Lambs show changes in ear posture when experiencing pain

Guesgen, M.J.; Beausoleil, NJ; Minot, Edward O.; Stewart, Mary E.; Stafford, KJ; Morel, P. C. H.

doi:10.7120/09627286.25.2.171

Cited by 26 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Ear movements have been reported to be exhibited in aversive situations in pigs (26) and sheep (23,27). In lambs, ear movements are also associated with pain (24). Therefore, our data showing more ear movements after docking support the existence of pain.…”

Section: Signs Of Pain and Stress Immediately After The Proceduressupporting

confidence: 64%

“…To our knowledge, the ear posture of pigs has been reported in negative situations only in one study (4), which found that the time spent with the ears in a backward posture increased after stress (social isolation combined with negative, unpredictable interventions in pigs). Backward ear posture is also a sign of negative emotion in sheep (23) and of pain in sheep and horses [lambs: (24); horses: (25)]. In our study, there was no effect of docking on the backward posture but docked piglets were more often observed with their ears in a posture perpendicular to the head-tail axis.…”

Section: Signs Of Pain and Stress Immediately After The Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 44%

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Evidence of Pain, Stress, and Fear of Humans During Tail Docking and the Next Four Weeks in Piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus)

et al. 2019

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Tail docking is widely performed in pig farms to prevent tail biting. We investigated the consequences of this practice on behavioral indicators of pain and stress, and on the human-piglet relationship during lactation. Within 19 litters, piglets (1-3 days of age) were submitted on day 0 (D0) to docking with a cautery iron (D), sham-docking (S), or no docking (U). Piglets from the D and S groups were observed during the procedure (body movements and vocalizations) and just after, in isolation, during 20 s for body, tail and ear postures as well as ear movements. Piglets from the three treatments were observed in their home pen after docking on D0 and D3 afternoon for body posture, tail posture and movements. Piglets from the D and U groups were observed on D6, D12, D19, and D26 in their home pen for oral behavior, body, and tail posture. Tail damage and tear staining were scored on D5, D11, D18, and D25. A 5-min motionless human test was performed on D14. During the procedure, D piglets screamed more and with a higher intensity (P < 0.05) than S piglets (n = 48-50). Just after docking, D piglets held their ears in a posture perpendicular to the head-tail axis and changed their ear posture more often (P < 0.05). Between D6 and D26, D piglets kept their tail immobile (P < 0.001) and in a horizontal position (P < 0.01) more often than U piglets (n = 45-47). Between D11 and D25, U piglets had higher scores for tail damage and damage freshness than D piglets (0.09 < P < 0.02) whereas tear-stain score was similar. In the human test, D piglets interacted later with an unfamiliar human than U piglets (P = 0.01, n = 18/group). Present data indicate signs of acute pain and stress in piglets due to docking during the procedure itself and adverse consequences throughout lactation thereafter, including on their relationship with humans. On the other hand, the presence of tail lesions shows that undocked piglets are subject to more tail biting, even before weaning.

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Section: Signs Of Pain and Stress Immediately After The Proceduressupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Signs Of Pain and Stress Immediately After The Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 44%

Evidence of Pain, Stress, and Fear of Humans During Tail Docking and the Next Four Weeks in Piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus)

et al. 2019

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“…Overt demonstration of pain-related behaviour may increase the likelihood that an individual herbivore becomes a target of predation. In these species, pain-related behaviour tends to be very subtle, for example in sheep the position of the ears relative to the head [12]. In hunting carnivores, predation by other animals is less likely and so pain-related behaviour tends to be more overt and easier to detect.…”

Section: Pain Pathways and The Importance Of Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research Tools for the Measurement of Pain and Nociception

Johnson

2016

Animals

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Simple SummaryPain is an integral aspect of many diseases and it is important to be able to measure it in the clinic so that the progression of disease and the animal’s response to treatment can be monitored. When research into pain is undertaken, it is also important to be able to measure the pain, but this time the aim is to provide meaningful results that will further our understanding of the mechanisms of pain or how it can be better treated. This change in emphasis between clinical and research measurement of pain means that the advantages and disadvantages of the many ways in which pain can be measured influence the choice of the most suitable technique and the way in which it is used. It is important to carefully select the most appropriate methodologies so that the data generated are relevant to the hypotheses being tested.AbstractThere are many ways in which pain in animals can be measured and these are based on a variety of phenomena that are related to either the perception of pain or alterations in physical or behavioural features of the animal that are caused by that pain. The features of pain that are most useful for assessment in clinical environments are not always the best to use in a research environment. This is because the aims and objectives of the two settings are different and so whilst particular techniques will have the same advantages and disadvantages in clinical and research environments, these considerations may become more or less of a drawback when moving from one environment to the other. For example, a simple descriptive pain scale has a number of advantages and disadvantages. In a clinical setting the advantages are very useful and the disadvantages are less relevant, but in a research environment the advantages are less important and the disadvantages can become more problematic. This paper will focus on pain in the research environment and after a brief revision of the pathophysiological systems involved will attempt to outline the major advantages and disadvantages of the more commonly used measurement techniques that have been used for studies in the area of pain perception and analgesia. This paper is expanded from a conference proceedings paper presented at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Conference in San Diego, USA.

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“…For example, Guesgen et al have recently explored how sheep use their ears to express pain and have developed a 'lamb grimace scale' to characterize the facial expression sheep use to communicate pain to other sheep. 30 This information adds to the growing body of knowledge about facial expressions in animals and their value in social communication.…”

Section: Innovative Behavioural Techniques For Exploring Animal Emotimentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific evaluation of animal emotions: Brief history and recent New Zealand contributions

Beausoleil¹,

Stratton²,

Guesgen³

et al. 2016

JNZS

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The idea of animals having emotions was once rejected as being anthropomorphic and unscientific. However, with society’s changing views and advances in scientific knowledge and technology, the idea of animal emotions is becoming more accepted. Emotions are subjective internal experiences that can’t be measured directly. Animal welfare scientists must infer emotions by measuring the behavioural, physiological and neurobiological components of emotional experience. In this paper, we describe innovative ways in which these indicators have been used by New Zealand scientists to facilitate a more holistic understanding of the emotions and welfare of animals.

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Lambs show changes in ear posture when experiencing pain

Cited by 26 publications

References 31 publications

Evidence of Pain, Stress, and Fear of Humans During Tail Docking and the Next Four Weeks in Piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Evidence of Pain, Stress, and Fear of Humans During Tail Docking and the Next Four Weeks in Piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Research Tools for the Measurement of Pain and Nociception

Scientific evaluation of animal emotions: Brief history and recent New Zealand contributions

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