Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T02:06:51.490Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Caffeine supplementation of ewes during lambing may increase lamb survival

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2017

S. M. Robertson ,
M. A. Friend ,
G. S. Doran  and
S. Edwards
S. M. Robertson*
Affiliation:
Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Charles Sturt University and NSW Department of Primary Industries), Albert Pugsley Place, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
M. A. Friend
Affiliation:
Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Charles Sturt University and NSW Department of Primary Industries), Albert Pugsley Place, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia
G. S. Doran
Affiliation:
Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Charles Sturt University and NSW Department of Primary Industries), Albert Pugsley Place, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
S. Edwards
Affiliation:
Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Charles Sturt University and NSW Department of Primary Industries), Albert Pugsley Place, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Perinatal mortality of lambs is on average 20% of lambs born in extensive Australian grazing systems, constituting a substantial production loss and welfare concern. Hypoxia resulting from prolonged or difficult births contributes to lower rates of lamb survival, and caffeine may reduce the effects of hypoxia. This study evaluated whether oral supplementation of grazing ewes with caffeine could improve lamb survival. Pregnant Merino ewes (n=492) which had been naturally mated to Merino rams in February/March were allocated to three replicates of control (no caffeine) or caffeine treatments. Caffeine was fed daily in troughs in each paddock at a rate of 1.6 g/ewe per day (estimated at 20 mg/kg live weight) from the day before the first lamb was born, for 14 days, with lambing continuing for 6 weeks. Intake was facilitated using 320 g/day per ewe of barley grain with molasses, which was fed to both treatments. The proportion of lambs born alive during the period of supplementation did not differ (P>0.05) between treatments. The proportion mortality of lambs to 1 day of age was lower (P=0.029) in the caffeine (0.01) compared with the control (0.16) treatment for lambs born during the 1st week of supplementation, but not in later weeks. This difference in mortality for lambs born in the 1st week of supplementation was maintained to marking age (caffeine 0.09; control 0.30; P=0.027). Extreme weather during the 2nd week of supplementation may have prevented any reduction in mortality due to caffeine in that week. Feeding caffeine to a naturally lambing flock of grazing ewes may be a highly effective and commercially practical method of increasing lamb survival, but further research is needed to confirm these results, and caffeine be regulated for use.

Keywords

sheepreproductionmortality
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , February 2018 , pp. 376 - 382
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016. Agricultural Commodities of Australia, 2014-15, catalogue no. 7121.0. Retrieved on 11 January 2017 from www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs.Google Scholar
Alexander, G 1962. Temperature regulation in the new-born lamb. IV. The effect of wind and evaporation of water from the coat on metabolic rate and body temperature. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 13, 82–99.Google Scholar
Alexander, G, Lynch, JJ, Mottershead, BE and Donnelly, JB 1980. Reduction in lamb mortality by means of grass wind-breaks: results of a five-year study. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 13, 329–331.Google Scholar
Atik, A, Cheong, J, Harding, R, Sa, Rees, De Matteo, R and Tolcos, M 2014. Impact of daily high-dose caffeine exposure on developing white matter of the immature ovine brain. Pediatric Research 76, 54–63.Google Scholar
Back, SA, Craig, A, Ling Luo, N, Ren, J, Akundi, RS, Ribeiro, I and Rivkees, SA 2006. Protective effects of caffeine on chronic hypoxia-induced perinatal white matter injury. Annals of Neurology 60, 696–705.Google Scholar
Blood, AB, Hunter, CJ and Power, GG 2003. Adenosine mediates decreased cerebral metabolic rate and increased cerebral blood flow during acute moderate hypoxia in the near-term fetal sheep. The Journal of Physiology 553, 935–945.Google Scholar
Bodineau, L, Saadani-Makki, F, Jullien, H and Frugière, A 2006. Caffeine in the milk prevents respiratory disorders caused by in utero caffeine exposure in rats. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 150, 94–98.Google Scholar
Bona, E, Ådén, U, Gilland, E, Fredholm, BB and Hagberg, H 1997. Neonatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia: The effect of adenosine receptor antagonists. Neuropharmacology 36, 1327–1338.Google Scholar
Budryn, G, Nebesny, E and Rachwał-Rosiak, D 2013. Stability of hydroxycinnamic acids and caffeine from green coffee extracts after heating in food model systems. European Food Research and Technology 236, 969–978.Google Scholar
Danielson, TJ and Golsteyn, LR 1996. Systemic clearance and demethylation of caffeine in sheep and cattle. Drug Metabolism and Disposition 24, 1058–1061.Google ScholarPubMed
Darwish, RA and Ashmawy, TAM 2011. The impact of lambing stress on post-parturient behaviour of sheep with consequences on neonatal homeothermy and survival. Theriogenology 76, 999–1005.Google Scholar
DeGraves, FJ, Ruffin, DC, Duran, SH, Spano, JS, Whatley, EM, Schumacher, J and Riddell, MG 1995. Pharmacokinetics of caffeine in lactating dairy cows. American Journal of Veterinary Research 56, 619–622.Google Scholar
Dennis, SM 1974. Perinatal lamb mortality in Western Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal 50, 443–449.Google Scholar
Dutra, F and Banchero, G 2011. Polwarth and Texel ewe parturition duration and its association with lamb birth asphyxia. Journal of Animal Science 89, 3069–3078.Google Scholar
Dwyer, CM 2003. Behavioural development in the neonatal lamb: effect of maternal and birth-related factors. Theriogenology 59, 1027–1050.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dwyer, CM, Conington, J, Corbiere, F, Holmøy, IH, Muri, K, Nowak, R, Rooke, J, Vipond, J and Gautier, JM 2015. Invited review: improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: science into practice. Animal 10, 449–459.Google Scholar
Endesfelder, S, Zaak, I, Weichelt, U, Bührer, C and Schmitz, T 2014. Caffeine protects neuronal cells against injury caused by hyperoxia in the immature brain. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 67, 221–234.Google Scholar
Gunn, AJ and Bennet, L 2009. Fetal hypoxia insults and patterns of brain injury: insights from animal models. Clinics in Perinatology 36, 579–593.Google Scholar
Haughey, KG 1980. The effect of birth injury to the foetal nervous system on the survival and feeding behaviour of lambs. In Reviews in Rural Science No. 4 (ed. M Wodzicka-Tomasczewska, TN Edey and JJ Lynch), pp. 109–111. University of New England, Armidale, Australia.Google Scholar
Haughey, KG 1981. Perinatal lamb mortality. In Refresher course on sheep. Proceedings of a refresher course for veterinarians, 10-14th August. The Post-Graduate Committee in Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, pp. 657–673.Google Scholar
Haydock, KP and Shaw, NH 1975. The comparative yield method for estimating dry matter yield of pasture. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 15, 663–670.Google Scholar
Herlenius, E 2011. An inflammatory pathway to apnea and autonomic dysregulation. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 178, 449–457.Google Scholar
Hickson, RE, Morris, ST and Kenyon, PR 2006. Dystocia in beef heifers: a review of genetic and nutritional influences. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 54, 256–264.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hinch, GN and Brien, F 2014. Lamb survival in Australian flocks: a review. Animal Production Science 54, 656–666.Google Scholar
Hinch, GN, Davis, GH, Crosbie, SF, Kelly, RW and Trotter, RW 1986. Causes of lamb mortality in two highly prolific Booroola crossbred flocks and a Romney flock. Animal Reproduction Science 12, 47–61.Google Scholar
Horrigan, LA, Kelly, JP and Connor, TJ 2006. Immunomodulatory effects of caffeine: friend or foe? Pharmacology & Therapeutics 111, 877–892.Google Scholar
Inder, TE and Volpe, JJ 2000. Mechanisms of perinatal brain injury. Seminars in Neonatology 5, 3–16.Google Scholar
Jefferies, BC 1961. Body condition scoring and its use in management. Tasmanian Journal of Agriculture 32, 19–21.Google Scholar
Kleemann, DO and Walker, SK 2005. Fertility in South Australian commercial Merino flocks: sources of reproductive wastage. Theriogenology 63, 2075–2088.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koos, BJ, Kawasaki, Y, Kim, Y-H and Bohorquez, F 2005. Adenosine A2A-receptor blockade abolishes the roll-off respiratory response to hypoxia in awake lambs. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 288, R1185–R1194.Google Scholar
McFarlane, D 1965. Perinatal lamb losses 1. An autopsy method for the investigation of perinatal losses. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 13, 116–135.Google Scholar
Nowland, TL, Dearlove, B, Kind, K and van Wettere, W 2016. Caffeine increases an neonatal piglets body temperature and negatively effects survival at 24 hours of age. Animal Production in Australia 31, 1251.Google Scholar
Obst, JM and Day, HR 1968. The effect of inclement weather on mortality of Merino and Corriedale lambs on Kangaroo Island. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 7, 239–242.Google Scholar
Orozco-Gregorio, H, Bonilla-Jaime, H, Mota-Rojas, D, Trujillo-Ortega, ME, Roldan-Santiago, P, Martínez-Rodríguez, R, Borderas-Tordesillas, F, Flores-Peinado, S, Mora-Medina, P and Ramírez-Necoechea, R 2012. Effects of subcutaneous administration of caffeine on the physiometabolic profile of low-birthweight neonate piglets. Animal Production Science 52, 981–990.Google Scholar
Orozco-Gregorio, H, Mota-Rojas, D, Bonilla-Jaime, H, Trujillo-Ortega, ME, Becerril-Herrera, M, Hernández-González, R and Villanueva-García, D 2010. Effects of administration of caffeine on metabolic variables in neonatal pigs with peripartum asphyxia. American Journal of Veterinary Research 71, 1214–1219.Google Scholar
Park, HW, Lim, G, Chung, S-H, Chung, S, Kim, KS and Kim, S-N 2015. Early caffeine use in yery low birth weight infants and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Korean Medical Science 30, 1828–1835.Google Scholar
Porciúncula, LO, Sallaberry, C, Mioranzza, S, Botton, PHS and Rosemberg, DB 2013. The Janus face of caffeine. Neurochemistry International 63, 594–609.Google Scholar
Schmidt, B, Roberts, RS, Davis, P, Doyle, LW, Barrington, KJ, Ohlsson, A, Solimano, A and Tin, W 2006. Caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity. New England Journal of Medicine 354, 2112–2121.Google Scholar
St-Hilaire, M, Samson, N, Nsegbe, E, Duvareille, C, Moreau-Bussière, F, Micheau, P, Lebon, J and Praud, J-P 2007. Postnatal maturation of laryngeal chemoreflexes in the preterm lamb. Journal of Applied Physiology 102, 1429–1438.Google Scholar
Superchi, P, Mazzoni, C, Zanardelli, P, Piancastelli, C, Zambini, EM, Beretti, V and Sabbioni, A 2013. Effects of oral caffeine administration to sows with induced parturition on hypoxia in piglets. Livestock Science 157, 372–377.Google Scholar
Tomimatsu, T, Lee, SJ, Pereyra Peña, J, Ross, JM, Lang, JA and Longo, LD 2007. Maternal caffeine administration and cerebral oxygenation in near-term fetal sheep. Reproductive Sciences 14, 588–594.Google Scholar
VSN International 2013. Genstat Reference Manual (Release 16). VSN International, Hemel Hempstead, UK.Google Scholar
Wilson, SJ, Ayromlooi, J and Errick, JK 1983. Pharmacokinetic and hemodynamic effects of caffeine in the pregnant sheep. Obstetrics & Gynecology 61, 486–492.Google Scholar
Wood, SC and Gonzales, R 1996. Hypothermia in hypoxic animals: mechanisms, mediators, and functional significance. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 113, 37–43.Google Scholar