Presentation Details
| Does pain impact how horses react to sound? Rebecca A.Thompson1, Julia G.Parker1, Allie S.Andrukonis2, Virginia A.Buechner-Maxwell3, Erica N.Feuerbacher1. 1Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.2University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.3Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA |
Abstract
Pain is often an under recognized cause of behavior problems in animals. Recent canine research has found that dogs with orthopedic pain may develop generalized sound sensitivities. We tested whether horses experiencing different levels of lameness showed different responses to a sudden noise. Horses underwent a five-day study examining whether they changed across days to a once daily airhorn stimulus. To evaluate the behavioral response, we measured response latency and duration of behavior disruption in addition to assigning a reaction score and behavior change score. We also collected heart rate data before, during, and after the sound stimulus. While zero low lameness horses had an increasing reaction between day one and day five, two moderate lameness horses and three high lameness horses showed an increased reaction. In the high lameness horses only, the heart rate immediately before the air horn on day five was significantly higher when compared to day one (p = 0.038). To date we do not see a clear pattern of sensitization among higher lameness horses. However, recognizing sound sensitivities as a potential pain behavior could help horses to be treated sooner.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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