Insights (Page 2)

By Linda Greening, Hartpury University

Sleep reportedly regulates a range of internal processes, plays a part in memory consolidation, and is governed by homeostatic and circadian processes. Thus, sleep is considered a critically important part of both mental and physical wellbeing for all mammals, with ‘sleep debts’ occurring when an individual fails to achieve an ‘optimal’ amount of sleep. The horse is no exception. Described as a polyphasic sleeper, the horse on average engages in several short sessions of sleep interspersed with longer periods of wakefulness resulting in a total of 3-5 hours sleep per 24 hours. Most commonly, equine sleep is observed between midnight and dawn, which is considered an evolutionary adaption by reducing the risk of attack at a time when the horse is most vulnerable. In a recent questionnaire-based study of nearly 600 horse owners, 29% reported never considering the amount of sleep their horse achieved, suggesting consideration of equine sleep may be under-prioritised when evaluating equine welfare within normal husbandry practices.

By Dr. Melissa Moggy

Rocky View School students have a unique opportunity to close the gap between the public and agriculture through attending class at The Farm. Grade nine, 10, and 11 Rocky View School students can apply to the program, and 40 students are selected. Students are taught their curriculum from an agricultural perspective in a portable classroom on The Farm. Relationships with the community and partners anchor the program. AFAC is a member of The Farm’s advisory committee and has had the opportunity to see this program grow.

By Dr. Karin Orsel, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD),  accounts for most of the disease and deaths in Alberta feedlots and feedlots in North America. Although BRD is a multifactorial disease, it is mainly associated with bacterial pathogens. Therefore, BRD is treated using antimicrobials, potentially playing a role in the development of antimicrobial resistance.

By Dr. Melissa Moggy, Alberta Farm Animal Care

As many of us have heard, recent amendments to the Humane Transportation of Animals regulations took effect on February 20^th, 2020. Regulations can be difficult to interpret and understand. We can’t all read legalise!

By Wiolene Nordi^*, Désirée Gellatly^§, Daniela Meléndez^*, Sonia Marti^‡, Doerte Dopfer^††, Kathy Parker^†, Joyce Van Donkersgoed^╪, and Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein^*

Sheep production is on the rise in Canada, largely due to the growing ethnic market. This means that the number of lamb feedlots is also increasing to meet this demand. As with most intensive production systems, some health and welfare issues are reduced as a result of greater ability and opportunity to manage animal health while other issues may increase since disease can be more easily spread. This is true in the case of lameness, which can be caused by either infectious or non-infectious sources. Regardless of the cause, lameness is a significant animal welfare and economic concern known to be painful for the animals and costly to producers due to production losses and increased treatment and labour costs.