Interpretive summary Sole ulcers affect dairy cow immune status by O'Driscoll et alDairy cows afflicted with sole ulcers are often clinically lame, and experience pain and impaired welfare. However little is known of the cows' stress and immune response to sole ulcers. This study demonstrated that cows that are affected with sole ulcers, and clinically lame, had a different leukocyte gene expression profile to healthy cows. They also had higher concentrations of the stress hormone, cortisol, the endogenous precursor steroid hormone -DHEA, and the various metabolites that are suggestive of systemic inflammation and stress. ABSTRACTSole ulcers are one of the most severe lameness causing pathologies for dairy cows and are associated with abnormal behaviour and impaired production performance. However, little is known about how or whether lameness caused by sole ulcers affects the cow systemically. This study compared haematology profile, leukocyte gene expression, and physiological responses (metabolite, cortisol, the endogenous steroid hormone -DHEA, and haptoglobin concentrations) of cows with sole ulcers and healthy cows. Twelve clinically lame cows (LAME) were identified as having at least one sole ulcer, and no other disorder and matched with a cow that had good locomotion and no disorders (SOUND), using days in milk, liveweight, body condition score and diet. Blood samples were taken from all 24 cows within 24h of sole ulcer diagnosis. Leukocyte counts were obtained using an automated cell counter, cortisol and DHEA concentration by ELISA, and plasma haptoglobin (Hb), urea, total protein, creatine kinase and glucose were analysed on an Olympus analyser. Expression of 16 genes associated with lameness or stress were estimated using qRT-PCR. Data were analysed using the Mixed procedure in SAS (v 9.3). LAME cows had a higher neutrophil %, a numerically lower lymphocyte %, and tended to have a higher neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio than SOUND. Serum cortisol and DHEA concentrations were higher in LAME than in SOUND cows. LAME cows also tended to have higher haptoglobin and glucose levels than SOUND, as well as higher protein yet lower urea levels. SOUND cows tended to have higher relative expression of the gene coding for colony stimulating factor 2 than LAME, but in all other cases where differences were detected in cytokine gene expression (IL-1α, IL-1β, CXCL8 and IL-10), relative gene expression in SOUND cows tended to be, or was, lower than in LAME.Relative expression of MMP-13, GR-α, Fas, haptoglobin and CD62L were, or tended to be, higher in LAME than SOUND cows. A high neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio in combination with higher cortisol levels in cows with ulcers is indicative of physiological stress. Moreover, increased DHEA and a higher cortisol:DHEA ratio, as well as a tendency for higher haptoglobin levels and increased 5 haptoglobin mRNA expression are indicative of systemic inflammation. Increased cytokine mRNA expression indicates activation of the immune system compared with healthy cows. Increased express...
Solutions are needed to keep pigs under commercial conditions without tail biting outbreaks (TBOs). However, as TBOs are inevitable, even in well managed farms, it is crucial to know how to manage TBOs when they occur. We evaluated the effectiveness of multi-step intervention protocols to control TBOs. Across 96 pens (1248 undocked pigs) managed on fully-slatted floors, 40 TBOs were recorded (≥3 out of 12–14 pigs with fresh tail wounds). When an outbreak was identified, either the biters or the victims were removed, or enrichment (three ropes) was added. If the intervention failed, another intervention was randomly used until all three interventions had been deployed once. Fifty percent of TBOs were controlled after one intervention, 30% after 2–3 interventions, and 20% remained uncontrolled. A high proportion of biters/victims per pen reduced intervention success more so than the type of intervention. When only one intervention was used, adding ropes was the fastest method to overcome TBOs. Removed biters and victims were successfully reintroduced within 14 days back to their home pens. In conclusion, 80% of TBOs were successfully controlled within 18.4 ± 1.7 days on average using one or multiple cost-effective intervention strategies.
Access to open water is considered good for the welfare of Pekin ducks. These studies investigated the effect that the type of water resource, provided over either straw bedding or a rubber mesh, had on measures of duck health. Pekin strain ducklings (n = 2,600) were managed in pens of 100 on straw over a solid concrete floor. In study 1, one of two water resources (nipple, n = 5 pens; wide-lip bell drinker, n = 5 pens), was located directly over the straw. In study 2, one of three water resources (narrow-lip bell drinker, n = 6 pens; trough, n = 5 pens; and bath, n = 5 pens) was located over a rubber mesh. On d 16, 24, 29, 35, and 43, (study 1) or d 21, 29, 35, and 43 posthatch (study 2), 10 birds were selected from each pen and weighed, and then feather hygiene, footpad dermatitis, eye health, gait score, and nostril condition scores were taken. Treatment had no effect on BW in either study, but in study 2, ducks in the open water treatments had higher scores (P < 0.001) than those in the narrow-lip bell drinker treatment by d 43. In study 1, treatment had no effect on hygiene scores, but scores increased over time (P < 0.001). In study 2, ducks in the narrow-lip bell drinker treatment were dirtier than those in the bath treatment (P = 0.01), with those in the trough treatment being intermediate. In both studies, ducks with bell drinkers had worse gait scores than those in the other treatments (study 1, P < 0.01; study 2, P < 0.05). Treatment had no effect on eye health scores. However, ducks were less likely to have dirty nostrils when provided with more open water resources in both studies (P < 0.01), or were less likely to have blocked nostrils in the trough and bath treatments than in the narrow-lip bell drinker treatment in study 2 (P = 0.01). Provision of open water, particularly over a properly constructed drainage area, improved some aspects of duck health (improved feather hygiene and BW, and fewer dirty and blocked nostrils). However, further work is needed to investigate these treatments on a commercial scale.
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