An investigation on restraining effects and acclimation to protecting jackets in pregnant rabbits - Wearing from pre-mating through fetal organogenesis

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation is to evaluate the restraining effects of protecting jackets attached from the pre-mating period and thereafter up to completion of the fetal organogenesis in rabbits. Forty (40) Kbl:NZW mated rabbits 6 to 10 months of age were divided into 2 groups of 20 animals each. Animals in the treatment group (hereinafter referred to as JK group) were dressed in protecting jackets from Day -9 prior to mating (hereinafter referred to as GD -9) to GD 19 and another group of animals without protecting jackets was used as a control. The major restraining effects noted were decreases in body weight gain and food consumption, which were marked in the first 9 days of jacket-attachment during the pre-mating period. The decrease in body weight was still apparent over the whole gestation period. However, the mean body weight of the JK group finally reached the baseline level of the study at around GD 11. These findings demonstrated that the restraining effects in the present study persisted longer than those in the previous study, in which protecting jackets were used from GD 0 to GD 19 or GD 6 to GD 19. The fertility function and cesarean section findings were comparable to those in the control group. It may be concluded that the use of protecting jackets from GD -9 to GD 19 induced more prolonged effects on body weight loss than in previous findings where the jackets were attached from GD 0 to GD 19 or GD 6 to GD 19 and the time of starting the acclimation with the jackets appears to play a great role in reducing body weight loss.