In veterinary medicine, changes in an animal's behavior are often used as the first clinical signs of illness or injury. Good stockpeople develop an "eye" for the animals in their care, and can become highly skilled at picking up subtle changes in behavior patterns at the individual animal or pen level. Furthermore, emergence of technologies that automatically record feed intake, water intake and activity, particularly in the dairy industry, provide opportunities to improve detection of compromised individuals. The behavior of unthrifty animals is also of importance when designing a management plan for convalescence. Understanding of the mechanisms associated with sickness behavior and recognition of the species-specific behavioral needs of compromised livestock are important for designing effective management protocols to aid recovery and to care for individuals that fail to respond to conventional treatments.
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