Espessura de gordura e variáveis termográficas em potros mangalarga marchador durante desmame

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the fat and muscle thickness and thermographic measurements of Mangalarga Machador foals and to correlate them with the development of the animals during weaning. Nine Mangalarga Marchador foals were evaluated in the weaning phase, with a mean age of 158.7 ± 41.3 days, during 5 consecutive weeks. The animals were fed with 3 kg of commercial concentrate (Max Equinos Potros- Durancho, Pesqueira -PE), 3 kg of Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon sp.) and water “ad libitum”, a diet already used in the breeding routine, estimating an offer of 4% of live weight. To evaluate the thickness of the fat layer, an ultrasonographic evaluation was performed with measurement of the regions of the left Longisimus dorsi muscle (EGL), thickness of the bilateral superficial gluteal muscle (EMG), thickness of the fat layer in the region of insertion of the tail (EGC ) and superficial gluteal fat thickness (EGG). Surface temperatures were obtained through thermography in the rump and thigh areas in a caudal view, groin, armpit and chest in a frontal view. The data of these studied variables were found to be normal and homogeneous by the Shapiro-Wilk test and the averages were submitted to analysis of variance for ultrasound measurements and Tukey's test (ⲁ=0.05), and descriptive statistics for thermographic measurements. There was no statistically significant difference for the analyzed variables, so that the ultrasonographic measures of fat thickness considered in the study remained practically stable. In the thermographic analysis, a slight decrease was observed regarding the temperature of the variables analyzed for the anterior and posterior body regions. The increase in muscle tissue in the growth phase of Mangalarga Marchador foals is not concomitant with fat deposition, allowing a reduction in surface temperature.