Analysis of cortisol in hair samples as an indicator of stress in pigs

Detection of cortisol is one of the most widely used methods to assess stress in animals because it provides information about hypothalamic –pituitary–adrenal axis activity. The most common biological samples are plasma, saliva, urine, faeces, milk and hair. Hair cortisol analysis could be a good non-invasive procedure to detect chronic stress since cortisol is incorporated and stored inside growing hair. The aim of this study was t o determine whether cortisol could be detected in pig hair and could serve as a proper chronic stress indicator.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research