Pain caused by parturition in sows and dairy cattle. Effects of meloxicam on welfare and production
- Autores: Eva Mainau Brunso
- Directores de la Tesis: Xavier Manteca Vilanova (dir. tes.), José Luis Ruiz de la Torre Casañas (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ( España ) en 2011
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Francisco A. Galindo Maldonado (presid.), Antonio Velarde Calvo (secret.), Cristina Conill Jiménez (voc.)
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: TESEO
- Resumen
Problems related to parturition may have a negative effect on welfare and production.
The general objective of this thesis was to find indicators of pain caused by parturition in sows and cows and to assess the effects of meloxicam (Metacam®) given shortly after parturition on welfare and production in both species. A total of four experiments were done, three of them in sows and one in cows. For the first two experiments, eighty hybrid sows (Large White x Landrace) from first to seventh parity housed in individual farrowing crates were used. Since the frequency of position changes around farrowing may be partially related to the pain caused by farrowing, the aim of the first study in sows was to develop and validate an automatic system to register position changes.
Position changes were automatically recorded using Standing Lying Sensors (SLS) and compared with video recordings. SLS appeared to be a reliable method (with a 64.13% of sensitivity and an 87.97% of specificity) to register the number of position changes, the total time in each position and the movements of the sows that can lead to piglet crushing. The aims of the second study in sows were 1) to develop an ease of farrowing score (EFS) based on the behaviour of sows and piglets, and 2) to determine the relationship between EFS and production, physiological, and subjective parameters. EFS accounted for 75.05% of the variability between individuals. Duration of farrowing, sow position, sow activity before and during farrowing and number of stillborn and mummified foetuses were found to be indicators of ease of farrowing, whereas parity, litter size and rectal temperature were not. The aim of the third study in sows was to investigate the effects of the NSAID meloxicam on sows and piglets. Forty eight sows were randomly allocated the day of farrowing (day0) into two groups that were homogeneous regarding parity and they were treated with either meloxicam or placebo. Meloxicam injected after farrowing had a positive effect on the behaviour of sows, and sows in the meloxicam group spent less time lying during day+2 and day+3 after farrowing compared with the placebo group. This was probably due to the analgesic effect of meloxicam. In litters from multiparous sows, piglets of low birth weight had an average daily gain (ADG) significantly higher in the meloxicam group than in the placebo group. The objectives of the experiment done in cows were 1) to detect physiological and behavioural indicators of pain caused by calving and 2) to assess the effects of meloxicam given shortly after eutocic calving on cow behaviour and physiology. Sixty Friesian dairy cows from first to sixth parity were randomly allocated into two groups that were homogeneous regarding parity and they were treated with either meloxicam or excipient as control. As calving approached, cows showed a higher percentage of active behaviour, spent less time eating, drinking and ruminating, and showed a higher frequency of turning head and exploratory behaviour.
In addition, high frequencies of tail up position were observed at least 6 hours before calving, suggesting that tail up position is a good indicator of imminent calving. Kicking and self-grooming behaviours could indicate pain or discomfort related to calving because their frequency was affected by calving assistance and/or parity. Acute Phase Proteins (APP) and rectal temperature (RT) had their highest values during the days nearest to calving and they were higher in heifers than in multiparous cows, suggesting that heifers suffered more discomfort due to calving than multiparous cows. Although meloxicam had no effect on milk production, APP and RT, cow activity increased by meloxicam treatment in heifers, suggesting that the analgesic effect of meloxicam could lead to a faster recovery after calving in heifers.
