Effect of methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) or dextrose supplementation on physiological responses and behaviours of sheep under transportation stress

Abstract

Transportation causes sheep to experience stress and body weight loss due to physical stress during the process. This study aimed to evaluate the administration of protected methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) or dextrose before transportation on body weight loss, physiological responses, and post-transportation behaviours of sheep. The study used 42 thin-tailed sheep (body weight 18.28±2.11 kg) that were divided into three treatments, i.e., without MHA/dextrose supplementation (P1, control), supplementation of MHA 0.24 g/kg body weight (P2), and supplementation of dextrose 0.24 g/kg body weight (P3). Sheep were transported for a 6-hour journey in commercial vehicles. The results showed that P2 and P3 significantly reduced (P<0.05) the length of time for the sheep to reach their initial body weight before transportation. The P2 and P3 significantly decreased (P<0.05) pulse and respiratory rates as compared to P1. The resting behaviour of P1 was significantly higher (P<0.05) than P2 and P3, while the standing behaviour of P2 and P3 was significantly higher (P<0.05) than P1, which indicated an improvement of sheep condition in the P2 and P3. It can be concluded that the supplementation of MHA or dextrose before transportation improves the bodyweight recovery time, physiological conditions, and behaviours of sheep under transportation stress.