Exploring facial expressions in horses : biological and methodological approaches

Abstract

Facial expressions can be used as a tool to recognize pain and stress. However, these states are often intertwined, and sedative drugs may also influence pain recognition tools utilizing facial expressions. In order to investigate how the states of stress and sedation could affect facial expressions of pain, the Facial Action Coding System for horses was used in situations where nociception, stress and sedation were experimentally induced, both separately and in combinations, in a cross over design. The frequencies of the Action Units ”upper lid raiser”, “eye white increase”, “inner brow raiser”, “blinking”, “ear movements” and “nostril dilator” all increased during stressful managerial situations (p0.05, t2 Q2

Keywords

stress; pain; sedation; facial expression; horse; methodology; EquiFACS; compound; dimensionality reduction; rater agreement

Published in

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae
2024, number: 2024:38
Publisher: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

SLU Authors

• Lundblad, Johan

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Medical Bioscience

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.54612/a.15rcen99qf
• ISBN: 978-91-8046-340-9
• eISBN: 978-91-8046-341-6

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/128757