Table 4.
Least squares means (upper and lower 95% confidence interval) of outcome variables by sex (heifer or steer) for calves undergoing hot-iron branding and receiving meloxicam at 1 mg/kg orally (MEL; n = 35) or placebo (CON; n = 35)
| Variable | Heifer | Steer | Sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean serum cortisol, ng/mL | 14.25 | 14.40 | 0.87 |
| CI | 11.53 to 16.96 | 11.92 to 16.87 | |
| Mean hair cortisol, pg/mL | 209.11 | 215.76 | 0.72 |
| CI | 170.26 to 247.96 | 187.43 to 244.09 | |
| Mean PGEM, pg/mL | 36.14a | 23.13b | 0.02 |
| CI | 29.77 to 42.52 | 17.30 to 28.95 | |
| Mean max IRT hip difference, °C | 2.53 | 2.90 | 0.24 |
| CI | 1.93 to 3.13 | 2.35 to 3.45 | |
| Mean max IRT left hip, °C | 35.44a | 34.38b | <0.01 |
| CI | 35.13 to 35.75 | 34.09 to 34.66 | |
| Mean max ocular IRT, °C | 36.85a | 36.28b | <0.01 |
| CI | 36.56 to 37.15 | 36.02 to 36.55 | |
| Mean brand site MNT, kg F | 0.64 | 0.66 | 0.24 |
| CI | 0.61 to 0.68 | 0.63 to 0.70 | |
| Mean control site MNT, kg F | 1.11a | 1.23b | 0.04 |
| CI | 1.01 to 1.22 | 1.13 to 1.33 | |
| Mean motion index | 5,536 | 4,884 | 0.11 |
| CI | 4,829 to 6,243 | 4,194 to 5,575 | |
| Mean lying time, Proportion | 0.29a | 0.32b | <0.01 |
| CI | 0.28 to 0.30 | 0.31 to 0.33 | |
| Mean step count | 1,161 | 1,009 | 0.07 |
| CI | 1,014 to 1,308 | 865 to 1,153 | |
| Mean lying bouts | 4.68a | 6.22b | <0.01 |
| CI | 3.87 to 5.49 | 5.43 to 7.01 | |
| Mean VAS (1–100 mm) | 8.24a | 8.87b | 0.03 |
| CI | 7.75 to 8.73 | 8.36 to 9.37 | |
| Mean ADG (kg/d) | 0.30a | 1.46b | <0.01 |
| CI | 0.13 to 0.48 | 1.30 to 1.62 |
PGEM, prostaglandin E2 metabolite concentration; IRT, infrared thermography; MNT, mechanical nociceptive threshold; VAS, visual analog scale; ADG, average daily gain.
Different superscripts indicate significant differences between treatment groups (P ≤ 0.05).