Impact of heat stress on health and performance of dairy animals: A review

Review (Published online: 12-03-2016)

7. Impact of heat stress on health and performance of dairy animals: A review - Ramendra Das, Lalrengpuii Sailo, Nishant Verma, Pranay Bharti, Jnyanashree Saikia, Imtiwati and Rakesh Kumar

Veterinary World, 9(3): 260-268

   doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.260-268

Abstract

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Sustainability in livestock production system is largely affected by climate change. An imbalance between metabolic heat production inside the animal body and its dissipation to the surroundings results to heat stress (HS) under high air temperature and humid climates. The foremost reaction of animals under thermal weather is increases in respiration rate, rectal temperature and heart rate. It directly affect feed intake thereby, reduces growth rate, milk yield, reproductive performance, and even death in extreme cases. Dairy breeds are typically more sensitive to HS than meat breeds, and higher producing animals are, furthermore, susceptible since they generates more metabolic heat. HS suppresses the immune and endocrine system thereby enhances susceptibility of an animal to various diseases. Hence, sustainable dairy farming remains a vast challenge in these changing climatic conditions globally.

Keywords: amelioration, health, heat stress, production, reproduction.