Browsing by Author "Bergamasco, Luciana"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Citizen Science: Training Pet Dogs to Detect the Spotted Lanternfly
    Decker, Hannah (Virginia Tech, 2021-09-16)
    Dogs have been used alongside humans as detection tools for centuries. There have been a multitude of studies published that demonstrate the accuracy and utility of detection dogs, more specifically conservation scent detection dogs. With ubiquitous agricultural threats in the United States, there is a need for a tool to help decrease the threat level. Pet dogs could be the answer. There are millions of pet dogs in the United States and with the success of the dog sport nose work there is the potential to use pet dogs as detection tools. In this proof-of-concept study, six pet dogs were trained to detect the spotted lanternfly. The dogs completed a training phase and five tests. The mean sensitivity of the six dogs, for the five tests, was 79.75%. The mean PPP of the six dogs, for all five tests, was 66.79%. The results suggest that these six dogs could be beneficial detection tools for the Spotted Lanternfly. Based on the findings in this study, pet dogs could be invaluable in the field of conservation scent detection.
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    Habituation Protocols Improve Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Beef Cattle Exposed to Students in an Animal Handling Class
    Ujita, Aska; Seekford, Zachary; Kott, Michelle L.; Goncherenko, Guillermo; Dias, Nicholas W.; Feuerbacher, Erica N.; Bergamasco, Luciana; Jacobs, Leonie; Eversole, Dan Edward; Negrão, João A.; Mercadante, Vitor R. G. (MDPI, 2021-07-21)
    Our objective was to determine the impact of different habituation protocols on beef cattle behavior, physiology, and temperament in response to human handling. Beef heifers were exposed to three habituation strategies: (1) tactile stimulation (brushing) in the working chute for seven consecutive days (STI; n = 18); (2) passage through the working chute for seven consecutive days (CHU; n = 19) and; (3) no habituation (CON; n = 19). Individual heifer respiratory rate (RR; n/min), internal vaginal temperature (VAGT; °C), and blood cortisol were measured. Further, behavior parameters were observed to generate a behavior score, and heifer interaction with students and their behavioral responses were recorded. Habituation with STI and CHU resulted in improved numerical behavioral scores compared to CON, and greater (p ≤ 0.05) handling latencies. Vaginal temperature was decreased in STI compared to CHU and CONT (p ≤ 0.05). Cortisol concentration did not differ among treatments, but decreased (p ≤ 0.05) from the start of the experiment to 14 days after treatment initiation. Both habituation protocols showed benefits, but heifers that received the positive tactile stimulation in the chute had the greatest behavior improvements. Furthermore, these heifers responded more calmly during student-animal interactions in class, which is beneficial for the students’ and animals’ safety.
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    Investigating the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis: To What Extent Does Morphology Predict the Behavior and Physiological Stress Response of Dogs and Cattle?
    Platzer, JoAnna Marie (Virginia Tech, 2023-09-06)
    The Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis posits that domesticated animal species exhibit a shared set of traits encompassing behavioral, physiological, and morphological characteristics. While this hypothesis has garnered significant attention, the evidence supporting its universality remains limited, particularly in species such as dogs and cattle. In this dissertation, I examined the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis in mixed breed pet and shelter dogs as well as Holstein dairy heifers. This investigation focused on behavioral responses, physiological reactivity, and Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis-associated morphological variables in relation to human interaction. First, I explored the behavioral responses of Holstein dairy heifers representing a range of white spotting phenotypes towards people and handling, and their physiological response towards handling during an industry-standard palpation procedure. Additionally, I explored three pigmentation variables (coat color/pattern, eumelanin pigmentation, and white spotting) in dogs residing in a known stressful environment, an animal shelter. I assessed their baseline in-shelter cortisol and their cortisol response to an intervention in which they left the shelter to spend time with people. Lastly, I investigated citizen science behavioral surveys of owned mixed breed dogs to determine potential correlations between white spotting or ear set and various behavioral factors, including human sociability and aggression. Altogether, I found partial support for the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis: some results aligned with the expectations of the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis and some did not. Notably, in Holstein dairy heifers, I observed that less white spotting predicted a greater increase in cortisol levels and a higher rate of stepping in response to palpation, results that support the premises of the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis. Moreover, in owned mixed breed pet dogs, I found that human sociability positively correlated with white spotting and floppier ears and that decreased arousal, decreased aggression, and increased proximity-seeking correlated with floppier ears, further supporting the Hypothesis. However, many of the correlations predicted by the Hypothesis were not statistically significant or exhibited an opposite direction to what was expected. For instance, more extensive white spotting in Holsteins predicted a higher rate of vocalization during palpation, pigmentation did not significantly predict cortisol levels in shelter dogs, and in owned mixed breed dogs playfulness and biddability negatively correlated with white spotting while biddability negatively correlated with floppier ears. Prior research on the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis in dogs did not find covariation between domestication-associated behavioral and morphological traits, which the researchers suggest may have been driven by modern breeding practices; this confound could have also impacted my studies. Together, the results – both supportive and contradictory – included in this dissertation contribute to our understanding of the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis. Further research is needed to reconcile these inconsistencies and explore the underlying mechanisms behind the observed relationships. By expanding sample sizes, using more standardized study designs, and investigating causative mechanisms, future studies can enhance our knowledge of the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis and its implications in the domestication process of animals.
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    Sterilization Timing Effects on Lengths of Stay in Shelter Dogs and Cats with Positive Outcome
    McDonald, Amita (Virginia Tech, 2024-08-09)
    In 2023, an estimated 6.5 million pets entered one of the thousands of animal welfare organizations across the United States. Currently, animal shelters are experiencing a capacity crisis as an additional 900,000 animals have entered shelters since 2021 and have remained in care. Previous studies have attributed longer lengths of stay to many factors about the animal and shelter, including abnormal or problem behaviors, medical conditions and treatment, and available resources. Understanding how the timing of an animal’s sterilization surgery can affect its length of stay might aid in the development of evidence-based best practices regarding this procedure. The current study utilized records sourced by Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit organization that maintains a centralized database of United States animal sheltering data, for the year 2023 to investigate what shelter and animal variables, including the timing of its sterilization surgery, affect dog and cat lengths of stay. Our analysis showed significant relationships between sterilization surgery timing and days in the shelter, such that adopted dogs and those that were transferred out for placement had the shortest lengths of stay when sterilized post-outcome, while adopted and transferred cats had the shortest lengths of stay when sterilized before their arrival to the shelter. Moreover, we uncovered relationships between an animal’s length of stay and how it arrived at the shelter and the animal’s positive outcome as well as the region in which the shelter was located and the type of positive outcome it experienced. In all, we found associations between sterilization surgery and length of stay, in addition to impacts of intake type and geographic region, that suggest the timing of this procedure could impact animal welfare and organizational resources, and warrants further investigation.
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    Unmitigated Surgical Castration in Calves of Different Ages: Cortisol Concentrations, Heart Rate Variability, and Infrared Thermography Findings
    Bergamasco, Luciana; Edwards-Callaway, Lily N.; Bello, Nora M.; Mijares, Sage H.; Cull, Charley A.; Rugan, Stacy; Mosher, Ruby A.; Gehring, Ronette; Coetzee, Johann F. (MDPI, 2021-09-17)
    The objective was to characterize physiological responses to unmitigated surgical castration in calves of varying ages. Thirty male Holstein calves of three ages [<6 w (6W); 3 m (3M); 6 m (6M); n = 10] underwent a simulated castration treatment (SHAM) followed 24 h later by castration (CAST). For both treatments, heart rate variability, eye temperature, and cortisol were measured over time from treatment to specified end points to capture the acute response period. Interactions between treatment and age (p = 0.035) and time and age (p < 0.001) were noted for cortisol. The 6W calves had lower cortisol compared to 6M calves at SHAM and CAST. Cortisol of 6W calves decreased from peak to pre-treatment levels faster than 6M calves. An interaction between time and age was reported in squared differences of inter-beat-intervals (RMSSD; p = 0.02) and high-frequency power (HFP; p = 0.05), whereby both responses decreased in 6W calves during the sampling period which was not seen in 3M and 6M calves. Average eye temperature (AET) differed by age (p = 0.0018) whereby 6W calves had lower AET than 6M calves (p = 0.0013) regardless of treatment and time. The findings suggest that responses to unmitigated surgical castration seem to be mediated by the autonomic nervous system in an age-related manner.
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    Unmitigated Surgical Castration in Calves of Different Ages: Electroencephalographic and Neurohormonal Findings
    Bergamasco, Luciana; Edwards-Callaway, Lily N.; Bello, Nora M.; Mijares, Sage H.; Cull, Charley A.; Mosher, Ruby A.; Coetzee, Johann F. (MDPI, 2021-06-15)
    Castration is a common management procedure employed in North American cattle production and is known to cause a pain response. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of unmitigated surgical castration on the electroencephalography (EEG) responses and plasma substance P (SP) concentrations in calves of different ages under the same experimental conditions. Thirty male Holstein calves in three age categories [<6 weeks (6W); 3 months (3M); 6 months (6M); 10 calves per age group] were used in the study. Calves were subjected to a simulated castration session (SHAM) followed 24 h later by surgical castration (CAST) without analgesia. An EEG analysis was performed before the procedure (i.e., baseline), at treatment, and 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 min post-treatment for both SHAM and CAST, respectively. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to both treatments (time 0) and again at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 h after both treatments. The EEG results showed a three-way interaction between treatment, age, and time for delta and beta absolute power, beta relative power, total power, and median frequency (p = 0.004, p = 0.04, p = 0.04, p = 0.03, and p = 0.008, respectively). Following CAST, EEG total power decreased, and median frequency increased relative to SHAM in 6W and 3M calves only following treatment. For 6W and 3M calves, delta and beta absolute power increased at CAST and at later time points relative to SHAM. Marginal evidence for two-way interactions was noted between time and treatment and between age and treatment on the concentration of SP (p = 0.068 and p = 0.066, respectively). Substance P concentrations decreased in CAST treatment compared to SHAM at the later times (8 h: p = 0.007; 12 h: p = 0.048); 6W calves showed lower SP concentration at CAST relative to SHAM (p = 0.017). These findings indicate variation in EEG responses and in SP concentrations following unmitigated surgical castration in calves and that these responses may be age specific. These EEG findings have implications for supporting the perception of the pain associated with surgical castration in young calves and emphasize the urgency of pain mitigation strategies during routine husbandry practices such as castration, as typically implemented in North American cattle management.