Schaefer A L, Jones S D, Stanley R W
Agricultural and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, Alberta.
J Anim Sci. 1997 Jan;75(1):258-65. doi: 10.2527/1997.751258x.
The transport and handling procedures imposed on beef cattle during the normal course of marketing can be a significant stressor. Factors including time off feed, water deprivation, mixing and the resulting behavioral problems, transport movement, unfamiliar noise, inclement weather, and so forth are often present and collectively result in live weight and carcass losses as well as degraded meat quality. In addition, a growing public concern regarding animal welfare in such situations is evident. Understanding how cattle adapt to and are influenced by these factors is a necessary first step in being able to reduce these stresses and a major research effort globally has been directed toward this end. Studies at the Lacombe Research Center have focused on understanding the role of electrolytes in attenuating transport and handling stress. Apparent in this research has been the consistent observation that transport and handling reduce blood pH, glucose concentration, and interstitial water space (P < .05), and increases in serum chloride. hemoglobin, urine sodium, and urine osmolality (P < .05) are evident. These changes are also accompanied by significant increases in the neutrophile/lymphocyte ratio. The application of oral electrolyte therapy, especially if similar in constituents to interstitial fluid, seems to attenuate these physiological changes. Resulting improvements in both live and carcass weights (less shrink) of up to several percent in treated animals as well as a reduction in meat quality degradation (reduced dark cutting) is evident in such trials. These studies suggest that the use of electrolyte therapy may be an effective means of reducing stress in transported cattle.
在肉牛正常销售过程中实施的运输和处理程序可能是一个重大的应激源。包括禁食时间、缺水、混群以及由此产生的行为问题、运输移动、陌生噪音、恶劣天气等因素经常存在，共同导致活重和胴体损失以及肉质下降。此外，公众对这种情况下动物福利的关注日益明显。了解牛如何适应这些因素并受其影响，是能够减轻这些应激的必要第一步，全球已为此开展了大量研究工作。拉康姆研究中心的研究聚焦于了解电解质在减轻运输和处理应激方面的作用。在这项研究中一直观察到的是，运输和处理会降低血液pH值、葡萄糖浓度和组织间液空间（P < 0.05），血清氯化物、血红蛋白、尿钠和尿渗透压升高（P < 0.05）也很明显。这些变化还伴随着嗜中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比率的显著增加。口服电解质疗法的应用，尤其是其成分与组织间液相似时，似乎可以减轻这些生理变化。在这类试验中，接受治疗的动物的活重和胴体重（减少缩水）都有明显提高，可达百分之几，同时肉质下降（减少黑切肉）也有所减轻。这些研究表明，使用电解质疗法可能是减轻运输过程中牛的应激的有效手段。
