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Application of the Hands-On Donkey Tool for Assessing the Welfare of Working Equids at Tuliman, Mexico
Abstract
Equids are still used for diverse chores in Mexico and are essential for the livelihoods of numerous families. Appropriate health and behavior are prerequisites for performing work without affecting welfare. This study aimed to assess the welfare of working equids in Tuliman, applying the hands-on donkey tool. This tool evaluates five dimensions (behavior, body condition score [BCS], wounds, lameness, and other health issues) and was applied to 438 working equids (horses, mules, and donkeys). The Kruskall-Wallis test was applied to investigate differences between species and sex. Donkeys were more common; they also presented more positive behaviors and less lameness (p < 0.05). No differences were found for BCS among species on a scale ranging from 1 to 5 (mean BCS for donkeys = 1.9; mules = 2; and horses = 1.8). Mares had significantly lower BCS (mean = 1.5) than stallions (p < 0.05) and geldings (mean = 1.9). Overall mules had better welfare evaluations. The tool allowed detection of welfare issues in working equids; a practical outcome would be implementing local welfare strategies according to its results.
... Finally, the interaction and relationship of donkeys with humans are considered as one of donkey welfare measures by several protocols Galindo et al., 2018;Raw et al., 2020;Sommerville et al., 2018, to name a few). Nevertheless, the study by Dalla Costa et al. (2015) is the only to be primarily focused on human-donkey relationship measurement, by deepening the validity and reliability of on-farm tests used to evaluate the human-animal relationship in both horses and donkeys. ...
... Another protocol by Geiger and Hovorka (2015) was applied in Botswana and included both physical and emotional welfare negative parameters such as unresponsiveness to hand-sniff test, avoidance reaction, dull facial expression, tail stillness, neck stiffness and/or head raised or hanging low and tense ears pointing backwards or to the side. In Mexico, Galindo et al. (2018) applied a different approach implementing a hands-on donkey protocol to assess working equids' welfare. This protocol is represented by a hand in which each finger symbolizes a welfare dimension. ...
... Baragli and Regolin, 2008;McGuire et al., 2018;Navas González et al., 2019, 2018a, 2018bOsthaus et al., 2013;Proops et al., 2009;Zucca et al., 2011) Welfare and pain-related behaviours 22Amendola et al., 2012;Burn et al., 2010bBurn et al., , 2010aDai et al., 2018Dai et al., , 2016De Palo et al., 2018;Galindo et al., 2018;Geiger and Hovorka, 2015;Grint et al., 2017Grint et al., , 2015Jagjiwan et al., 2013;McLean et al., 2012; ...
Despite their diffusion worldwide, many aspects of donkeys’ behaviour and cognitive abilities are still poorly understood and overshadowed by a corpus of commonplaces. The possibility of better knowing this species is of key relevance for its wellbeing and to establish a good human-donkey relationship. This review aims to investigate scientific literature on donkey behaviour and cognition, along with the behavioural tests that have been used so far to explore these topics. Searches of Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection, Scielo and Medline (through the WoS platform) and Google Scholar performed prior to March 2020 resulted in 75 records dealing with the question outlined in the present review. This research allowed us to delineate a qualitative synthesis of the studies’ characteristics, as well as a narrative summary of the topics covered by the investigated scientific literature, and to identify the behavioural tests used for donkeys. The hope is that a deeper knowledge of this species in regard to of the abovementioned aspects would allow donkeys to benefit from an improvement of human respect for their welfare.
... Skin lesions were frequently detected on the horses and mules in this study, with greater susceptibility in animals over five years old, an aspect that has also been described in working donkeys in Mexico (34,35) and Ethiopia (36). Skin lesions (head, withers, spine, and ribs/flank) are associated with saddle and harness quality; these produce severe pain, especially those located in the withers, which can impact an animal's ability to work, particularly when loads are heavy (34,36). ...
... In general, older animals may have a more prominent bone structure, resulting in increased contact that creates injuries from ill-fitting equipment or are the result of cumulative injuries over time. Older animals are more exposed to long working hours and carrying heavy loads during their working lives (35). Additionally, immune defense mechanisms are reduced with advancing age and sometimes their owners pay less attention to the treatment of their wounds (36). ...
The welfare of working equids in developing countries is sometimes threatened due to the limited resources and/or knowledge of their owners. The objective of this study is to evaluate the welfare of creole horses and mules using a validated protocol that assesses animal-based indicators. A total of 160 horses and 40 mules from three municipalities in the Colombian coffee-growing region were evaluated by means of direct observation of health and behavioral parameters. A descriptive analysis of the variables expressed in proportions was performed. Interactions between the different measurements were examined using the Chi-squared test. Spearman correlations were used to relate the measurements. Horses and mules demonstrated friendly behavior in front of the evaluators (78.13 and 61.54%, respectively); apathetic or severely depressed behavior was low (10.7 and 17.5%, P > 0.05). Significant differences in body condition score (BCS) were observed between mules and horses (P < 0.05); eighty percent of the mules and 54.4% of the horses exhibited a healthy body condition score (3 or more on a scale of 1 to 5). Less than 15% of the animals had eye problems, limb deformities, and gait abnormalities. Injuries to the head, withers, spine, ribs/flank, hindquarters, and hind legs were observed in a frequency between 12.5 and 30.43% of the animals, with a higher frequency in horses (P < 0.05). Weak correlations (R2 coefficient < 0.5), although statistically significant, were observed between low body conditions and the presence of skin and deeper tissue lesions, systemic health abnormalities, and limb problems (P < 0.05). The results indicate that owners care for their animals. However, the presence of skin and deep tissue lesions, especially in horses, suggests that they are subjected to high workloads. Therefore, it is essential to train owners in aspects related to the importance of providing their equids with adequate rest periods to recover from work and develop actions to strengthen human-equine interaction.
... Poor body condition score is a recurrent problem in working equids. [12][13][14][15] Pathologies associated with the musculoskeletal system are also frequent, with some studies reporting that up to 90 per cent of animals have some kind of limb pathology, independent of the species studied. 13,16 Lesions associated with harnessing systems are commonly observed, with the anatomical area and severity usually determined by the type of work being performed and the number of hours the animal works each day. ...
... 13,16 Lesions associated with harnessing systems are commonly observed, with the anatomical area and severity usually determined by the type of work being performed and the number of hours the animal works each day. 9,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Overgrown or worn teeth are also frequently reported. 19,20 As such, the detection of dental disorders should be considered in welfare assessment tools when possible. ...
... Indirect methods include surveys in which information obtained from secondary sources (owners, animal health owners) through questionnaires [14,32,43] and focussed group discussions [28] or rapid rural appraisals are used [22] . In the past, donkeywelfare assessment was done through evaluation of the five freedoms [44] but more recent tools such as the Hands-On Donkey Tool have been developed [25] . ...
... Donkeys obviously play important socioeconomic roles such as supplying energy requirement for the homestead, farm and the local economy in certain parts of Namibia. There are several studies, bringing to the fore, the roles of donkeys, their problems and some proposed solutions globally [4,25,27,35,45] , on the African continent [5,15,40] , the sub region [20,21,46] and even in Namibia [22] . Reports from Namibia are rare. ...
This survey investigated the perceptions of 177 respondents on the value, socioeconomic roles, husbandry practices, health and welfare of donkeys in six communities from the //Kharas region of Namibia. Most respondents were males (71.2%) over 40 years of age (37.3%), of the Nama tribe (79.7%) that were unemployed (74.6%). Most of the respondents' households owned up to three donkeys (47.5%) which were mostly inherited (45.8%). The monetary value of donkeys ranged from US$67.00-100.00. Donkey-drawn carts with more than four donkeys/cart (50.8%) were used for 30 to 50 km journeys once/week (81.4%). Most respondents did not house (78%), feed (71.2%) or water (67.8%) their donkeys. Donkeys grazed extensively and drank water from communal water points. Most respondents ate donkey meat in not more than four meals/week (81.4%) though 62.7% of all respondents preferred donkey meat to other meat. Beating and routine husbandry practices like castration, ear-notching, and hot iron branding were perceived as the main causes of pain in donkeys (59.3% and 40.7%, respectively). Lameness, ataxia and dyspnoea/diaphoresis (45.8%, 25.4%, and 23.7%, respectively) were the perceived signs of pain, whilst anorexia/poor body condition and skin lesions (40.7% and 40.7%, respectively) were the perceived signs of illness reported by the respondents. Diseased donkeys were treated with Aloe vera (76.3%). Despite the majority of respondents (76.3%) reporting scarcity of veterinary services, diseased donkeys were reported by 49.2% of the respondents. The central role of donkeys in the livelihoods of respondents from the //Kharas region necessitates improvement of donkey health and welfare through better veterinary services, education, and awareness campaigns.
... The authors concluded that understanding the relationship between owners' attributes (e.g., their attitudes towards animals) and horses' welfare would provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the human-horse relationship and, subsequently, the welfare of these animals [34]. To date, most studies have mainly been limited to identifying the welfare problems and establishing the main risk factors that affect the welfare of working equids [13,15,16,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58], without the in-depth assessment of the human psychological attributes involved in the owner-equine interaction, and the implications that these could have for the welfare of equids. ...
... In addition, most studies that address the human-equine interaction and equine welfare have been focused on how the animals perceive humans [13,52,53,55,65,66], and several authors have used diverse methods to assess the human-equine relationship from the animal's perspective. These assessments have commonly included behavioural tests to assess reactions of equines to human approach, touch and handling [15,52,53,55,57,58,[65][66][67], as well as physiological measures, such as heart rate [68] and cortisol levels in response to human interactions [69,70]. However, although it has been described that human-equine interactions have the potential to impact upon the welfare of both the animal and its owner [60], the assessment of human-equine interactions from the human perspective (e.g., the owner´s attitudes or empathy towards animals) and their relationship with equine welfare, has not received much attention [34,35]. ...
The livelihood of working horses’ owners and their families is intimately linked to the welfare of their equids. A proper understanding of human-animal interactions, as well as the main factors that modulate them, is essential for establishing strategies oriented to improve the welfare of animals and their caretakers. To date, there is still a paucity of research dedicated to the identification and assessment of the human psychological attributes that affect the owner–equine interaction, and how these could affect the welfare of working equids. However, some studies have shown that empathy, attitudes towards animals, human perception of animal pain and the owner´s locus of control are some of the psychological attributes that participate in human-equine interactions and that these can result in poor welfare of working equids. A better understanding of the relationship between human attributes and equids’ welfare can provide an opportunity to improve the quality of interactions between owners and their working equids and thus improve their welfare. This review aims to explain why the inclusion of human psychological attributes that modulate the human-animal interactions can benefit welfare research in working equids. The role that empathy, perception of animal pain and locus of control play in the promotion of good welfare in working equids is emphasized.
... This interaction between researchers from other regions has facilitated collaborative research and also publishing in English. Collaborative networking among Latin American researchers in FAW has also been successful and authors of different countries within the region were identified to be linked through co-authoring publications (29,32,35,43,74,(102)(103)(104)(105). Further analysis should follow in order to provide quantitative data regarding the groups of researchers working in specific topics of farm animal welfare, the main authors and their connections within the region and with other regions, because this could help enhancing animal welfare development in Latin America. ...
The present study constitutes a review of the scientific articles about animal welfare in terrestrial farmed animals, published in 19 countries of Latin America. The main objectives were to quantify and characterize articles produced between 1992 and 2021 in farm animals' welfare using “Web of Science [v.5.32]” and “CAB Abstracts” databases. A total of 663 articles were found for the period analyzed, which were mainly in English (87%). The countries with the most publications were Brazil (43%), México (25%), Chile (12%), Uruguay (10%), Colombia (4%) and Argentina (2%). Cattle was the farm species most considered in the publications (41%), and the studies addressed mostly the on-farm production stage (76%). There was a rapid increase in the number of articles published in the last 15 years, accounting for 95% of the publications. This could be related to the publication of welfare standards by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) since 2005, the creation of the Collaborating Center for Animal Welfare and Sustainable Livestock Systems—Chile-Uruguay-México in 2009, a Regional Strategy of Animal Welfare prompted by the WOAH in 2012 and the inclusion of animal welfare in the veterinary curriculum. The fact that most articles were in English shows that Latin American researchers have somehow overcome the challenge of publishing in a non-native language and their research can be read/cited worldwide. However considerable gaps in scientific productivity were identified in comparison to European and North American countries. Scientific research concerning the livestock industry in Latin America faces new challenges arising from the need to move toward more sustainable production systems within the One Welfare and One Health frame.
... P8. It was felt that donkeys' association with menial or household work and comparatively lower sale price influenced opinion of their 'worth'; this has also been documented in other research studies [12,44]. "Donkeys are generally not taken care of well by the communities because they are cheaper and they are let loose for grazing" P28. ...
NGOs utilise a range of programming to bring about desired changes. This study examines the advantages and limitations of the range of approaches used by one particular NGO sector: working equid welfare organisations, from the perspective of NGO staff. NGO staff hold a wealth of knowledge regarding the design and implementation of welfare improvement initiatives; however this knowledge is rarely systematically documented. Through 32 semi-structured interviews the experiences of staff across multiple organisations were explored. The nine most commonly utilised approaches within equid focussed NGO programming were discussed with participants. Many themes resulting from the interviews centred around the strengths and disadvantages of these individual approaches, implemented both historically and presently by different NGOs. The influences of the context in which initiatives took place and barriers to welfare improvement that existed across approaches were also examined. Striking a balance came through as a strong theme at many levels. Balancing top-down versus bottom-up approaches was a frequently voiced concern, as was balancing the utility of certain approaches against associated factors warranting caution. Combinations of approaches that were felt to be complementary provided a balance that drew on the strengths and mitigated for the weaknesses of different approaches. The need to tailor approaches to individual contexts was also raised and is especially relevant to INGOs working across multiple countries, cultures and political structures. The study provides an informed insight into potential factors to consider when designing future welfare initiatives. The collaborative pooling of experience across different NGOs could help make welfare initiatives more effective and provide a framework for NGOs in other fields to learn from each other’s collective knowledge.
... The effective use of working animals depends on their management and husbandry (35). These animals are essential for the livelihoods of their owners and it require an adequate support by the state without affecting the health and mental state of the animals (36). ...
... The effective use of working animals depends on their management and husbandry (35). These animals are essential for the livelihoods of their owners and it require an adequate support by the state without affecting the health and mental state of the animals (36). ...
In spite of the significant importance of the donkeys (Equus ascinus) as draft
animal in resource-poor countries like Pakistan, they are equines not receiving
the appropriate care. They face challenges including injuries, diseases, lack
of basic environment and mismanagement by their owners. The present
study aims to provide a brief update on the current status of management
of healthcare and the welfare of domestic donkeys using participatory
epidemiological tools. These tools can help to provide better strategies for
improving their productivity and inclusion in human society. This study was
mainly focused only on donkeys and horses, mules and ponies were excluded
from the study. We carried out a systematic review of the relevant available
published literature and shortlisted 50 articles reporting on the di erent
health related characteristics of donkeys. A comprehensive questionnaire was
completed by 191 donkey owners, including nine farriers (all men, average
age = 38.24 ± 12.43) over a time span from October 2021 to March 2022.
Multivariate Odds Ratios (MORs) and 95% confidence intervals were used to
assess the predictions of health management and welfare measures for the
surveyed donkeys. The most common observed medical problems in donkey
health were hyperlipaemia (28.06%), lameness (16.33%) and dental (20.41%)
problems. One-third (34.31%) of the donkeys were underweight. The dull
donkey with poor appetite needs a clinical emergency owing to a high risk
of developing hyperlipemia, which may be life-threatening. These findings are
quite useful for the improvement of healthcare management and the welfare
of donkeys.
... Different models and approaches have been employed by different NGOs over time, and vary depending upon the size and philosophy of the organisation, the areas of the world in which they work and their funding sources [13]. These initiatives include the use of participatory methods [14], educational programmes for school children [15], advocacy [16], the provision of access to free veterinary treatment [10,[17][18][19], providing technical training and skills in fields such as farriery and saddlery to individuals in equid owning communities [20,21], and initiatives that target specific aspects of welfare such as handling and behaviour [22] or lameness [23]. There is debate surrounding the efficacy of the range of welfare initiatives that are implemented. ...
Working equids play an essential role in supporting livelihoods, providing resilience and income security to people around the world, yet their welfare is often poor. Consequently, animal welfare focussed NGOs employ a range of initiatives aimed at improving standards of working equid welfare. However, there is debate surrounding the efficacy of welfare initiatives utilised and long term monitoring and evaluation of initiatives is rarely undertaken. This study compares equid welfare and the social transmission of welfare information across Mexican communities that had previously received differing intervention histories (veterinary treatment plus educational initiatives, veterinary treatment only and control communities) in order to assess their efficacy. Indicators of equid welfare were assessed using the Equid Assessment Research and Scoping tool and included body condition score, skin alterations, lameness, general health status and reaction to observer approach. Owners were interviewed about their involvement in previous welfare initiatives, beliefs regarding equid emotions and pain, and the social transmission of welfare knowledge, including whether they ask advice about their equid or discuss its health with others and whether there is a specific individual that they consider to be 'good with equids' in their community. In total 266 owners were interviewed from 25 communities across three states. Better welfare (specifically body condition and skin alteration scores) was seen in communities where a history of combined free veterinary treatment and educational initiatives had taken place compared to those that had only received veterinary treatment or control communities. The social transfer of welfare knowledge was also higher in these communities, suggesting that the discussion and transfer of equid welfare advice within communities can act as a mechanism to disseminate good welfare practices more widely. Our results suggest that using a combined approach may enhance the success of welfare initiatives, a finding that may impact future NGO programming.
... 10 Due to this, horses and mules may receive higher levels of care, a suggestion made in a study of working equid welfare in another Mexican state. 28 Donkeys are associated with the home and domestic tasks and as such may be considered less important than mules and horses who work outside of the home. A gender differentiation has also been described, with donkeys more frequently used by women in their domestic activities, and men using larger equids such as mules for agricultural activities. ...
Background:
Factors affecting working equid welfare are wide-ranging and reflect cultural, economic and climatic conditions, the type of work equids are used for, and individual differences in the practices of their handlers. In Mexico working equids are widely used for facilitating agricultural activities, however, welfare issues are common.
Objectives:
To assess working equids across three communities in Mexico, identify predominant welfare problems and document how these problems vary across locations and associated working roles and species type.
Study design:
Cross-sectional survey.
Methods:
The study combined the administration of a wide-ranging questionnaire to equid handlers/owners and a welfare assessment of their animal. 120 equid owners were asked about their equid management practices, the working conditions and health status of their animal. The welfare of their equids (56 donkeys, 7 mules, 57 horses) was assessed by evaluating body condition, signs of illness or injury, and behavioural indicators.
Results:
Welfare varied by species, working role, sex and location. The poorest welfare was seen in one of the two arid regions (the third location having a tropical climate). Donkeys had poorer welfare than horses, and equids used for packing had poorer welfare than those used for riding and agroforestry. Overall poor body condition and wounds were the most common problems seen.
Main limitations:
Work type, species type and location strongly co-varied, thus the impact of each factor could not be assessed in isolation. The sample size was relatively small.
Conclusions:
Results showed significant regional variations in welfare, suggesting that environmental and/or cultural variations are producing a major effect on welfare.
... This prevalence is higher compared to the 6% reported in Mexico by Sánchez-Casanova et al. (2014). Skin wounds are common in equids, and are usually associated with ill-fitting harness systems, poor handling by owners and handlers (de Aluja, 1998;Galindo et al., 2018), high or low densities during the journey (Padalino, 2015), handling during loading, unloading, fighting with other horses or even from sharp objects/obstacles in facilities or in the truck (Roy et al., 2015a). On the other hand, the prevalence of foot diseases that cause lameness in horses can reach 80% (Holzhauer et al., 2017). ...
Every year thousands of horses from Mexico and the United States of America (USA) are transported to slaughter in Mexico, but little is known about their welfare or pre-slaughter logistics. In this study, we recorded the origin, sex, age and condition of horses (121 journeys, 2648 animals) upon arrival to an abattoir in northern Mexico, including transport details. Horse welfare was measured indirectly via individual scores for body condition, coat quality, lameness, ocular and nasal discharge, as well as reactivity to a chute restraint test, all performed shortly after unloading. The average journey duration was 9.69 (±7.6) hours for horses from Mexico and 16.77 (±4.51) hours for horses from the USA (77 % of all journeys). The prevalence of ocular discharge, nasal discharge, skin wounds, lameness and diarrhoea, were 23 %, 12 %, 11 %, 9 %, 1 % (respectively) of all the horses observed, with no significant differences between Mexican and American horses (P ≥ 0.05). During the chute test the American horses were calmer than the Mexican ones (P < 0.001), who were more restless and aggressive (P = 0.001). Likewise, vocalizations in their three variants during the restraint, neigh/whinny (P = 0.018), nicker (P < 0.001), and snort (P = 0.018), were more common in horses from Mexico. In order to help characterize fitness for transport, a two-step cluster analysis was applied using the welfare indicators, suggesting the existence of four clusters (C) evaluated on arrival at the abattoir (from good to very poor fitness): good (profile C4, n = 769, 29.1 %), average (profile C1, n = 799 horses, 30.2 %), poor (profile C3, n = 586, 22.1 %) and very poor (profile C2, n = 494, 18.6 %). In fact, the C4 best welfare group had 0% lame, 0% nasal discharge, 16.4 % ocular discharge, 7.9 % skin wounds. Instead, the C2 poorest welfare group had 45.8 % lame, 61.1 % nasal discharge, 42.8 % ocular discharge, and 19.9 % skin wounds. Results show potential for using nasal discharge, lameness and ocular discharge as key indicators of horse fitness and welfare on abattoir. The study provides detailed scientific data to help establish strategies regarding optimal days of recovery post-transport and fast fattening for homogenization of weights between animals of different origins, logistic planning, and optimization of logistic resources to minimize the biological cost of long-distance transport.
... Circumference and torso length were used to estimate body weight, using established formulas [8]. Additional information recorded was based on the hand model developed by TDS and included assessment of behavior, body condition, wounds, gait and other possible problems [9]. At the end of each day, data recorded on the admission sheets were entered into a laptop computer master Excel file. ...
There is great need for veterinary care for working equids worldwide. Addressing this need provides an opportunity for veterinary students to gain primary care experience. An annual two week collaborative outreach and educational program with Michigan State University (MSU), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) was developed to provide care for working equids in rural Mexican communities. From 2017 to 2019 24 US veterinary students and 25 Mexican veterinary students, interns and residents examined, vaccinated and dewormed more than 2200 equids and performed more than 80 castrations, 100 rectal palpations for pregnancy diagnosis, 220 dental floats and 320 hoof trims. They also treated many wounds, sarcoids, vampire bat bites and tick infestations and also saw unusual cases including tetanus, eye injuries, nuchal bursitis, cervical vertebral malformation and suspected vesicular stomatitis. Development of the collaborative MSU-UNAM-UV Equine Welfare in Practice Clerkship required vision, learning, relationship building, creativity, fund-raising and perseverance to develop and agree on mutually beneficial objectives for all participants. The project is largely financed through private donations and supplies provided by pharmaceutical companies. The outcome has been a highly successful program that could be used as a model by other Colleges of Veterinary Medicine world-wide.
... Observational assessment of donkeys and semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire interview were applied in this study. For observational study, welfare of working donkeys were assessed by "The hand Tool" (Galindo et al., 2018). The questionnaire survey was used to assess the common health problems during the last one-year period and to investigate working management. ...
A cross sectional study was conducted on A total of 246 working donkeys from October 2015 to May
2016 with the objectives of assessing the welfare problem and harness related wound in dale district of
Sidama Zone. The data were collected using direct (animal-based, using the hand tool) and indirect
(owners resource-based, through questionnaire survey) methods. Indirect data was collected on the
working management of donkeys whereas direct data was collected through observation of behavior
(emotion and energy state), body condition score, wound, lameness and other signs of diseases. The
qualitative behavior assessment (QBA) was employed to assess the behavior and communication of
donkeys. The overall prevalence of wound occurrence was 43.1% whereas; prevalence of lameness was
22.7%. Majority of donkeys examined for emotional and energy state by QBA showed 39.8% with highenergy
state, reflecting poor behavior and communication. The common sites of wound in donkey’s
were back sore, tail sore, chest wound, bit, girth and bite. From the total of 246 donkeys working, only
57 (23.1) were using improved harness. The occurrence of wounds was found to be statistically
significantly associated with age (P=0.000) and use of improved harness (P=0.002). In conclusion,
illiteracy and not using of improved harness contributed to the compromised welfare. Therefore, there
should be massive awareness creation on animal welfare, sentient being and health management.
There should be also significant endeavor at multiple stages; community, local service providers and
policy level to improve the welfare statue of working donkeys in the area in particular and in the country
in general.
Key words: Dale District, harness, welfare problems, working donkey, wound.
... Diferentes parâmetros fisiológicos têm sido utilizados para avaliação de condicionamento atlético e acompanhamento de treinamento físico e tais informações podem também serem usadas na avaliação da saúde, conforto e prazer dos animais. O estabelecimento de uma escala poderá facilitar a compreensão do grau de BEA no qual o animal ou grupo deles esta sendo submetido 6,7,21 . Essa escala poderá favorecer a melhora nas práticas de criação e treinamento dos animais atletas e de serviços, e assim estimular a aplicação das boas-práticas de treinamento e competição em toda a indústria. ...
Escala para avaliação do "Scale for assessing well-being in athletes equids" "Escala para evaluacion del bienestar en equídeos atletas" em equídeos atletas RESUMO: Nas últimas décadas, com o desenvolvimento da hipiatria, o bem-estar (BE) passou a ser tema regular nas discussões técnicas e projetos científicos dessa área da medicina veterinária. Diferentes grupos passaram a estudar e incluir aspectos do BE animal nas atividades esportivas com equídeos. Esse trabalho objetivou o desenvolvimento de um modelo de avaliação de BE para equídeos em atividades atléticas e de trabalho, facilitando a análise por hipiatras nas diferentes regiões do país. Serão utilizados sete parâmetros da hipiatria, os quais têm largo amparo científico para serem empregados na determinação do bem-estar: (1) Escore corporal, (2) Frequência cardíaca de repouso e recuperação, (3) Presença de ferimentos/sangramentos, (4) Dor/claudicação, (5) Concentração de leucócitos, (6) Concentração de eritrócitos, hemoglobina e volume globular e (7) Creatinaquinase (CK). O sistema consiste em pontuar cada item e o somatório dessa pontuação será confrontado na escala indicando o nível de BE no qual o animal se encontra. Para cada parâmetros, a ausência de anormalidade representará o valor da pontuação "0" (zero), enquanto a presença de anormalidade e penalização significa "1" (um). Assim, quanto mais pontos um animal obtiver, menor será a condição de BE que ele possui. A implementação de um sistema de avaliação do BE do atleta poderá contribuir para o melhor acompanhamento dos equídeos atletas e de trabalho e assim para o exercício da hipiatria nas suas diferentes áreas. O sistema é simples, mas baseado em parâmetros científicos, largamente utilizados em diversos países e no Brasil, podendo ser aplicados com eficiência contribuindo, assim, para o desenvolvimento da Equideocultura nacional e atendendo aos anseios da sociedade no século XXI. Unitermos: cavalo, esporte, bem-estar animal, frequência cardíaca, creatinaquinase
ABSTRACT: In the last decades with the development of hipiatry, the well-being has become a regular theme in the technical discussions and scientific projects of this veterinary area. different groups started to study and include aspects of the welfare in the sport activities with equidae. This work aimed at the development of a model of evaluation of equine welfare in athletic and work activities, facilitating the analysis by equine veterinarians in different regions of the country. Seven parameters of hipiatry will be used, which have wide scientific support to be used in the determination of well-being. They are: body score, recovery heart rate, presence of wounds / bleeding, pain / claudication, leukocyte concentration, erythrocyte concentration, hemoglobin concentration, globular volume and creatine kinase (CK). The system consists of punctuating each item and the sum of this score will be confronted in the scale indicating the level of welfare in which the animal is. For each parameter, the absence of abnormality will represent the score value "0" (zero), while the presence of abnormality and penalty means "1" (one). Thus, the more points an animal gets, the less welfare it has. The implementation of a system of evaluation of the athlete's well-being may contribute to the better monitoring of the equidae athletes and of work and thus to the exercise of hipiatry in its different areas. The system is simple but based on scientific parameters, widely used in several countries and in Brazil, and can be applied efficiently, thus contributing to the development of the National equine production and meeting the yearnings of society in the 21st century.
RESUMEN: En las últimas décadas, con el desarrollo de la hipiatría, el bienestar (BE) pasó a ser tema regular en las discusiones técnicas y proyectos científicos de esa área de la medicina veterinaria. Diferentes grupos pasaron a estudiar e incluir aspectos del BE animal en las actividades deportivas con équidos. Este trabajo objetivó el desarrollo de un modelo de evaluación de BE para équidos en actividades atléticas y de trabajo, facilitando el análisis por hipiatras en las diferentes regiones del país. siete parámetros hipiatria serán utilizados, que tienen apoyo científico amplia para ser empleados en la determinación del bienestar: (1) la condición corporal, (2) la frecuencia cardíaca en reposo y la recuperación, (3) la presencia de lesión / sangrado, (4 (5) concentración de leucocitos, (6) concentración de eritrocitos, hemoglobina y volumen globular y (7) creatinaquinasa (CK). El sistema consiste en puntuar cada ítem y la suma de esa puntuación será confrontada en la escala indicando el nivel de BE en el cual el animal se encuentra. Para cada parámetro, la ausencia de anormalidad representará el valor de la puntuación "0" (cero), mientras que la presencia de anormalidad y penalización significa "1" (uno). Así, cuanto más puntos obtenga un animal, menor será la condición de BE que posee. La implementación de un sistema de evaluación del BE del atleta puede contribuir al mejor seguimiento de los équidos atletas y de trabajo y así para el ejercicio de la hipiatría en sus diferentes áreas. El sistema es simple, pero basado en parámetros científicos, ampliamente utilizados en diversos países y en Brasil, pudiendo ser aplicados con eficiencia contribuyendo así al desarrollo de la Equidocultura nacional y atendiendo a los anhelos de la sociedad en el siglo XXI.
... Diferentes parâmetros fisiológicos têm sido utilizados para avaliação de condicionamento atlético e acompanhamento de treinamento físico e tais informações podem também serem usadas na avaliação da saúde, conforto e prazer dos animais. O estabelecimento de uma escala poderá facilitar a compreensão do grau de BEA no qual o animal ou grupo deles esta sendo submetido 6,7,21 . Essa escala poderá favorecer a melhora nas práticas de criação e treinamento dos animais atletas e de serviços, e assim estimular a aplicação das boas-práticas de treinamento e competição em toda a indústria. ...
Nas últimas décadas, com o desenvolvimento da hipiatria, o bem-estar (BE) passou a ser tema regular nas discussões técnicas e projetos científicos dessa área da medicina veterinária. Diferentes grupos passaram a estudar e incluir aspectos do BE animal nas atividades esportivas com equídeos. Esse trabalho objetivou o desenvolvimento de um modelo de avaliação de BE para equídeos em atividades atléticas e de trabalho, facilitando a análise por hipiatras nas diferentes regiões do país. Serão utilizados sete parâmetros da hipiatria, os quais têm largo amparo científico para serem empregados na determinação do bem-estar: (1) Escore corporal, (2) Frequência cardíaca de repouso e recuperação, (3) Presença de ferimentos/sangramentos, (4) Dor/claudicação, (5) Concentração de leucócitos, (6) Concentração de eritrócitos, hemoglobina e volume globular e (7) Creatinaquinase (CK). O sistema consiste em pontuar cada item e o somatório dessa pontuação será confrontado na escala indicando o nível de BE no qual o animal se encontra. Para cada parâmetros, a ausência de anormalidade representará o valor da pontuação “0” (zero), enquanto a presença de anormalidade e penalização significa “1” (um). Assim, quanto mais pontos um animal obtiver, menor será a condição de BE que ele possui. A implementação de um sistema de avaliação do BE do atleta poderá contribuir para o melhor acompanhamento dos equídeos atletas e de trabalho e assim para o exercício da hipiatria nas suas diferentes áreas. O sistema é simples, mas baseado em parâmetros científicos, largamente utilizados em diversos países e no Brasil, podendo ser aplicados com eficiência contribuindo, assim, para o desenvolvimento da Equideocultura nacional e atendendo aos anseios da sociedade no século XXI.
In the last decades with the development of hipiatry, the well-being has become a regular theme in the technical discussions and scientific projects of this veterinary area. different groups started to study and include aspects of the welfare in the sport activities with equidae. This work aimed at the development of a model of evaluation of equine welfare in athletic and work activities, facilitating the analysis by equine veterinarians in different regions of the country. Seven parameters of hipiatry will be used, which have wide scientific support to be used in the determination of well-being. They are: body score, recovery heart rate, presence of wounds / bleeding, pain / claudication, leukocyte concentration, erythrocyte concentration, hemoglobin concentration, globular volume and creatine kinase (CK). The system consists of punctuating each item and the sum of this score will be confronted in the scale indicating the level of welfare in which the animal is. For each parameter, the absence of abnormality will represent the score value "0" (zero), while the presence of abnormality and penalty means "1" (one). Thus, the more points an animal gets, the less welfare it has. The implementation of a system of evaluation of the athlete's well-being may contribute to the better monitoring of the equidae athletes and of work and thus to the exercise of hipiatry in its different areas. The system is simple but based on scientific parameters, widely used in several countries and in Brazil, and can be applied efficiently, thus contributing to the development of the National equine production and meeting the yearnings of society in the 21st century.
... The involvement of direct indicators and indirect indicators strengthens assessment; however clinical examination requires a veterinarian, which limits a tool's wider applicability. The 'Hands-On Donkey Tool' is a LMIC example that was applied in Mexico [60]. It is less comprehensive which means there are less measures to collect and it has practical application to improve welfare. ...
The majority of horses, donkeys and mules (equids) are in low-and middle-income countries , where they remain a key source of labour in the construction, agriculture and tourism industries, as well as supporting households daily through transporting people and staple goods. Globally, approximately 600 million people depend on working equids for their livelihood. Safeguarding the welfare of these animals is essential for them to work, as well as for the intrinsic value of the animal's quality of life. In order to manage animal welfare, it must be measured. Over the past decade, welfare assessment methodologies have emerged for different species, more recently for equids. We present the Standardised Equine-Based Welfare Assessment Tool (SEBWAT) for working equids. The tool is unique, in that it has been applied in practice by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for six years across Low-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). We describe the revision of the tool from an original to a second version, the tool methodology and user training process and how data collection and analysis have been conducted. We describe its application at scale, where it has been used more than 71,000 times in 11 countries. Case study examples are given from the tool being used for a needs assessment in Guatemala and monitoring welfare change in Jordan. We conclude by describing the main benefits and limitations for how the tool could be applied by others on working equids in LMICs and how it may develop in the future.
Lameness is an important concern in working equids of low- and middle-income communities (LMICs) with significant One Welfare implications. This study aims to determine the prevalence and influencing factors of lameness in working equids of LMICs. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate pooled outcome prevalence using a random intercept regression model. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were performed through meta-regression. A meta-analysis of study factors for lameness prevalence was performed. Sixty-four studies were included in the review. The pooled prevalence of lameness was 29.9% (n = 42, 95% CI 17–47%), while the pooled prevalence of gait abnormality was 62.9% (n = 12; 95% CI 31–87%). When considering both outcomes together, the pooled prevalence was 38.4% (n = 46; 95% CI 23–57%) with a significant (p = 0.02) difference between lameness (29.5%; 95% CI 16–48%) and gait abnormality (78.8%; 95% CI 40–95%). Species, country income level, gait assessed, and risk of bias did not significantly affect the pooled prevalence. Lower body condition scores, unresponsive attitudes, and old age were the most frequently reported factors positively associated with lameness-related outcomes. Working 7 days per week was positively associated with lameness. The standardization of outcome terminology, grading systems, and study factor categorization is recommended to enable more accurate interpretation and comparison between studies.
Mules are essential for pack work in mountainous areas, but there is a lack of research on this species. This study intends to assess the perceptions, attitudes, empathy and pain perception of soldiers about mules, to understand the type of human–mule relationship. For this, a survey was applied with closed-ended questions where the empathy and pain perception tools were included and later analyzed through correlations. Open-ended questions were analyzed through text mining. A total of 73 soldiers were surveyed. They had a wide range of ages and years of experience working with equids. Significant positive correlations were found between human empathy, animal empathy and pain perception. Soldiers show a preference for working with mules over donkeys and horses. Text mining analysis shows three clusters associated with the mules’ nutritional, environmental and health needs. In the same line, relevant relations were found for the word “attention” with “load”, “food”, and “harness”. When asked what mules signify for them, two clusters were found, associated with mules’ working capacity and their role in the army. Relevant relations were found between the terms “mountain”, “support”, and “logistics”, and also between “intelligent” and “noble”. To secure mules’ behavioral and emotional needs, future training strategies should include behavior and welfare concepts.
The well-documented versatility of donkeys ( Equus africanus asinus ) means that issues concerning their welfare can vary depending on how they are mainly used and their geographic location. The present study is the first assessment of donkey welfare to be systematically conducted in the Iberian Peninsula. This area is characterised by the coexistence of high levels of mechanisation and industrialisation, and human populations with low levels of formal education, still making use of donkeys in their daily work. This study aims to evaluate the main welfare problems affecting donkeys within this context. The welfare assessment was carried out in accordance with the first level of the AWIN protocol for donkeys. Only 37.6% of the animals evaluated showed all positive indicators, with no physical problem detected while the remaining 62.4% revealed at least one negative health indicator. Body Condition Score (BCS) was one of the main concerns, with around half of the donkeys exhibiting an inadequate body condition. Dental evaluation revealed similarly concerning results, with 62.8% of the animals assessed requiring treatment. Indications of hoof neglect were noted in 39.5% of the animals evaluated with a 9.84% incidence of lameness. Skin problems affected 26.7% of individuals. Only 41% of the animals displayed positive results for all behavioural indicators. Aside from BCS, the most prevalent problems were sub-optimal behaviour, pain reaction to cheek palpation, hoof disease and integument alterations. These issues should be prioritised, both as regards this specific donkey population and the education of their caretakers.
Na cidade de Viçosa, estado de Alagoas, muitos muares são utilizados para retirada de areia do rio Paraíba, fornecendo aos comércios de materiais de construção da região e auxiliando no combate ao assoreamento no leito do rio sendo constantemente enquadrados nessa discussão dicotômica entre sustentabilidade humana e maus tratos animais. A pesquisa tratada neste trabalho foi realizada em duas etapas utilizando dados de 13 tutores e seus muares trabalhadores na extração de areia do rio paraíba, avaliando através de questionario pré estruturado o perfil socioeconômico dos tutores e também o bem estar dos muares através da avaliação sorológica e paramétrica utilizando como base parâmetros pré estabelecidos como Frequência Cardíaca (FC), Escore Corporal (EC), níveis de estresse muscular, presença de dor e claudicação e presença de feridas. Em relação a problemática, o Projeto Pró-Carroceiros da Universidade Federal de Alagoas realiza, há uma década, atividades trimestrais de conscientização aos tutores em relação ao bem-estar animal, além de atividades assistenciais veterinárias, como vacinação, desverminação, exames de sangue e atendimentos clínicos. O artigo objetiva traçar o perfil socioeconômico dos tutores e propor um modelo de avaliação do bem-estar desses animais, a partir das atividades extensionistas e de pesquisa integradas.
Wounds in working donkeys are a common and preventable welfare problem in many countries. Mutilations, iatrogenic injuries carried out by owners, are a particularly distressing welfare issue. However, little is known about their nature and prevalence. The project aim was to assess the general health and establish the prevalence, nature and severity of mutilations and other skin wounds in donkeys from several communities in Tamil Nadu, India, that were part of a donkey welfare initiative run by the Worldwide Veterinary Service charity. Five hundred and eighty-two donkeys were examined from five locations and data collected using a predesigned, smartphone app between October 2016 and July 2017. The study revealed that 298 wounds were present in a total of 227 donkeys (39.0 per cent of the population). Mutilations, comprising nose-splitting, ear-splitting and branding, were the most common type of skin wound, comprising 62.8 per cent of all wounds. Poorly fitting harnesses and hobbles were also a common cause of injury. These data can be used to design future-targeted and focused, educational interventions to reduce mutilation practices which are a common and important welfare issue. Further outreach initiatives are urgently needed to improve welfare of donkeys in these regions.
The purpose of this article is to spark interest and raise awareness about donkeys and their lives; and ultimately to help develop a worldwide network for donkey (animal) welfare and shape a more humane world. It aims to encourage greater collaboration between academics involved with animal studies, animal geographies and similar related disciplines, and those involved practically with the welfare of donkeys and mules around the world. It outlines the idea of a multi-dimensional landscape of donkey-human interaction to help us understand the complexity of factors shaping the place of donkeys in the world, and to provide a framework for practical engagement with donkeys and their users around the world. Through its case studies, it describes some lives lived by donkeys. And finally, written from the perspective of a British donkey welfare charity, The Donkey Sanctuary, it outlines an approach to assessing working donkey welfare building from a simple five-point welfare assessment tool; and it illustrates something of that work to bring about long-term improvements in donkey welfare.
Introduction Working donkeys in Maun, Botswana contribute to people's livelihoods substantially through the provision of transport, ploughing and income generating activities. However, working donkeys suffer from various welfare issues that were investigated in this study to provide preliminary insights on their health and well-being.
Materials and methods An assessment protocol involving direct observations of the donkeys was developed and operationalised to assess physical and emotional welfare. Physical welfare parameters such as body condition score, abnormal limbs, impeded gait, eye abnormalities, sore and scar locations, hoof and coat condition were recorded. Emotional welfare parameters such as eyes, tail movement, ear position, neck position, posture and vocalisation were recorded. In addition, donkey-owner interactions were recorded and scored, as well as the donkey’s response to environmental factors. A total cross-section of 100 donkeys sub-stratified by roles of riding, cart pulling and resting were randomly selected in eight villages and three urban wards and assessed during the period of May to August 2012.
Results The findings reveals that the 100 adult working donkeys assessed were physically afflicted by poor BCSs of two (66 per cent), long and cracked hooves (50 per cent), sores on at least two locations on their body (53 per cent), scars on at least two locations on their body (86 per cent), and poor coat conditions (58 per cent). Emotionally, donkeys displayed unresponsiveness (35 per cent), avoidance (31 per cent), disinterest in hand sniffing (59 per cent), dull facial expression (33 per cent), tail stillness (89 per cent), neck stiffness and/or raised head (13 per cent) or head hanging low (32 per cent visibly withdrawn), and tense ears pointing back or to the side (69 per cent). By contrast, the remaining donkeys (31 per cent) exhibited a happy demeanour of curiosity, interest, alert facial expression, tail swishing, relaxed ears pointed to the side or forward and neck relaxed and/or level.
Conclusions This study offers preliminary findings from an investigation into the welfare of working donkeys in Greater Maun, Botswana, and provides baseline research to inform future research and strategies to enhance donkey well-being.
This study aimed to investigate the different behavioral responses of working horses toward humans, and to determine whether horses react differently toward an unknown person than toward a familiar one and whether these behavioral reactions are correlated with certain health- or management-related welfare indicators. The noninvasive assessment of 715 working horses included direct observation and clinical examination. Three simple tests were used to assess the horses' behavior toward humans, performed by the assessor and then by the horse owner. The most prevalent behaviors observed in the horses were indifference to human approach and avoidance/fear shown in the walk beside test and chin contact test, respectively. The comparison of the results for each individual test showed significant differences between the horses' reactions to the assessor compared with the owner. The correlation coefficients found between the behavioral indicators and the health-related and descriptive indicators were generally low, yet many of them were statistically significant. The strongest correlation was found between the depressed attitude of the horses and the presence of deep body lesions (r = 0.35, P < .01). Human-related aggressiveness correlated consistently with the presence of swollen tendons/joints, and the horses wearing inadequate horseshoes showed avoidance/fear in almost all of the behavioral tests. The older horses were more prone than the younger ones to be indifferent to their owner's approach, but they showed avoidance/fearfulness in other tests. As the correlations revealed, improper husbandry and handling practices are linked with the occurrence of unwanted behaviors in the assessed working horses.
In south of Chile draught horses are the main source of household income for many families and often these working horses are kept in conditions that are far from ideal. The aim of this study was to determine husbandry practices and welfare parameters for a group of sixty one urban draught horses belonging to fifty owners, from three cities (Valdivia, Osorno and Poerto Monu) in south of Chile. Direct (animal-based) and indirect (owner based) methods were used to assess the welfare of the draught horses. Measurements included health status behaviour and husbandry practices. Most animals were of a local study type of horse, smaller than the large classical breeds of draught horses found in other temperate areas of the world. They were generally in good body condition (59%) and were alert (92%), with only a few showing aggressive responses when behaviour was assessed. The main problems found were related to hoof management and feeding practices. No association was found between taking horses to the farrier and good hoof conformation nor with owner's house-related experience. This was thought to be mainly due to the owner's lack of understanding of the husbandry, health and working practices needed to ensure that their horses performed well and met their requirements for work, without compromising their welfare. The community would benefit from an educational programme in the future.
Horses, mules and donkeys are widely used for many activities by the poor peasants of Mexico. This paper describes working conditions of their equidae. They pull carts and ploughs and carry loads, and people. They are often abused, insufficiently fed and in general neglected. Harnesses and agricultural implements are improvised making efficient work impossible and producing nasty wounds. Measures to improve these conditions are suggested.
Attitudes and empathy of farmers influence human-animal interaction, thereby affecting their behavior toward animals. The goal was to investigate how measures of attitude and empathy toward animals were associated with animal welfare indicators such as milk yield, mastitis incidence, fertility index, and the prevalence of skin lesions on cows. To assess empathy toward animals, a photo-based pain assessment instrument was developed depicting various conditions that could be associated with some degree of pain in cattle and included questions aimed at assessing attitudes toward animals. Photos of painful conditions are useful in eliciting measurable empathic responses to pain in humans. A total of 221 farmers were sampled via e-mail and 154 responses were obtained. In the first analysis, farmers were categorized into 2 groups according to their agreement or disagreement with the attitude statement "animals experience physical pain as humans do." In the second analysis, farmers were assigned a median pain assessment score obtained from their estimates on the visual analog scale of 21 conditions assumed painful for cattle. In the third analysis, farmers were clustered in 3 groups according to their visual analog scale responses. Three conditions were ranked as the most painful: fracture of tuber coxae, dystocia, and serious mastitis. Farmers with positive attitudes toward animals scored 2 points higher on their empathy score compared with farmers with negative attitudes. Personal experience with each additional condition resulted in a 0.09 higher score. Cluster analysis revealed 3 groups. Farmers in group 3 had the highest median pain assessment score (6.7+/-0.2), indicating a high level of empathy and a positive attitude toward animals. They had the lowest prevalence of skin lesions over the carpus (24+/-6%) and the lowest milk production (6,705+/-202 kg). The complex associations between indicators of empathy and attitudes with relevant welfare outcomes suggest that competence building to safeguard animal welfare could benefit from including both attitudes and empathy in human-animal interactions studies.
Lameness is prevalent in working donkeys and has major welfare implications, however a detailed study of the associated clinical signs is lacking.
To describe the range and prevalence of clinical signs and conformation associated with lameness in working draught donkeys.
Prospective cross-sectional observational study.
Data were collected from 102 working draught donkeys in Pakistan. A lameness assessment adapted for working donkeys was used to record clinical signs of lameness, gait, limb conformation and pain responses in the feet, limbs and spine using observation, palpation and manipulation. Lameness at walk was scored from 0 to 10 (sound to non weight-bearing).
Every donkey examined had gait abnormalities, with 5% having a non-weight-bearing limb. Lameness was significantly more severe with older age, lower body condition score and forward-at-the-knee conformation. More severe lameness was also associated with pain responses in the hoof walls, palpation of limb joints and spinal flexion. Joint, tendon and foot pathology was highly prevalent, as well as pain responses to joint flexion and spinal manipulation. Conformational abnormalities showed lateral asymmetries.
Over 98% of the world's 42.2 million donkeys are in low-income countries, most being used for work. The high prevalence of lameness, pain and multiple limb and spinal abnormalities in working donkeys is of great welfare concern and highlights the complexity of addressing this problem. This standardised lameness assessment can be utilised when implementing and monitoring interventions to reduce lameness prevalence in working donkeys.
Recent studies raise serious welfare concerns regarding the estimated 93.6 million horses, donkeys and mules in developing countries. Most equids are used for work in poor communities, and are commonly afflicted with wounds, poor body condition, respiratory diseases, parasites, dental problems, and lameness. Non-physical welfare problems, such as fear of humans, are also of concern. Interventions to improve working equine welfare aim to prioritise the conditions that cause the most severe impositions on the animals’ subjectively experienced welfare, but data identifying which conditions these may be, are lacking. Here we describe a stage in the validation of behavioural welfare indicators that form part of a working equine welfare assessment protocol. Over 4 years, behavioural and physical data were collected from 5481 donkeys, 4504 horses, and 858 mules across nine developing countries. Behaviours included the animals’ general alertness, and their responses to four human-interaction tests, using the unfamiliar observer as the human stimulus. Avoidance behaviours correlated significantly with each other across the human-interaction tests, with 21% of animals avoiding the observer, but they showed no associations with likely anthropogenic injuries. Over 13% of equids appeared ‘apathetic’: lethargic rather than alert. Measures of unresponsiveness correlated with each other across the five tests, and were associated with poor body condition, abnormal mucous membrane colour, faecal soiling, eye abnormalities, more severe wounds, and older age, depending on the equine species. This suggests that working equids in poor physical health show an unresponsive behavioural profile, consistent with sickness behaviour, exhaustion, chronic pain, or depression-like states.
Lameness is highly prevalent in working horses, but published reports on the associated pathological abnormalities are lacking. With over 42 million horses in developing countries and the majority used for work, lameness has major welfare implications.
To describe the range and prevalence of pathological abnormalities associated with lameness in working horses.
A standard lameness assessment was adapted for field use in working equids. Data on pathological abnormalities and pain responses in the feet, limbs and spine were collected through observation, palpation, manipulations and gait assessment in working horses from India (n = 110) and Pakistan (n = 117). Lameness at the walk was scored on a scale of 0-4 (sound-nonweightbearing).
All horses examined were lame. Overall, 98% showed a gait abnormality in all 4 limbs and 87% had at least one limb scoring 3 or 4 on the lameness scale. Multiple pathological abnormalities within each limb were associated with lameness, with similar results in both countries. Chronic foot pathology was seen in every horse; 94% horses showed signs of chronic joint disease; 83% had digital flexor tendonitis in at least one limb. Lameness and pathological abnormalities were associated with specific pain responses in the feet, limbs and spine.
The extremely high prevalence of multilimb lameness and its association with pain is of great concern. The multiple pathological abnormalities present in working horses makes lameness complex to address.
The results of this detailed study of lameness should facilitate the identification of risk factors and the implementation of interventions to reduce the prevalence of lameness in working equids.
Equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM), swine pulmonary oedema and human oesophageal cancer have been associated with fumonisine B1 (FB1) ingestion. For the first time in this study it is reported that FB1 was identified as being associated with an outbreak of ELEM at Oaxaca, Mexico. Symptoms of ELEM and Equine Venezuelan Encephalitis (EVE) are similar and a different diagnosis is obligatory. In the geographical area (Oaxaca, Mexico) where donkeys died showing a neurological syndrome, 14 corn samples were collected. With the use of TLC (Thin layer chromatography) and HPLC (High performance liquid chromatography) all collected samples resulted positive to FB1. In the area of study, this syndrome was reported to be the cause of death of 100 donkeys, after 3 postmortem examinations in which macroscopic and microscopic cerebral white manner liquefactive necrosis were observed, when FB1 concentration was determined in the samples collected, using HPLC and TLC. It was concluded that HPLC is a highly sensitive method for the detection of FB1 through the formation of an OPA derivative. However, the reverse phase TLC plate and the visualisation of the coloured reaction with the vanillin acidic solution is more objective. FB1 concentration in the studied samples ranged from 0.67 to 13.3 ppm. It was concluded that FB1 was the cause of leukoencephalomalacia reported in donkeys in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Working animals provide an essential transport resource in developing countries worldwide. Many of these animals are owned by poor people and work in harsh environments, so their welfare is a cause for concern. A protocol was developed to assess the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys in urban and peri-urban areas, using direct observation of health and behaviour parameters. In this study, 4903 animals used for draught, pack and ridden work in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Jordan and Pakistan were assessed between December 2002 and April 2003. The data showed that donkeys were more likely than mules or horses to demonstrate avoidance or aggressive behaviour towards an observer, while horses were most likely to make a friendly approach. Fewer than 8% of working equines had abnormal mucous membranes, ectoparasites or poor coat condition. Body lesions occurred predominantly in the areas of the breast/shoulder, withers and girth in all three species, with mules having the highest prevalence of lesions in these areas (22.5, 21.3 and 28.4%, respectively). Among horses and donkeys, the prevalence of these lesions was influenced by the type of work carried out. Lesions on the head, neck, ribs, flank and tail base were seen in less than 10% of animals. Across all three species approximately 70% of animals were thin, having a body condition score (BCS) of 2 or less on a scale of 1-5 (1, very thin; 5, very fat) and more horses were in very thin condition (BCS 1) than mules or donkeys. Over 75% of animals demonstrated limb deformities and abnormalities of gait. The results of this study are being used as the initial stage of a long-term strategy to inform priorities for welfare interventions in working equines and to establish a welfare benchmark. Subsequent stages will rank the welfare concerns identified, assess the contributing risk factors and implement specific interventions to address these risks. Following intervention, success in improving welfare will be measured by repetition of this protocol and comparison with the benchmark.
Geographic distribution and frecuency of Fusarium and Fumonisin B1 in Mexican corn
- P C Contreras
- M R Rosiles
- R C Ríos
- R C Muñoz
- O V Fuentes
Contreras, P. C., Rosiles, M. R., Ríos, R. C., Muñoz, R. C., & Fuentes, O. V. (2007). Geographic distribution and
frecuency of Fusarium and Fumonisin B1 in Mexican corn. Agricultural Journal, 2, 222-225.
Confirmación fisicoquímica de la fumonicina B1 en maíz y alimento para équidos que murieron por leucoencefalomalacia
- M R Rosiles
- M G Torres
- F P Ross
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