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ABSTRACTLoading, transport, unloading, lairage and stunning are the principle ante-mortemevents that generate negative responses associated with stress in pigs. For this reason, it is important to verify the condition of animals throughout the supply chain in order to ensure their welfare and obtain, at the end of the slaughtering process, high-quality carcases and meat. Several studies have identified the indicators and samples that need to be taken into account to properly measure and evaluate the responses that these animals emit to the stressors involved. However, these procedures must be carried out quickly and by non-invasive means so as not to impede the flow of animals through the operations of loading, transport, unloading and lairage. Therefore, the objective of this review article is to analyse the stressful events that pigs experience during these events and discuss the use of the infrared thermography (IRT) as an alternative tool for measuring stress based on temperature changes on the surface of pigs’ skin. We argue that infrared thermography can be used as a strategy to improve animal welfare during loading, transport, unloading and lairage by preventing fatigue and deaths, and decreasing negative impacts on meat quality, such as pale, soft and exudative (PSE), or dark, firm and dry (DFD) conditions.

ABSTRACTIn light of the need to perform surgical techniques and the importance of animal welfare because of acute pain, the objectives of the veterinary anaesthetists are to manage muscle relaxation and adequate analgesia in order to conserve a balance in the autonomic nervous system, enhance the action of the parasympathetic system in the face of the emerging action of the sympathetic portion provoked by the surgeon, and maintain a balance among them. The aim of the present review is to describe different evaluation criteria for acute pain using unidimensional and multidimensional scales, correlating these findings to parasympathetic tone activity (PTA) and bispectral index (BIS) assessment, to conduct an objective evaluation of pain that patients (dog or cat) perceives, in order to administrate an adequate analgesic treatment in each case. In conclusion, this integral, objective evaluation will allow veterinarians – especially anaesthesiologists – to improve the management of pain in the patients.

ABSTRACTMammalian parental care, in most of the cases, is given by the female, who provides food, warmth, and protection. In domestic dogs, maternal behaviour shown by the dam mainly consists of contact, nursing, grooming/licking, play, punishment, thermoregulation, and motion. Peer-reviewed literature published between 1952 and 2018 was retrieved from CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus and book chapters. Keywords for this search included the following terms: behaviour, bonding, altricial, precocial, offspring, maternal, whelping, nursing, domestic dogs, female dog, aggression, puppies, anogenital licking. In this review, we reported and discussed scientific information about maternal behaviour in domestic bitches, comparing altricial vs precocial species; the importance of the bonding, grooming/licking and nursing, and their impacts on puppies’ behaviour; altered maternal behaviours such as aggression, cannibalism, rejection, and also the relation between hormones and maternal care behaviours. We concluded that the level of interactions between the dam and the puppies influences the physiological, cognitive and behavioural development of the litter, and the main hormones in the bitch for inducing maternal care behaviours are estradiol, oxytocin, prolactin and progesterone.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of local anesthesia and the number of incisions performed on the physiological blood profile of piglets after surgical castration. A total of 60 male piglets were divided into five groups of 12 each, based on the surgical method employed and the use, or not, of local anesthesia, as follows: surgical castration using one horizontal incision in both testicles with (C1+L) and without (C1) local anesthesia; surgical castration using two vertical scrotal incisions with and without local anesthesia (C2+L and C2); and control piglets which were removed from their pens and held head-down by their hind limbs for approximately 90 s to simulate castration (SIM). Reference blood samples were drawn 24 h before castration (RV), immediately after surgery or simulated castration (PC), and at 24 and 48 h post-castration, to determine physiological profiles including; pH, hematocrit, glucose, electrolytes, lactate, pCO2(mmHg), SO2(mmHg), and bicarbonate. Results showed increases in lactate and hematocrit immediately after surgical or simulated castration with decreases in pH, HCO3− and base excess (BE). Surgical castration produced marked alterations of the physiological profile, detected by reduced pH and HCO3, higher lactate levels and BE alterations. These changes indicated metabolic acidosis that was greater in the piglets castrated surgically with one horizontal incision than in those castrated with two vertical incisions. More research is needed on the use of lidocaine during surgical castration, as it showed no effect on physiological profile in this study, but did alter hematocrit values.

AbstractThe objective of this study was to determine the effect of local anesthesia and the number of incisions performed on the physiological blood profile of piglets after surgical castration. A total of 60 male piglets were divided into five groups of 12 each, based on the surgical method employed and the use, or not, of local anesthesia, as follows: surgical castration using one horizontal incision in both testicles with (C1+L) and without (C1) local anesthesia; surgical castration using two vertical scrotal incisions with and without local anesthesia (C2+L and C2); and control piglets which were removed from their pens and held head-down by their hind limbs for approximately 90 s to simulate castration (SIM). Reference blood samples were drawn 24 h before castration (RV), immediately after surgery or simulated castration (PC), and at 24 and 48 h post-castration, to determine physiological profiles including; pH, hematocrit, glucose, electrolytes, lactate, pCO2(mmHg), SO2(mmHg), and bicarbonate. Results showed increases in lactate and hematocrit immediately after surgical or simulated castration with decreases in pH, HCO3− and base excess (BE). Surgical castration produced marked alterations of the physiological profile, detected by reduced pH and HCO3, higher lactate levels and BE alterations. These changes indicated metabolic acidosis that was greater in the piglets castrated surgically with one horizontal incision than in those castrated with two vertical incisions. More research is needed on the use of lidocaine during surgical castration, as it showed no effect on physiological profile in this study, but did alter hematocrit values.

Meconium staining of the skin is a common event associated with fetal hypoxia, stillbirths, weak-born piglets, and neonatal mortality. Aspiration of meconium leads to meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). This study was undertaken to assess the relationship between the degree of meconium staining of the skin at birth, meconium aspiration, and pulmonary changes in porcine neonates. A total of 353 farrowing sows and 3,693 born piglets were monitored during parturition and for 15 days after delivery. Umbilical cords were classified as normal or ruptured. Meconium staining in the skin was graded as nonstained, mildly, moderately, and severely stained. Mortality from birth to 15 days of age was 8.4%. The lungs from 60 meconium-stained piglets and 60 lungs from nonstained piglets were collected and microscopically examined for meconium aspiration and inflammation. Rupture of the umbilical cord was significantly higher (P< 0.01) in meconium-stained piglets. Microscopically, 32% and 40% of the lungs had evidence of meconium for the stained and nonstained groups, respectively. The microscopic grade of meconium aspiration and inflammatory cells was not different between nonstained and meconium-stained piglets. Aspiration of meconium induced a granulomatous response in the lungs. It was concluded that the grade of meconium staining is a good indicator of fetal hypoxia, but not a good predictor for meconium aspiration and MAS in piglets.