Electrolytes and other compounds: qualitative evaluation of effects on animal welfare, shrinkage/liveweight, carcass attributes and meat quality

Summary

This project assessed studies that investigated the effects of electrolytes and other interventions on cattle during transportation. Studies often lacked appropriate study designs and were not suitable for meta-analysis. Liveweight change in cattle was the only variable consistently compared across studies. Only 17% of trials and comparisons showed a significant positive effect of electrolytes on the liveweight of cattle during transport. Most trials and comparisons (83%) found no significant differences in liveweight between groups. However, a majority of trials and comparisons (92%) showed a positive trend in weight gain for treatment of cattle during transportation. There was limited information on the effects of other interventions such as betaine, propylene glycol and glycerol on liveweight and performance of cattle during transportation or heat stress. At present, understandings of responses of cattle to electrolyte and other interventions designed to reduce the impacts of difficult environmental conditions including shipping and heat stress are largely limited to those achieved through qualitative review of the literature. There is a need for studies designed to test these interventions in a more robust way.