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Effect of Stress on Swine: Heat and Cold Exposure and Starvation on Vanilmandelic Acid Output in the Urine¹

University of Guelph², Guelph, Ontario

Abstract

The urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hy-droxymandelic acid (VMA) by three pigs was measured when they were housed in cages in a room maintained at 20 C, and when they were exposed to extreme temperatures: 5 or 33 C. Observations were also made when the animals were starved for 10 days at a temperature of 20 C. The pigs increased in weight from 8 to 30 kg through the 70 days of the experiment and under the normal temperature they excreted 10 mg of VMA per 24 hours. This was increased to between 20 and 30 mg when the pigs were exposed to the low temperature. Exposure to the high temperature resulted in an excretion of 20 mg per day, but starvation caused a rapid decline to 3 mg per day. The excretion returned to normal values very rapidly when the animals were refed. These observations are discussed in relation to those made by other authors with other species on the effects of stress on the release and metabolism of catecholamines and their excretion in the urine and it is suggested that the urinary output of VMA offers a convenient method of measuring physiological response to stress in the pig.

¹ This study was supported by the National Research Council (Canada) and by the Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food.

² Department of Nutrition.