A Combination of Behavioral and Physiological Indicators for Assessing Pig Welfare on the Farm

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify pig welfare indicators that could help in recognizing stressful practices on farm. The study evaluated behavioral and physiological indicators (cortisol and negative acute phase proteins) in 2 groups of 20 female pigs 4 months old after a 48-hr transport. The first group (A) was transported at the end of May, the second (B) in June. Behavioral observations and blood collection occurred at arrival (D1) and 28 days later (D28). Compared with within-animal control samples obtained 28 days later, pigs of Group A had increased cortisol levels and decreased albumin concentrations after arrival. As demonstrated by lesion and behavior observations, the effect on cortisol and albumin was higher in Group B pigs after a tail-biting episode occurred. The study has reported no evidence of Retinol Binding Protein (RBP) in pigs. A method developed for swine RBP quantification found RBP strongly reduced in D28 samples of Group B, confirming it to be a negative protein in pigs. The suggested combination of physiological and behavioral indicators could provide useful information on the welfare state of an animal.

Longitudinal effects of environmental enrichment on behaviour and physiology of pigs reared on an intensive-stock farm

“…In fact, both these parameters are commonly considered physiological and behavioural reactions to stressful conditions, respectively (Smulders et al, 2006;Candiani et al, 2008 and HGB (9 vs 10) with respect to Standard pigs. However, the levels recorded all fall within the range reported in intensively farmed pigs in the literature (Nemi, 1993) and may be interpreted as a small disturbance induced by the ongoing sub-clinical inflammatory processes reported above.…”

Validation of an Automated Method for Salivary Alpha-Amylase Measurements in Pigs (Sus Scrofa Domesticus) and its Application as a Stress Biomarker

“…In pigs, stress has been considered a cause of production decrease due to an increase in animal susceptibility to infectious diseases, as well as a decrease in the quality of meat products. 2,9,12 To evaluate stress in pigs, the measurement of several analytes, such as catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) as markers of the sympathetic adrenal-medullary (SAM) system in blood, 13 and cortisol as a marker of activation of hypothalamicpituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis in blood and saliva, 1,20 has been reported. The use of saliva as sample for stress evaluation has several advantages compared with blood since it can be obtained by noninvasive procedures that do not produce additional stress or harm to the animals.…”

Effects of transportation and thermal stress on donkeys in the Northern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria: A review

“…These mediators have widespread effects on cells and tissues: they bind to receptors, ion channels and intracellular proteins to cause primary effects, such as activation of signaling cascades and gene expression. Cumulatively, the primary mediators result in secondary outcomes (Lay et al, 1996;Candiani et al, 2008). For example, acute stress causes release of primary mediator adrenaline, which binds to β-adrenergic receptors on the heart, increasing heart rate (Manteca, 1998).…”

“…Stress is the biological response that animals exhibit in response to stimuli (stressors) which disrupt their homeostasis (Candiani et al, 2008). Stress has widespread effects on physiological systems, including changes in the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, central nervous and reproductive systems (Obernier and Baldwin, 2006).…”