Welfare in police horses from Curitiba/PR, Brazil: clinical and behavior indicators and circadian cortisol rhythm/ Bem-estar em equinos de policiamento em Curitiba/PR: indicadores clinicos, etologicos e ritmo circadiano do cortisol

• Published in: Ciência rural Vol. 44; no. 7; p. 1272
• Main Authors: Gontijo, Lilian D'Almeida, Cassou, Fabiane, Junior, Pedro Vicente Michelotto, Alves, Geraldo Eleno Silveira, Bringel, Beatriz, Ribeiro, Rodrigo Martins, Lago, Luiz Alberto do, Faleiros, Rafael Resende
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria 01-07-2014
• Subjects: Glucocorticoids; Steroids (Organic compounds); Stress (Psychology)
• ISSN: 0103-8478
• DOI: 10.1590/0103-8478cr20131196

The scientific assessment of welfare has been important to detect animals non adapted to their management conditions, which can interfere with their productive potential and put them at increased risk of illness. With this objective, 30 horses from the Military Police of Parana were evaluated, considering clinical, ethological and hormonal indicators of equine welfare. In the clinical evaluation, horses were assessed by physical examination and their body score conditions and the history of colic incidence in the last twelve months were determined. Abnormal behavior incidence were studied by ethological observation and the individual rate of circadian rhythm of cortisol (RCC) was calculated based on cortisol concentration changes in two blood samples taken at 08:00 am and 5:00pm. Despite significant incidence of abnormal behaviors (26.7%), clinical findings were normal and there were no reports of colic episodes in the last 12 months preceding the study. The mean blood cortisol concentrations and the mean RCC rate were within the normal range. However, 42% of the studied horses had abnormal RCC rates. Despite the significant incidences of abnormal behavior and abnormal RCC rates (indicators of chronic stress), these horses were considered in good welfare when compared to ones previously reported in other national studies.