Health, body condition and blood metabolites in reindeer after submaintenance feed intake and subsequent feeding

Reindeer Husbandry in Switzerland-Management, Feeding, and Endoparasite Infections

The aim of the present work was to provide an overview of management and feeding practices, and the prevalence of endoparasite infections in captive Swiss reindeer. On two visits to eight farms or zoos, a standardized questionnaire was completed. A total of 67 reindeer were weighed, and fecal samples were collected. The primary management concerns voiced by owners/managers were feeding and successful breeding. All reindeer were fed roughage ad libitum and supplementary feed for reindeer or other browsers, with different compositions in each herd. Males over two years of age weighed from 60 kg up to 127.5 kg, whereas females had a body weight from 53.5 kg to 86.5 kg. The prevalence of gastrointestinal strongyles was 68.6% (46/67), with reindeer in zoos having a lower prevalence (36%; 9/25) than reindeer from private farms (88%; 37/42). Capillaria sp., Strongyloides sp., and Trichuris sp. were detected in lower prevalences (<24%) and were also more frequent in private farms. Intestinal protozoa, as well as fluke and tapeworms, were not detected in any herd. This study provides an overview on husbandry, feeding, and endoparasite prevalence in reindeer in Switzerland and should be of help for breeders and veterinarians dealing with this animal species.

Fatal inanition in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus): pathological findings in completely emaciated carcasses

Background

In a project to determine the causes of winter mortality in reindeer in Finnmark County, northern Norway, the most frequent diagnosis turned out to be complete emaciation, despite several of the reindeer having been given silage for up to 4 weeks before they died. The present paper describes autopsy results and other findings in these animals.

Methods

Autopsies were made of 32 reindeer carcasses, and 28 of these were diagnosed as completely emaciated based on lack of visible fat and serous atrophy of subepicardial and bone marrow fat. Other investigations of the carcasses included histology, bacteriology, parasitology (counting of macro parasites and faecal egg counting), analysis of vitamin E and selenium in liver, chemical and botanical analysis of rumen content, analysis of lipid content in femur bone marrow and estimation of muscle atrophy by use of a muscle index.

Results

Main findings were: Low carcass weight, severe muscle atrophy, hemosiderosis in liver and spleen, subcutaneous oedema (18%) and effusions to body cavities (18%). Two types of lipofuscin granula were identified in the liver: One type occurred in liver endothelial cells of all carcasses, while the other type occurred in hepatocytes, and prevailed in adult animals. Abomasal haemorrhages, consistent with previously described stress lesions, was present in 68% of the carcasses. Diarrhoea occurred in 2 cases, and loose faecal consistency was associated with silage feeding. Rumen content was low in crude protein. Grass dominated rumen content in silage-fed carcasses, while reindeer on natural pastures had mainly woody plants, mosses and litter in rumen. Stem dominated the grass fraction in rumens with high grass content, indicating ruminal indigestion as a cause of emaciation in silage fed animals. Some cases had heavy infestation of parasites such as warble fly larvae (Hypoderma tarandi), throat bot larvae (Cephenemyiae trompe) and lung nematodes.

Conclusion

Lack of appropriate amounts and/or appropriate quality of feed has been the main cause of emaciation, though heavy infestation of parasites may have contributed to the emaciation in some cases.

Activity and heart rate in semi-domesticated reindeer during adaptation to emergency feeding

Although reindeer are well adapted to limited food resources during winter, semi-domesticated reindeer are regularly fed when snow conditions are bad in order to prevent starvation. Feeding sometimes results in health problems and loss of animals. This study was made to assess if activity pattern in reindeer could be used as a tool for the reindeer herder in early detection of animals that are not adapting to feeding. The frequency of 10 behavioural categories was recorded in five groups of penned, eight-month-old, female semi-domesticated reindeer. Three reindeer per group were fitted with heart rate monitors. Lying was the most frequent behaviour, whilst there were few cases of agonistic behaviour. Heart rate varied during the day, with peaks during feeding and low heart rates in the early morning. Restricted feed intake resulted in more locomotion and seeking but less ruminating compared to feeding ad libitum. This was followed by a generally lower heart rate in reindeer in the restricted groups compared to controls. Subsequent feeding with different combinations of lichens, silage and pellets ad libitum resulted initially in significantly more of the animals lying curled up, compared to controls, combined with increased heart rates. As the experiment continued the general activity pattern, as well as the heart rate, gradually became more similar in all groups. Lying curled was the behavioural indicator most consistently affected by feed deprivation and adaptation to feeding and may thus be a useful indicator to distinguish individual reindeer that are not adjusting to feeding.