Donkeys Are Different

Burden, Faith; Thiemann, Alex

doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2015.03.005

Cited by 139 publications

(197 citation statements)

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“…This lack of correlation could be due to several factors: when employing BCS to measure the overall adiposity of the animal, it is necessary to bear in mind that there is a certain level of subjectivity in the assignment of scores (Carter et al, 2009) and, according to Dugdale et al (2011), there is a loss of sensitivity of subjective BCS systems in overweight subjects. Another factor is related to the fact that donkeys are not small horses, although they both belong to the Equidae family; donkeys also differ from each other in many ways, particularly as far as their anatomical variations and physical conformations are concerned (Burden & Thiemann, 2015). This variability is thus not only interspecific, it is also intraspecific.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This result can be explained by considering that the shape of the neck of a donkey is different from that of a horse. The shorter neck and the more protruding manubrium of the donkey support a heavy skull (Burden & Thiemann, 2015), and this leads to the development of a remarkably thick cutaneus colli muscle, which even covers the middle one-third of the jugular furrow (Burnham, 2002). In the present study, it has been possible to develop an objective scale of reference for FNS in a population of lactating donkeys (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study, it has been possible to develop an objective scale of reference for FNS in a population of lactating donkeys (Table 1). FNS is a morphometric index of regional fat deposition but even if correlated to BCS, it can be independent of the overall adiposity status, since it can remain even when the overall body weight decreases (Burden, 2012; Burden & Thiemann, 2015). In addition, this regional adiposity could play a different role in donkeys from the role it plays in horses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, other animal-based morphometric indicators have been proposed in the last few years; many studies have identified that equids, store regional fat especially on the neck, that can remain in donkeys even if the overall condition decreases (Burden, 2012; Burden & Thiemann, 2015). A proposal for a neck score of the adiposity of donkeys exists (Mendoza et al, 2015), but is based on a 0–4 scale, rather than on the 0–5-point scale and it is not associated with all the morphometric variables of the neck, such as the neck circumference (NC) measured at 0.25 and 0.75 of the neck length, the neck height (NH) or the neck thickness (NT) at 0.50.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A functional approach to the body condition assessment of lactating donkeys as a tool for welfare evaluation

Valle

Raspa

Giribaldi

et al. 2017

PeerJ

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BackgroundThe breeding of lactating donkeys is increasing in Western Europe; with it the evaluation of body condition is growing in importance since it is considered a key principle for their welfare. However, assessment of body condition is a complex task, since several factors are involved. The aim of the present study is to investigate which animal-based indicators are the most reliable to describe the body condition of lactating donkeys. For this purpose, new animal-based indicators, which are easy to measure in field conditions (including body measurements, fatty neck score (FNS), dental score), are recorded and their relationship with BCS (a proxy measure for overall adiposity) was assessed. The ones that reveal an association with the BCS are included in an integrated principal component analysis to understand which are the most related to BCS.MethodsFifty-three healthy lactating donkeys of various breeds, including 7 Martina Franca, 10 Ragusano, 2 Romagnolo and 34 crossbreeds, were evaluated. The animal-based indicators that were recorded were: length (OP, olecranon tuber-pinbone and SH, shoulder-hip), heart girth (HG), abdominal circumference (AC), neck length (NL), neck height (NH) and neck thickness (NT) at 0.50 and neck circumference (NC) at 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75, body condition score (BCS) and fatty neck score (FNS). The owners’ evaluation of the BCS was also considered. A dental assessment was performed and the month of lactation and age of each animal was recorded.ResultsNo correlation was found between BCS and the other morphometric body measurements. On the contrary the FNS was correlated with the morphometric measurements of the neck (positive correlation to 0.50 NH and 0.50 NT, 0.50 NC, 0.75 mean NC, and negative correlation to the mean NC:NH and mean NC:NT, 0.50 NC:NT and 0.50 NC:NH ratios). A significant inverse relationship was identified between BCS and dental score. A Principal Component analysis (PCA) separated the BCS classes on the first principal component (PC1). PC1 revealed a meaningful positive correlation between the BCS and the neck measurements (NT, NH and FNS), with high positive loadings, while a negative correlation was found for dental abnormalities. The owners’ evaluation of BCS was different from the expert evaluator’ assessment, since they tended to give higher score that was slightly but significantly correlated to AC.DiscussionA new scoring system, called Fatty Neck Score (FNS), has been proposed for the judgement of the adiposity status of donkey neck. The results suggest that caregivers might use the proposed animal based indicators (BCS, FNS and dental scores) together as a tool for the evaluation of the body condition of lactating donkeys. Our findings highlight that caregivers need to be trained in order to be able to properly record these indicators. Ultimately use of these indicators may help to improve the welfare of lactating donkeys.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A functional approach to the body condition assessment of lactating donkeys as a tool for welfare evaluation

Valle

Raspa

Giribaldi

et al. 2017

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Compounding these difficulties, all too often statements about the effects of major infectious diseases on donkeys are extrapolated from what is known about horses (Segwagwe et al 2000, p. 179), despite the fact that the two species show many differences (Burden and Thiemann 2015) and exhibit different symptoms that may vary considerably in their severity. As a result, donkeys remain Bespecially neglected when it comes to disease investigation, control and prevention ( Getachew et al 2014, p. 236) and overviews of disease in them are few (but see Segwagwe et al 2000;Getachew et al 2014;Getachew et al 2016).…”

Section: Disease Challenges For Donkeysmentioning

confidence: 99%