Animal welfare: Potential new indicator of chronic stress in horses

(CNRS) Cortisol is generally considered to be a stress hormone because its levels rise during episodes of acute stress. Yet its relationship to chronic stress is less clear. Researchers from the CNRS, Inserm, the universities of Rennes 1 and Caen, in collaboration with the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, have linked lower cortisol levels to states of chronically poor welfare in adult horses observed under their usual living conditions.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news