up to the Biosafety and Environment Laboratory.

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The laboratory is where farmers and other interested parties submit samples from farms for analysis and it is one of the services of PCC. They help diagnose diseases whenever they can. And so, whenever we were at the laboratory, there are lists of buffaloes or farms where samples are collected. This time, we did the Flotation technique for fecal analysis. We added water to tubes filled with fecal samples which were previously prepared by sir Dadz, and placed coverslips at the top. We waited for about 20-30 minutes to allow ova to float such that they will adhere to the coverslip when we remove them. In contrast to the Sedimentation technique, no staining of methylene blue was done. This technique is useful for observing for the presence of strongyles, Strongyloides spp. and also coccidia. The only ova we detected was that of Strongyloides spp.

We had been preparing for the start of this 5-week externship since last year. We had breakfast in our apartment and we’re ready to go. We started walking from Roseville Subdivision near the Welcome arch to San Jose City to the Philippine Carabao Center National Headquarters and Genepool at around 7:30 in the morning. It was bright and we were very excited about the things we are about to learn.

We were instructed by our contact, who we knew by the name of Sir Dadz as introduced virtually by our former senior clinicians, to log in at the gate and head to the Human Resource Department (HRD).

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As we entered the building where the HRD is located, we were again asked to log in the visitor’s logbook and were briefly confronted with a short introduction to the Philippine Carabao Center.

One of the texts read:

 “The Philippine Carabao Center, operating as an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, is mandated to conserve, propagate, and promote the Carabao as a source of milk, meat, draft power and hide to benefit the rural farmers.”

With its vision:

“ A premiere research and development institution propelling sustainable growth of the livestock industry.”

And mission:

“Improve the general well-being and competetiveness of the livestock industry stakeholders through animal biotechnology and technology development, technology dissemination and knowledge resource management, active private sector participation, livestock-based enterprises, and policy reforms to sustain development of livestock enterprises, thus ensuring socio-economic empowerment for nation building.”

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We then headed to the third floor where the HRD is located. We saw Mam Helen, our contact from the HR department, going down the stairs and hurrying to attend the Monday ceremony and meeting and instructed us to re-meet at around 9 am. We toured ourselves around the building instead. We were in awe with the huge facilities and beautiful rooms of PCC.

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We passed time at a sofa and table waiting area just outside the HRD and Executive Director’s Office. We read magazines and official newsletters of the PCC and told stories of each other’s vacation. The magazines were all filled with new trends in the agriculture industry and happy farmers whose lives were improved. They were pretty inspiring.

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Mam Helen arrived at 10 am and spared just a short time since their meeting was not yet adjourned. She asked for our requirements (Acceptance Letter, Curriculum Vitae, and Parent’s Letter of Consent) and gave our respective On the Job Trainee IDs. She then passed us under the supervision of sir Dadz and said to meet him at the lobby downstairs. Mam Helen wished us luck and more learnings and we headed downstairs. We just can’t wait to start our duty at PCC. The people seemed amazing.

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Downstairs was a whole lot more magazines and books to read . PCC was not only good with helping people, they help create more amazing stories too.

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Sir Dadz arrived at the lobby at 11 and apologized since he also still have important matters to attend to at their meeting and said to meet us later again after lunch at around 1. But, before we went to grab lunch at the nearby carinderias, we rode a jeepney to Barangay Bagong Sikat to find the Bicycle Rentals since it is more economical and ecological as well to use these bicycles in going to PCC headquarters and especially Gene Pool from our apartment. The Bicycle Rentals was almost closed since bicycles were banned at CLSU campus and unfortunately, we cannot use them to take a leisure trip there. Thankfully, the owner of the Bicycle Rentals was a veterinarian and opened his bicycle renting services to us. We each got a bicycle and drove again back near PCC to have our lunch. We were very much in love with our bicycles.

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We arrived at the laboratory and sir Dadz gave us a short tour around the PCC Biosafety and Environment laboratory, orienting us the proper working areas, machine uses and disposal bins. Every thing inside this laboratory is expensive but is of great help to the many researches conducted here. I remembered one of the posts we read earlier before going up the stairs which read:

“The Philippine Carabao Center aims to be a premier research and development institution for the sustainable growth of the livestock industry”

We were overwhelmed with such beautiful and expensive equipment but at the same time are hyped to use them.

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Sir Dadz also oriented us the proper attire at the laboratory. He then tasked us to centrifuge the serum samples at 1400rpm for 2 minutes to thaw them in preparation for the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) or Rapid Plate Test (RPT). We have only encountered this test in textbooks before and now we are doing them.

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The RBPT is a simple, rapid slide-type agglutination assay which is aimed at detecting antibodies of Brucella species (more commonly for the detection of B. abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis) in animal sera such as ruminants, equidae, suidae, camelidae and carnivores, both wild and domestic. For this day, we tested sera from water buffaloes.

The reagent is a pink suspension consisting of a Suspension of Brucella abortus biovar 1 Weybridge strain No 99, inactivated by heat and phenol and coloured with rose bengal stain in an acidified buffer.This antigen is available commercially, for veterinary use, and stored according to the supplier’s instructions. Before starting with the technique, Sir Dadz made use of a weak positive serum as control to show as what a positive reaction would look like.

We then proceeded with the test by adding a serum sample (0.03 ml) and mixing it with an equal volume of antigen on a white tile to produce a spherical area approximately 1-2 cm in diameter. We gently agitated the mixture for four minutes at room temperature, and then observed for agglutination with good lightning. We will count any visible agglutination as positive but agglutinates revealed after 4 minutes ± 10 % will not be taken into consideration. Fortunately, none of the sera tested positive.

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After that, we were introduced to another routine test to check for Gastro-intestinal parasites which is very familiar to us, Fecalysis. We made slide preparations of the fecal samples after sedimentation technique. This technique is a qualitative method as oriented by Sir Dadz earlier and he also said that the eggs we should expect to observe under the microscope are the “heavy” eggs which will sink to the bottom after sedimentation. These are the ova of amphistomes, paramphistomes and Fasciola spp. He also warned us of the artifacts and pseudo-parasitic particles such as pollen grains which we may mistake as parasite eggs.

We obtained approximately 2-3 grams of feces and placed it into a container. We mixed it with 50 ml of tap water, mixed it thoroughly with a spoon and passed it through a strainer and into another container to remove grass and other large debris. The fecal suspension was then transferred on a 50-ml conical-bottom disposable plastic tube. The sediments were allowed to settle and then approximately 40 ml of supernatant were discarded. The sediments were resuspended with new tap water and were allowed to sink for approximately 20 minutes. The supernatant was again discarded very carefully and the sediments were acquired using a glass pipette and transferred on a microscope slide. The sediments were stained by adding a small drop of methylene blue. The slide preparations were covered with coverslips and we checked them under the low power objective of the microscope; the only egg we observed was that of the liver fluke, Fasciola spp.

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We prepared California Mastitis Test (CMT) reagents after performing the two laboratory tests in preparation of the 3 consecutive milk test days starting Tuesday around the different barangays and towns of Nueva Ecija. To instruct and refresh our memories about CMT, we headed to Doc Chat’s room so she can discuss it to us.

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We later on learned from Doc Chat that the reagent we were diluting constituted a anionic surface -active surfactant and bromothymol blue as the indicator dye. We prepared it by adding 1 pint of the reagent to 3.78 liters of distilled water to dilute it. She also discussed how the reagent works. It makes the milk viscous after mixing (1:1) by lysing the somatic cells, if present, and denatures any DNA. The higher the somatic cell (WBCs) count, the higher is the viscosity of the mixture. The number of somatic cells in milk increases when the number of pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. are present causing mastitis.