Preliminary Study on the Effects of Long Distance Road Transport on Some Blood Constituents in Recently Weaned Thoroughbred Foals

Transport is a known stressful event that, when occurring together with other stressful situations such as weaning, could have a deleterious effect on the welfare of foals. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in selected blood constituents indicative of stress, muscular damage, and dehydration as a result of long distance road transport in recently weaned Thoroughbred foals. For this. 15 foals were transported in two loads for 15 hours. Blood samples were obtained before weaning, before loading, and after transport. Statistical analysis was performed for each blood variable to establish differences between loads and between sampling times. Significant increases (P < .05) in cortisol, packed cell volume, and total proteins after transport showed that long distance transport resulted in a stress response and dehydration status in the foals studied. Through creatinphosphokinase activity, no muscular damage could be confirmed due to weaning or transport. Provision of water during transport of foals should be considered to prevent health and welfare risks of foals during transport. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.