The use of electrolyte solutions for reducing transport stress.
Abstract
The transport and handling procedures imposed on beef cattle during the normal course of marketing can be a significant stressor. Factors including time off feed, water deprivation, mixing and the resulting behavioral problems, transport movement, unfamiliar noise, inclement weather, and so forth are often present and collectively result in live weight and carcass losses as well as degraded meat quality. In addition, a growing public concern regarding animal welfare in such situations is evident. Understanding how cattle adapt to and are influenced by these factors is a necessary first step in being able to reduce these stresses and a major research effort globally has been directed toward this end. Studies at the Lacombe Research Center have focused on understanding the role of electrolytes in attenuating transport and handling stress. Apparent in this research has been the consistent observation that transport and handling reduce blood pH, glucose concentration, and interstitial water space (P < .05), and increases in serum chloride. hemoglobin, urine sodium, and urine osmolality (P < .05) are evident. These changes are also accompanied by significant increases in the neutrophile/lymphocyte ratio. The application of oral electrolyte therapy, especially if similar in constituents to interstitial fluid, seems to attenuate these physiological changes. Resulting improvements in both live and carcass weights (less shrink) of up to several percent in treated animals as well as a reduction in meat quality degradation (reduced dark cutting) is evident in such trials. These studies suggest that the use of electrolyte therapy may be an effective means of reducing stress in transported cattle.
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Differences in the hematological profile of calves after transport might be related to factors such as age at first transport, handling, pretransport nutrition, transport conditions, type of vehicle, transport duration, and recovery time upon arrival.
“Differences in the hematological profile of calves after transport might be related to different factors, such as age of calves at first transport, handling, pretransport nutrition, transport conditions, type of vehicle, transport duration (Schaefer et al., 1997”
From Effects of pretransport diet, transport duration, and type of vehicle on physiological status of young veal calves. (2020) · cites this paper as Schaefer et al., 1997
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- Authors
- Schaefer, A. L., Jones, S. D., & Stanley, R. W.
- Affiliations
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (CA)
- Venue
- Journal of Animal Science
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1997
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 258
- ISSN
- 0021-8812 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1533673151
- Cited by
- 194
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Animal Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Meat and Animal Product Quality
- Keywords
- electrolyte therapy, transport stress, handling stress, beef cattle, live weight loss, meat quality, blood pH, serum chloride, urine osmolality, animal welfare, interstitial fluid
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animal Welfare, Blood Glucose, Cattle, Chlorides, Electrolytes, Fluid Therapy, Sodium, Stress, Psychological, Transportation
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