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OJVRTM
Online
Journal of Veterinary Research©
Volume 10 (1) : 20- 25, 2006
Nutritional therapy modulates stress responses of
elk (Cervus elaphus
canadensis) to removal of velvet antler.
Cook
NJ1, Schaefer AL2, Church
JS2
1Alberta
Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and 2Agriculture and
ABSTRACT
Cook NJ, Schaefer AL,
Church JS Nutritional therapy modulates stress responses of elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) to removal of velvet antler. Online J Vet Res (1): 20-25, 2006. The present paper provides information from
two studies performed in consecutive years on elk Cervus elaphus canadensis.
The animals were pre-treated with a commercial nutritional therapy
product 24 hours prior to removal of velvet antler (velveting).
Stress-induced increases in metabolic activity were assessed by infrared thermography (IRT) of radiated heat from an area around the
eye. Adrenocortical response was assessed by plasma
and salivary cortisol measurements. Nutritional
therapy treatment (NT) was a commercial formulation containing electrolytes,
sugars and selected amino acids in an alfalfa-based pellet. In Study #1,
nutritional therapy was given to control (CON) and treated (NT) groups of
animals on alternate days. In Study #2, CON and NT treated animals were
represented during each day of velvet removal. In Study #1, plasma and salivary
cortisol levels were significantly elevated in
response to velveting (P < 0.0001 and 0.03,
respectively). Nutritional Therapy animals exhibited lower salivary cortisol levels than CON animals (P < 0.0002), particularly
for pre-cut and post-cut samples (P < 0.04 and 0.001, respectively). The saliva:plasma cortisol
ratio (%) was significantly lower in NT animals for all samples (P <
0.0001), samples collected pre-cut (P < 0.02) and post-cut (P < 0.0002).
In Study #2, plasma cortisol levels in post-cut
samples were significantly lower (P < 0.02) in the NT group compared to CON
animals and salivary cortisol levels were
consistently lower (P < 0.0001) in NT animals over the first 11 minutes of
restraint. In Study #1, infrared heat losses increased in response to velveting (P < 0.0001), but were generally lower in NT
animals (P < 0.006) and IRT temperature were significantly lower in NT
animals at pre-cut and post-cut (P < 0.05 and 0.04, respectively). Similar
responses in radiated heat losses occurred in Study #2 for both treatment
groups (P < 0.0001). In Study #2, radiated heat losses were consistently
lower in NT animals compared to CON but differences were not statistically
significant. These studies demonstrate that pre-capture nutritional therapy
reduces HPA axis and metabolic responses of elk to the stress of velveting.
Key Words: Velveting,
nutritional therapy, salivary cortisol, infrared thermography.
Abbreviations: TC, tourniquet
compression; Comp, high-tension compression; EA, electrical analgesia; LIDO, lidocaine; IRT, infrared thermography;
NT, nutritional therapy; CON, nutritional controls.