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This study aimed to investigate the influence of gestational stress induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS, Escherichia coli) on the physiological changes of ewes, as well as on the subsequent behavioral interaction between ewes and lambs and on the memory and learning of 30-day-old offspring in a T-maze. Thirty-six nulliparous pregnant crossbred Santa Ines ewes with an initial live weight of 45 ± 6 kg, age of 12 ± 2 months, and body condition score between 3 and 3.5 (on a scale of 1 to 5) were divided into two treatments: LPS treatment (E. coli; 0.8 μg.kg−1) and Control (placebo/saline) administered in late pregnancy (day 120). Blood samples were collected before (0 h at 5:00 h) and 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h after the administration of LPS or placebo to determine the cortisol release curve. Rectal temperature was measured at the same time points. After birth, male lambs (N = 19) were used to evaluate the maternal-offspring behavioral interaction, weight, and cognitive ability in a T-maze. Blood cortisol and rectal temperature of ewes increased after LPS administration and returned to baseline levels after 24 h. The activities facilitating and stimulating suckling were higher on LPS group (P

Construir caminhos comunicacionais dialógicos com as pessoas que vivem e trabalham nos territórios rurais é um dos fundamentos da Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural (ATER), visando o desenvolvimento socioeconômico e ambientalmente sustentável na produção agropecuária. Obviamente, a educação exerce um papel de transformação de realidades que vai, muito, além da transmissão de conteúdos, impactando diferentes aspectos da nossa vida. Uma iniciativa pela busca de ambientes com equidade social, sustentabilidade socioeconômica e ambiental foi proposta pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) por meio do estabelecimento de 17 Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável1. 1 ONU (2021) Esses objetivos nos fornecem uma matriz para entendermos não só o papel da educação, da produção de alimentos, da qualidade da água, entre outros elementos, mas toda uma relação de interdependência de todos os elementos abordados. Nesse sentido, a interação de alguns desses objetivos irão definir a Saúde Única, Sustentabilidade Ambiental e Equidade Social nos territórios rurais. Quanto a busca pela Saúde Única no campo essa é o resultado dos elementos que constituem a saúde humana, animal (aqui englobando também a qualidade dos produtos alimentares com esta origem) e ambiental. A Saúde Única é definida, pela Organização das Nações Unidas para Agricultura e Alimentação (FAO-ONU), como um conjunto de ações unificadoras que visam os elementos constituintes da sustentabilidade natureza, pessoas e produção agropecuária objetivando : (...) salvaguardar a saúde humana e animal, para reduzir as ameaças de doenças e garantir um abastecimento de alimentos seguros por meio de uma gestão eficaz e responsável dos recursos naturais2. 2 FAO-ONU (2021) É dentro desta perspectiva, alargada por outras, que apresentamos uma metodologia educativa voltada para uma ATER Digital participativa que promova no campo os elementos da Saúde Única e Justiça Social, com exemplos e disponibilização de recursos educacionais. Quando ampliados e desdobrados os três elementos (homem, natureza e produção agropecuária) que compõem a Saúde Única, estes podem ser categorizados em quatro grandes áreas, que irão determinar os padrões sanitários de um território rural: localidade, economia, interações e comportamentos sociais. Promover a Saúde Única na produção agropecuária ocorre pela busca do seu entendimento, planejamento, desenvolvimento e aplicação de ações e atividades, que visam ir além do constantemente controle e a prevenção de patologias no campo3. 3 Trilla (2020) O desenvolvimento sustentável pelas pessoas que vivem e trabalham nesse local procura ser o mais amplo e profundo possível, devendo ser realizado de forma coletiva e colaborativa. Para isso, este livro auxilia no planejamento, no desenvolvimento e na aplicação de vários conteúdos pedagógicos via ecossistemas digitais de ensino-aprendizado nos territórios rurais, buscando essa nova realidade produtiva. Vale ressaltar que os serviços e produtos que serão desenvolvidos e ofertados no campo pela ATER Digital participativa, não se resumem a um mero suporte tecnológico para a Agricultura 4.0, que está surgindo nos processos produtivos agropecuários. Olhar a ATER Digital dessa forma é reduzi-la a uma mera ferramenta técnica de apoio aos processos produtivos, que não é o caso. Partimos de uma concepção de ATER Digital com fundamentos pedagógicos dialógicos e participativos, portanto, o técnico ou agente de extensão é também educador, e cria ambientes de ensino-aprendizagem junto com as pessoas que vivem no campo, todos ensinam e aprendam nos mais variados locais e conteúdos das suas vidas. Paulo Freire4 4 Freire; Guimarães (2021) em diálogos com Sérgio Guimarães já observava, na década de 1980, que não era um impeditivo o uso das mídias eletrônicas para os processos de ensino-aprendizado dialógicos, não podendo rotular esses recursos como bons ou ruins. As formas e caminhos pedagógicos de como elas seriam empregadas, durante as atividades com os educandos, é que iriam determinar o ato de ensinar. Freire visualizava nas mídias eletrônicas um potencial para a ampliação dos horizontes cognitivos dos educandos, ilustrando para essa pessoa há diversidade e possibilidades da vida. Porém, as mídias eletrônicas não poderiam apresentar um papel de apenas ser um transmissor de informações, comunicar algo, elas deveriam buscar o diálogo, reconhecendo nesse recurso didático as suas várias possibilidades de ensinar e aprender junto ao educando. Ao visualizar este potencial pedagógico descrito por Paulo Freire iremos ao longo deste livro apresentar cinco conjuntos de exemplos de aplicação desta ATER Digital participativa envolvendo os seguintes conteúdos: i) prevenção à Covid-19 no campo e frigoríficos; ii) boas práticas no uso de produtos veterinários na produção animal; iii) prevenção ao fungo Fusarium 4 Raça Tropical na produção de bananas e iv) divulgação de elementos básicos do direito, cidadania para as pessoas que vivem no campo; v) introdução as várias modalidades de crédito e endividamento. Tais experiências foram sistematizadas em um conjunto de 12 livros5 5 Zuin et al. (2020abcd); Zanella et al. (2020abc); Sousa et al. (2021); Trentini et al. (2021); BRASIL-MAPA (2021ab); Ribeiro et al. (2021) de distribuição gratuita, bem como os respectivos recursos educacionais. É com base nesta experiência e na literatura dialógica6 6 Freire (2014, 1987, 1977); Bakhtin (2010ab, 2003); Zuin; Zuin (2019, 2014) que apresentamos os fundamentos de uma ATER Digital participativa baseada nos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da ONU. Todas essas produções contaram com equipes multidisciplinares7 7 Nos anexos encontram-se as listas de autores dos livros e as organizações que pertencem. compostas por 68 pessoas, dentre elas professores, pesquisadores, servidores públicos e profissionais de comunicação, das mais variadas áreas do conhecimento: saúde, extensão rural, fiscalização sanitária, pedagogia, jornalismo e músico. Essas pessoas foram mobilizadas para prover uma resposta, em curto prazo, para à busca da concretização dos 17 ODS da ONU no campo, mais especificamente da Saúde Única nos territórios rurais e qualidade de vida das pessoas que vivem e moram nesses locais. Os autores dos livros trabalhavam em 20 organizações nacionais e internacionais, como universidades, centros de pesquisa e órgãos de fiscalização sanitária. Ao todo para os 12 livros foram produzidos 736 materiais didáticos entre mensagens de voz, textos, vídeos, cartazes e infográficos, 667 deles no idioma português e 69 no espanhol. Os percursos percorridos pelo cotejamento dos trabalhos descritos na literatura por um grupo de autores dialógicos8 8 Bakhtin (2010, 2006, 2003); Freire; Guimarães (2021); Freire (1977, 1987, 1997); Moreira et al. (2020); Larrosa (2015, 2002); Zuin; Zuin (2021, 2014) somadas com as experiências larrosianas9, 9 Larrosa (2015) vivenciadas pelas equipes durante o desenvolvimento dos 12 livros, determinaram a construção e oferta de uma metodologia comunicacional para uma ATER Híbrida dialógica, no contexto interacional pedagógico da ATER Dialógica participativa, as quais compõem este livro. Uma parte dos livros produzidos compõe dois projetos de extensão universitária10 10 Exceto o livro “Manual técnico operacional: procedimentos de biossegurança para a Covid-19 nos encontros e nas rotinas produtivas entre técnicos-educadores e produtores rurais de suínos”. aprovados pela Comissão de Cultura e Extensão (CCEx) da Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA-USP), intitulados “Desenvolvimento de ações para proteger produtores rurais, trabalhadores da agroindústria e suas famílias em resposta à pandemia do Covid-19” e “Diálogos em ambientes virtuais de comunicação para o desenvolvimento socioeconômico, tecnológico, gerencial e ambiental sustentáveis de setores rurais da América Latina”. A foto da capa é de autoria de Luís Fenando Soares Zuin. Também agradecemos à jornalista Ana Maio pelo apoio durante a fase de elaboração do livro. Aproveitem os caminhos, conteúdos e formas apresentados de uma metodologia pedagógica para a ATER Digital participativa as quais poderão ser compartilhadas e adaptadas às suas realidades. Publicação EDUEPB disponível no site: http://eduepb.uepb.edu.br/e-books/

Experiences during gestation can alter the mother’s behavior and physiology, thereby potentially affecting the behavioral and physiological development of the offspring. In livestock, one common challenge for pregnant animals is lameness: a multifactorial condition that causes pain, stress, resulting in poor welfare outcomes. Since maternal pain can affect offspring development, we aimed to quantify the behavioral response in 142 piglets born from sows with different degrees of lameness during pregnancy. Gait scores of 22 pregnant group-housed sows were assessed six times at 2-week intervals. Lameness scores varied from 0 (no lameness) to 5 (most severe lameness score). Saliva samples and behavior were assessed in the sows throughout pregnancy. Sows were moved to individual farrowing pens and placental tissue was collected for glucocorticoid assessment. At 28 days of age, piglets were weaned, weighed, and regrouped by body size and sex. Skin lesions were counted for each piglet on days 28, 29, and 30 after birth. During open field and novel object tests on day 30, the vocalization and activity levels were evaluated. Piglet data were grouped by the lameness score of the sows as G1 (without lameness), G2 (moderate lameness), and G3 (severe lameness). Data analysis included ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests and pairwise comparisons which were performed using Tukey and Kramer (Nemenyi) test with Tukey-Dist approximation for independent samples. G2 piglets were heavier than G3 at weaning. G1 piglets had fewer skin lesions at days 28 and 29 than G2 piglets. Moreover, G1 piglets vocalized more than G2 when they were subjected to the combined open field and novel object test. We did not identify differences among sows showing different lameness scores in the concentration of placental or salivary glucocorticoids. Lameness in pregnant sows altered the offspring’s weight gain, number of skin lesions and vocalizations, together showing evidence that lameness in sows affect offspring performance and behavior.

O objetivo deste estudo foi formular um diagnóstico das condições de vida de jumentos abandonados mantidos em uma área restrita de uma propriedade através da avaliação de seu nível de bem-estar, utilizando o protocolo AWIN como ferramenta metodológica. Estes animais seriam destinados ao abate, porém, depois da suspensão temporária da atividade, foram abandonados pelos proprietários. O protocolo de avaliação de bem-estar foi associado às condições ambientais e sanitárias gerais. Informações sobre os índices de mortalidade também foram coletadas. De acordo com os resultados da avaliação de bem-estar, as condições de vida destes animais estavam aceitáveis em algumas áreas, embora não houvesse sombreamento e abrigo suficientes, um período de restrição alimentar de 3 meses e um índice de mortalidade acima de 70%. Estes resultados demonstram que protocolos de avaliação de bem-estar devem ser adaptados a situações de crise, e bancos de dados para indicadores de bem-estar em condições diversas devem ser criados. The objective of this study was to reach a diagnosis of the living conditions of abandoned donkeys kept in a restricted farm area through the assessment of their welfare level utilizing the AWIN protocol as a methodological tool. These animals were supposed to be sent to slaughter, but after the activity was temporarily banned, they were abandoned by traders. The protocol of welfare assessment was associated with general environmental and sanitary conditions. Information regarding the mortality rates was also gathered. According to the welfare assessment results, the living conditions of these animals were acceptable in some areas, despite the insufficient shade and shelter, a 3-month food restriction period, and a mortality rate of over 70%. These results demonstrate that welfare assessment protocols must be adapted to crises and databases for welfare indicators in diverse conditions must be created.

Piglets weaned under commercial systems are greatly stressed by maternal separation, abrupt changes in the diet and mixing of litters. Intensive agonistic interactions exacerbate this challenge for piglets. We investigated effects of older conspecific presence in the nursery pen after weaning. Ninety-six 21 days old piglets were weaned and housed in eight pens, distributed equally by gender and by genetic relatedness. In four pens, a 4 months old conspecific was present. In order to test the effects of the presence of an older conspecific in the piglets’ agonistic interactions, total skin lesions, agonistic behaviour and vocalizations were assessed on four consecutive days after weaning. Despite the low number of studied animals, the presence of the older animal decreased aggressive interactions, time spent in fights, number of lesions and duration of vocalizations. The presence of an older conspecific improved the welfare of piglets at weaning, possibly by acting as social reference.

As colisoes entre veiculos e animais representam um serio problema na infraestrutura rodoviaria. Para evitar tais acidentes, medidas mitigatorias tem sido aplicadas em diferentes regioes do mundo. Neste projeto e apresentado um sistema de deteccao de animais em rodovias utilizando visao computacional e algoritmo de aprendizado de maquina. Os modelos foram treinados para classificar dois grupos de animais: capivaras e equideos. Foram utilizadas duas variantes da rede neural convolucional chamada Yolo (voce so ve uma vez) — Yolov4 e Yolov4-tiny (versao mais leve da rede) — e o treinamento foi realizado a partir de modelos pre-treinados. Testes de deteccao foram realizados em 147 imagens e os resultados de precisao obtidos foram de 84,87% e 79,87% para Yolov4 e Yolov4-tiny, respectivamente. O sistema proposto tem o potencial de melhorar a seguranca rodoviaria reduzindo ou prevenindo acidentes com animais.

The international demand for donkeys has increased sharply in recent years, motivated by China’s growing interest in producing ejiao (a traditional medicine made from donkey skin) and, in a smaller proportion, donkey meat. Since the Chinese donkey population dropped by 75.4% in the past 25 years, the country has searched for supply in the international market, mainly in Africa and South America. Aiming to understand the participation of Brazil in this scenario, this paper presents and discusses official data on donkey slaughter and donkey meat and skin exports in Brazil from 2002 to 2019. After the recent news reports of donkey trade-related mistreatment in the Brazilian Northeast, the issue has attracted attention from public authorities, the media, and civil society, but it lacked a quantitative description that could give a tangible dimension to the situation. The interpretation of these data is made with the collaboration of qualitative research methods, emphasizing some aspects of human-animal relations.

Rectal prolapse a rectal static disorder and is more common in donkey than in horses. The aim of this study was to relate the cases of three type II retained prolapses in northeastern donkeys (Equus asinus) that were vulnerable and mistreated, from the exploratory chain to decrease. Two males and one female, which were treated, exhibited an evolution of prolapse over 6, 24, and 96 h. Tachycardia and tachypnea were observed in the two cases with the shortest duration of prolapse evolution, for which conservative mechanical reversal was effective, without the need for a surgical procedure. Conditions differed between the heart rate and respiratory parameters in case with 96 h of evolution, or in those where it was necessary to use epidural anesthesia and sphincter suture with a tobacco bag pattern. The findings of this study reinforce the need to compile cases from the literature to establish a standard protocol for rectal prolapse in donkeys. El prolapso rectal es un trastorno rectal estático y es más común en burros que en caballos. El objetivo de este estudio fue relacionar los casos de tres prolapsos retenidos de tipo II en burros vulnerables y maltratados del noreste (Equus asinus), de la cadena exploratoria para sacrificio. Dos hombres y una mujer, que fueron tratados, desarrollaron prolapso a las 6, 24 y 96 horas. Se observaron taquicardia y taquipnea en los dos casos con menor tiempo de evolución del prolapso, para lo cual la reversión mecánica conservadora fue efectiva, sin necesidad de intervención quirúrgica. Las condiciones difirieron entre frecuencia cardíaca y parámetros respiratorios en los casos con 96 h de evolución o en aquellos en los que fue necesario utilizar anestesia epidural y sutura de esfínteres con patrón de bolsa de tabaco. Los resultados de este estudio refuerzan la necesidad de recopilar casos de la literatura para establecer un protocolo estándar para el prolapso rectal en burros. O prolapso retal é um distúrbio estático retal e é mais comum em burros do que em cavalos. O objetivo deste estudo foi relacionar os casos de três prolapsos retidos do tipo II em jumentos do nordeste (Equus asinus) vulneráveis e maltratados, da cadeia exploratória para o abate. Dois machos e uma fêmea, que foram tratados, apresentaram evolução do prolapso ao longo de 6, 24 e 96h. Taquicardia e taquipnéia foram observadas nos dois casos com menor tempo de evolução do prolapso, para qual a reversão mecânica conservadora foi eficaz, sem a necessidade de procedimento cirúrgico. As condições diferiram entre a frequência cardíaca e os parâmetros respiratórios nos casos com 96 h de evolução ou naqueles em que foi necessário o uso de anestesia epidural e sutura esfincteriana com padrão de saco de tabaco. Os resultados deste estudo reforçam a necessidade de compilar casos da literatura para estabelecer um protocolo padrão para prolapso retal em burros.

The corpus luteum (CL) is a temporary endocrine gland that plays a decisive role in the reproductive physiology of gilts. Recently, it has been suggested that exogenous factors may compromise the normal functioning of the CL. In the present study, we aimed to understand to what extent an acute and systemic challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the day of estrus could compromise gene expression of gilts’ CLs housed in different welfare conditions. For this, we housed 42 gilts in three different housing systems: crates, indoor group pens, and outdoor housing. Then, we challenged six females from each group with LPS and eight with saline (SAL) on the day of estrus. After slaughtering the gilts on the fifth day after the challenge, ovaries were collected for gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR. Housing system and LPS challenge did not have a significant interaction for any genes evaluated; thus, their effects were studied separately. We identified significant (p < 0.05) downregulation of the angiogenic genes VEGF and FTL1 among LPS-challenged animals. Meanwhile, we also observed upregulation of HSD3B1 gene among LPS-challenged animals. We found that STAR and LHCGR genes were differentially expressed depending on the housing system, which indicates that the environment may affect adaptation capabilities. Our results indicate that an acute health challenge on the estrus day alters CL gene expression; however, the role of the housing system remains uncertain.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:43:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-10-01 The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of the temperament of bovine females Bos taurus indicus submitted to a timed artificial insemination (TAI) protocol on the concentrations of cortisol, diameter of the largest follicle, pregnancy by TAI on Days 30 (P/TAI 30) and 60 (P/TAI 60) after TAI. Nellore cows (n = 2702) of 45 ± 7 days post-partum were submitted to the same TAI protocol. On D -10 devices containing 1 g of progesterone were inserted into the vagina and 2 mg of estradiol benzoate were applied intramuscularly. On D -2, the devices were removed and 530 µg of sodium D-cloprostenol, 300 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin, and 1 mg of Estradiol Cypionate were applied. Forty-eight hours after the final injection, the cows were submitted to TAI (D 0). The temperament of the cows was rated on a numerical scale from 3 to 12 using the composite reactivity score (RS) on D -10. The RS included the evaluation of the movement and breathing while the animal was in the cattle chute and the exit velocity. Cows were classified as Calm (RS ≤ 4; n = 830; Calm group), Reactive (RS = 5 to 8; n = 1313; Reactive group) and Very Reactive (RS ≥ 9; n = 559; Very Reactive group) and 5% of the cows of each group were submitted to blood collection for the subsequent plasmatic cortisol concentration measurement by ELISA. It was observed that Calm group had lower concentration of cortisol than did the Reactive and Very Reactive groups (35.07 ± 1.78, 50.58 ± 2.76, and 54.45 ± 3.39 nmol/L, respectively). The Calm group had diameter of the largest follicle on the day of TAI compared to Reactive and Very Reactive groups (14.4 ± 0.2, 13.6 ± 0.4, and 13.2 ± 0.2 mm, respectively). The Calm and Reactive groups had higher P/TAI compared to the Very Reactive Group on Day 30 (56.4%, 57.0%, 51.0%, respectively) and on Day 60 (50.0%, 47.3%, 42.7%, respectively). In conclusion, temperament influences the reproductive efficiency of bovine females Bos taurus indicus submitted to TAI protocols. University of São Paulo Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, Duque de Caxias Norte Avenue, 255, Campus Fernando Costa, CEP 13.635-900 MF Vetplan, José Ferreira Street, 130, CEP 13.890-000 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Carlos Grimaldi Avenue, 1701, CEP 13.091-908 Biogénesis-Bagó Animal Health Ltda, Manoel Ribas Avenue, 985, CEP 80.810-000 São Paulo State University (UNESP) FCAT, Comandante João Ribeiro de Barros Road (SP 294), Km 651, CEP 17.900-000 University of São Paulo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Duque de Caxias Norte Avenue, 225, Campus Fernando Costa, CEP 13.635-900 University of Florida North Florida Research and Education Center Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) FCAT, Comandante João Ribeiro de Barros Road (SP 294), Km 651, CEP 17.900-000

El lector está recibiendo un Manual Técnico de Operaciones desarrollado por investigadores de la Universidad de São Paulo (USP, Brasil) y de la Universidad de Cambridge (Reino Unido). Este documento pretende ofrecerle a los técnicos extensionistas, un conjunto de orientaciones que pretenden disminuir el riesgo de propagación del Coronavirus (Sars.CoV2), para las diversas situaciones que puedan presentarse en su trabajo junto a los productores rurales, funcionarios y familiares; que suceden en las rutinas productivas de las granjas de cerdos visitadas. Debido a la pandemia global de la COVID-19, es importante que medidas de bioseguridad sean tomadas para evitar la contaminación de los técnicos, productores de cerdos, su familia y funcionarios, en busca de asegurar y mantener la salud de esas personas en sus territorios rurales. Complementariamente, este manual técnico también pretende contribuir con el mantenimiento de los procesos productivos de los mataderos. Actualmente la ciencia está todos los días haciendo nuevos descubrimientos sobre la COVID-19, y, por lo tanto, el contenido de este manual será actualizado en la medida de lo posible.

Este Manual Técnico Operacional foi desenvolvido por pesquisadores da Universidade de São Paulo e da Universidade de Cambridge (UK), visando ofertar, ao leitor técnico extensionista e também aos interessados no tema, um conjunto de orientações que busca diminuir o risco de propagação do Coronavírus (Sars-CoV-2), nos mais variados tipos de encontros de trabalho que acontecem nas rotinas produtivas das granjas de suínos junto dos produtores rurais, funcionários e familiares. Devido à pandemia global da COVID-19, é importante que medidas de biossegurança sejam tomadas para evitar a contaminação dos técnicos, produtores de suínos, seus familiares e funcionários, buscando assegurar a manutenção da saúde dessas pessoas nos seus territórios rurais. De forma complementar, este manual técnico também visa contribuir com a manutenção dos processos produtivos dos frigoríficos. De acordo com as normas vigentes de biossegurança, este documento oferta um conjunto de informações sobre procedimentos interacionais, os quais deverão ser internalizados e adotados nas rotinas produtivas de cada granja de suínos. A ciência revela, todos os dias, novas descobertas e novos conhecimentos e, portanto, o conteúdo deste manual será atualizado na medida do possível.

Some effects of expressing stereotypic behavior have not yet been elucidated. During gestation, the environment has the potential to interfere with offspring development and to have prenatal or longer-term consequences. We tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of stereotypic behavior during gestation could affect the phenotype of the offspring. Twenty-eight pregnant sows were studied by comparing two groups differing in the amount of stereotypy shown. We analyzed emotionality in the offspring from sows showing high or low stereotypy frequency using the open field and novel object tests. In the open field test, piglets from sows with a high rate of stereotypies walked more in central sectors (p < 0.0001) and lateral sectors (p = 0.04) than piglets from sows with a low rate of stereotypies. In the novel object test, the offspring from low stereotypy sows vocalized more (p = 0.008). We demonstrate for the first time that the stereotypic behavior by the mother during gestation changes the phenotype of the offspring, in particular, their emotionality.

Personality is defined by characteristics of individuals and describes and accounts for temporally stable patterns of affect, cognition and behaviour traits. The study of cat behaviour and personality can minimize potential problems in the relationship between cats and their owners and decrease abandonment and maltreatment. People generally adopt animals according to the individual’s appearance, age or sex. Personality assessments can help make adoptions successful by identifying ideal subjects for potential owners. A personality assessment called “Meet Your Match®” (MYM), developed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and validated for our cat sample was used in this study. To evaluate stress, we measured faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) of cats in shelters and after adoption. In an effort to improve adoption and cat adaptation in new homes, our goals were 1) to evaluate the relationship between personality and cortisol levels; 2) to confirm if MYM assessment is consistent through situations; and 3) to investigate how moving from the shelter to the owners’ homes affects FCM levels. The subjects for our first goal were 53 sheltered cats. For the second and the third goals, we followed 15 of the original 53 after the adoption. No correlation was found between personality dimensions (agreeableness p = 0.878; openness p = 0.141; extraversion p = 0.942) and FCM levels. MYM assessment was consistent through different localities. There was a slight, but significant (p = 0.0072), decrease of FCM levels at owners’ home. However, most subjects (n = 11) did not present changes that were significantly different from zero. Our study underlined the usefulness of the MYM personality assessment and confirmed a lack of correlation between personality and cortisol levels in cats. It is a further step towards incorporating a more objective approach to the adoption process in shelters to improve the pairing of humans and cats.

Stress at the end of sheep gestation can damage the reproductive development of young males. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of LPS administration in the last third of sheep pregnancy on the reproductive parameters of prepubertal rams. Thirty-six pregnant nulliparous ewes (12 ± 2 months old; 45 ± 6 kg) were assigned to two treatments, LPS (E. coli; 0.8 μg kg−1) and control (placebo/saline) administered in late pregnancy (120 days post-conception). The animals gave birth to 17 male lambs (11 LPS; 8 control). Reproductive development of the young rams was analyzed from 5 to 12 months of age. A completely randomized design in double factorial scheme was used. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance. The model included treatment (LPS; control), age as main effects and their interactions, and the animal as a repeated measure. Means were compared by the PDIFF-SAS (Pr > |t|) at P 0.05) with higher abnormalities only during months 8 and 9 (P

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a machine vision algorithm to assess the pain level in horses, using an automatic computational classifier based on the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) and trained by machine learning method. The use of the Horse Grimace Scale is dependent on a human observer, who most of the time does not have availability to evaluate the animal for long periods and must also be well trained in order to apply the evaluation system correctly. In addition, even with adequate training, the presence of an unknown person near an animal in pain can result in behavioral changes, making the evaluation more complex. As a possible solution, the automatic video-imaging system will be able to monitor pain responses in horses more accurately and in real-time, and thus allow an earlier diagnosis and more efficient treatment for the affected animals. This study is based on assessment of facial expressions of 7 horses that underwent castration, collected through a video system positioned on the top of the feeder station, capturing images at 4 distinct timepoints daily for two days before and four days after surgical castration. A labeling process was applied to build a pain facial image database and machine learning methods were used to train the computational pain classifier. The machine vision algorithm was developed through the training of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that resulted in an overall accuracy of 75.8% while classifying pain on three levels: not present, moderately present, and obviously present. While classifying between two categories (pain not present and pain present) the overall accuracy reached 88.3%. Although there are some improvements to be made in order to use the system in a daily routine, the model appears promising and capable of measuring pain on images of horses automatically through facial expressions, collected from video images.

Pregnant sows are often subjected to food restriction, which can compromise their welfare and performance, as well as the performance of their offspring. High fiber diets (HFD) can mitigate the feeling of hunger and, consequently, improve welfare and performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of feeding pregnant gilts with high a fiber diet on performance measures of sows. Additionally, the behavior and welfare of the sows were assessed. Twenty-eight pregnant gilts were fed either HFD (N = 16) or low fiber diet (LFD; N = 12). We evaluated behavior, salivary cortisol concentration, performance, and feeding motivation. We found an interaction between treatment and feeding time for duration (P = 0.0041) and frequency (P = 0.0128) of sham-chewing stereotypy. Sows that received LFD performed the behavior for longer and more often before feeding than after feeding. These results indicate that HFD was beneficial in reducing stereotypic behavior in sows, prior to feeding time, but did not improve performance measures.

This study focused on stress physiology by characterizing cortisol responses to stressors in tail biters (n = 10), victims (n = 10), and control pigs (n = 10) of two different breeds (Landrace × Yorkshire, LY; Landrace/Yorkshire × Landrace/Duroc; LYLD) and sexes (females and castrated males). We exposed pigs to 10 min of isolation with a human at the farm and transported them to a controlled environment. There, the behaviour was registered for 10 min during sessions when subjected to a novel object test and to a novel arena test. Sampling times of salivary cortisol were in all the fear tests before testing and 60 min thereafter, while for transportation as well 120 min after the beginning of transportation. We additionally measured cortisol at 7:00 and 16:00 h during three days following transportation. The basal stress axis activity followed a distinct diurnal rhythm between sexes and breeds, with castrated males having higher cortisol level than females and LY pigs higher than LYLD pigs. Following isolation at the farm and transportation, the concentration of salivary cortisol was higher in LY than in LYLD pigs. Pigs considered the exposure to a novel arena, but not to a novel object, stressful by showing a cortisol level after testing higher than before testing. The results suggest a genotypic effect on sensitivity to stress in pigs that have performed tail biting, have been victimized, or have not been involved in tail biting.

The aims of the current study were to detect behavioural indicators of pain of tail-docked sheep tested in isolation and to determine the relationship between behaviour and the pain levels to which they were exposed. Twenty-four female lambs, randomly assigned to four pens, had their tail docked with a rubber ring (TD; n = 6) without pain control procedures, TD with anaesthesia (TDA; n = 6) or TD with anaesthesia and analgesia (TDAA; n = 6). Additionally, six lambs handled but without tail docking or application of pain relief measures were used as the control (C). On the day prior (Day –1) to the TD and on days 1, 3 and 5 post-procedure, each lamb was individually removed from its group and underwent a 2.5 min open field test in a separate pen. Frequencies of behaviours such as rest, running, standing, walking and exploring were directly observed. Frequencies of exploratory climbs (ECs) and abrupt climbs (ACs) over the testing pen’s walls were video-recorded. Data were analysed using generalised linear mixed models with repeated measurements, including treatment and day as fixed effects and behaviour on Day –1 as a linear covariate. Control and TDAA lambs stood more frequently than TD lambs. TD lambs performed significantly more ACs compared to all other treatment groups. No other treatment effects were detected. A day effect was detected for all behaviours, while the EC frequency was highest for all tail-docked lambs on Day 5. Findings suggest that standing, ACs and ECs could be used as potential indicators of pain in isolated tail-docked lambs. However, differences in ECs between treatments only appeared 3 d after tail docking.

Cytokines are cell signalling proteins that mediate a number of different physiological responses. The accurate measurement of cytokine profiles is important for a variety of diagnostic and prognostic scenarios in relation to animal health and welfare. Simultaneous quantification of cytokine profiles in a single sample is now possible using fluorescent microsphere immunoassays (FMIA). We describe the development and validation of a novel multiplex assay using the Bio-Plex® 200 system to quantify cytokines in five different porcine tissues (brain, placenta, synovial tissue and fluid, plasma). The cytokine profiles are both tissue, and research hypothesis, -dependent but include Interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), Interleukin-4 (IL-4), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α).This methods paper is reported in two parts: the development of a FMIA for porcine tissues and validation of pre-treatment for optimal cytokine recovery in porcine brain, placenta, synovial tissue and plasma. Validation steps are critical in ensuring an assay is suitable for novel sample types.This technique advances traditional ELISAs by: • FMIA provides insight into the profiles of multiple porcine cytokines in certain situations (e.g. disease, parturition). • Use of the Bio-Plex® 200 system to investigate novel sample types, including brain, placenta and synovial tissue. • Multiplexing utilises a fraction of the sample volume compared with multiple ELISAs. Method name: Fluorescent microsphere immunoassay (FMIA), Keywords: Porcine, Multiplex, Cytokine, FMIA, Brain, Placenta, Synovial tissue, Synovial fluid, Plasma, Validation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of stereotypic behavior on productivity measures in sows. Frequent expression of stereotypies by pigs has been reported, even when pigs are not maintained in crates. This behavior is only observed in animals kept in captivity and is a wide-range welfare indicator, since it is considered to develop in situations of chronic stress or frustration. When comparing groups of sows showing low or high frequency of stereotypy expression, we found that stereotypic behavior did not affect productivity. Moreover, it did not affect physiological welfare indicators, such as salivary cortisol concentration or glucocorticoids in the placenta. There were no differences in productivity parameters, including weight of sows, weight of piglets, number of piglets weaned, or piglet mortality. Our study was conducted in group-housing pens, where the sows were not confined. Even in this condition, which is considered for increasing welfare, the barren environment did not meet the behavioral and sensory needs of sows, which were naturally selected to perform complex behavioral repertoire and to spend part of their time engaging in exploratory behavior.

Our goal was to assess the effects of environmental enrichment during gestation on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) and behavior of offspring. In order to test our hypothesis, we kept 18 sows (Sus scrofa domesticus) in straw during the final third of gestation (from 90 to 114 days) and 18 sows without straw (control). On the piglets born (one pair per sow), we performed an analysis of behavior, cortisol levels in saliva and performed fear tests to assess resilience, emotional reactivity, responsiveness to stressors, and cognition. The environmental enrichment used during gestation reduced aggressiveness (p