As we were studying the emotional state of animals we need to consider the possibility that the cows picked up on changes in the researcher’s mood and emotional state throughout the study. We sought to minimize these effects by conducting a two week habituation period and collected data over a 2 month period. It is unclear what effects human emotional state may have on the cows, but it is an important consideration for all studies assessing emotional state and mood in animal.
The intention of this study was to explore the suitability of changes in nasal temperature as a measure of positive emotional state in dairy cows. Our results have shown that the nasal temperature in cows drops in response to what is thought to be a positive, low arousal emotional state. The differences in temperature recorded during this study, although significant, In addition, these results, and those of other studies, indicate that both positive and negative emotional state have the same effect on peripheral temperature. If this measure is to be used in practice, full training and knowledge of both the species and the context is essential in order to accurately interpret changes in temperature. Furthermore, as a cows core body temperature has been found to increase by approximately 1.3 C on the day of oestrus[20], changes in peripheral temperature are only suited to being observed over short periods in order to account for both oestrus cycles any changes in ambient temperature.
4.2 Conclusions
Research seeking to understand and untangle the emotional lives of animals is essential if we are to truly improve their lives. Our study is the first to look at nasal temperatures in cattle as a measure of positive emotional state, and our results offer on-farm use. We found that the nasal temperatures of cows dropped as a result of the experience of a positive, low arousal experience. Further work needs to be performed to determine whether a drop in peripheral temperature is solely indicative of a change in valence, or whether the type of valence is reflected too.
We would like to thank World Animal Protection for their financial support of this study. We would also like to thank Dr Alma Massaro, Simone Foister, Hilary Audretsch, Lucy McCrae, and Amber Hatch for their assistance in data collection and input. We would also like to thank De Mark Kennedy and the reviewers for their helpful comments and Emma Buckland for her valuable insight. We would like to thank Boltons Park Farm and the Royal Veterinary College for providing the research site and their assistance throughout data collection. And finally we would also like to thank the cows for being such obliging participants.