Suffering in diseased pigs as expressed by behavioural, clinical and clinical–chemical traits, in a well defined parasite model

Autor: Katrin Hübner, S. Hepp, Gerald Reiner
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 118:222-231
ISSN: 0168-1591
Popis: In assessing the quality of life of farm animals, the absence of disease has been given highest priority. During the course of infection, sickness and suffering refer to a coordinated set of behavioural and physiological changes. For a better understanding and assessment of animal suffering due to infectious disease, more information on behaviour and the relationships among easily obtainable clinical/clinical–chemical parameters and behavioural indices, gained from defined model diseases is needed. Based on a well-defined model disease ( Sarcocystis miescheriana ), we have studied behavioural patterns (lying inactive [LYWA], activity during lying [ADLY], feeding [FEED], drinking [DRNK], rooting [ROOT], walking [WALK] and social interactions [SOCB]) of pigs during stages of health (day 0, before infection), acute disease (day 14 post-infection [p.i.]), recovery (day 28 p.i.), and chronic disease (day 42 p.i.). Data were captured from video records of 139 F 2 Meishan × Pietrain crossbred pigs and associated with a set of clinical–chemical parameters (red and white blood cells, serum enzymes, serum metabolites and electrolytes). Before infection, respective time shares were 56% (LYWA), 21% (ADLY), 10% (FEED), 0.9% (DRNK), 6.3% (ROOT), 2% (WALK) and
Databáze: OpenAIRE