Effects of two wintering practices on behavioral and physiological indicators of welfare of non-lactating, pregnant dairy cattle in a pasture-based system.

In countries with pasture-based dairy systems and relatively cold winters, such as New Zealand, it is common to manage pregnant, nonlactating cows on forage crop paddocks rather than pasture due to slow pasture growth rates. Wintering dairy cattle on grazed crops can compromise welfare if wet and muddy underfoot conditions occur, which can reduce lying. This study investigated behavioral and physiological indicators of welfare of cows under 2 wintering practices: cows managed on and grazed kale crop (Brassica oleracea), and cows managed on pasture with baled hay. Following dry-off (d 0), 80 cows were randomly assigned to one of the 2 wintering practices (40 cows/practice) and monitored between d 4 and d 32 (phase 1). During this period, lying and stepping behavior was continuously recorded using leg-based accelerometers. Blood samples were obtained at d 0 and 32 for measurements of thyroxine (T4), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), white blood cells (WBC), and red blood cells (RBC). All data for phase 1 were presented descriptively due to the lack of treatment replication. Daily mean air temperature during this period was 5.2°C (range: 0.0 to 10.7°C), and rainfall was 1.1mm/d (range: 0 to 5.6mm/d). Between d 4 and 32, cows in both groups spent similar amounts of time lying (pasture with hay cows: 8.9h/24h ± 2.57, kale crop cows: 8.7h/24h ± 3.06, mean ± SEM). Both groups reduced their lying on wet and cold days and there was evidence of rebound lying once unfavorable weather conditions stopped. Cows on kale crop had numerically higher NEFA and lower WBC compared with cows managed on pasture, although most physiological values were within normal ranges. In a second phase of the study (d 34 and 35), cows were managed under controlled, replicated conditions in the 2 wintering practices using typical on-farm stocking rates (2 or 4 cows per group in the pasture with hay and kale crop treatments, respectively; n = 10 groups/treatment). During this period, cow behavior, skin and surface temperatures, hygiene scores, feed intakes and ground conditions were measured. Weather conditions during the 48-h exposure were mostly cold and dry (mean air temperature: 7.8°C, range: -2.2 to 20.5°C). Cows managed on pasture with hay spent more time lying down on the first day of exposure, however, this was likely due to less space being available to kale cows on this day. Cows managed on pasture with hay ruminated more than cows on kale crop on both days of observations (Day 1: 37.9% vs 30.9% of observations, Day 2: 36.8% vs 28.7% of observations for pasture with hay and kale crop groups, respectively) and were lying more often in postures indicative of greater thermal comfort. Cows managed on pasture with hay had higher skin and surface temperatures compared with cows on kale crop, whereas cows on kale crop had dirtier coats. Results suggest that opportunities for thermal comfort were greater for cows managed on pasture with hay bales, which may be due to increased rumination activities and more insulated lying areas.

Euthanasia of dogs and cats by veterinarians in New Zealand: protocols, procedures and experiences.

AIMS: To collect data on protocols used by New Zealand veterinarians to perform euthanasia of dogs and cats, and to explore opinions towards the training they received in euthanasia during veterinary school. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to all veterinarians registered with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand. The survey asked respondents about their practices' policies for euthanasia; protocols for performing euthanasia of dogs and cats; opinions towards euthanasia training received in veterinary school; and subsequent experiences with euthanasia in practice. Descriptive statistics were provided for all quantitative study variables and thematic analysis was performed on the free-text comments. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 361/1,448 (24.9%) veterinarians in companion or mixed animal practice. The mean numbers of dogs and cats euthanised each month were 7.2 (median 5; min 0; max 60) and 7.9 (median 5; min 0; max 60), respectively. Fewer than half of respondents reported that their clinic had a standard protocol for euthanising dogs (147/361; 40.7%) or cats (157/361; 43.5%). For euthanasia of dogs, 119/361 (32.9%) always used sedation while 71/361 (19.7%) indicated that they would not use sedation. For euthanasia of cats, 170/361 (47.1%) always used sedation while 53/361 (14.7%) indicated that they would not use sedation. Placement of IV catheters, methods for patient restraint, preferences towards the presence of owners during euthanasia, services provided with euthanasia, and discussions with owners were also highly variable and handled case-by-case depending on the client, patient, and clinical scenario. When asked about the euthanasia training received at veterinary school, it was generally ranked as below satisfactory, with approximately one-third of respondents indicating that they received no training in dealing with emotional clients (113/361; 31.3%), sedation protocols for euthanasia (107/361; 29.6%), or managing compassion fatigue (132/361; 36.6%). Most respondents (268/361; 74.2%) received no formal training in euthanasia after graduation and learned from experience or discussions with colleagues. Providing animals and owners with a good experience during the euthanasia process was highlighted as important for managing compassion fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Euthanasia is a common procedure in companion animal practice and there is considerable variation in how veterinarians approach both the technical and non-technical elements. Training provided during veterinary school was generally considered below satisfactory, particularly regarding managing compassion fatigue and clients' emotional needs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Providing veterinarians with additional training on adapting their euthanasia protocols to different clinical scenarios may improve the experience for patients, owners and veterinary staff.

Indicators of dehydration in healthy 4- to 5-day-old dairy calves deprived of feed and water for 24 hours.

Our objective was to identify practical indicators of calf dehydration that could be used in an industry context. Eleven healthy 4-d-old commercial dairy calves were fed 2 L of mixed colostrum, then deprived of food and water for 24 h. Total body water was determined in the fed state using the deuterium dilution method. Body weight, along with a range of behavioral and physiological variables, was recorded 1 h after feeding, then at 90-min intervals through to 24 h. Blood samples were collected at every second sampling to assess changes in plasma hemoglobin, hematocrit, and osmolality. Linear mixed-effects models were used to explore associations between hydration status (% body water) and outcome variables. All calves remained bright and alert with good suckling reflexes throughout the 24-h period. After 24 h, total body water had decreased by an average of 8.4% (standard error 1.18), consistent with mild to moderate dehydration. Skin tent return time, capillary refill time, and detectable enophthalmos were associated with hydration status. Calves with skin tent return times of 3 s or longer were 4.4 percentage points less hydrated than those with return times of less than 3 s. Similarly, a capillary refill time of 3 s or longer was associated with a 4.3 percentage point reduction in hydration compared with refill times of less than 3 s. Calves with detectable enophthalmos (≥1 mm) were 3.5 percentage points less hydrated than those without enophthalmos. The skin tent, capillary refill, and enophthalmos tests are all relatively simple to perform and, although requiring the calf to be briefly restrained, can easily be performed by a single operator. The outcome of these tests was relatively consistent, in that calves above the threshold in any test were 3.5 to 4.5% less hydrated than calves below the threshold. As such, these tests may be of practical utility to identify calves with mild to moderate dehydration in an industry setting.

Review: The Five Domains model and promoting positive welfare in pigs.

Public concern for the welfare of farm animals has increased over recent years. Meeting public demands for higher animal welfare products requires robust animal welfare assessment tools that enable the user to identify areas of potential welfare compromise and enhancement. The Five Domains model is a structured, systematic, and comprehensive framework for assessing welfare risks and enhancement in sentient animals. Since its inception in 1994, the model has undergone regular updates to incorporate advances in animal welfare understanding and scientific knowledge. The model consists of five areas, or domains, that focus attention on specific factors or conditions that may impact on an animal's welfare. These include four physical/functional domains: nutrition, physical environment, health, and behavioural interactions, and a fifth mental or affective state domain. The first three domains draw attention to welfare-significant internal physical/functional states within the animal, whereas the fourth deals with welfare-relevant features of the animal's external physical and social environment. Initially named "Behaviour" Domain 4 was renamed "Behavioural Interactions" in the 2020 iteration of the model and was expanded to include three categories: interactions with the environment, interactions with other animals and interactions with humans. These explicitly focus attention on environmental and social circumstances that may influence the animal's ability to exercise agency, an important determinant of welfare. Once factors in Domains 1-4 have been considered, the likely consequences, in terms of the animal's subjective experiences, are assigned to Domain 5 (affective state). The integrated outcome of all negative and positive mental experiences accumulated in Domain 5 represents the animal's current welfare state. Because the model specifically draws attention to conditions that may positively influence welfare, it provides a useful framework for identifying opportunities to promote positive welfare in intensively farmed animals. When negative affective experiences are minimised, providing animals with the opportunity to engage in species-specific rewarding behaviours may shift them into an overall positive welfare state. In domestic pigs, providing opportunities for foraging, play, and nest building, along with improving the quality of pig-human interactions, has the potential to promote positive welfare.

Comparison of neural histomorphology in tail tips from pigs docked using clippers or cautery iron.

Tail docking of pigs is commonly performed to reduce the incidence of unwanted tail-biting behaviour. Two docking methods are commonly used: blunt trauma cutting (i.e. using side clippers), or cutting and concurrent cauterisation using a hot cautery iron. A potential consequence of tail amputation is the development of neuromas at the docking site. Neuromas have been linked to neuropathic pain, which can influence the longer-term welfare of affected individuals. To determine whether method of tail docking influences the extent of neuroma formation, 75 pigs were allocated to one of three treatments at birth: tail docked using clippers; tail docked using cautery iron; tail left intact. Tail docking was performed at 2 days of age and pigs were kept under conventional conditions until slaughter at 21 weeks of age. Tails were removed following slaughter and subjected to histological examination. Nerve histomorphology was scored according to the following scale: 1=discrete well-organised nerve bundles; 2=moderate neural proliferation and disorganisation affecting more than half of the circumference of the tail; 3=marked neural proliferation to form almost continuous disorganised bundles or non-continuous enlarged bundles compressing the surrounding connective tissue. Scores of 2 or 3 indicated neuroma formation. Scores were higher in docked pigs than undocked pigs (P<0.001), but did not differ between pigs docked using clippers and those docked using cautery (P=0.23). The results indicate that tail docking using either clippers or cautery results in neuroma formation, thus having the potential to affect long-term pig welfare.

The sub-typing of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from food, environments surrounding food manufacturing sites, and clinical samples in New Zealand using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis.

Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from food (cheese, meat and fish), environments surrounding food manufacturing sites, and clinical samples from throughout New Zealand were analyzed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. One hundred and twenty four strains were divided into 56 electrophoretic types, containing primarily clinical isolates and environmental isolates.

Electroencephalographic evaluation of decapitation of the anaesthetized rat.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) power spectrum in response to decapitation of anaesthetized rats, in order to assess the nociception or otherwise of this procedure. Ten young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetized with halothane in oxygen and anaesthesia was maintained at a stable concentration of halothane between 1.20% and 1.25%. The rat's head and neck were placed through the opening of a small animal guillotine so that the blade of the guillotine was positioned over the atlanto-occipial joint of the rat's neck. The EEG was recorded in a five-electrode montage, bilaterally. After recording a 15 min baseline the rat was decapitated by swiftly pressing the guillotine blade and the EEG recording was continued until the signal was isoelectric on both channels. Changes in the median frequency (F50), 95% spectral edge frequency (F95) and total power of the EEG (Ptot) were used to investigate the effects of decapitation. During the first 15 s following decapitation, there were significant increases in the F50 and F95, and a decrease in the Ptot compared with baseline values. There was a clear window of time immediately following decapitation where changes in the EEG frequency spectrum were obvious; these changes in the EEG indices of nociception could be attributed as responses generated by the rat's cerebral cortex following decapitation.