Facial expression, vocalization and abnormal postures of cattle submitted to conventional eletroejaculation

Authors

  • Jackson Barros do Amaral Instituto de Zootecnia do Estado de São Paulo
  • Rita Maria Ladeira Pires Instituto de Zootecnia do Estado de São Paulo
  • Luís Alberto Ambrósio Instituto de Zootecnia do Estado de São Paulo
  • Flávia Augusta Oliveira Universidade Federal de Goiás
  • Guilherme Trevisan Universidade Estadual Paulista

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22256/PUBVET.V11N11.1085-1097

Keywords:

animal welfare; semen collection; behavior; andrological test; bull

Abstract

Electroejaculation is routinely used for bovine semen collections. Studies of behavioral changes in cattle submitted to conventional electroejaculation are rare, and facial expression in this procedure is not elucidated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the facial expression, vocalization and anomalous postures in 62 bulls submitted to electro - ejaculation, in andrological examinations. A conventional electro-jogger was used by successively applying electrical stimuli with increasing currents of direct current up to five stimuli to obtain ejaculation. The collections were conducted during the electroejaculation by the filming of the animals contained, focusing the head and neck where the facial expression, vocalization, head postures, lying attitude, salivation and ejaculation were evaluated. Facial expression was assessed by behavioral changes in the mouth and eyes. In the results of the analysis of the logistic regression method, there was a significant 5% probability effect when considering the intensity of the electrical stimuli in the electroejaculation procedure in the registers of head postures, eyes, vocalization, lying down and ejaculation. However, there was no significant effect when considering the intensity of electrical stimuli in the electroejaculation procedure in the records of behavioral changes of the mouth and in the occurrence of sialorrhea. The head postures were 71.0% in the first electrical stimulus; 82.26% in the second stimulus; 85.5% in the third; 89.66% in the fourth and 82.6% in the fifth electric stimulus. The behavioral alterations of the eyes presented 74.2% in the first electric stimulus; 87.1% in the second and third stimuli; 98.3% in the fourth and 97.8% in the fifth electric stimulus. No animal lay down during the first electric stimulus. The attitude of lying in the second, third, fourth and fifth electric stimuli were 6.5%; 4.8%; 5.2% and 13.0%, respectively. Vocalizations were higher in the fourth electrical stimulus, with 12.1% and in the fifth, with 10.9%. It was concluded that electro-ejaculation induced changes in facial expression, vocalization and lying down during the examination. These results suggest the need for refinement of the electroejaculation, improvement of the semen collection protocol, equipment used, facilities and animal handling before, during and after this procedure to improve animal welfare.

References

Amyx, H. L. 1987. Control of animal pain and distress in antibody production and infectious disease studies. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 191, 1287-1289.

Bassanezi, B. S. B. & Oliveira Filho, A. G. 2006. Analgesia pós-operatória. Revista do Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões, 33, 116-122.

Borja, M. C. 2008. Avaliação da dor no pós-operatório de artroscopia em equinos. [Dissertação], São Paulo: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo.

Broom, D. M. 2006. Behaviour and welfare in relation to pathology. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 97, 73-83.

Broom, D. M. & Molento, C. F. M. 2004. Animal welfare: concept and related issues–review. Archives of Veterinary Science, 9, 1-11.

Core, S., Widowski, T., Mason, G. & Miller, S. 2009. Eye white percentage as a predictor of temperament in beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science, 87, 2168-2174.

Diesel, T. A.; Paço, A. L.; Cruz, V. A. R.; Silva, M. L. P.; Tullio, R. R.; Alencar, M. M. A 2011. Exposição da membrana esclerótica como indicativo do temperamento em bovinos. In: Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia, 48, Belém. Anais... Belém: SBZ, 2011. (CD ROM).

Etson, C. J., Waldner, C. L. & Barth, A. D. 2004. Evaluation of a segmented rectal probe and caudal epidural anesthesia for electroejaculation of bulls. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 45, 235-240.

Falk, A. J., Waldner, C. L., Cotter, B. S., Gudmundson, J. & Barth, A. D. 2001. Effects of epidural lidocaine anesthesia on bulls during electroejaculation. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 42, 116-120.

Figueiredo, J. R. & Molento, C. F. M. 2008. Bioética e bem-estar animal aplicados as biotécnicas reprodutivas. In: Goçalves, P. H. D., Figueiredo, J. R. & Freitas, V. J. F. (eds.) Biotécnicas aplicadas a reprodução animal. Editora Roca, São Paulo.

Goodbourn, S., Didcock, L. & Randall, R. E. 2000. Interferons: cell signalling, immune modulation, antiviral response and virus countermeasures. Journal of General Virology, 81, 2341-2364.

Langford, D. J., Bailey, A. L., Chanda, M. L., Clarke, S. E., Drummond, T. E., Echols, S., Glick, S., Ingrao, J., Klassen-Ross, T. & LaCroix-Fralish, M. L. 2010. Coding of facial expressions of pain in the laboratory mouse. Nature Methods, 7, 447-449.

Marques Filho, W. C., Ferreira, J. C. P., Fugihara2, C. J., Heitmann, F. J., Ferraz, M., Monteiro, A. L., Maziero, R. R., Mártin, I. & Oba, E. 2008. Avaliação do estresse em touros Nelore (Bos taurus indicus) submetidos à eletroejaculação. Veterinária e Zootecnia, 15, 531-541.

Mosure, W. L., Meyer, R. A., Gudmundson, J. & Barth, A. D. 1998. Evaluation of possible methods to reduce pain associated with electroejaculation in bulls. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 39, 504-506.

Muir, W. W. & Gaynor, J. S. 2009. Manual de controle da dor em medicina veterinária. MedVet, São Paulo, Brasil.

Palmer, C. W. 2005. Welfare aspects of theriogenology: investigating alternatives to electroejaculation of bulls. Theriogenology, 64, 469-479.

Paranhos da Costa, M. J. R. 2004. Comportamento e bem-estar de bovinos e suas relações com a produção de qualidade. Anais dos Simpósios da 41a Reunião da Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia. Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul.

Sandem, A.-I. & Braastad, B. O. 2005. Effects of cow–calf separation on visible eye white and behaviour in dairy cows—A brief report. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 95, 233-239.

Sandem, A. I., Braastad, B. O. & Bøe, K. E. 2002. Eye white may indicate emotional state on a frustration–contentedness axis in dairy cows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 79, 1-10.

Sandem, A. I., Janczak, A. M., Salte, R. & Braastad, B. O. 2006. The use of diazepam as a pharmacological validation of eye white as an indicator of emotional state in dairy cows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 96, 177-183.

Watts, J. M. & Stookey, J. M. 2000. Vocal behaviour in cattle: the animal's commentary on its biological processes and welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 67, 15-33.

Whitlock, B. K., Coffman, E. A., Coetzee, J. F. & Daniel, J. A. 2012. Electroejaculation increased vocalization and plasma concentrations of cortisol and progesterone, but not substance P, in beef bulls. Theriogenology, 78, 737-746.

Published

2017-09-04

Issue

Section

Bem-estar e comportamento animal

How to Cite

Facial expression, vocalization and abnormal postures of cattle submitted to conventional eletroejaculation. (2017). Pubvet, 11(11), 1085-1097. https://doi.org/10.22256/PUBVET.V11N11.1085-1097

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>