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Menke, C., Waiblinger, S., Fölsch, D. W., & Wiepkema, P. R. (2008). Social Behaviour and Injuries of Horned Cows in Loose Housing Systems. Anim Welfare, 8(3), 243–258.
Abstract: The relationship between social behaviour and skin injuries (caused by horns) of loose housed horned cows was investigated on 35 dairy farms. While the frequencies of two agonistic behaviour elements (push and chase away) were positively correlated with the occurrence of skin injuries, the frequencies of butting and homing were not. Butting appears to have an ambivalent motivation, in that its occurrence is correlated positively both with agonistic behaviour and with social licking. Horning showed a positive correlation with social licking only. Four groups of husbandry conditions that may be associated with the occurrence of social behaviour and of injuries were distinguished: i) herd management, with variables including problem solving management by the farmer, integration of new cows, and dealing with periparturient and oestrus cows; ii) human-animal relationship, with variables including ability to identify individual cows, frequency of brushing the cows, number of milkers, and frequency of personnel changes; iii) animal characteristics, with the variable of herd size; and iv) stable characteristics, with the variable of space per cow (m2). The relevance of the husbandry variables investigated here had been confirmed in a previous stepwise regression analysis (Menke 1996). The variables for herd management and human-animal relationship conditions correlated in a consistent way with the occurrence of agonistic behaviour and/or of injuries, while most of them also correlated in the opposite direction with the occurrence of social licking. Herd size correlated positively with agonistic behaviour, but negatively with social licking. Space per cow correlated negatively with agonistic behaviour and injuries. In more than 70 per cent of the herds investigated, the levels of agonistic behaviour and of skin injuries were low, implying that horned dairy cows can be kept with less risk than is often assumed. We argue that such risks strongly depend on management factors that can be improved.
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Menke, C., Waiblinger, S., Foelsch, D. W., & Wiepkema, P. R. (1999). Social Behaviour and Injuries of Horned Cows in Loose Housing Systems. Anim Welfare, 8(3), 243–258.
Abstract: The relationship between social behaviour and skin injuries (caused by horns) of loose housed horned cows was investigated on 35 dairy farms. While the frequencies of two agonistic behaviour elements (push and chase away) were positively correlated with the occurrence of skin injuries, the frequencies of butting and homing were not. Butting appears to have an ambivalent motivation, in that its occurrence is correlated positively both with agonistic behaviour and with social licking. Horning showed a positive correlation with social licking only. Four groups of husbandry conditions that may be associated with the occurrence of social behaviour and of injuries were distinguished: i) herd management, with variables including problem solving management by the farmer, integration of new cows, and dealing with periparturient and oestrus cows; ii) human-animal relationship, with variables including ability to identify individual cows, frequency of brushing the cows, number of milkers, and frequency of personnel changes; iii) animal characteristics, with the variable of herd size; and iv) stable characteristics, with the variable of space per cow (m2). The relevance of the husbandry variables investigated here had been confirmed in a previous stepwise regression analysis (Menke 1996). The variables for herd management and human-animal relationship conditions correlated in a consistent way with the occurrence of agonistic behaviour and/or of injuries, while most of them also correlated in the opposite direction with the occurrence of social licking. Herd size correlated positively with agonistic behaviour, but negatively with social licking. Space per cow correlated negatively with agonistic behaviour and injuries. In more than 70 per cent of the herds investigated, the levels of agonistic behaviour and of skin injuries were low, implying that horned dairy cows can be kept with less risk than is often assumed. We argue that such risks strongly depend on management factors that can be improved.
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Arluke, A. (2004). The use of dogs in medical and veterinary training: understanding and approaching student uneasiness. J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 7(3), 197–204. |
Kirkpatrick, J. F., & Turner, A. (2003). Absence of effects from immunocontraception on seasonal birth patterns and foal survival among barrier island wild horses. J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 6(4), 301–308.
Abstract: Despite a large body of safety data, concern exists that porcine zonae pellucidae (PZP) immunocontraception--used to manage wild horse populations--may cause out-of-season births with resulting foal mortality. Our study at Assateague, Maryland indicated the effects of immunocontraception on season of birth and foal survival between 1990 and 2002 on wild horses from Assateague Island. Among 91 mares never treated, 69 (75.8%) of foals were born in April, May, and June (in season). Among 77 treated mares, 50 (64.9%) were born in season. Of 29 mares foaling within 1 year after treatment (contraceptive failures), 20 (68.9%) were born in season. Of 48 mares treated for greater than 2 years then withdrawn from treatment, 30 (62.5%) of 48 foals were born in season. There were no significant differences (p <.05) between either treatment group or untreated mares. Survival did not differ significantly among foals born in or out of season or among foals born to treated or untreated mares. Data indicate a lack of effect of PZP contraception on season of birth or foal survival on barrier island habitats.
Keywords: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Animals, Wild/*physiology; Birth Rate; Case-Control Studies; Contraception, Immunologic/methods/*veterinary; Egg Proteins/administration & dosage; Female; Horses/*physiology; Maryland/epidemiology; Membrane Glycoproteins/administration & dosage; Population Control; Pregnancy; *Receptors, Cell Surface; *Reproduction; Seasons; Vaccines, Contraceptive/administration & dosage
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Shanahan, S. (2003). Trailer loading stress in horses: behavioral and physiological effects of nonaversive training (TTEAM). J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 6(4), 263–274.
Abstract: Resistance in the horse to trailer loading is a common source of stress and injury to horses and their handlers. The objective of this study was to determine whether nonaversive training based on the Tellington-Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM; Tellington-Jones &Bruns, 1988) would decrease loading time and reduce stress during loading for horses with a history of reluctance to load. Ten horses described by their owners as “problem loaders” were subjected to pretraining and posttraining assessments of loading. Each assessment involved two 7-min loading attempts during which heart rate and saliva cortisol were measured. The training consisted of six 30-min sessions over a 2-week period during which the horse and owner participated in basic leading exercises with obstacles simulating aspects of trailering. Assessment showed heart rate and saliva cortisol increased significantly during loading as compared to baseline (p <.001 and p <.05, respectively). Reassessment after training showed a decrease in loading time (p <.02), reduced heart rate during loading (p <.002), and reduced saliva cortisol as compared to pretraining assessments. Seven “good loaders” also were subject to loading assessment for physiological comparison. Increases in heart rate during loading were significantly higher in the good loaders (p <.001). Nonaversive training simulating aspects of loading may effectively reduce loading time and stress during loading for horses with a history of resistance to trailer loading.
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Skandakumar, S., Stodulski, G., & Hau, J. (1995). Salivary IgA: a Possible Stress Marker In Dogs. In Animal Welfare (Vol. 4, pp. 339–350).
Abstract: Stress in humans has been reported to be associated with a decrease in the salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) levels enabling the possible use of s-IgA to assess stress. Prolonged stress, if reliably assessed in a non-invasive manner, may be used to assess animal welfare. This study analysed groups of dogs undergoing physical and temperamental training and s-IgA levels were measured by rocket immunoelectrophoresis in prospective samples. Behavioural assessment was carried out and cortisol levels in saliva were measured by ELISA. A significant negative correlation (P < 0.007) between the logarithmic cortisol concentrations and s-IgA levels in saliva was recorded. The behavioural assessment of the dogs agreed well with the biochemical markers. It is concluded that IgA levels in saliva may be a useful marker of dog well-being and that stress results in decreased s-IgA levels.
Keywords: Animal Welfare; Behaviour; Cortisol; Dog; Salivary Iga (S-Iga); Stress; Well-Being
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Bekoff, M. (1994). Cognitive Ethology and the Treatment of Non-Human Animals: How Mati'ers of Mind Inform Mati'ers of Welfare. Animal Welfare, 3, 75–96. |
Powell, D. M. (1999). Preliminary evaluation of porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception for behavioral effects in feral horses (Equus caballus). J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 2(4), 321–335.
Abstract: Successful management of captive populations of wild animals requires effective control of reproduction. Contraception is one tool for controlling reproduction of animals in zoos; however, the options available to the animal manager are limited. Contraceptives vary in efficacy, reversibility, and side effects, and thus may not be suitable for widespread use. One consideration when selecting a contraceptive is its potential for side effects on behavior, especially given the fact that reproduction plays such a prominent role in the biology of any species. To date, there have been few evaluations of contraceptives for behavioral effects, and those that have been conducted have focused on hormone-based contraceptives. This study sought to evaluate a novel method of population control, immunocontraception, for behavioral effects in a population of feral horses. Porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception prevents fertilization of ova and does not alter normal hormone secretion patterns. It therefore should leave the animal behaviorally intact in terms of reproductive behavior. The study examined the behavior of 43 sexually mature mares on Assateague Island during the 1997 breeding season and, with help from Earthwatch volunteers, collected observations over a 3-month period. The study found no significant differences between treated and untreated mares in general activity budget, aggression given or received, and spatial relationships relative to the stallion. These preliminary findings indicate that PZP contraception seems to have no acute behavioral effects on the behavior of individuals. The study findings also suggest that PZP could be a desirable and effective management tool for captive species in which social behavior plays an integral role in group dynamics. Analyses of group level effects and population level effects are continuing.
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McLean, A. N. (2004). The mental processes of the horse and their consequences for training. Animal Welfare Science Centre, . |