Pain and animal welfare Adroaldo Zanella Michigan State University To insert your company logo on this slide From the Insert Menu Select “Picture” Locate your logo file Click OK To resize the logo Click anywhere inside the logo. The boxes that appear outside the logo are known as “resize handles.” Use these to resize the object. If you hold down the shift key before using the resize handles, you will maintain the proportions of the object you wish to resize.

Lameness Can cause changes in behavior that are indicative of pain: Body posture Gait Reluctance to move Speed of movement...

Objective To study the consequences of lameness on indicators of animal welfare

Overall hypothesis The welfare of lame cows is poor and can be measured using behavioral and physiological markers

Hypothesis –1) Lame cows will have a different time budget than sound cows (following Maslow’s hierarchical characterization)

Predictions 1 –Time budget (lame x sound cows) : Decrease the frequency of drinking and feeding activities Increase in the duration of feeding and drinking bouts Decrease in the performance of social behavior

Hypothesis –2) Lame cows will show higher heart rate and more reluctance to move when taken to the milk parlor than sound cows

Predictions 2 –Heart rate: No differences in basal HR are expected between lame and sound cows In response to exercise and postural changes a higher increase in heart rate is expected to be found in lame cows –Reluctance to move : Lame cows will take longer to “walk” from their pens to the milk parlor than sound cows

Hypothesis –3) Lame cows will exhibit higher pain responsiveness as measured by behavioral and physiological responses to milking

Predictions 3 –Pain responsiveness : Lame cows will show higher levels of activity during milking (e.g. tail mov.; legs; shifting balance…) than sound cows. This difference will be accentuated during the time when the milking machine will be operating Lame cows will have higher heart rate than sound cows during milking Levels of stress hormones will be higher in the milk of lame cows

Methods –Prior to the visit Class should be divided in 10 groups Preliminary information regarding the behavior of lame and sound cows should be obtained (tapes; direct observation) Questions to the farm manager can be addressed next Wednesday (phone conference ?)

Methods –Prior to the visit –List of materials to be gathered –Heart rate monitors and belts (ask Christel; you may need to put things together yourself) –Computers –Video cameras (10), cables & field switchers (2) –Video tapes –Tubes for milk collection –Check sheets

Methods –Objective 1) –Five lame cows and 5 sound cows will be selected and numbered One lame and one sound cow will be allocated to each group Cows will be fitted with heart rate monitors

Methods –Objective 1) –Cows will be observed continuously (1 student/cow & 1 student entering data) –9:00-11:00; 7:00-9:00 –Posture; feeding; drinking; social behavior –Time to change posture...

Methods –Objective 1) –Duration (states) and frequency (events & states) will be recorded –Data will be recorded and analyzed for individual cows –Results will be compiled (1:00 PM Saturday)

Methods –Objective 2) Five lame cows and 5 sound cows will be used (the same animals used for objective 1) One lame and one sound cow will be allocated to each group Cows will be fitted with heart rate monitors Video cameras will be installed in the milking parlor

Methods –Objective 2) Cows will be moved from their pens to the milk parlor in a standardized way (e.g. halter; gates…m/min) At the end of milking cows will be moved back to their pens in a standardized way (see above) Heart rate monitors will be removed and data will be downloaded into a computer

Methods –Objective 2) –Data will be collected: –Between 7:00- 8:00 PM –and –Between 5:00-6:00 AM –Data will be compiled(1:00 PM Saturday)

Methods –Objective 3) Video cameras will be installed in the milking parlor Video recording will be carried out during milking (7:00-9:00 & 5:00-7:00) Tapes will be decoded Data will be compiled Milk samples will be collected and frozen Analysis will be carried out later on.