CHANGES IN PLASMA-CORTISOL, PLASMA BETA-ENDORPHIN, HEART-RATE, HEMATOCRIT AND PLASMA-PROTEIN CONCENTRATION IN HORSES DURING RESTRAINT AND USE OF A NASO-GASTRIC TUBE

Tubing and restraint are used in order to administer fluid, antihelmin thic drugs or to perform gastroscopic examinations. The aim of this st udy was to investigate if the stress response of horses differ between the following treatments; Upper lip twitching, Holding the ears of th e horse and naso-gastric tubing, Upper lip twitching and naso-gastric tubing, and Upper lip twitching and naso-gastric tubing with administr ation of 10 litres body warm saline solution, 9 g NaCl/l. Five Standar dbred geldings underwent the treatments at random. Entering the treatm ent room increased the haematocrit and plasma protein concentration. T he heart rate decreased in treatments where the twitch was used. All t reatments elevated the plasma cortisol concentrations. The horses beha ved most disturbed when they were tubed without twitching, but the pla sma p-endorphin concentration increased only when twitching was combin ed with naso-gastric tubing.