Energy-related parameters and their association with age, gender, and morphometric measurements in healthy donkeys

Mendoza, Francisco J.; Estepa, J. C.; Cara, C.A. Gonzalez-De; Aguilera-Aguilera, R.; Toribio, Ramiro E.; Pérez-Écija, Alejandro

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.03.004

Cited by 33 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…High leptin concentrations have been found in postpartum hyperlipemic mares (>5 ng/mL) [16] and could be expected in hyperlipemic donkeys. Serum leptin concentrations in healthy donkeys (2.7 ± 0.3 ng/mL) are similar to values reported for horses [15]. Sorbitol dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, gammaglutamyl transferase, bile acid, creatinine, and urea can also be elevated in dyslipemic donkeys, indicating liver or kidney dysfunction [12].…”

Section: Dyslipidemiassupporting

confidence: 79%

“…There are point-of-care sensitive triglyceride analyzers available in the market [14], which could be recommendable for farms with large number of donkeys. Clinicians should also know that because the upper reference limit for triglyceride concentrations (248 mg/dL) is higher in healthy donkeys than horses and ponies [15], the accepted definitions for hypertriglyceridemia (<500 mg/dL) and lipemia/hyperlipemia (>500 mg/dL) in horses and ponies may not be suitable for donkeys.…”

Section: Dyslipidemiasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to BCS, neck scoring system for horses [32] should not be applied to donkeys because they have different neck morphology and distribution of fat deposits. A neck scoring system was recently reported for donkey [15]. This score ranges from 0 (thin neck without palpable crest) to 4 (thick neck, rounded and gross cresty).…”

Section: Donkey or Asinine Metabolic Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

“…When measuring metabolic parameters in donkeys, it should be noted that many of them may differ with gender [35,36]. For example, healthy nonpregnant jennies have lower glucose and higher triglyceride concentrations than males [15], likely secondary to the effect of sexual hormones on fat distribution and mobilization. Jennies also tend to gain more weight and accumulate more fat than males.…”

Section: Donkey or Asinine Metabolic Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

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Donkey Internal Medicine—Part I: Metabolic, Endocrine, and Alimentary Tract Disturbances

Mendoza

Toribio

Pérez-Écija

2018

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science

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a b s t r a c tMetabolic and endocrine disturbances are common in donkeys. This species has an inherent ability to thrive with limited and poor-quality roughage. Donkeys are extremely efficient in energy storage and mobilization, which predisposes to hyperlipemia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of dyslipidemias is higher in donkeys than other equids, which is more evident under stressful conditions. Diagnosis of endocrine and metabolic disorders in donkeys should be based on species-specific information considering that differences in a multitude of variables compared with horses have been demonstrated. Protocols to assess endocrine disorders (e.g., pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, metabolic syndrome, and thyroid illness) are unavailable, and extrapolation from horse data can be misleading. Treatment guidelines for these conditions in donkeys are currently not reported. On the other hand, the typical stoic and hardy behavior of donkeys can hinder prompt diagnosis of gastrointestinal problems, specifically colic, which is commonly caused by dental issues in this species. Moreover, subclinical gastric ulcer syndrome appears to be a common pathology in this species, especially in working donkeys.

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Section: Dyslipidemiassupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Dyslipidemiasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Donkey or Asinine Metabolic Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Donkey or Asinine Metabolic Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

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Donkey Internal Medicine—Part I: Metabolic, Endocrine, and Alimentary Tract Disturbances

Mendoza

Toribio

Pérez-Écija

2018

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science

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“…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. We therefore propose a new measurement which we refer to as the ‘Fatty Neck Score’…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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Metabolic Syndrome in Humans and Horses: The Relationship Between Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Burns¹,

Toribio²

2016

Equine Laminitis

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Energy-related parameters and their association with age, gender, and morphometric measurements in healthy donkeys

Cited by 33 publications

References 31 publications

Donkey Internal Medicine—Part I: Metabolic, Endocrine, and Alimentary Tract Disturbances

Donkey Internal Medicine—Part I: Metabolic, Endocrine, and Alimentary Tract Disturbances

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

Metabolic Syndrome in Humans and Horses: The Relationship Between Obesity and Insulin Resistance

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