engleski

Cortisol level in the blood plasma of pigs immediately before and after transport

The research was carried out with the purpose to, on the basis of the cortisol level in the pigs blood plasma, establish the amount of stress caused by the weaning and the transport. The piglets were weaned in the age of 24 days and transported till the breeding place by a truck, in the duration of 65 minutes. The piglets blood, in the amount of 5 ml, was taken, for each piglet, immediately before and after the transport. After the eye was anaesthesid by drops of procaine, the blood was taken from the orbital sinus by inserting the needle fixed on a 5 cm3 syringe in the medial eye corner, between the third eye lid and the eye - ball, into the medio - ventral - caudal direction. The cortisol level in the blood plasma was determined by the radiochemical method (RIA). The average cortisol concentration in the plasma of the blood samples taken immediately after the weaning and the transport amounted to 334, 12 nmol/l while the largest concentration amounted to 665 nmol/l and the lowest was 175 nmol/l. The average cortisol concentration in the samples taken immediately after the transport amounted to 362, 88 nmol/l with the highest noted concentration of 670 nmol/l and the lowest of 201 nmol/l. In accordance with the results obtained, the cortisol level in the blood plasma of the weaned piglets varies to a large extent, speaking thus for the fact that each individual reacts differently to the stress caused by the weaning and the transport. Besides, an increase of the cortisol level was noted with all piglets after the transport for an amount of 9 to 64 nmol/l in regard to the cortisol level before it, confirming thus the hypothesis that the transport may be an additional stress factor for weaned piglets. Accordingly, we may conclude that the weaning and the transport causes a stress which may, taking the cortisol level in the blood plasma, endanger the welfare of the animal.

piglets; cortisol level in the blood plasma; stress; weaning; transport

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