Eva Voslarova

Time course changes in selected biochemical indices of broilers in response to pretransport handling

Two experiments were conducted to assess the stress response of broilers to catching and pretransport handling followed by different periods of crating. The short-term changes in selected biochemical indices were monitored at 1-min intervals within 10 min of crating after the catching and handling of broilers (experiment 1). These indices were further monitored at 15-min intervals for 2 h of crating after the catching and handling of broilers (experiment 2). Increased (P < 0.001) corticosterone concentrations were observed immediately after the broilers were caught, handled, and placed in crates. They continued to increase until 7 min after crating and then slowly decreased, but even at 120 min after handling, corticosterone concentrations were higher (P < 0.001) in crated broilers than in control broilers. In addition, lactate concentrations increased (P < 0.001) immediately in comparison with those of broilers with no additional handling except for catching and blood sampling, but 15 min later, the lactate concentrations had decreased to the precrating level. Lactate dehydrogenase concentrations increased (P = 0.042) 30 min after crating and continued to increase for the rest of the monitored period. A decreased level of cholesterol (P = 0.017) and increased concentration of uric acid (P = 0.041) were found 1 min after crating. The decrease in cholesterol was visible up to 9 min after crating; it then returned to its original value except for the period from 75 to 90 min after crating, when a decrease (P < 0.05) was again detected. Higher (P < 0.01) concentrations of uric acid were found continuously from 4 to 75 min after crating. Glucose concentrations were increased (P = 0.017) 2 min after crating, but the stress-induced increase was not consistent over the course of the next few minutes after crating. Glucose concentrations were not different from those of control broilers from 10 to 120 min after crating, although they showed a decreasing pattern. A decrease (P = 0.031) in triglyceride concentrations was detected 75 min after crating.

Effects of Subchronic Exposure of Diclofenac on Growth, Histopathological Changes, and Oxidative Stress in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of subchronic exposure to sublethal levels of diclofenac on growth, oxidative stress, and histopathological changes in Danio rerio. The juvenile growth tests were performed on Danio rerio according to OECD method number 215. Fish at the age of 20 days were exposed to the diclofenac environmental concentration commonly detected in the Czech rivers (0.02 mg L−1) and the range of sublethal concentrations of diclofenac (5, 15, 30, and 60 mg L−1) for 28 days. A significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the fish growth caused by diclofenac was observed in the concentrations of 30 and 60 mg L−1. The identified value of LOEC (lowest observed effect concentration) was 15 mg L−1 of diclofenac and NOEC (no observed effect concentration) value was 5 mg L−1 of diclofenac. We did not find histopathological changes and changes of selected parameters of oxidative stress (glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase) in tested fish. The environmental concentration of diclofenac in Czech rivers did not have any effect on growth, selected oxidative stress parameters (glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase), or histopathological changes in Danio rerio but it could have an influence on lipid peroxidation.

Negative Trends in Transport-related Mortality Rates in Broiler Chickens

The high incidence of deaths during transport for slaughter is associated with poor welfare and represents a considerable loss to the poultry industry. In the period from 2009 to 2014, all shipments of broiler chickens to poultry processing plants were monitored in the Czech Republic and the numbers of chickens transported and those dying as a result of their transport were recorded and analysed. Overall transport-related mortality of broiler chickens transported for slaughter in the Czech Republic was 0.37%. It ranged from 0.31% to 0.72%, the increase approximately corresponding to the increasing transport distance. Statistically highly significant (p<0.001) differences were found when comparing transport-related mortality rates in individual seasons of the year. The greatest mortality (0.55%) was associated with transports carried out in winter months whereas the lowest death losses (0.30%) were found in chickens transported for slaughter in summer months. Our study revealed greater transport-related mortality rates in broiler chickens transported for slaughter in the Czech Republic than expected when considering earlier studies. The most pronounced increases were found in transports for shorter distances and in winter months. However, an increase was found at all transport distances monitored except for distances exceeding 300 km and all seasons except for summer. Furthermore, a general increasing tendency in chicken losses during the monitored period was found. The particularly alarming finding is that the mortality of broiler chickens being transported to processing plants has been showing a long-term increasing tendency over the last two decades. Further research should focus on the identification of specific factors leading to such high and growing mortality rates and developing practical guidelines to improve the welfare of the birds in transit accordingly.

Breed Characteristics of Abandoned and Lost Dogs in the Czech Republic

Records on sheltered dogs were collected from 3 municipal dog shelters situated in different regions of the Czech Republic from 2010 to 2013. A total of 3,875 dogs were analyzed in this study. Among these, 1,614 dogs were subsequently reclaimed (lost dogs) and 2,261 dogs were abandoned and offered for adoption. The ratio of purebred dogs and crossbred dogs differed significantly when comparing lost (66.4% vs. 33.6%) and abandoned dogs (35.0% vs. 65.0%). The median time until lost dogs were reclaimed was 1 day, and it was not affected by purebred status. The median time until abandoned dogs were adopted was 23 days. In abandoned dogs, purebred status had a significant effect on the time the dog spent at the shelter before adoption. The median time until adoption for crossbred dogs was 27 days, whereas the median time until adoption for purebred dogs was 19 days. The breed group influenced the length of stay (LOS) in abandoned dogs. Small companion dogs had the shortest LOS (median = 15 days) and guard dogs had the longest LOS (median = 25 days).

Changes in selected biochemical indices, leukocyte profile, and pterins as biomarkers of immune system activity due to antipecking measures in pheasants.

The physiological changes in response to beak trimming and spectacle usage as antipecking measures were monitored in 10-mo-old common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Short-term analysis conducted before the beginning of the laying period showed immediate increases of plasma corticosterone (P < 0.05) and lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.001) concentrations and decrease of plasma triglycerides (P < 0.01) levels in response to both beak trimming and the application of spectacles. Beak-trimmed pheasants exhibited higher plasma corticosterone concentrations than pheasants fitted with spectacles (P < 0.001). To assess long-term changes, blood samples for biochemical (neopterin and biopterin determination) and hematological (leukocyte profile determination) examinations were taken from beak-trimmed, spectacles-fitted, and control pheasant hens housed in cages during their laying period. At the end of the laying period, hens fitted with spectacles exhibited lower concentrations of plasma neopterin (P = 0.005) and biopterin (P = 0.005) than beak-trimmed pheasant hens. Our findings suggest that the immune system was suppressed in spectacles-fitted pheasant hens as a result of chronic stress, as also indicated by the higher heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.001) compared with beak-trimmed hens. Our study found a negative correlation (r = -0.31, P = 0.019) between the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and plasma neopterin concentration. This study demonstrated that both beak trimming and use of spectacles are not only stressful procedures for pheasants, but long-term effects may also include a negative impact on the immune system.

Effects of travel distance and season of the year on transport-related mortality in cattle.

The number of animals that die during transport to a slaughterhouse or shortly after being delivered to a slaughterhouse may serve as an indicator of animal welfare during transport. The aim of this study was to determine the mortality rate in cattle resulting from transport to slaughter in the Czech Republic in the period from 2009 to 2014, and to investigate the effect of travel distance and season of the year. Transport-related mortality rates were recorded for all categories of cattle for the following travel distances: up to 50 km, 51-100 km, 101-200 km and over 200 km. Higher mortality rates occurred with shorter travel distances (<50 km and 51-100 km) when compared to longer travel distances (101-200 km and > 200 km), with a significant difference (P < 0.01) between short and long travel distances being found in feeders and dairy cows. Also, the season of the year had a significant impact on the mortality rate among transported cattle. The highest mortality rate in all categories was observed in spring months. The lowest mortality rate was found in autumn months for fat cattle and dairy cows and in winter months for feeders and calves.

The effects of chronic intermittent noise exposure on broiler chicken performance

Effects of different noise levels (70 or 80 dB) that broilers were exposed to during the entire fattening period and also the effect of the timing of the first exposure to intermittent noise in the course of fattening (day 1 vs. day 7) were monitored. After 7 days of exposure to intermittent noise, experimental chickens already showed a significant decrease in live body weight in comparison with the control group. The difference between the group exposed to intermittent noise at 70 dB and the group exposed to 80 dB levels was not statistically significant, although the mean live body weight of broilers in the latter was lower during the entire fattening period. The chickens exposed to intermittent noise from day 1 of age showed lower mean live weight throughout the fattening period compared to chickens exposed to the same level of intermittent noise only from day 7 of age, although at the end of fattening the difference was statistically significant only in chickens exposed to the higher level of intermittent noise (80 dB).

Transport losses in finisher pigs: impact of transport distance and season of the year

Objective The death of animals during transport for slaughter is a major factor indicating the level of welfare in transported animals. The aim of this study was to assess mortality related to the commercial transport of finisher pigs for slaughter in the Czech Republic. Methods The inspectors of the State Veterinary Administration of the Czech Republic recorded the numbers of finisher pigs transported to processing plants in the Czech Republic for slaughter and the mortality in these pigs in relation to transport in the period from 2009 to 2014. Results Our results show that the likelihood of death losses in transported pigs increases with increasing transport distance. The transport-related mortality ranged from 0.049% in pigs transported for distances below 50 km to 0.145% in pigs transported for distances exceeding 300 km. The impact of external air temperature on the transport-related mortality found in our study clearly shows that current transport practices fail to ensure the welfare of pigs transported under other than moderate weather. Particularly cold temperatures below −2°C were associated with increased death losses in winter transport. Conclusion Despite a decreasing trend in the mortality of finisher pigs transported for slaughter in Europe, our study suggests that current transport conditions are not efficient at ensuring the welfare of pigs during transport for longer distances and the protection of pigs against the negative impact of extreme ambient temperatures. Further research should focus on developing practical guidelines to improve the welfare of pigs in transit accordingly.

The influence of crate height on selected biochemical indices in captive-reared mallards

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of crate type (particularly its height) on selected biochemical indices in captive-reared mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). The physiological changes in response to 2-h crating in crates of either 20 cm or 26 cm height were monitored in 6-week-old mallards. Plasma corticosterone concentrations showed an increase (P = 0.036) in mallards crated in crates of 26 cm height in comparison with control non-crated birds, whereas no difference in plasma corticosterone levels was found between mallards crated in crates of 20 cm height and control non-crated birds. Lower concentrations of plasma triglycerides (P < 0.05) and uric acid (P < 0.05) were found in crated mallards in comparison with control non-crated birds; the height of the crates had no effect. Mallards crated in crates of 26 cm height also exhibited a higher (P = 0.032) plasma lactate dehydrogenase concentration in comparison with control non-crated birds, whereas no difference (P > 0.05) was found in lactate dehydrogenase concentrations in mallards crated in crates of 20 cm height. Our results suggest that crating mallards in lower crates (20 cm) may be less stressful than keeping them in crates allowing vertical movements of the birds.

Impact of mandatory microchipping on traceability of sheltered dogs in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACT Records of 4,455 sheltered dogs were analyzed to compare the numbers of traceable (able to be reunited with original caregivers) and untraceable (unable to be reunited with original caregivers) dogs before (Period 1) and after (Period 2) introduction of a mandatory microchipping. Records were also used to compare the numbers of microchipped dogs, to compare dogs’ reunification with caregivers, and to estimate possible financial savings. In Period 1, 51.8% of the dogs were untraceable (median length of stay = 14 days) and 48.2% were traceable (median length of stay = 1 day). Of all traceable dogs, 24.5% were microchipped, and 67.5% of microchipped dogs were traceable. In Period 2, 57.1% of dogs were traceable (median length of stay = 0 days), and 42.9% were untraceable (median length of stay = 12 days). Of all traceable dogs, 61.4% had a microchip, and 80% of microchipped dogs were traceable. In Period 2, authorities saved more than US