Amelioration of electroencephalographic responses to slaughter by non-penetrative captive-bolt stunning after ventral-neck incision in halothane-anaesthetised calves

Gibson, T. J.; Johnson, Craig B.; Murrell, Jo; Mitchinson, Sheryl L; Stafford, Kathryn

doi:10.1080/00480169.2009.36885

Cited by 40 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…On the basis of hormonal data, there is little indication that U treatment was more stressful than LPNP or HPNP treatments at T3 (post-neck cut). Stunning within 5 s after throat cut would be expected to render the animals insensible to further pain and distress (Gibson et al 2009d). Shaw and Tume (1992) indicated that mechanical stunning elevates concentrations of circulating cathecolamines in cattle.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cutting of the throat stimulates nociceotors located in the neck tissue that cause a barrage of impulses to travel to the brain ). Previous work reported by Gibson et al (2009aGibson et al ( , 2009bGibson et al ( , 2009cGibson et al ( , 2009d clearly illustrated the benefits of stunning in ameliorating the noxious stimuli associated with throat cut, on the basis of electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements in calves. However, interpretation of EEG changes for pain and stress evaluation should not be carried out without inferring to other concurrent measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in blood parameters and electroencephalogram of cattle as affected by different stunning and slaughter methods in cattle

et al. 2014

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Abstract. The present study aimed to provide a comparative analysis of the effects of penetrative stunning, non-penetrative stunning and post-slaughter stunning on biochemical parameters and electroencephalogram (EEG) associated with stress in heifers and steers. Ten animals were assigned to each of the following four treatment groups: (1) animals were subjected to conventional halal slaughter (a clean incision through the structures on the ventral neck at the approximate level of vertebrae C2-C3 -the trachea, oesophagus, carotid arteries and jugular veins) and post-cut penetrating mechanical stun within 10-20 s of the halal cut (U); (2) high-power non-penetrating mechanical stunning using a mushroom-headed humane killer, followed by conventional halal slaughter (HPNP); (3) low-power non-penetrating mechanical percussive stunning using a mushroom-headed humane killer, followed by conventional halal slaughter (LPNP); and (4) penetrative stunning using a captive-bolt pistol humane killer, followed by conventional halal slaughter (P). For each animal, blood samples and electroencephalogram recordings were taken before stunning, post-stunning (if applicable) and post-slaughter, and plasma concentrations of cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), adrenaline, noradrenaline and b-endorphin were determined. Irrespective of the stunning method, except for percentage change in plasma concentrations of noradrenaline, the values of blood parameters attained before and after stunning were not significantly different. The plasma noradrenaline concentration of the HPNP animals was significantly elevated following stunning. Following slaughter, the percentage change of plasma ACTH concentration in the P animals was significantly elevated. Neither stunning method nor sampling time had a significant effect on plasma b-endorphin concentration. On the basis of the EEG results, penetrative stunning seemed to be better in maximising the possibility of post-stunning insensibility, whereas U animals appeared to demonstrate an evident increase in EEG activity which is consistent with the presence of post-slaughter noxious stimuli associated with tissue cut and injury. The U animals had consistently higher, if not the highest, RMS values than did other stunned animals. This indicates a degree of EEG changes associated with stress and pain. On the basis of EEG data, our results suggested that penetrative stunning would be the most reliable method of ensuring insensibility and minimising pain. However, at slaughter, the P animals showed a dramatic elevation in the percentage change of circulating ACTH, suggesting physiological stress response. On a cautionary note, the results are not unequivocal, and it may be that the range of analyses available to researchers at this point of time are not sufficiently specific to allow definitive conclusions to be drawn.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in blood parameters and electroencephalogram of cattle as affected by different stunning and slaughter methods in cattle

et al. 2014

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“…Attempts have also been made to measure and study pain in humans using an electroencephalogram (EEG) which can reflect changes in brain electrical activity (Michels et al 2011), and there is an increasing number of papers that describe the use of EEG in animals (Diesch et al 2009;Gibson et al 2009;Johnson et al 2009). However, EEG also has its own specific methodological and interpretative limitations.…”

Section: Clinical Responses To Painmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain in domestic animals and how to assess it: a review

Landa¹

2012

Vet. Med.

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ABSTRACT:In recent years more attention has been paid to the issue of pain in animals, particularly in association with increasing awareness of animal welfare. It is therefore necessary for veterinarians to be able recognise unambiguously whether an animal suffers from pain. Adult humans suffering from pain can more or less characterise their painful experiences, including the site and intensity of the pain. However, pain in animals is in some aspects more complex and it can be rather difficult to evaluate the seriousness and impact of painful events. Therefore, in animals we have to recognise the signs of pain according to indirect markers which involve behavioural, physiological and finally clinical responses. Moreover, in particular the behavioural changes associated with pain can be along with the general signs also species-specific, and hardly recognisable (and for an inexperienced observer seemingly unimportant) which makes pain assessment even more complicated. Therefore, the current review formulates definitions of pain, its classification and is focused on methods that may facilitate pain recognition in animals, which is crucial for an effective pain assessment and consequent effective pain management. The review combines recent knowledge with well proven facts concerning pain and furthermore also highlights the author's own research on pain assessment.

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“…The third paper reported the impact of non-penetrative captive-bolt stunning on the features of the EEG, which were assessed quantitatively for the first time (Gibson et al 2009c) and indicated that the vast majority of animals were rendered insensible before data were able to be collected from about 3 seconds after stunning. The fourth paper assessed the extent to which applying a non-penetrative captive bolt stun 5 seconds after ventral-neck incision ameliorated the noxious sensory input caused by the incision (Gibson et al 2009d). This paper showed that the stun prevented the subsequent development of responses in the EEG to noxious sensory input in most of the animals.…”

Section: Calf Slaughter Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

A scientific comment on the welfare of domesticated ruminants slaughtered without stunning

Johnson

Mellor

Hemsworth

et al. 2014

New Zealand Veterinary Journal

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This review provides a scientific comment on the welfare of ruminants slaughtered by ventral-neck incision without stunning. Evidence is derived from studies of calves, sheep and goats. Reference is also made to findings in other mammals including humans. Pain is an inherently subjective experience and only indirect indices are available in animals. Neurophysiological tools are widely used in humans to assess pain and have demonstrated that electroencephalographic (EEG) variables correlate well with subjective evaluations of pain. These neurophysiological tools have also been applied in animal studies. In humans pain is associated with major cutting injuries and it is widely accepted that farm animals also experience pain due to such injuries. Overwhelming international scientific opinion has long been that slaughter by neck incision of conscious animals causes pain. A series of studies in calves demonstrated that slaughter by ventral-neck incision is likely to be perceived as painful. It is proposed that, as in cattle, non-stunned sheep and goats would experience pain in a similar manner. The precise assessment of the point after slaughter at which non-stunned animals become insensible remains a major methodological challenge. In sheep it is at least 2-8 seconds, but may be 8-20 seconds in duration. In cattle the mean duration is similar, but can commonly be extended to longer than 60 seconds with occasional instances of even greater durations. Taken together, these findings indicate that because the slaughter of cattle, sheep and goats by ventral-neck incision without prior stunning is likely to cause pain, this poses a risk to animal welfare.

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Amelioration of electroencephalographic responses to slaughter by non-penetrative captive-bolt stunning after ventral-neck incision in halothane-anaesthetised calves

Cited by 40 publications

References 20 publications

Changes in blood parameters and electroencephalogram of cattle as affected by different stunning and slaughter methods in cattle

Changes in blood parameters and electroencephalogram of cattle as affected by different stunning and slaughter methods in cattle

Pain in domestic animals and how to assess it: a review

A scientific comment on the welfare of domesticated ruminants slaughtered without stunning

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