Gosia Zobel

Heat stress in dairy cows poses a significant challenge, particularly on pasture where cows are exposed to variable climates. The study objective was to use weather variables and established heat load indices to predict grazing dairy cow respiration rate (RR) and drooling. Data from 483 Friesian × Jersey crossbred cows across 7 New Zealand farms was collected over 2 consecutive 5-d periods per farm. RR and drooling were observed up to 6 times per cow daily across 3 time periods (0900-1100h, 1200-1400h, 1700-1900h) and matched to 15-min weather data. Although farmers were asked to minimize heat mitigation, the observational nature of the study meant shade and/or sprinklers were available periodically on 6 farms as part of their standard management. Weather variables (temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation), Temperature Humidity Index (THI) and 2 Grazing Heat Load Indices (GHLI 2023; GHLI 2025), were used to model RR and drooling. Data subsets (1200-1500h and 0900-1800h) were analyzed separately, with the former explaining more RR variance (65.4 vs. 61.3%). GHLI (2025), GHLI (2023) and THI explained 59.8%, 59.7%, and 58.7% of RR variance, respectively. Nonlinear relationships between RR and individual weather variables were detected (P < 0.001), and temperature, solar radiation, and wind speed together explained approximately 9% more RR variation than indices. RR was stable to about 19°C, with sharper increase above 23°C and 0.99 MJ/m² solar radiation; wind speed had a mitigating effect. Despite both behaviors being linked to heat stress, RR explained just 30% of drooling variance. Drooling probability reached 50% at a GHLI (2025) of 82; however, < 20% drooling variance was explained, likely due to between-farm variability. These limitations aside, results illustrate the nonlinear effects of weather variables on heat load responses of grazing dairy cows; given large between-farm variation, individual weather variables may be more accurate predictors than linear indices. However, farmers require clear guidelines for decision making, and indices are straightforward; thus, continued research should refine nonlinear predictive models that could be used in conjunction with on-cow devices. Models should be validated across different climatic regions, farming systems, breeds, and individual animal characteristics, as doing so will support sustainability and resilience in dairy farming in the face of climate change.

Understanding heat stress in dairy cows is important for ensuring their welfare and productivity. While the Temperature Humidity Index is commonly used to determine heat stress conditions it does not consider outdoor factors (e.g. wind speed and solar radiation). To address this, the Grazing Heat Load Index (GHLI) which predicts respiration rate, an indicator of heat stress, was previously developed using data from the Waikato region in New Zealand. This study updated the GHLI using a weather data and animal heat stress indicators (e.g. respiration rate and drooling), collected from dairy herds in the Northland, Waikato, Canterbury, and Southland regions. A mixed‐effects linear model, which included air temperature, solar radiation and wind speed as inputs was developed using data from these diverse locations. The updated model slightly outperformed the previous model on a validation dataset when predicting respiration rate. While air temperature remained the primary driver of respiration rate, solar radiation was an exacerbating factor, whereas wind exerted a mitigating effect. Challenges persist in characterising heat stress in conditions such as high wind speed. Non‐linear modelling techniques could enhance the predictive capability of the GHLI model, thereby refining heat stress assessment in pasture‐based dairy systems nationwide.

An essential component of a timely response to a disaster event or disease outbreak is an accurate understanding of the population at risk, its location, and the owners' contact details. In equines, this can be achieved through individual identification, via microchipping, and the registration of these individuals in a centralised database. This review outlines the development by the New Zealand Equine Health Association (NZEHA) of a centralised database for equines in New Zealand, the National Equine Identification and Traceability (NEIT) system, which is built using Companion Animal New Zealand's (CANZ) database infrastructure. The utility of NEIT and the equine component of the NZCAR database in preparing for and responding to the health and welfare needs of equines during disaster events is also reviewed. Horses involved in the racing industry in New Zealand are required to be registered. There are also approximately 70 equine organisations, such as breed societies and those responsible for organising sport or recreational activities. Equines may be registered with more than one organisation, creating duplication. Few registers have mechanisms to ensure they are up to date. As such, information on these registers is unlikely to be sufficiently accurate to be useful in the event of an emergency response. In addition, they may lack the location of the equine and contact details of the owner, limiting their value as a response tool. Furthermore, many equines in New Zealand, including feral and domestic populations, may not be registered. These limitations, alongside biosecurity preparedness concerns, resulted in NZEHA leading the development of the NEIT system, enabled by CANZ.Microchipping has been selected over other identification methods for the New Zealand equine population. Microchips are a safe method of providing equines with a unique lifetime identification number. Further, the use of microchips in equines is already mandatory for horses bred to race in New Zealand (Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds), with some breed societies (e.g. the New Zealand Warmblood Association) requiring microchipping for registration. The microchipping of New Zealand equines aligns with local trends in traceability for companion animals and cattle and global trends for equines. Having equines registered on a centralised database enables the timely implementation of control strategies, especially in cases where vaccination is used. This review describes the pitfalls with current equine registers, and the need to develop a unified system of hosting applicable information as part of preparedness planning, ensuring increased efficiency of emergency response and recovery.

Background: Social isolation (SI) is an established rat model of chronic stress. We applied this to the stress‐sensitive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) strain to explore brain‐to‐gut interactions associated with mood. Whether SI stress‐induced behavioral changes are sex‐specific or if they affect the microbiome in WKY is unknown. We hypothesized individually housed (IH) animals would be more anxious than pair‐housed (PH), with sex differences. Male and female rats were either IH or PH from 70 to 112 days old and behavior was assessed in modified open field (OFTmod), elevated plus maze (EPM), and novel object recognition (NOR) tests. Cecal content DNA was analyzed by shotgun metagenome sequencing.Results: IH rats, particularly females, spent more time in the center of the OFTmod where the semi‐novel feed was presented compared to PH group rats. There was a tendency for greater distance traveled, or potential hyperactivity, in IH female rats. Males stayed in the EPM closed arms more than females. No treatment difference occurred for recognition memory. SI altered cecal microbiome composition in females where housing was associated with seven differentially abundant taxa and 49 differentially abundant KEGG Level 3 ortholog/gene categories. Several relationships were noted between behavioral traits and relative abundance of microbiome taxa. There was a greater shift in female microbiome composition.Conclusions: In summary, behavioral responses to the housing treatment were minimal. IH animals, particularly females, spent more time in the center of an OFT that contained food; this may have been an indication of depression, as opposed to anxiety. Housing status had a differential impact on the microbiome for females compared to males. The associations between cecal microbiota and activity in the modified OFT suggest that dietary interventions that influence the relative abundance of Bifidobacteria, Alistipes, and Muribaculaceae should be explored.

Animal agriculture employs approximately one-eighth of world’s human population and results in the slaughter of over 160 billion animals annually, representing perhaps the most extensive intertwining of human and animal lives on the planet. In principle, close, intersubjective relationships (involving shared attention and mental states) between humans and the animals in agriculture are possible, though these are infrequently studied and are unlikely to be achieved in farming, given systemic constraints (e.g. housing and management). Much scientific research on human-animal relationships within agriculture has focused upon a fairly restricted range of states (e.g. reducing aversive human-animal interactions within standard systems, toward improving productivity and reducing injuries to workers). Considering human-animal relations along a continuum, we review scholarship supporting the rationale for expanding the range of relationships under consideration in animal welfare research, given the impacts these relationships can have on both animals and stockpersons, increasing consumer demand for humane food products, and the goal of providing animals under our care with good lives. Looking toward traditions that encourage taking the perspective of, and learning from non-humans, we provide entry points to approaches that can enable animal welfare research to expand to investigate a broader range of human-animal relationship states. By showing the potential for close mutually beneficial human-animal relationships, this line of research highlights pathways for understanding and improving the welfare of animals used in agriculture.

Hoof overgrowth in commercial housed dairy goats is a major health and welfare concern; thus, it is important to better understand hoof trimming, a priority practice which addresses hoof growth. We evaluated the immediate effects of trimming on external conformation, internal joint positions, and hoof wall overgrowth of front and hind hooves. Eighty female goats were enrolled. Pre and post hoof trimming data were collected at 13, 17, 21 and 25 months of age. Overall, before trimming, a high percentage of hooves were scored as overgrown (77.8%). Trimming decreased the percentage of overgrown hooves (17.6%: P < 0.001) and other moderate/severe conformational issues: dipped heels (49.3% vs. 26.7; P < 0.001), misshaped claws (37.0% vs. 17.6%; P < 0.001), splayed claws (73.7% vs. 56.7%; P < 0.001). More hind than front hooves had dipped heels pre-trimming and (91.3% vs. 7.3%; P < 0.001) and post-trimming (52.8% vs. 0.6%; P < 0.001); over half of the hind heels were not restored to an upright position. A greater proportion of toe length was removed from the hind hooves compared to the front (0.50 vs. 0.43, P < 0.001), with the greatest proportion of hoof wall overgrowth removed from the hind hoof medial claw at the 13-month assessment (P < 0.001). Following trimming, distal interphalangeal joint angle decreased more in hind compared to front hooves (11.0° vs. 6.9°; P < 0.001); distal interphalangeal joint height decreased (0.21 cm, P < 0.001), and proximal interphalangeal joint, and heel, angles increased (7.76° and 8.93°, respectively; P < 0.001). Trimming did not restore conformation of all hooves when trimmed every 4 months, suggesting a need to investigate reasons for underlying poor conformation, including trimming frequency.