Assessment of thermal load on transported goats administered with ascorbic acid during the hot-dry conditions

Abstract

The major factor in the induction of physiological stress during road transportation of livestock is the complex fluctuations of the thermal transport microenvironment, encountered when animals are transported across different ecological zones. Recommended guidelines on optimum "on-board" conditions in which goats should be transported are lacking, and there are no acceptable ranges and limits for the thermal loads to which goats may be subjected during long-distance road transportation in hot-dry conditions. Panting score (PS), rectal temperature (RT), heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were employed as reliable stress indices to assess the effects of different thermal loads, measured as temperature humidity index (THI), encountered in the vehicle during 12 h of road transportation of 40 goats, and to suggest the administration of 100 mg/kg body weight of ascorbic acid (AA) as an ameliorating agent. The results obtained showed that the PS, RT, HR and RR rose above normal reference values with increase in the THI and journey duration. The rise in PS value, which is a visual indicator of the severity of thermal load, was the most pronounced. The results suggest that values of THI in the vehicle up to 94.6 constitute no risk, while at of 100 it presents a moderate risk and above 100 may result in severe stress. The relationships between the thermal load and the physiological variables were positive and significant (P < 0.05). They reflect the degree of stress imposed by each THI value during the transportation, and may be used as recommended ranges and limit thermal load values in transported goats. The results demonstrated that administration of 100 mg/kg body weight of AA before road transportation mitigated the risk of adverse effects of high THI values and other stress factors due to road transportation in goats.

Ameliorative Effects of Kaempferol and Zinc Gluconate on Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility and Haematological Parameters in Wistar Rats Exposed to Noise Stress

“…The findings from this study are in agreement with the results obtained by Kumar et al [49] and Minka and Ayo [50] who reported. That the decrease observed in the PCV, Hb and total erythrocyte count in the stressed rats may be due to increased lipid peroxidation in erythrocyte cell membranes and subsequent haemoglobin oxidation [50]. Treatment with kaempferol and zinc singly and in combination ameliorated the decrease.…”

“…Thus, the administration of kaempferol and zinc decreased the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in the present study. The increase in neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio observed in the present study is also in agreement with the findings of Minka and Ayo [50] that the ratio increases in stress situations, especially in those induced via ROS mechanism. Thus, the administration of kaempferol and zinc…”

“…Evidence that noise stress induces immunosuppression [55] and oxidative stress has been implicated in noise-induced immunosuppression [2]. The finding of the present study agrees with that of Minka and Ayo ( [50] who obtained an increase in lymphocyte counts following ascorbic acid supplementation in transported goats exposed to heat stress. It also agress with the finding of [56] that the zinc content of malases ameliorates EOF in chickens exposed to heat stress.…”

Seasonal effects on plasma cortisol concentrations in the Bedouin buck: circadian studies and response to ACTH

“…High ambient temperatures and high solar radiation may be responsible for the highest cortisol levels observed during summer in our experiments, similar to findings of Al-Samawi et al (2014) in Saudi Arabia (38.5°C), as compared with the low levels measured in summer by Al-Busaidi et al (2008) in Oman (34°C) and by Meza-Herrera et al (2007) in Northern Mexico (26.1°C). Indeed, the increase in rectal temperature during the hot season indicates that animals were subjected to heat stress (Minka and Ayo, 2012;Al-Samawi et al, 2014). The seasonal rhythm in BW coincides with reproductive activity; indeed, the gain was observed when bucks were reproductively inactive, between March and mid-August, and the loss during the breeding season, which occurs between late summer and late autumn (Amirat et al, 2001;Kumar et al, 2014).…”

Effects of transportation positions and orientations on muscular damage of goats transported by road for 12 h during the hot-dry conditions

“…adverse climatic conditions may compromise the wellbeing, and consequently, meat quality of goats (Kannan et al, 2000;Minka and Ayo, 2012). Besides, the thermal aspects of the environment during the three (wet, hot-dry and harmattan) seasons in the Savannah zones of Nigeria are stressful.…”