Physiological and electroencephalogram responses in goats subjected to pre-and during slaughter stress

Pain Assessment in Goat Kids: Focus on Disbudding

Farm animals are routinely subjected to painful husbandry procedures for various purposes. Goat kids are disbudded to improve goat welfare and to ensure safety of other livestock, farm personnel, attending veterinarians and for various other production and managemental procedures. Disbudding is commonly performed on dairy goat farms, in kids under 3 weeks of age. Many scientific studies reported physiological and behavioural changes indicating pain and distress following disbudding, and this can be a significant cause of welfare compromise in goat kids. Recognition and measurement of pain is important to treat and/or manage pain and distress following painful procedures. This review focuses on pain assessment in goat kids following disbudding, using both physiological and behavioural measures. As only a limited information is available on the topic of interest, relevant studies in other young farm animals have also been discussed to compare the status quo in goat kids.

Slaughtering of Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with and without Stunning: A Focus on the Neurobiology of Pain, Hyperalgesia, and Sensitization

The slaughter process in livestock is considered a stressor where the transport and handling of animals, as well as the selected stunning and bleeding methods, can cause acute pain, distress, and suffering. In water buffaloes, although stunning is known to be performed before bleeding to induce unconsciousness, no emphasis is made on the nociceptive events during this process. Particularly, current mechanical stunning methods applied to cattle are unsuitable for water buffaloes due to anatomical differences in the skull from other large ruminants. Furthermore, although very high-pressure pneumatic (200-220 psi) may be effective in the frontal position for lighter-weight water buffalos, for heavier animals, it is less likely to be effective. The present review aims: (1) to analyze the anatomical particularities of water buffaloes to discuss the importance of selecting a stunning method suitable for buffaloes, and (2) to revise the potential pain-related consequences, such as hyperalgesia and sensitization, and the signs to assess the stun quality and death to comprehend the relevance of a proper technique according to the species.

Importance of Knife Sharpness during Slaughter: Shariah and Kosher Perspective and Scientific Validation

Halal and kosher slaughter have given the utmost importance to the sharpness of knives during the slaughter of animals. A sharp knife of appropriate dimension (blade length) makes slaughter less painful during neck severance and facilitates desirable bleeding. The role of knife sharpness has not been given due credit from an animal welfare perspective and is likely ignored by the people involved in slaughterhouses. A neat, clean, and efficient neck cut by an extremely sharp knife reduces the pain. It improves the bleeding out, thus making animals unconscious early without undergoing unnecessary pain and stress. It also helps in improving meat quality and food safety. A slight incremental improvement in knife sharpness could significantly improve the animal welfare, productivity, efficiency, and safety of meat plant workers. The present review critically analyzed the significance of knife sharpness in religious slaughter by reducing stress and pain and improving meat quality and food safety. The objective quantification of knife sharpness, proper regular training of slaughterers, and slow slaughter rate are the challenges faced by the meat industry.

Electroencephalogram and Physiological Responses as Affected by Slaughter Empathy in Goats

Recent advances in emotions and cognitive science make it imperative to assess the emotional stress in goats at the time of slaughter. The present study was envisaged to study the electroencephalogram and physiological responses as affected by slaughter empathy in goats. A total of 12 goats were divided into two groups viz., E-group (goats exposed to slaughter environment, n = 6) and S-group (goat slaughtered in front of E-group, n = 6). The electroencephalogram and physiological responses in male Boer cross goats (E-group) were recorded in a slaughterhouse in two stages viz., control (C) without exposure to the slaughter of conspecifics and treatment (T) while visualizing the slaughter of conspecifics (S—slaughter group). The exposure of the goat to the slaughter of a conspecific resulted in a heightened emotional state. It caused significant alterations in neurobiological activity as recorded with the significant changes in the EEG spectrum (beta waves (p = 0.000491), theta waves (p = 0.017), and median frequency MF or F50 (p = 0.002)). Emotional stress was also observed to significantly increase blood glucose (p = 0.031) and a non-significant (p = 0.225) increase in heart rate in goats. Thus, slaughter empathy was observed to exert a significant effect on the electric activity of neurons in the cerebrocortical area of the brain and an increase in blood glucose content.

Improving animal welfare status and meat quality through assessment of stress biomarkers: A critical review

Stress induces various physiological and biochemical alterations in the animal body, which are used to assess the stress status of animals. Blood profiles, serum hormones, enzymes, and physiological conditions such as body temperature, heart, and breathing rate of animals are the most commonly used stress biomarkers in the livestock sector. Previous exposure, genetics, stress adaptation, intensity, duration, and rearing practices result in wide intra- and inter-animal variations in the expression of various stress biomarkers. The use of meat proteomics by adequately analyzing the expression of various muscle proteins such as heat shock proteins (HSPs), acute phase proteins (APPs), texture, and tenderness biomarkers help predict meat quality and stress in animals before slaughter. Thus, there is a need to identify non-invasive, rapid, and accurate stress biomarkers that can objectively assess stress in animals. The present manuscript critically reviews various aspects of stress biomarkers in animals and their application in mitigating preslaughter stress in meat production.

Influence of goat management systems on hematological, oxidative stress profiles, and parasitic gastrointestinal infection

Background and Aim: Good management in goats is known for good quality health and increasing productivity. The physiological change studies in goats are limited despite some existing studies on the relationship of various patterns to growth rates. This study aimed to determine the hematological parameters, oxidative stress, and parasitic infection in three management systems in Thai native goats. Materials and Methods: A total of 18 male goats were randomly assigned to the three systems: The free-range model (FREE), the semi-intensive model (SEMI), and the kept-in-a-cage model (BARN) for 35 days. Blood, fecal sampling, and weight data were collected and monitored every 5 days for analysis. Results: No statistical differences were found in the FREE and SEMI groups, but significance was observed in the BARN group. The body weight of the goats gradually reduced from 13.0 ± 2.44 kg to 10.18 ± 2.61 kg (mean ± standard deviation). In contrast, the significantly increasing red blood cells, packed-cell volume, white blood cells, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, cortisol hormone, and antioxidation profiles were observed to be higher in BARN than in FREE and SEMI groups. The intensity of the parasite eggs was remarkably significant. It was observed in the BARN group between the beginning and end of the experiment (supported by a high level of eosinophils). Conclusion: These data can be applied for the realistic evaluation and improvement of management practices, especially fully restrained management (BARN) for monitoring the health status of goats. Keywords: goat, hematology values, management systems, oxidative stress, parasites.

Application of Electroencephalography in Preslaughter Management: A Review

Electroencephalography (EEG) can be reliable for assessing the brain’s electrical activity of preslaughter stress and pain. The duration between the ventral neck cut and induction of a state of unconsciousness/insensibility is crucial in the slaughtering of animals, reducing pain, fear, and distress. Various EEG variables, such as median frequency (F50), the total power of EEG spectrum (Ptot), waves patterns (amplitude and frequencies), epileptiform EEG, index of consciousness, and isoelectric EEG, are used to identify a valid indicator of the state of unconsciousness. Association among various behavioral, physiological, and hematological parameters with EEG variables could provide an overall assessment and deep insights into the animal stress levels or welfare status during various managemental and preslaughter operations, such as transport, stunning, and slaughtering operations. The application of EEG could help in further refining the stunning technologies and slaughter protocols in livestock, poultry, and fish. The present review analyzed the application of EEG as a neurophysiological tool for assessing animal welfare during the critical state of preslaughter handling and slaughter, thus ensuring proper compliance with animal welfare principles.