Mean plasma cortisol concentrations in Bos taurus cows assigned to one of the following treatment.

s. 1) Non-lactating, saline (NL-S, ‒ ‒ Δ ‒ ‒; n = 5), 2) Non-lactating, oxytocin (NL-OXT, ‒ ‒ ○ ‒ ‒; n = 5); 3) Lactating, saline (L-S, ──▲──; n = 5); and 4) Lactating, oxytocin (L-OXT, ──●──; n = 3). Intra-nasal treatments (S or OXT) were administered at 0 minutes and head restraint was applied for two hours (indicated by the black bar). Oxytocin was administered intra-nasally at a rate of 0.60 IU/kg bodyweight. The pooled SEM was 5.6. Only an effect of lactation (P = 0.02) was detected (see Fig 2).