Measurement of cortisol in horses tears
2018
Fuchikami, M. (Department of Human and Animal-Plant Relationships Graduate School of Agriculture Tokyo University of Agriculture (Japan)) | Uchiyama, H. | Ohta, M.
Regarding the effects brought about by horses and/or riding, there are many studies of factors viewed from the human side, such as horse swing and matching, whereas the factors from the horse side have not been elucidated. As a method of sampling for physiological evaluations like stress reactions, blood is often used, in which sampling is accompanied by pain. Therefore, it is important to consider the usefulness of non-invasive sampling, in order to reduce the load on horses and to gain more physiological information about horses. Tears are produced from blood and contain proteins and electrolytes. In this study, we aimed to measure the concentration of cortisol in tears and to clarify the usefulness of tear sampling. The significant positive correlation of cortisol concentrations was obtained in blood sampling by puncture and in tears fluid by Schirmer method (rs=0.5, P<0.01), suggesting that tears fluid was fully available in horses. By using tears collected non-invasively, the physiological evaluations of horses would be possible in horse-facilitated activity and therapy in the future.
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