Association between Infrared Thermography, Blood Count and Creatine Kinase in the Evaluation of the Welfare of Vaquejada Horses

The Quarter-Horses regularly participate in non-traditional sports that simulate activities on cattle ranches. In the vaquejada races, the horses run at about 30 km/h, reaching maximum heart rates of around 200 bpm, indicating the great physical effort during competitions and with that could impact welfare. To test the hypothesis that vaquejada horses can be evaluated for the quality of welfare through a combination of non-invasive and invasive methods, an experiment was developed that aimed to assess the quality of welfare through thermography and blood biomarkers before and after vaquejada races. Ten vaquejada horses, which were in regular competition, were submitted to the vaquejadas racing test were used. Thermography was performed in 14 regions of interest (head, neck and thorax) in the following phases: pre-race and +1, +4 and +24 hours of the races. Blood samples were collected in pre-race, immediately after and +1, +4 and +24 hours of the races. Results were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey’s test, with p set at 5%. Thermography showed that local temperatures before the race and +24 hours after the races were similar (p > 0.05), as well as between +1 and +4 hours after the races (p > 0.05), which showed higher surface temperatures than the first group (pre-race and +24 hours) (p 0.05) after the exercises. In conclusion, the vaquejada horses evaluated by infrared thermography and blood analyses maintained the quality of well-being, with the physiological elevation of several parameters after the races and recovery in less than 24 hours after the races. Thermographic images were also able to help in the analysis of the regions of interest that have contact with harnesses, demonstrating that the use of adequate and correct equipment does not compromise animal welfare.

Biomarkers of Stress and Inflammation in Assessing the Quality of Welfare of Conditioned Vaquejada Horses

In recent decades, the intensity of training and equestrian competitions has significantly increased, thus the assessment of the well-being of the equine athlete has become essential in all equestrian modalities. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether equine athletes submitted to a vaquejada simulation test (VqST), comprised of three races, presented changes in blood biomarkers related to stress and health status. Fourteen healthy Quarter Horses, used as pull horses in this equestrian modality, were evaluated. Ten animals were submitted to the VqST and the remaining four were used as a control group. Blood samples were collected pre-test (during fast), immediately after, and at 1, 4 and 24 hours of recovery. The assessed blood biomarkers included cortisol, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, iron, urea, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations and results were analyzed using One Way ANOVA (time) with the SigmaStat 13.0 software. No differences between sample times were detected in both groups (p > 0.05) and no differences were found between groups (p > 0.05). The results suggest that all horses were well conditioned for the level of effort imposed by the three vaquejada races. The adaptation to physical exercise may enable the regulation of the acute response to stress in the tissues involved in the exercises, with no differences being observed in stress and health biomarkers, such as IL-6, IL-1β and cortisol. In conclusion, well-conditioned vaquejada horses exhibit a balanced regulation of biological processes, which contributes an increased athletic longevity and better quality of athletic life.

Evaluation of Different Parasitological Techniques for Diagnosing Intestinal Parasites in Dogs

Intestinal nematodes are among the most common parasites of dogs, being Toxocara spp. and Ancylostoma spp. threats to public health due to their zoonotic potential. In this study, three parasitological diagnostic techniques for detecting the eggs/oocysts of canine intestinal parasites were evaluated. Fecal samples (n = 285) were collected from the environment (i.e. public streets, squares and homes) in Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil. Samples were analyzed using the Willis-Mollay simple flotation technique, spontaneous sedimentation (Hoffman, Pons and Janer) and modified centrifugal flotation. Among the samples analyzed, 56.49% (161/285) showed eggs and/or oocysts of intestinal parasites. In particular, 44.21% (126/285) were detected by the Willis technique, 45.14% (121/268) by centrifugal flotation and 31.57% (90/285) by the Hoffmann technique. The kappa index indicated good concordance between the centrifugal flotation and Willis techniques (κ = 0.625), whereas fair concordance was observed between Hoffmann and Willis (κ = 0.480), and between Hoffman and centrifugal flotation (κ = 0.433). In conclusion, the centrifugal flotation technique showed high sensitivity towards detecting Ancylostoma spp. and Toxocara spp. (the most common parasites in this study) and could be used in association with the Willis technique to obtain safe diagnoses within routine laboratory analysis.

Analysis of Tracheal Secretion in Healthy Horses Undergoing a Vaquejada Simulation Test

This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of EIPH in vaquejada horses via endoscopy and tracheal lavage and citology. We used eight Quarter-mile horses that usually perform at vaquejadas. Clinical examination was carried out before the race. After the race, endoscopy and tracheal lavage with 20 ml of saline via the service channel of the endoscope were performed. The samples were sent to the laboratory for processing and confection of the slides. Of the eight horses (four pull and four helper horses), six had hemosiderophages in their tracheal aspirates, confirming the existence of pulmonary hemorrhage after exercise. No difference was observed between the analyzed parameters between the two groups of vaquejada horses (P > 0.05). Tracheal lavage and endoscopy can be used for evaluating this important disease in animal athletes.