Poochipakorn Chanoknun, Joongpan Weena, Tongsangiam Pongphon, Phooseerit Areeya, Leelahapongsathon Kansuda, Chanda Metha
Veterinary Clinical Studies Program, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-Ok, Chonburi 20110, Thailand.
Anim Welf. 2023 Mar 23;32:e19. doi: 10.1017/awf.2023.10. eCollection 2023.
The severe outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) in Thailand has forced horses to reside full-time inside barns that are covered by a small mesh net to prevent minuscule AHS insect vectors from gaining access. However, housing in the net-covered barn induces stress in horses, which compromises their welfare. Implementing strategic airflow adjustment while retaining the vector-protection characteristics has been proposed to help alleviate this problem. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of strategic ventilation adjustment on blood cortisol levels, heart rate and behaviour in horses in a vector-protected barn. Nine horses underwent two sequential stabling conditions: vector-protected barn housing and housing in a barn in which the air ventilation was explicitly adjusted. Heart rate was higher in the afternoon in horses housed in the barn without ventilation adjustment, whereas no change was observed in the barn with ventilation adjustment. The vector-protected housing increased the horses' behavioural scores. Blood cortisol level declined over time, and an earlier decrease was detected at 1400h in the barn with ventilation adjustment. Although airflow adjustment did not appear to statistically alter the stress response in horses during housing in the vector-protected barn, an earlier decline in cortisol level alongside an unchanged heart rate in horses during the day may indicate the positive impact of ventilation adjustment within the vector-protected barn. With limited options to reduce stress or discomfort in horses, this strategic protocol could, at least in part, be applied to managing horses' welfare during the AHS outbreak.
泰国非洲马瘟（AHS）的严重爆发迫使马匹全天都待在有小网眼网覆盖的畜棚内，以防止微小的AHS昆虫媒介进入。然而，在有网覆盖的畜棚中饲养会给马匹带来压力，从而损害它们的福利。有人提出在保持对媒介的防护特性的同时进行战略性气流调整，以帮助缓解这一问题。本研究旨在调查战略性通风调整对有媒介防护的畜棚中马匹的血液皮质醇水平、心率和行为的影响。九匹马经历了两种连续的饲养条件：有媒介防护的畜棚饲养和在明确调整了通风的畜棚中饲养。在没有通风调整的畜棚中饲养的马匹，下午心率较高，而在有通风调整的畜棚中未观察到变化。有媒介防护的饲养方式提高了马匹的行为得分。血液皮质醇水平随时间下降，在有通风调整的畜棚中，14:00时检测到皮质醇水平下降得更早。虽然气流调整在有媒介防护的畜棚中饲养马匹期间似乎没有在统计学上改变马匹的应激反应，但白天马匹皮质醇水平较早下降且心率不变可能表明在有媒介防护的畜棚内进行通风调整有积极影响。由于减轻马匹压力或不适的选择有限，这种战略方案至少可以部分应用于在AHS爆发期间管理马匹的福利。
