Advancing techniques to promote the welfare of sows utilized in laboratory based lameness models

Abstract

The first objective for this dissertation was to refine and enhance common techniques conducted in a laboratory setting including drug administration, anesthesia and behavioral modification for laboratory housed sows to improve the welfare of sows specifically by minimizing pain and distress. The second objective of this dissertation was to use an optimal dosing regimen for two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to determine their efficacy in pain management using nociceptive threshold tests when sows are induced lame through the use of a chemical synovitis model. The expected outcome was that in this lameness pain model, the pain mitigation agents will alleviate pain as assessed by two nociceptive tests. For the first objective, I developed and refined a technique for catheter placement into the auricular vein of sows. This method was quick, effective and reliable, allowing a large drug volume to be administrated successfully without relying on prolonged restraint or general anesthesia of the sow. Research confirmed that Yohimbine is an effective anesthetic reversal agent in mature sows when anesthetized with xylazine, ketamine, and telazol. Yohimbine reduced overall recovery time and maintained physiological parameters closer to normal homeostatic ranges. Lastly, the results of a study assessing behavioral modification in an individual sow demonstrating oral and locomotor stereotypies suggests the promise of environmental enrichment as an effective treatment strategy for mitigating stereotypies performed in a laboratory setting. The second objective of this dissertation was to use an optimal dosing regimen for two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (flunixin meglumine and meloxicam) to determine their efficacy in pain management using nociceptive threshold tests when lameness was induced through the use of a chemical synovitis model. Results from this study