Thermoregulation mechanisms and perspectives for validating thermal windows in pigs with hypothermia and hyperthermia: An overview

Specific anatomical characteristics make the porcine species especially sensitive to extreme temperature changes, predisposing them to pathologies and even death due to thermal stress. Interest in improving animal welfare and porcine productivity has led to the development of various lines of research that seek to understand the effect of certain environmental conditions on productivity and the impact of implementing strategies designed to mitigate adverse effects. The non-invasive infrared thermography technique is one of the tools most widely used to carry out these studies, based on detecting changes in microcirculation. However, evaluations using this tool require reliable thermal windows; this can be challenging because several factors can affect the sensitivity and specificity of the regions selected. This review discusses the thermal windows used with domestic pigs and the association of thermal changes in these regions with the thermoregulatory capacity of piglets and hogs

Infrared thermography in the study of animals’ emotional responses: A critical review

Whether animals have emotions was historically a long-lasting question but, today, nobody disputes that they do. However, how to assess them and how to guarantee animals their welfare have become important research topics in the last 20 years. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a method to record the electromagnetic radiation emitted by bodies. It can indirectly assess sympathetic and parasympathetic activity via the modification of temperature of different body areas, caused by different phenomena such as stress-induced hyperthermia or variation in blood flow. Compared to other emotional activation assessment methods, IRT has the advantage of being noninvasive, allowing use without the risk of influencing animals’ behavior or physiological responses. This review describes general principles of IRT functioning, as well as its applications in studies regarding emotional reactions of domestic animals, with a brief section dedicated to the experiments on wildlife; it analyzes potentialities and possible flaws, confronting the results obtained in different taxa, and discusses further opportunities for IRT in studies about animal emotions

Lämpökuvantaminen nautojen terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin seurannan apuvälineenä

Nautojen terveysongelmien varhainen toteaminen on ensiarvoisen tärkeää tuotantoeläinten hyvinvoinnin ja tilan kannattavuuden kannalta. Kuvaa Nautaa -hankkeessa (2018–2020) selvitetään lämpökamerakuvantamisen tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia nautojen terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin seurannassa tuotantotiloilla. Tässä katsauksessa esitämme tieteelliseen kirjallisuuteen perustuen eläinten lämpökuvantamisen teoreettista taustaa ja miten kansainvälisissä tutkimuksissa ja käytännön tiloilla on pyritty soveltamaan lämpökuvantamista nautojen terveyden seurannassa. Lämpökuvantaminen on eläimelle riskitön ja nopea tutkimusmenetelmä, jonka avulla on mahdollista havaita jo varhaisessa vaiheessa vammoja ja tulehduksia. Kehon alueet, joilla on aktiivinen pintaverenkierto ja kudosten aineenvaihdunta, ovat yleensä lämpimämpiä, ja nämä erot eläimen pintalämpötiloissa voidaan havaita lämpökameralla. Lämpökuvantamista on tutkittu muun muassa utareterveyden, sorkkasairauksien ja ontumisen, sekä erilaisten tulehdustautien seurannassa naudoilla. Lämpökuvantamisen on useissa tutkimuksissa todettu soveltuvan eläinten terveydentilan arviointiin, mutta lämpökuvaukseen perustuvia käytännön sovelluksia on vielä hyvin vähän tarjolla. Kiinnostusta lämpökuvauksen käyttöön löytyy niin nautatilallisten kuin muiden asiantuntijoiden osalta, mutta käyttöä rajoittaa kuvien tulkinnan haasteellisuus ilman selkeitä ohjeita. Vaihtelevat kuvausolosuhteet eläinsuojissa lisäävät haasteita lämpökameroiden käyttöön tuotantotiloilla. Katsaus tukee kuvausmenetelmien ja -käytäntöjen kehittämistä, ja edistää siten tämän uuden menetelmän hyödyntämistä nautatiloilla.201

Assessment of positive emotion in horses : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Figures 1 & 2 are re-used with permission.Objective, non-invasive indicators of the subjective experience of positive emotion are required to support assessment and improvement of animal welfare. Emotion is unique to the individual and indicators of emotion are indirect. The aim of this thesis was to ascertain if body and facial behaviours and physiological parameters reflected the emotional experiences of horses. Following review of the theoretical and experimental literature, three experiments were conducted, and an alternative emotional arousal-valence framework was proposed. Based on the preferences of individual horses, the relative arousal level and emotional valence induced by four stimuli (wither grooming, motionless person, intermittent spray, and being left alone) were ordered. Behavioural and physiological parameters were then measured during exposure to each stimuli. The indicators of contrasting affective experiences in horses were found to be heart rate, heart rate variability, eye temperature, and behaviours involving legs, neck, tail, ears, eyes, eyebrows, mouth, chin, and nares. Several behaviours differed across all three arousal levels or valence levels. Positive emotional valence was indicated by a decreased rate of neck very low, left ear forward, left or right ear back, blink, angled eyebrow, nares flared, nares neutral, and/or an increased rate of chin wobble, small eye aperture, or oral investigation behaviours. Higher arousal was indicated by an increased rate of neck very high, tail swishing, or higher odds of contracted lips, and/or a decreased rate of right ear forward or to the side behaviours. Reduction from 16 to six parameters may be possible. The findings may be used to aid interpretation of horse emotional experience and in the assessment and improvement of horse welfare. The research approach and framework described in this research may be suitable for future research in horses and other species