Lecture Notes
Stress is defined as the symptom resulting from exposure to an environment that is not normal for that specific animal. This can be seen in the handling and transportation of animals.
1. Stress affects animals in two ways:
a. Psychologically – Fear
i. restraint, handling or neglect
b. Physically – hunger, thirst, fatigue, injury or thermal extremes
2. Specific factors that produce stress
a. Temperature:
i. Effective ambient temperature (EAT) = Combination of humidity, precipitation and heat radiation
ii. Comfort zone = Range of EAT in which an animal does not have to increase normal metabolic rate.
iii. Lower critical temperature (LCT) = animal shows symptoms of cold stress (i.e. Increases feed intake)
iv. Upper critical temperature (UCT) = animal show symptoms of heat stress (i.e. Decrease feed intake).
b. Ventilation – The movement of air throughout the environment
c. Crowding – Overpopulation of animals in one area of an environment
d. Transportation – Transporting of animals via trailer, truck or cage.
e. Facility or Housing systems – foreign living space
f. Working equipment – facilities and equipment used on animals for which they are not familiar.
g. Pests – flies, mosquitoes, lice, and ticks that irritate physically and psychologically.
h. Human exposure – The familiarity with humans.
3. Symptoms of Stress
a. General signs for all animals- making noise, fight or flight aggression, lethargy, decrease or lack of appetite, isolation, panting or dehydration
b. Cattle – “Bawling” making noise, throw of head, constant defecation, whip tail, stomping feet, running at fence or person
c. Pigs – constant movement or ranting, tail twitching, trembling ears, screeching, and red or purple blotches on skin
d. Sheep and goats – “bawling” noise, constant movement (turn in circles), jumping fences, head down, wood or metal chewing, isolation, skittish, snotty nose
e. Horses – pawing, making noise, constant moving back and forth, sweating, throwing head back and ears pinned back.
f. Cats – Chewing and scratching, excessive meowing, dilated pupils, hyperactivity and obsessive grooming and fluffing of hair
g. Dogs – chewing and destruction, digging, constant urinating , hyperactivity, growling and showing of teeth, tail between legs and shaking
h. Birds - constant preening, pacing and pulling out feathers.
4. Factors that help preventing stress
a. Temperature:
i. Heat = provide shade, bedding that does not hold heat, rinse down environment, provide fresh water daily and utilize window or fans when temperature is over 100 degrees
b. Ventilation – Ensure there is ventilation and provide an outside area for animals when possible during the day.
c. Crowding – Make sure there is room for each animal to lie down and have their own water and feed through space. Time should be given to move animals from one place to the other to prevent crowding ion pens and chutes. Never move animals in the heat of the day or when it’s really windy. Both of these issues cause severe stress.
d. Transportation – ensure a clean and safe mode of transportation that has room for each animals and ventilation. If the trip is long provide only a few stops to get animals exercised, fed and watered. When possible, run loading and moving practice runs with the animal at shorter distances to acclimate animal with procedures.
e. Facility or Housing systems – foreign living space. Try to provide similar environments to the one the animal was in before and allow animal time to acclimate to its environment prior to working with that animal
f. Working equipment – Chutes, pens and other equipment should reflect the animal’s normal motions and actions without causing severe pain. Use common sense.
g. Pests - Provide pest control in the environment and on the animal’s to stop infestations. Consistent cleaning of facility aids in this prevention.
h. Human exposure – Take time and small steps to approach and work with an animal. Be patient and give that animal time to adjust to it environment as well as people.
5. Treatments for stress
a. Remove any variables mentioned above.
b. Provide electrolytes to prevent dehydration
c. B12 shot boosts animals immunity
d. Exercise allows animal’s mind to move from fear to fun
e. Probiotics boost enzymatic activity in the digestive tract
f. Mild tranquilizers can be used in extreme incidences