Blood parameters and corneal-reflex of finishing pigs with and without lung affections observed post mortem in two abattoirs stunning with CO2

Fries, R.; Rindermann, Georg; Siegling-Vlitakis, Christiane; Bandick, Niels; Bräutigam, L.; Buschulte, Anja; Irsigler, Herlinde; Wolf, K. J.; Hartmann, Helmut

doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2012.07.022

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The cause for this may have been related to hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Two pigs with pre-existing pneumonia did not differ from the others in terms of physiological variables, which is in agreement with a previous study [11]. In four pigs, mild brainstem haemorrhage was observed although the cause is unknown.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The EFSA concluded that CO 2 stunning of pigs can cause pain, fear, and respiratory distress and it does not cause an immediate loss of consciousness. Behavioural observations, electroencephalography (EEG), blood gas analyses as well as neurologic reflex testing have been used in an attempt to determine the time to loss of consciousness [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The EEG is an objective measure of brain activity with an isoelectric EEG indicating unconsciousness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CO2 Stunning in Pigs: Physiological Deviations at Onset of Excitatory Behaviour

Hognestad,

Digranes,

Opsund

et al. 2023

Animals

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Stunning by carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation is controversial because it is associated with vigorous movements and behaviours which may or may not be conscious reactions. Furthermore, it is unknown whether some behaviours might indicate the transition into unconsciousness. Our study objective was to investigate the loss of consciousness during CO2 stunning by linking physiological variables (in particular pH, PaO2 and PaCO2) to the onset of observed behaviours. A total of 11 cross-bred pigs were studied. A tracheostomy tube, venous and arterial cannulae were placed under sevoflurane anaesthesia. After recovery from this, and a “wash out” period of at least 30 min, arterial blood samples were taken (and baseline values established) before 90–95% CO2 in medical air was administered through the tracheostomy tube. Subsequent behaviours were video-recorded and key physiological variables were evaluated using an anaesthetic monitor and the frequent sampling of arterial blood (albeit with inconsistent inter-sample intervals). After the study, behaviours were classified in an ethogram. At the onset of behaviours categorised as “vigorous movement extremities”, “opisthotonos” and “agonal gasping” pH values (range) were: 6.74–7.34; 6.66–6.96 and 6.65–6.87, while PaCO2 (kPa) was 4.6–42.2, 24.4–51.4 and 29.1–47.6. Based upon these values, we conclude that the pigs were probably unconscious at the onset of “opisthotonos” and “agonal gasping”, but some were probably conscious at the onset of “vigorous movements”.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

CO2 Stunning in Pigs: Physiological Deviations at Onset of Excitatory Behaviour

Hognestad,

Digranes,

Opsund

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…Five percent of animals is a good result. For example, studies carried out in different German enterprises demonstrated that 6.2-17.1% of pigs retained corneal reflex [12].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An effect of the animal condition after gas stunning on quality of slaughter products from Large White pigs

Semenova

Sinichkina

Kozyrev

et al. 2020

Teor. prakt. pererab. mâsa (Print)

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The aim of the research was to establish an effect of gas stunning of pigs at slaughter on the condition of the internal organs and pork functional-technological characteristics. The experiment was carried out in the conditions of the operating enterprise on 37 Large White pigs. When using 94% concentration in a chamber, only 65% of animals were assessed as normally stunned, 30% of animals did not have cardiac activity and were considered dead, 5% of animals retained sensibility. Assessment of the condition of the internal organs, dynamics of pH changes, comparison of moisture holding capacity and color characteristics did not reveal substantial and statistically significant differences between slaughter products from normally stunned animals and animals died during stunning. The authors discuss mortality of animals before the beginning of bleeding as a possible cause of similar results of investigation of the internal organs and meat quality from animals with and without cardiac activity after gas stunning.

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