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Gundogdu G, Nguyen T, Eijansantos M, Chaudhuri A, Barham D, Gelman J, Mauney JR. Development of male and female models of long urethral strictures in swine. Surg Open Sci 2023; 16:205-214. [PMID: 38035225 PMCID: PMC10687041 DOI: 10.1016/j.sopen.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Preclinical animal models which mimic the dimensions of long urethral strictures (>2 cm in length) encountered in the clinic are necessary to evaluate prospective graft designs for urethroplasty. The purpose of this study was to develop both male and female porcine models of long urethral strictures (∼4 cm in length) and characterize histological and functional outcomes of iatrogenic stricture formation between genders. Methods Focal, partial thickness urethral injuries were created over 5-6 cm long segments in male and female swine (N = 4 per gender) via electrocoagulation and the degree of stricture formation was monitored for up to 6 weeks by urethroscopy and retrograde urethrography. Animals were sacrificed following stricture confirmation and histological, immunohistochemical, and histomorphometric analyses were performed on strictured and uninjured control urethral segments to profile wound healing responses. Results Urethral stricture formation was detected in all female swine by 2 weeks and 100 % of male swine at 3.2 ± 1.8 weeks, post-operatively. The mean length of urethral strictures in both male and female swine was ∼4 cm. Substantial variations in the degree of stricture severity between sexes were observed with males exhibiting significant urethral stenosis and loss of α-smooth muscle actin+ smooth muscle bundles in comparison to controls, while females primarily displayed defects in pan-cytokeratin+ epithelia as well as functional urethral obstruction. Conclusions Electrocoagulation injury is sufficient to produce long urethral strictures in male and female swine and the degree of stricture severity and nature of urethral obstruction was observed to be dependent on gender. Animal Protocol: AUP-19-150. Key message Novel male and female models of long urethral strictures in swine were created to characterize histological and functional outcomes of iatrogenic stricture formation between genders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gokhan Gundogdu
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Travis Nguyen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Mando Eijansantos
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Ambika Chaudhuri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - David Barham
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Joel Gelman
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Joshua R. Mauney
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
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da Silva GV, Pivato GM, Peres BG, Luna SPL, Pairis-Garcia MD, Trindade PHE. Simplified assessment of castration-induced pain in pigs using lower complexity algorithms. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21237. [PMID: 38040949 PMCID: PMC10692155 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48551-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigs are raised on a global scale for commercial or research purposes and often experience pain as a by product of management practices and procedures performed. Therefore, ensuring pain can be effectively identified and monitored in these settings is critical to ensure appropriate pig welfare. The Unesp-Botucatu Pig Composite Acute Pain Scale (UPAPS) was validated to diagnose pain in pre-weaned and weaned pigs using a combination of six behavioral items. To date, statistical weighting of supervised and unsupervised algorithms was not compared in ranking pain-altered behaviors in swine has not been performed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to verify if supervised and unsupervised algorithms with different levels of complexity can improve UPAPS pain diagnosis in pigs undergoing castration. The predictive capacity of the algorithms was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC). Lower complexity algorithms containing fewer pain-altered behaviors had similar AUC (90.1-90.6) than algorithms containing five (89.18-91.24) and UPAPS (90.58). In conclusion, utilizing a short version of the UPAPS did not influence the predictive capacity of the scale, and therefore it may be easier to apply and be implemented consistently to monitor pain in commercial and experimental settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Venâncio da Silva
- Laboratory of Applied Artificial Intelligence in Health (LAAIH), Department of Anesthesiology, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Giovana Mancilla Pivato
- Laboratory of Applied Artificial Intelligence in Health (LAAIH), Department of Anesthesiology, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Granetti Peres
- Laboratory of Applied Artificial Intelligence in Health (LAAIH), Department of Anesthesiology, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Monique Danielle Pairis-Garcia
- Global Production Animal Welfare Laboratory, Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade
- Laboratory of Applied Artificial Intelligence in Health (LAAIH), Department of Anesthesiology, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Global Production Animal Welfare Laboratory, Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, NC, USA.
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Trindade PHE, Lopez-Soriano M, Merenda VR, Tomacheuski RM, Pairis-Garcia MD. Effects of assessment method (real-time versus video-recorded) on a validated pain-altered behavior scale used in castrated piglets. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18680. [PMID: 37907564 PMCID: PMC10618161 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45869-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We aimed to compare two assessment methodologies (real-time vs. video-recorded) using the Unesp-Botucatu Pig Composite Acute Pain Scale (UPAPS) in piglets before and after castration. Twenty-nine male piglets were castrated. Four observers scored the UPAPS over three perioperative timepoints of castration following two assessment methodologies. In real-time assessments, the observers were in-person observing the piglets in front of the pen. After two weeks, the observers did video-recorded assessments randomizing piglets and timepoints. Modeling was conducted to compare the UPAPS and each pain-altered behavior between methodologies. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman, and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) were conducted to investigate agreement between methodologies. UPAPS was statistically equivalent between methodologies (P = 0.4371). The ICC for each method was very good (0.85 to 0.91). The agreement of the UPAPS assessed between methodologies had minimal bias (- 0.04), no proportion bias, and 53% of the assessments presented a perfect agreement. However, CCC of the UPAPS was moderate (0.65), and only one pain-altered behavior ("presents difficulty in overcoming obstacles or other animals") occurred more in real-time assessments (P = 0.0444). In conclusion, piglet pain assessment by UPAPS can be conducted in real-time based on a suitable agreement between the real-time and video-recorded assessment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, 27607, USA.
- Anesthesiology Graduation Program, Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, 18618-687, Brazil.
| | - Magdiel Lopez-Soriano
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, 27607, USA
| | - Victoria Rocha Merenda
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, 27607, USA
| | - Rubia Mitalli Tomacheuski
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, 27607, USA
| | - Monique Danielle Pairis-Garcia
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, 27607, USA
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Garcia A, Sutherland M, Vasquez G, Quintana A, Thompson G, Willis J, Chandler S, Niure K, McGlone J. An investigation of the use of ethyl chloride and meloxicam to decrease the pain associated with a single or double incision method of castration in piglets. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1113039. [PMID: 37575637 PMCID: PMC10416629 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1113039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Castration is a stressful and painful procedure that can impact swine welfare negatively. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the effect of one incision compared to two incisions and the use of a topical vapocoolant (VAPO; ethyl chloride; a topical anesthetic) applied before castration and (2) evaluate the most effective combination in reducing pain in objective 1 and the use of Metacam®; meloxicam before castration on measures of performance, behavior, and physiology. Study 1 consisted of six treatment groups (N = 27 pigs per treatment) and included: nothing (NO); sham castrated (SH); one incision castration (C1); one incision castration plus VAPO (C1V); two incision castration (C2); two incision castration plus VAPO (C2V). Body weights and blood samples were taken at baseline and other time points after castration. Behavior measures were collected for 24 h after castration. Wound scores were collected daily for 10 days. The C1 pigs and C1V pigs were significantly heavier than the other castrated treatment groups but not different from NO and SH pigs. Vocalizations were louder for C1 and C1V pigs (P = 0.0015). Study 2 (N = 40 pigs per treatment) included: nothing (NO); one incision castration (C1); and one incision castration plus meloxicam administered 15 min before castration (C1M). The same measures (performance, behavior, and physiology) were collected as in Study 1. Performance measures and behavior did not differ among treatment groups. Physiological measures were only different for red blood cells (RBC; P = 0.0304). Pigs in C1 and C1M treatment groups had cortisol concentrations that were greater than the NO treatment group at 15 min post-castration (P < 0.05). The data collected give insight into the benefits of one-incision castration compared to 2-incision castration. However, the data only support a lower-level relief from acute pain associated with castration, as it is evident that pigs still experience stress at 15 min post-castration with or without the use of meloxicam. Further research could potentially identify the correct timing, route and dose for the administration of meloxicam.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlene Garcia
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, TX, United States
| | | | - Gizell Vasquez
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Adrian Quintana
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Garrett Thompson
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Jemma Willis
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Shelbie Chandler
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Kiran Niure
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - John McGlone
- Animal and Food Sciences Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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Pierdon MK, Berdahl SE. Effect of Topical Spray Containing Lidocaine on Piglet Behaviour Post castration. J APPL ANIM WELF SCI 2023; 26:195-204. [PMID: 34224284 DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2021.1946397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies examining the impact of topical lidocaine spray on postcastration pain behavior in piglets used scan sampling for the collection of behavior data. This methodology led to inconclusive results on the efficacy of topical lidocaine spray for pain relief. This study uses continuous coding to examine the effect of topical lidocaine on piglet behavior post castration. Castrated piglets received either no pain relief or topical lidocaine spray and are compared to gilts that were handled only. Postcastration piglet behavior was continuously coded for postural behaviors, social isolation, as well as nosing and playing. Behaviors in the castrated piglets differed from those that were handled only, but the piglets that received the spray did not exhibit significantly different behaviors from castrated pigs that received no spray. Play, exploratory behavior, and continuous behavioral observations proved to be sensitive modalities for detecting alterations in behavior postcastration and revealed that topical lidocaine spray does not provide effective pain mitigation for piglets undergoing castration and would thus not be recommended as a method for providing postcastration pain relief in piglets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghann K Pierdon
- Clinical Studies, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA, USA
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Administration of procaine-based local anaesthetic prior to surgical castration influences post-operative behaviours of piglets. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Lou ME, Kleinhenz MD, Schroeder R, Lechtenberg K, Montgomery S, Coetzee JF, Viscardi AV. Evaluating the utility of a CO2 surgical laser for piglet tail docking to reduce behavioral and physiological indicators of pain and to improve wound healing: A pilot study. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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8
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Impact of Routine Management Procedures on the Welfare of Suckling Piglets. Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9010032. [PMID: 35051116 PMCID: PMC8778417 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9010032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Piglets often undergo several painful treatments during the initial days of their lives. In this review, we investigate the acute (i.e., immediate), short-, and long-term implications of piglet processing on behavioral, physiological, clinical, and performance parameters, and how welfare impairments depend on performance instead of sham procedure, alternative techniques, or the age of the piglets. Welfare indicators that have been used to determine the least distressing procedures and knowledge gaps with regard to the procedures are identified and discussed. Tail docking and especially piglet castration have been the most researched topics, whereas marking for identification has been rarely addressed. Few or no studies have investigated the effects of teeth resection and tail docking on piglets of different age groups. Additionally, results are often found to be inconsistent, highlighting the need for additional research to determine the optimal age for processing. Studies comparing different processing techniques have produced contradictory results, but ear notching, teeth clipping, hot cautery tail docking, and tearing during castration have been determined to result in increased pain. Generally, a shorter procedure duration can reduce stress, with operator training having a distinct impact on piglet welfare during processing. As such, these topics should be further investigated.
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Proposed multidimensional pain outcome methodology to demonstrate analgesic drug efficacy and facilitate future drug approval for piglet castration. Anim Health Res Rev 2021; 22:163-176. [PMID: 34859764 DOI: 10.1017/s1466252321000141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Castration of male piglets in the United States is conducted without analgesics because no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved products are labeled for pain control in swine. The absence of approved products is primarily due to a wide variation in how pain is measured in suckling piglets and the lack of validated pain-specific outcomes individually indistinct from other biological responses, such as general stress or inflammation responses with cortisol. Simply put, to measure pain mitigation, measurement of pain must be specific, quantifiable, and defined. Therefore, given the need for mitigating castration pain, a consortium of researchers, veterinarians, industry, and regulatory agencies was formed to identify potential animal-based outcomes and develop a methodology, based on the known scientific research, to measure pain and the efficacy of mitigation strategies. The outcome-based measures included physiological, neuroendocrine, behavioral, and production parameters. Ultimately, this consortium aims to provide a validated multimodal methodology to demonstrate analgesic drug efficacy for piglet castration.Measurable outcomes were selected based on published studies suggesting their validity, reliability, and sensitivity for the direct or indirect measurement of pain associated with surgical castration in piglets. Outcomes to be considered are observation of pain behaviors (i.e. ethogram defined behaviors and piglet grimace scale), gait parameters measured with a pressure mat, infrared thermography of skin temperature of the cranium and periphery of the eye, and blood biomarkers. Other measures include body weight and mortality rate.This standardized measurement of the outcome variable's primary goal is to facilitate consistency and rigor by developing a research methodology utilizing endpoints that are well-defined and reliably measure pain in piglets. The resulting methodology will facilitate and guide the evaluation of the effectiveness of comprehensive analgesic interventions for 3- to 5-day-old piglets following surgical castration.
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Effects of Wash Protocol and Contamination Level on Concentrations of Cortisol and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in Swine Hair. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113104. [PMID: 34827836 PMCID: PMC8614459 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Quantifying the hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in swine hair is of increasing interest to evaluate long-term stress and resilience. Because swine hair is often contaminated with varying amounts of excrement, it needs to be decontaminated with a solvent prior to hair hormone extraction to rid the hair of potential external contaminants. However, it is unknown how contamination influences hair hormone concentrations, and if current wash protocols are effective in removing contamination. The goals of this study were thus, to determine if wash solvents (methanol versus isopropanol), contamination level (none, mild, or severe), and the number of washes (one, three, or five) influenced hair cortisol and DHEA concentrations. This study showed that hair cortisol, but not DHEA concentrations were reduced when external contamination was present, and that methanol was more effective at removing external contamination compared to isopropanol. There were also decreasing concentrations of cortisol and DHEA within the hair and wash solvent with an increasing number of washes. Thus, it is recommended not to use contaminated hair for hormone analysis, and to wash swine hair with a minimum of three 3 min methanol washes prior to analysis. Abstract The effect of washing procedure and contamination level on the concentrations of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in swine hair was explored over two studies. Hair shaved from finisher pigs (n = 8) and sows (n = 8, cortisol study 1 only) was split into two treatments (two hair samples/pig) to receive either three isopropanol or methanol washes, and two paired subsamples of hair were contaminated with feces and urine, mildly or severely. Samples were further subdivided and received one, three, or five methanol washes. Hormone concentrations were quantified from the hair and wash solvent, and the ratio of hormones in the solvent to that in the hair calculated. When grouping sow and grower hair together for analysis, hair cortisol concentrations were 13% greater after three isopropanol washes compared to methanol (22.84 ± 3.12 vs. 19.77 ± 2.64 pg/mg, respectively). When analyzing sow and grower hair separately, sow hair cortisol concentrations were 20% higher following three isopropanol washes compared to methanol washes (22.06 ± 5.21 vs. 27.72 ± 5.65 pg/mg), with no differences in grower pig hair concentrations. The solvent cortisol concentrations did not differ with wash solvent. No differences were seen for DHEA. Contamination level did not influence hormone concentrations. Hair cortisol concentrations were 24% higher after one wash compared to five washes (11.98 ± 1.47 vs. 9.05 ± 0.92 pg/mg), whereas the solvent cortisol concentrations were 80% and 84% higher after one wash compared to three and five washes, respectively (21.09 ± 4.04 vs. 4.21 ± 1.62 vs. 3.36 ± 1.32 pg/mg). The solvent–hair cortisol ratio was 65% and 73% higher following one wash compared to three and five washes (1.36 ± 0.80 vs. 0.47 ± 0.12 vs. 0.37 ± 0.14). Hair DHEA concentrations were 39% higher after one wash compared to five washes (42.39 ± 6.87 vs. 26.02 ± 5.69 pg/mg). The solvent DHEA concentrations, and the solvent–hair ratio for DHEA were 94% and 98% and 92% and 98% higher going from one wash to three and five washes, respectively (solvent: 5.07 ± 0.26 vs. 0.28 ± 0.12 vs. 0.12 ± 0.09 pg/mg and solvent–hair ratio: 0.13 ± 0.006 vs. 0.010 ± 0.004 vs. 0.003 ± 0.002). Following three methanol washes, the non-contaminated hair had 46% and 48% higher hair (17.47 ± 1.12 vs. 9.35 ± 0.80 vs. 9.05 ± 1.06 pg/mg) and a 76% and 72% higher solvent (16.31 ± 8.07 vs. 3.92 ± 0.50 vs. 4.50 ± 2.31 pg/mg) cortisol concentration compared to mild and severely contaminated hair, respectively. Wash solvent influences cortisol concentrations in swine hair, but not DHEA. Contaminated swine hair should be avoided in analyses when possible.
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A systematic review of porcine models in translational pain research. Lab Anim (NY) 2021; 50:313-326. [PMID: 34650279 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-021-00862-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Translating basic pain research from rodents to humans has proven to be a challenging task. Efforts have been made to develop preclinical large animal models of pain, such as the pig. However, no consistent overview and comparison of pig models of pain are currently available. Therefore, in this review, our primary aim was to identify the available pig models in pain research and compare these models in terms of intensity and duration. First, we systematically searched Proquest, Scopus and Web of Science and compared the duration for which the pigs were significantly sensitized as well as the intensity of mechanical sensitization. We searched models within the specific field of pain and adjacent fields in which pain induction or assessment is relevant, such as pig production. Second, we compared assessment methodologies in surrogate pain models in humans and pigs to identify areas of overlap and possible improvement. Based on the literature search, 23 types of porcine pain models were identified; 13 of which could be compared quantitatively. The induced sensitization lasted from hours to months and intensities ranged from insignificant to the maximum attainable. We also found a near to complete overlap of assessment methodologies between human and pig models within the area of peripheral neurophysiology, which allows for direct comparison of results obtained in the two species. In spite of this overlap, further development of pain assessment methodologies is still needed. We suggest that central nervous system electrophysiology, such as electroencephalography, electrocorticography or intracortical recordings, may pave the way for future objective pain assessment.
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Sheil M, De Benedictis GM, Scollo A, Metcalfe S, Innocent G, Polkinghorne A, Gottardo F. Efficacy of Intra-Operative Topical Wound Anaesthesia to Mitigate Piglet Castration Pain-A Large, Multi-Centred Field Trial. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11102763. [PMID: 34679785 PMCID: PMC8532673 DOI: 10.3390/ani11102763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Piglet castration causes pain and stress to the animal. Although desperately needed, there are complexities developing safe and effective methods of pain alleviation applicable for on-farm use. Topical anaesthesia, instilled to the wound during surgery, is a newly evolving on-farm method to mitigate castration pain. In the current study, we investigated the use of Tri-Solfen® (Animal Ethics Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia), a topical local anaesthetic and antiseptic formulation, instilled to the wound during the procedure, to alleviate subsequent castration-related pain experienced in piglets. We performed a large, blind, multi-centred trial comparing pain in piglets castrated with or without Tri-Solfen®. Piglets treated with wound instillation of Tri-Solfen®, 30 s prior to subsequent castration, showed significantly lower pain-induced motor and vocal responses during the procedure. Acute post-operative pain-related behaviours, evident in piglets in the first 30 min following castration, were also significantly reduced in treated piglets compared with untreated piglets. Using this method, Tri-Solfen® provides an effective on-farm method to mitigate acute castration-related pain in young piglets. Abstract Piglet castration results in acute pain and stress to the animal. There is a critical need for effective on-farm methods of pain mitigation. Local anaesthesia using Tri-Solfen® (Animal Ethics Pty Ltd., Melbourne, Australia), a topical local anaesthetic and antiseptic formulation instilled to the wound during surgery, is a newly evolving on-farm method to mitigate castration pain. To investigate the efficacy of Tri-Solfen®, instilled to the wound during the procedure, to alleviate subsequent castration-related pain in neonatal piglets, we performed a large, negatively controlled, randomised field trial in two commercial pig farms in Europe. Piglets (173) were enrolled and randomised to undergo castration with or without Tri-Solfen®, instilled to the wound immediately following skin incision. A 30 s wait period was then observed prior to completing castration. Efficacy was investigated by measuring pain-induced motor and vocal responses during the subsequent procedure and post-operative pain-related behaviour in treated versus untreated piglets. There was a significant reduction in nociceptive motor and vocal response during castration and in the post-operative pain-related behaviour response in Tri-Solfen®-treated compared to untreated piglets, in the first 30 min following castration. Although not addressing pain of skin incision, Tri-Solfen® is effective to mitigate subsequent acute castration-related pain in piglets under commercial production conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Sheil
- Animal Ethics Pty. Ltd., Yarra Glen, VIC 3775, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Giulia Maria De Benedictis
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, Padova University, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; (G.M.D.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Annalisa Scollo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy;
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- Knoell Animal Health Ltd., Bank Barn, How Mill, Brampton CA8 9JY, UK;
| | - Giles Innocent
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, UK;
| | - Adam Polkinghorne
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NSW Health Pathology, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia; or
- Major Mitchell Consulting, Buderim, QLD 4556, Australia
| | - Flaviana Gottardo
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, Padova University, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; (G.M.D.B.); (F.G.)
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Sheil M, Chambers M, Polkinghorne A, Sharpe B. Topical Application of Lidocaine and Bupivacaine to Disbudding Wounds in Dairy Calves: Safety, Toxicology and Wound Healing. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030869. [PMID: 33803728 PMCID: PMC8003238 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Disbudding is a common, but painful procedure performed on calves to prevent horn growth. Tri-Solfen® is a combination local anaesthetic and antiseptic formulation which, applied topically to the disbudding wound, is reported to reduce calf pain. Applied in this manner, the local anaesthetics in Tri-Solfen®, lidocaine and bupivacaine, are reported to be poorly absorbed, resulting in low risk of neurological or cardiotoxic effects. The potential impacts on other blood, urine and tissue parameters and on wound healing when used in this manner, and/or accidental overdose situations are unknown, however. We performed experiments investigating (i) the safety of Tri-Solfen® (including overdose situations) and (ii) the impact of Tri-Solfen® on disbudding wound healing under field conditions. No adverse health effects were observed in Tri-Solfen®-treated animals, even those receiving 5× the recommended dose, with no clinically significant differences in measured parameters between placebo and Tri-Solfen® groups. No negative impacts on wound healing were noted. Conversely, lower levels of bacterial wound colonisation were evident, and there was reduced incidence of abnormal wounds at days 11–12 in Tri-Solfen®-treated animals. Abstract Tri-Solfen® is a combination topical anaesthetic and antiseptic solution containing lidocaine, bupivacaine, adrenaline and cetrimide. Applied to wounds, it is reported to reduce the pain experienced by calves following thermocautery disbudding. While lidocaine and bupivacaine are widely used in medicine, conflicting data exist on the impact of these compounds when applied directly to the surgical wound. To investigate the safety of Tri-Solfen® applied to thermocautery disbudding wounds of calves, experiments were performed to measure (i) the safety of Tri-Solfen® (including in overdose situations); and (ii) the impact of Tri-Solfen® application at recommended doses on disbudding wound healing under field conditions. Haematological, biochemical and urinalysis parameters did not show clinically significant differences between placebo and Tri-Solfen® groups (1×, 3× and 5× dose). No adverse health impacts were reported. Histopathological analysis of wounds noted a reduction in bacterial colonies in Tri-Solfen®-treated wounds. Under field conditions, no negative impacts on wound healing were noted. Conversely, there was reduced incidence of abnormal wounds, with an associated trend toward improved average daily gain at days 11–12 in Tri-Solfen®-treated animals. These data are considered to support the safety of topical anaesthesia, as formulated in Tri-Solfen®, to the thermocautery disbudding wound in calves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Sheil
- Animal Ethics Pty. Ltd., Yarra Glen 3775, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Adam Polkinghorne
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NSW Health Pathology, Nepean Blue Mountains Pathology Service, Penrith 2751, Australia;
- Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Kingswood 2747, Australia
| | - Brendan Sharpe
- Invetus Pty. Ltd., Armidale 2350, Australia; (M.C.); (B.S.)
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Viscardi AV, Cull CA, Kleinhenz MD, Montgomery S, Curtis A, Lechtenberg K, Coetzee JF. Evaluating the utility of a CO2 surgical laser for piglet castration to reduce pain and improve wound healing: a pilot study. J Anim Sci 2021; 98:5917776. [PMID: 33011759 PMCID: PMC7660141 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skaa320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
CO2 surgical lasers are widely used for procedures in veterinary and human medicine. There is evidence to suggest surgery using a CO2 laser reduces pain and swelling and improves healing time compared with surgery with a scalpel. Millions of piglets in North America are surgically castrated each year using a scalpel. Therefore, piglet welfare may be improved by making refinements to the surgical procedure. The objectives of this preliminary study were to determine the ability of a CO2 surgical laser to (1) reduce pain and (2) improve wound healing of piglets undergoing surgical castration. Two-day-old male Yorkshire × Landrace piglets were used and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments (n = 10 piglets/treatment group): surgical castration with the CO2 laser, surgical castration with a scalpel, or sham (uncastrated control). Piglets were video recorded in their pens for 1 hr preprocedure and from 0 to 2, 6 to 8, and at 24 hr postprocedure for behavior scoring. Surgical site images were collected at baseline, 0, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 hr postcastration for wound healing assessment. Infrared thermography images of the surgical site were also taken at baseline, 0, 0.5, 8, and 24 hr postprocedure to assess inflammation. Finally, blood was collected from each piglet at baseline and 0.5 hr postcastration to assess cortisol levels, prostaglandin E metabolite and pig-major acute phase protein concentration. Laser-castrated piglets displayed more pain behaviors across the observation period than scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.05). Laser-castrated piglets also displayed significantly more agonistic behavior than both scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.005) and sham piglets (P = 0.036); yet, laser-castrated piglets had significantly lower temperatures at the site of incision compared with scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.0211). There was no significant difference in wound healing or any of the blood parameters assessed between laser-castrated and scalpel-castrated piglets. There was evidence of thermal tissue damage on the scrotum of piglets that were castrated using the CO2 laser. This may have resulted in the unremarkable healing time and the increased pain behavior observed in this study. The surgical laser technique should be refined before conclusions can be made regarding the utility of a CO2 laser for piglet castration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbie V Viscardi
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | | | - Michael D Kleinhenz
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Shawnee Montgomery
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Andrew Curtis
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | | | - Johann F Coetzee
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
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Van Tichelen K, Prims S, Ayuso M, Van Kerschaver C, Vandaele M, Degroote J, Van Cruchten S, Michiels J, Van Ginneken C. Handling Associated with Drenching Does Not Impact Survival and General Health of Low Birth Weight Piglets. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11020404. [PMID: 33562568 PMCID: PMC7915206 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The increase in litter sizes in recent years has resulted in more low birth weight (LBW) piglets, accompanied by a higher mortality. A potential intervention to overcome this is drenching bioactive substances. However, if the act of drenching provokes additional stress in LBW piglets, it might counteract the supplement's effect and be detrimental for the piglet's survival. To study the effect of the drenching act, piglets from 67 sows were weighed within 4 h after birth. The mean litter birth weight (MLBW) and standard deviation (SD) were calculated. LBW piglets (n = 76) were defined as weighing between (MLBW-1*SD) and (MLBW-2.5*SD). They were randomly allocated to two treatments: "sham" (conducting the act of drenching by inserting an empty 2.5 mL syringe in the mouth during 20 s, once a day, d1 till d7; n = 37) or "no treatment" (no handling; n = 39). On day 1, 3, 9, 24 and 38, piglets were weighed and scored for skin lesions. Blood samples were collected on day 9 and 38 and analyzed to determine glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), urea, immunoglobulin G (IgG), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and a standard blood panel test. There was no difference between sham drenched and untreated piglets regarding any of the parameters. In conclusion, this study showed that drenching does not impose a significant risk to LBW piglets and can be applied safely during the first 7 days after birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Van Tichelen
- Applied Veterinary Morphology, Faculty of Biomedical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Sciences, Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.V.T.); (S.P.); (M.A.); (S.V.C.)
| | - Sara Prims
- Applied Veterinary Morphology, Faculty of Biomedical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Sciences, Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.V.T.); (S.P.); (M.A.); (S.V.C.)
| | - Miriam Ayuso
- Applied Veterinary Morphology, Faculty of Biomedical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Sciences, Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.V.T.); (S.P.); (M.A.); (S.V.C.)
| | - Céline Van Kerschaver
- Laboratory for Animal Production and Animal Product Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (C.V.K.); (M.V.); (J.D.); (J.M.)
| | - Mario Vandaele
- Laboratory for Animal Production and Animal Product Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (C.V.K.); (M.V.); (J.D.); (J.M.)
| | - Jeroen Degroote
- Laboratory for Animal Production and Animal Product Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (C.V.K.); (M.V.); (J.D.); (J.M.)
| | - Steven Van Cruchten
- Applied Veterinary Morphology, Faculty of Biomedical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Sciences, Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.V.T.); (S.P.); (M.A.); (S.V.C.)
| | - Joris Michiels
- Laboratory for Animal Production and Animal Product Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (C.V.K.); (M.V.); (J.D.); (J.M.)
| | - Chris Van Ginneken
- Applied Veterinary Morphology, Faculty of Biomedical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Sciences, Antwerp University, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.V.T.); (S.P.); (M.A.); (S.V.C.)
- Correspondence:
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16
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Abou-Khalil NS, Ali MF, Ali MM, Ibrahim A. Surgical castration versus chemical castration in donkeys: response of stress, lipid profile and redox potential biomarkers. BMC Vet Res 2020; 16:310. [PMID: 32847551 PMCID: PMC7448993 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02530-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Castration is a husbandry practice raising important questions on the welfare and physiological status of farm animals. Searching for effective castration methods that minimally compromise the body physiology is worthy of attention. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the differential response of biological systems in donkeys to surgical castration versus the chemical one by CaCl2 with special emphasis on stress, lipid profile, and oxidative stress biomarkers. Donkeys were divided randomly and equally into two groups; the chemical (Ch) and surgical (S) groups (n = 6). The Ch group was chemically castrated by intratesticular injection of 20% CaCl2 dissolved in absolute ethanol. Blood samples were collected prior to castration and at 15, 30, 45, and 60 days after the beginning of experiment. Results Surprisingly, the Ch group at the end of the experiment was characterized by significantly higher cortisol level compared to the S group. TC and LDL-C levels in the S group significantly decreased at day 45, while TG levels significantly increased at days 45 and 60 in comparison with day 0. HDL-C levels at days 30 and 60 in the Ch group significantly increased in comparison with day 0. At day 30 post-castration, HDL-C was significantly higher and LDL-C was significantly lower in the Ch group than the S group. A significant elevation in TC and LDL-C was observed at day 45 and in HDL-C at the end of experimental duration in the Ch group when compared with the S group. TPX level was significantly lower and TAC was significantly higher in the Ch group at day 45 than the S group. Conclusion Surgical castration evoked less stress and minor changes in lipid profile and oxidant/antioxidant balance relative to chemical castration by intratesticular 20% CaCl2 dissolved in absolute ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasser S Abou-Khalil
- Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Marwa F Ali
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Magda M Ali
- Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ibrahim
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt.
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Sheil M, Polkinghorne A. Optimal Methods of Documenting Analgesic Efficacy in Neonatal Piglets Undergoing Castration. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E1450. [PMID: 32825055 PMCID: PMC7552769 DOI: 10.3390/ani10091450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Analgesic products for piglet castration are critically needed. This requires extensive animal experimentation such as to meet regulatory-required proof of efficacy. At present, there are no validated methods of assessing pain in neonatal piglets. This poses challenges for investigators to optimize trial design and to meet ethical obligations to minimize the number of animals needed. Pain in neonatal piglets may be subtle, transient, and/or variably expressed and, in the absence of validated methods, investigators must rely on using a range of biochemical, physiological and behavioural variables, many of which appear to have very low (or unknown) sensitivity or specificity for documenting pain, or pain-relieving effects. A previous systematic review of this subject was hampered by the high degree of variability in the literature base both in terms of methods used to assess pain and pain mitigation, as well as in outcomes reported. In this setting we provide a narrative review to assist in determining the optimal methods currently available to detect piglet pain during castration and methods to mitigate castration-induced pain. In overview, the optimal outcome variables identified are nociceptive motor and vocal response scores during castration and quantitative sensory-threshold response testing and pain-associated behaviour scores following castration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Sheil
- Animal Ethics Pty. Ltd., Yarra Glen, VIC 3775, Australia
| | - Adam Polkinghorne
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NSW Health Pathology, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia;
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Nepean Clinical School, The University of Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia
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Luna SPL, de Araújo AL, da Nóbrega Neto PI, Brondani JT, de Oliveira FA, Azerêdo LMDS, Telles FG, Trindade PHE. Validation of the UNESP-Botucatu pig composite acute pain scale (UPAPS). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233552. [PMID: 32480399 PMCID: PMC7263847 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The creation of species-specific valid tools for pain assessment is essential to recognize pain and determine the requirement and efficacy of analgesic treatments. This study aimed to assess behaviour and investigate the validity and reliability of an acute pain scale in pigs undergoing orchiectomy. Forty-five pigs aged 38±3 days were castrated under local anaesthesia. Behaviour was video-recorded 30 minutes before and intermittently up to 24 hours after castration. Edited footage (before surgery, after surgery before and after rescue analgesia, and 24 hours postoperatively) was analysed twice (one month apart) by one observer who was present during video-recording (in-person researcher) and three blinded observers. Statistical analysis was performed using R software and differences were considered significant when p<0.05. Intra and inter-observer agreement, based on intra-class correlation coefficient, was good or very good between most observers (>0.60), except between observers 1 and 3 (moderate agreement 0.57). The scale was unidimensional according to principal component analysis. The scale showed acceptable item-total Spearman correlation, excellent predictive and concurrent criterion validity (Spearman correlation ≥ 0.85 between the proposed scale versus visual analogue, numerical rating, and simple descriptive scales), internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient >0.80 for all items), responsiveness (the pain scores of all items of the scale increased after castration and decreased after intervention analgesia according to Friedman test), and specificity (> 95%). Sensitivity was good or excellent for most of the items. The optimal cut-off point for rescue analgesia was ≥ 6 of 18. Discriminatory ability was excellent for all observers according to the area under the curve (>0.95). The proposed scale is a reliable and valid instrument and may be used clinically and experimentally to assess postoperative acute pain in pigs. The well-defined cut-off point supports the evaluator´s decision to provide or not analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Lucélia de Araújo
- Post graduation Program in Anaesthesiology, Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Juliana Tabarelli Brondani
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Flávia Augusta de Oliveira
- Post graduation Program in Anaesthesiology, Medical School, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Felipe Garcia Telles
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
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Sheil ML, Chambers M, Sharpe B. Topical wound anaesthesia: efficacy to mitigate piglet castration pain. Aust Vet J 2020; 98:256-263. [PMID: 32096229 PMCID: PMC7384076 DOI: 10.1111/avj.12930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is a critical need for safe and effective analgesic treatments to address pain resulting from surgical husbandry procedures in livestock. Piglet castration results in acute pain and stress to the animal; however, it is performed globally on millions of piglets annually, often without any analgesia what-so-ever. Tri-Solfen® (Animal Ethics Pty Ltd, Yarra Glen, Victoria, Australia) is a combination local anaesthetic and antiseptic formulation which, applied topically to wounds, has proven effective, and is registered for use to alleviate pain associated with castration (and other wounds) in lambs and calves in Australia and New Zealand. It is also reported to be effective to reduce pain in piglets following castration. DESIGN This randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study examined the safety and efficacy of the formulation, administered via an adapted wound instillation method, to control pain both during and following piglet castration. METHOD Piglets received Tri-Solfen or placebo, instilled to the wound immediately following skin incision. A 30 s wait period was then observed prior to completing castration. Pain mitigation was assessed by grading nociceptive resistance movements and piglet vocal response during castration, as well as by grading response to mechanical sensory stimulation of the wound (von Frey and needlestick) following castration. RESULTS There was a significant reduction in nociceptive motor and vocal response during castration and in response to mechanical sensory wound stimulation up to and including 2 h following castration. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSION Administered via this method, Tri-Solfen is effective to mitigate acute peri-operative castration pain in piglets.
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Affiliation(s)
- ML Sheil
- Animal Ethics Pty LtdYarra GlenVictoria3775Australia
| | - M Chambers
- Invetus Pty LtdArmidaleNew South Wales2350Australia
| | - B Sharpe
- Invetus Pty LtdArmidaleNew South Wales2350Australia
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Sødring M, Nafstad O, Håseth TT. Change in Norwegian consumer attitudes towards piglet castration: increased emphasis on animal welfare. Acta Vet Scand 2020; 62:22. [PMID: 32456651 PMCID: PMC7249416 DOI: 10.1186/s13028-020-00522-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Male piglets are surgically castrated at a young age primarily to prevent pork meat from being tainted with boar taint, an offensive taste and odor that can be present in uncastrated male pigs. The practice of surgical castration is considered to be both stressful and painful for the piglets, and is therefore under scrutiny due to animal welfare concerns. Rearing of intact males or vaccination against boar taint (immunocastration) are two potential alternatives to surgical castration, but in order to successfully implement either of these alternatives, consumer acceptance of the different methods must be taken into consideration as it will be central for future sales of pork products. A consumer survey mapping Norwegian consumers’ attitudes toward piglet castration was conducted to explore whether the consumers’ position regarding castration has changed since an almost identical study was completed in 2008. Results The internet-based survey found that Norwegian consumers are comfortable with the current practice of surgical castration with anesthesia, but also that they are open to the alternative method of vaccination against boar taint. When provided additional information stating that vaccination against boar taint may not be able to reduce boar taint to the levels that castration with anesthesia does, consumer skepticism towards vaccination increased. When evaluating castration methods, animal welfare was the most important influencing factor. Since the original survey from 2008, animal welfare was also the single factor that has increased the most among a set of assessment criteria when purchasing pork products. Conclusion Norwegian consumers regard animal welfare as an important factor both when purchasing pork products and when evaluating different methods of castration, and animal welfare as a factor has increased in importance since the initial survey in 2008. Although the current practice of castration using local anesthesia is still widely accepted among consumers, the acceptance of today’s method has declined since the original survey in 2008.
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Identification of Faecal Maternal Semiochemicals in Swine (Sus scrofa) and their Effects on Weaned Piglets. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5349. [PMID: 32210329 PMCID: PMC7093430 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62280-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Piglets are attracted to maternal faeces early in life. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify faecal maternal semiochemicals that attract piglets and evaluate their effects on piglets at weaning. Faecal samples were collected from eight sows during gestation and lactation. Faecal semiochemicals were extracted and identified using solid phase extraction and GC/MS. A total of 26 volatiles were present in lactating and gestating sow faeces. Sows secreted no unique semiochemical after farrowing. However, the concentration of skatole and myristic acid were 2.68 and 1.13 times higher after farrowing. A free-choice preference assessment showed that piglets had a preference for a feeder sprayed with a solution containing skatole and myristic acid. No preference was found when feeders were sprayed with skatole and myristic acid individually. The application of skatole and myristic acid to the feeders of weaned pigs significantly reduced piglet aggression by 30% and tended to increase feeding behaviour by 35% the first 24 h post-weaning. These results suggest that skatole and myristic acid might be acting as a multicomponent maternal signal that attracts piglets and has a calming effect at weaning.
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Is the Piglet Grimace Scale (PGS) a Useful Welfare Indicator to Assess Pain after Cryptorchidectomy in Growing Pigs? Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10030412. [PMID: 32131424 PMCID: PMC7143901 DOI: 10.3390/ani10030412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pig cryptorchidism is a congenital anomaly, which requires surgical intervention. Pain assessment in pig farming has some limitations and consumers are increasingly concerned about suffering linked to on-farm procedures. The PGS seems to be a promising tool for pain assessment in piglets, although it has not been investigated whether this tool is applicable to growing pigs. This study was designed to determine whether the PGS could be useful to assess pain in growing pigs undergoing on-farm cryptorchidectomy. Ten mixed-breed cryptorchid pigs were pre-medicated with azaperone and ketamine. Anesthesia was induced and maintained using IV sodium based. Pigs were filmed pre- and 6 h post-surgery to evaluate their behavior (scan sampling every minute). Besides, 36 pictures of the face expressions (18 pre- and 18 6 h post-surgery) were scored with the PGS by three treatment-blind observers. The pre-surgery pig's activity ratio was 59%, while it was 2% 6 h post-surgery. While the PGS inter-observer reliability was excellent (Interclass Correlation Coefficient value of 0.87), the PGS score increased significantly in pigs 6 h post-surgery (Paired sample t-test, p = 0.02). The PGS proved to be a potentially effective method to assess pain associated with cryptorchidectomy. However, further validation studies are required to validate this tool for other potentially painful procedures.
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Physiological and economic benefits of abandoning invasive surgical procedures and enhancing animal welfare in swine production. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16093. [PMID: 31695123 PMCID: PMC6834556 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52677-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Food-animal welfare is a major ethical and social concern. Pork is the most consumed meat worldwide, with over a billion pigs slaughtered annually. Most of these pigs routinely undergo painful surgical procedures (surgical castration, tail docking, teeth clipping), which farmers often reluctant to avoid, claiming it would increase cost and reduce production efficiency. Herein, this study indicates that these procedures compromise pigs' health and condition. Replacing surgical castration with immunocastration, avoiding tail docking and teeth clipping, and providing environmental enrichment, resulted in significant increase in weight gain, lowered risks for injuries and death, and reduced saliva and hair cortisol, both biomarkers for stress. Testosterone and DHEA analyses confirmed that immunocastration was an effective alternative to surgical castration. Economic models for the entire US swine market revealed that following across-the-board acceptance of this management, pork meat price is expected to drop, while the total annual social welfare (combined consumer and producer surplus) is expected to increase by $US 1.48 to 1.92 billion. In conclusion, sustainable swine farming management can be beneficial for both animals and farmers. Applying such welfare-friendly management is expected to reduce stress, enhance piglet/pig welfare and production, and improve the economics of swine operations in the global agro-food system.
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Yun J, Ollila A, Valros A, Larenza-Menzies P, Heinonen M, Oliviero C, Peltoniemi O. Behavioural alterations in piglets after surgical castration: Effects of analgesia and anaesthesia. Res Vet Sci 2019; 125:36-42. [PMID: 31125820 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2019.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to use behavioural measures to assess pain induced by surgical castration of piglets, and evaluate the efficacy of pain-relief medications. In total, 143 male piglets from 29 sows were used. The treatments included: 1) non-castration (NC; n = 28), 2) castration without medication (SC; n = 29), 3) castration with meloxicam injection 0.4 mg/kg i.m. (ME; n = 28), 4) castration with 0.5 ml of 2% lidocaine in each testicle (LA; n = 29), and 5) castration with general inhalation anaesthesia using isoflurane (1.5%) and meloxicam injection (GA; n = 29). Behaviour was monitored continuously for a ten minute period one hour prior to castration (-1 h), as well as immediately (0 h), one hour (1 h), and two hours (2 h) after castration. Behaviour was also monitored twice (08:00 and 20:00) during the following day. Compared to -1 h, castration induced changes in several behavioural measures in SC piglets at 0 h, suggesting that castration was painful. Furthermore, inactive standing or sitting, tail wagging and aggressive behaviour differed between SC and NC piglets at 0 h. ME and LA piglets spent less time standing or sitting inactively, and LA and GA piglets showed more tail wagging than SC piglets at 0 h (P < 0.05 for all). No other behavioural measures differed among the various groups of castrated piglets. In conclusion, the results indicate that surgical castration is indeed painful. However, the efficacy of various pain-relief protocols in piglets shortly after castration was not verified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhyeon Yun
- Research Centre for Animal Welfare, Department of Production Animal Medicine, P.O. Box 57, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Anna Ollila
- Production Animal Hospital, Department of Production Animal Medicine, P.O. Box 66, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Anna Valros
- Research Centre for Animal Welfare, Department of Production Animal Medicine, P.O. Box 57, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paula Larenza-Menzies
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive-Care Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mari Heinonen
- Production Animal Hospital, Department of Production Animal Medicine, P.O. Box 66, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Claudio Oliviero
- Production Animal Hospital, Department of Production Animal Medicine, P.O. Box 66, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Peltoniemi
- Production Animal Hospital, Department of Production Animal Medicine, P.O. Box 66, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Evaluating environmental enrichment as a method to alleviate pain after castration and tail docking in pigs. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Lomax S, Harris C, Windsor PA, White PJ. Topical anaesthesia reduces sensitivity of castration wounds in neonatal piglets. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187988. [PMID: 29140997 PMCID: PMC5687763 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to do determine the efficacy of the topical anaesthetic Tri-Solfen® in the amelioration of the pain of castration in piglets. The trial was conducted over a three day period, and blocked across six litters with 12 piglets treated on days one and two, and 16 on day three. The piglets were randomly allocated by weight and litter to 1 of 4 treatment groups: (i) sham castration (SHAM; n = 10); (ii) surgical castration with no anaesthetic intervention (CAST; n = 10); (iii) surgical castration with post-operative topical anaesthesia (TRI; n = 10); (iv) surgical castration with a pre-operative intra-testicular lignocaine hydrochloride injection (LIG; n = 10). Wound sensitivity testing involved von Frey monofilaments of weights 4g and 300g, and an 18 gauge needle, used to stimulate the wound and surrounding skin respectively, at various pre-determined sites. Neonatal piglets receiving topical anaesthesia (Tri-Solfen®) spray into castration wounds had significantly lower wound sensitivity responses for up to 4h, compared to those castrated following intra-testicular lignocaine injection or those with no treatment. The use of topical anaesthetic is suggested as a practical and affordable method of improving piglet welfare during castration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Lomax
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Charissa Harris
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter A. Windsor
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter J. White
- Faculty of Science, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
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The effect of needle-free administration of local anesthetic on the behavior and physiology of castrated pigs. J Vet Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Lay DC, Sapkota A, Enneking SA. Testing the feasibility of using a conveyor belt to load weanling and nursery pigs for transportation. Transl Anim Sci 2017; 1:287-295. [PMID: 32704653 PMCID: PMC7205342 DOI: 10.2527/tas2017.0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transportation is known to be a multi-faceted stressor, with the process of loading being one of the most significant factors impacting the stress to which animals are exposed. This project was designed to determine if using a conveyor to load pigs into the top deck of a simulated straight deck trailer could lower the stress to which pigs and handlers are exposed. Pigs were assigned to either a Control group that were herded up a stationary conveyor ramp into a top deck trailer (2.5 m above the ground); or Conveyor group which were herded onto a mobile conveyor into a top deck trailer. The conveyor was 7.6 m long, 0.9 m wide and rose to 2.5 m high at a 16° slope, and moved 11.3 m/min. Two age groups were tested; Weanling pigs which were moved in groups of 20 (n = 14 groups/treatment) and Nursery pigs which were moved in groups of 10 (n = 15 groups/treatment). Behavior was recorded during loading, including slips and falls, vocalizations, assists, and time to load. Heart rate of 2 sentinel pigs/group and the handler were recorded during loading, and body temperature of the handler after loading. Pigs were held in the simulated trailer for 30 min while heart rate was recorded. After which, they were unloaded and held in a holding pen for an additional 30 min while heart rate was recorded. There were no treatment differences for slips or falls (P < 0.90). Vocalizations were too few to analyze. Both Weanling (2.8 ± 0.7) and Nursery (1.6 ± 0.5) Conveyor pigs needed to be assisted onto the conveyor more than Weanling (1.2 ± 0.4) and Nursery (0.3 ± 0.1) Control pigs (P < 0.06). There was no difference in total loading time between the treatments for any age group (P < 0.15), with Weanling and Nursery pigs loading in 50 to 45 s, respectively. There were no treatment differences for heart rate variability measures (P > 0.10). However, loading increased heart rate of Nursery pigs (204.9 ± 5.7 bpm, P < 0.005), but not Weanling pigs (172.1 ± 9.0 bpm). Nursery pigs had a greater ratio of low frequency to high frequency power during loading (P < 0.02) compared to other phases of the procedure in both Control and Conveyor groups. Heart rate (93.9 ± 1.9 bpm) and body temperature (31.1 ± 0.3°C, eye temperature) of the handler was not affected by treatment (P < 0.26). Based on behavior and physiology, the pigs had similar experiences in both treatments. This study shows that it is feasible to use a conveyor to load pigs, but it may not be advantageous.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Lay
- Livestock Behavior Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - A Sapkota
- Livestock Behavior Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - S A Enneking
- Livestock Behavior Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, West Lafayette, IN 47907
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Gottardo F, Scollo A, Contiero B, Ravagnani A, Tavella G, Bernardini D, De Benedictis GM, Edwards SA. Pain alleviation during castration of piglets: a comparative study of different farm options. J Anim Sci 2017; 94:5077-5088. [PMID: 28046151 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2016-0843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain alleviation associated with castration of piglets is an important welfare issue. The present study compares the effect of different approaches and products suitable for farmer use, with the aim to alleviate pain due to castration in piglets. A randomized within-litter design, with 28 replicate litters, compared 7 treatments: handling () restraint of the piglet and manipulation of the scrotum, castration without pain relief (), 2 treatments (, ) with different concentrations of tetracaine (2 and 6%) applied topically 10 min before and immediately post-surgery, and 3 treatments with i.m. injection of different nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs () 10 min prior to surgery (-meloxicam, -ketoprofen, -tolfenamic acid). Efficacy of pain relief was assessed during a 300 min period after castration by serum cortisol, behavior (walking, lying, suckling, in the nest, isolated and pain related: tremors, rubbing the rear, hunching, wagging of the tail), facial expression and scrotal skin pressure sensitivity. C pigs had greater serum cortisol concentration than all other groups at 60 min post-surgery ( < 0.001), while H pigs had lower concentrations than pigs given topical anesthesia ( < 0.001) though not injected analgesia. No treatment differences were significant at 180 min, but at 300 min cortisol concentration was greater in T2 and T6 piglets than those given NSAIDs ( = 0.03). These treatment differences were mirrored by the pressure sensitivity of the scrotum; in comparison with C piglets, those given NSAIDs showed a reduced sensitivity ( 0.003) but those given local anesthesia did not ( = 0.15). C pigs showed increased frequency of pain-related behavior in the first 30 min in comparison with all other treatments, more time isolated than H or NSAID treatments, and more time standing inactive than H or K treatments. No behavioral differences were apparent after 60 min. No differences in facial expressions were observed among treatments. In conclusion, on-farm methods for pain relief can provide some, though not complete, pain alleviation in the hours after castration. The use of topical anesthesia gave only minor benefit in comparison to NSAID agents injected prior to castration. Since the main differences in indicators of pain between positive and negative controls were observed within the first h after castration, it is important to select drugs that act quickly after administration to facilitate practical processing schedules on farm.
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Harris EK, Mellencamp MA, Johnston LJ, Shurson GC. Growth performance of immunologically castrated pigs slaughtered at 5, 7, or 9 weeks after the second Improvest dose and fed diets containing corn dried distillers grains with solubles. J Anim Sci 2017; 95:806-819. [PMID: 28380585 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2016.0510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Growth performance of immunologically castrated (IC) pigs (863 total) was determined at increasing time intervals between the second Improvest (gonadotropin releasing factor analog-diphtheria toxoid conjugate; Zoetis Inc., Florham Park, NJ) dose and slaughter (TD) and with 4 different dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) feeding strategies (FS) in a 4 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The feeding period was divided into 4 separate diet phases. Dietary treatments included 1) corn-soybean meal control diets (PCon), 2) a gradual decrease of dietary DDGS inclusion rate from 40%, 30%, 20%, and 10% in phases 1 to 4 (GD), respectively, 3) feeding 40% DDGS diets in phases 1 to 3 and removal of DDGS from the phase 4 diet (WD), and 4) feeding 40% DDGS diets in all 4 phases (NCon). Pigs received the second Improvest dose at 9 (TD9), 7 (TD7), or 5 (TD5) wk before slaughter. In each group, all pigs were slaughtered on the same day. There were no 3-way interactions among FS, TD, and week of feeding period for any measure of growth performance. Pigs fed PCon and WD had greater ( < 0.05) overall ADFI than pigs fed NCon, especially when slaughtered 9 wk after the second Improvest dose (2.45 and 2.44 vs. 2.31 ± 0.08 kg/d, respectively). This response was partly due to withdrawing DDGS from the diet at 19 wk of age (WD), which led to a tendency ( < 0.10) for increased ADFI from the wk 19 to 21 interval to the wk 21 to 24 interval (3.26 vs. 3.51 ± 0.09 kg/d, respectively). During the same time period, ADFI was unchanged ( > 0.05) in pigs fed PCon, GD, and NCon. Overall G:F was improved ( < 0.05) in TD5 pigs compared with TD9 pigs and tended ( < 0.10) to be improved compared with TD7 pigs. Final BW was similar among pigs fed GD, WD, and PCon (123.1, 122.3, and 125.3 kg, respectively), but pigs fed PCon and GD had greater ( < 0.05) BW than pigs fed NCon (120.0 kg). Throughout the growing-finishing period, BW was similar among TD treatments. The GD FS was more effective than the WD FS in maintaining overall G:F (0.424 and 0.414 ± 0.005, respectively) and ADG (0.94 and 0.93 ± 0.03 kg/d, respectively), which were similar ( > 0.05) to those of pigs fed PCon (0.427 ± 0.005 and 0.96 ± 0.03 kg/d, respectively). Growth performance of pigs fed GD more closely reflected that of pigs fed PCon than that of pigs fed WD. Delaying the second dose of Improvest from 9 to 5 wk before slaughter resulted in improved growth performance.
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Ison SH, Clutton RE, Di Giminiani P, Rutherford KMD. A Review of Pain Assessment in Pigs. Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:108. [PMID: 27965968 PMCID: PMC5124671 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a moral obligation to minimize pain in pigs used for human benefit. In livestock production, pigs experience pain caused by management procedures, e.g., castration and tail docking, injuries from fighting or poor housing conditions, “management diseases” like mastitis or streptococcal meningitis, and at parturition. Pigs used in biomedical research undergo procedures that are regarded as painful in humans, but do not receive similar levels of analgesia, and pet pigs also experience potentially painful conditions. In all contexts, accurate pain assessment is a prerequisite in (a) the estimation of the welfare consequences of noxious interventions and (b) the development of more effective pain mitigation strategies. This narrative review identifies the sources of pain in pigs, discusses the various assessment measures currently available, and proposes directions for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah H Ison
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Edinburgh, UK; Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - R Eddie Clutton
- Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh , Midlothian , UK
| | - Pierpaolo Di Giminiani
- Food and Rural Development, School of Agriculture, Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK
| | - Kenneth M D Rutherford
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) , Edinburgh , UK
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Bilsborrow K, Seddon YM, Brown J, Waldner C, Stookey JM. An investigation of a novel behavioural test to assess pain in piglets following castration. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1139/cjas-2015-0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A novel behavioural test using a handling chute was evaluated over two trials as an objective method to assess pain in piglets following castration. Piglet (n = 98) navigation time (NT) through a handling chute was measured at specific time points up to 24 h post treatment. In trial 1, comparing the NT of castrates (C) and sham castrates (SC), C piglets had a longer NT than SC at 0 and 15 min post treatment (P < 0.05), with no differences thereafter. In trial 2, the effect of an analgesic to control postoperative pain on NT was examined, with castrated piglets given a half (CH) or full (CF) dose of meloxicam 1 h prior to treatment, compared with piglets castrated and given saline (CS) or sham castrated and given saline (SS). Post treatment, CS piglets had a longer NT than SS at 0 min (P < 0.005), and at 15 min, piglets CS had a longer NT than all groups (P < 0.001). No significant associations were found between piglet behaviour in the home pen and NT during the 60 min following treatment. These data demonstrate potential for the use of a handling chute to measure NT as a quick, standardized, method to assess piglet pain in response to castration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Bilsborrow
- Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Yolande M. Seddon
- Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Jennifer Brown
- Prairie Swine Centre, PO Box 21057, 2105 8th Street East, Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N9, Canada
| | - Cheryl Waldner
- Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Joseph M. Stookey
- Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
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Comparison of Intramuscular or Subcutaneous Injections vs. Castration in Pigs-Impacts on Behavior and Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2016; 6:ani6090052. [PMID: 27589810 PMCID: PMC5035947 DOI: 10.3390/ani6090052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Revised: 08/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Physical castration (PC) of piglets is a painful and stressful procedure and alternatives are being sought to improve animal well-being, such as immunological castration (IC). However, IC requires injections which may also cause pain and stress during handling. In this study, piglets and finishing pigs were placed in the following treatment groups: no handling or treatment (NO), sham-handling (SHAM), intramuscular injection (IM), subcutaneous injection (SQ), or PC on piglets only. Behavior was monitored for 1 h prior and 1 h post treatment in each age group. Social behavior and feeding behavior, and signs of pain were recorded. Physical castration caused measurable pain-like behaviors and general behavioral dysregulation at a much higher level than changes associated with handling associated with IM or SQ injections. Overall, injections did not cause a change in weaning pig behaviors. Finishing pigs given SQ injections showed a lower number of feeding behaviors post treatment but other changes were not observed in the other treatment groups. Abstract Physical castration (PC) is painful and stressful for nursing piglets. One alternative to PC is immunological castration (IC), but the pain and stress of handling associated with injections have not been assessed. The objectives of this study were to measure the pain and distress of subcutaneous (SQ) and intramuscular (IM) injections compared to PC in piglets, and to compare SQ or IM injections in finishing pigs. After farrowing, 3 to 5 d old male piglets were randomly assigned to (control) no handling treatment (NO), sham-handling (SHAM), IM, SQ, or PC. Finishing pigs were assigned to NO, SHAM, IM, or SQ. Behavior was monitored for 1 h prior and 1 h post treatment in each age group. Social, feeding behaviors, and signs of pain were recorded. Finishing pigs treated with SQ injections had higher feeding behaviors pre-treatment than they did post-treatment. Overall, physical castrations caused measurable pain-like behaviors and general behavioral dysregulation at a much higher level than the other treatment groups. SQ and IM injections did not cause either significant behavioral or physiological alterations in piglets. SQ injections caused a decrease in finishing pig feed behaviors post treatment (p = 0.02) and SHAM treated finishing pigs spent significantly more time lying than the other treatment groups. In general IM and SQ injections did not cause any other significant changes in behavior or physiology.
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Acute physiological responses to castration-related pain in piglets: the effect of two local anesthetics with or without meloxicam. Animal 2016; 10:1474-81. [PMID: 27080170 DOI: 10.1017/s1751731116000586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Methods to reduce castration-related pain in piglets are still issues of concern and interest for authorities and producers. Our objectives were to estimate the effectiveness of two protocols of local anesthesia (lidocaine and the combination of lidocaine+bupivacaine) as well as the use of meloxicam as a postoperative analgesic in alleviating castration-related pain, measured by acute physiological responses. Eight groups (15 piglets/group) were included in the study: (1) castration without anesthesia or analgesia, without meloxicam (TRAD WITHOUT), (2) castration without anesthesia or analgesia, but with meloxicam (TRAD WITH), (3) handling without meloxicam (SHAM WITHOUT), (4) handling with meloxicam (SHAM WITH), (5) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine but without meloxicam (LIDO WITHOUT), (6) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine and meloxicam (LIDO WITH), (7) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine+bupivacaine without meloxicam (LIDO+BUPI WITHOUT), (8) castration after local anesthesia with lidocaine+bupivacaine and meloxicam (LIDO+BUPI WITH). Acute physiological responses measured included skin surface temperature and serum glucose and cortisol concentrations. On days 4 and 11 post-castration BW was recorded and average daily gain was calculated over this period. Furthermore, piglet mortality was recorded over the 11-day post-castration period. Administration of local anesthetic or meloxicam did not prevent the decrease in skin surface temperature associated with castration. Lidocaine reduced the increase in glucose concentration associated with castration. For castrated pigs, the joint use of lidocaine and meloxicam caused a significant decrease in cortisol concentration; the combination of intratesticular lidocaine and bupivacaine did not seem to be more effective than lidocaine alone. No effect of treatments on mortality and growth were detected.
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Effect of a topical anaesthetic formulation on the cortisol response to surgical castration of unweaned beef calves. Animal 2015. [PMID: 26215042 DOI: 10.1017/s1751731115001421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Impracticality and cost of existing pain management strategies during surgical castration of beef cattle have limited their widespread implementation on-farm. A farmer-applied topical anaesthetic formulation, originally developed and used commercially to mitigate the pain of mulesing in lambs, was investigated for its potential use for managing pain in surgically castrated calves. This formulation contained lidocaine, bupivacaine, adrenalin and cetrimide. In this study, 24 Angus bull calves were randomly allocated to (1) surgical castration (C, n=8), (2) surgical castration with the post-operative application of topical anaesthetic (CTA, n=8) and (3) sham castration/control (CON, n=8). The experiment was conducted over 2 days, with treatment groups evenly represented across each day. Calves were habituated to handling before the experiment and blood samples were collected for plasma cortisol measurement at defined time periods before, at and post treatment, (at -0.5, 0 h, then +0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4 and 6 h). There was a significant effect of time on cortisol concentrations across all treatment groups (P<0.01), with lowest concentrations at -0.5 and 6 h and peak concentration at 0.5 h being significantly higher than the cortisol response at 0 h. The effect of treatment was not significant (P=0.077), however, there was a trend for CON calves to display lower cortisol concentrations than C and CTA calves and CTA calves to display lower cortisol concentrations than C calves. The mean area under the curve (AUC) of CON calves was significantly lower than those of C and CTA calves (P=0.04), however, there was no significant difference between the AUCs of CTA and C calves. Immediate application of topical anaesthetic after surgical castration did not significantly reduce plasma cortisol concentrations. However, the trend for CTA calves to display lower cortisol concentrations than C calves warrants further investigation into the use of TA for pain relief of surgically castrated beef calves.
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Pain management in the neonatal piglet during routine management procedures. Part 1: a systematic review of randomized and non-randomized intervention studies. Anim Health Res Rev 2015; 15:14-38. [PMID: 25605277 DOI: 10.1017/s1466252314000061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Routine procedures carried out on piglets (i.e. castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and ear notching) are considered painful. Unfortunately the efficacy of current pain mitigation modalities is poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the existing primary scientific literature regarding the effectiveness of pain management interventions used for routine procedures on piglets. The review question was, 'In piglets under twenty-eight days old, undergoing castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and/or methods of identification that involve cutting of the ear tissue, what is the effect of pain mitigation compared with no pain mitigation on behavioral and non-behavioral outcomes that indicate procedural pain and post-procedural pain?' A review protocol was designed a priori. Data sources used were Agricola (EBSCO), CAB Abstracts (Thomson Reuters), PubMed, Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), BIOSIS Previews (Thomson Reuters), and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. No restrictions on year of publication or language were placed on the search. Eligible studies assessed an intervention designed to mitigate the pain of the procedures of interest and included a comparison group that did not receive an intervention. Eligible non-English studies were translated using a translation service. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for relevance using pre-defined questions. Data were extracted from relevant articles onto pre-defined forms. From the 2203 retrieved citations forty publications, containing 52 studies met the eligibility criteria. In 40 studies, piglets underwent castration only. In seven studies, piglets underwent tail docking only. In one study, piglets underwent teeth clipping only, and in one study piglets underwent ear notching only. Three studies used multiple procedures. Thirty-two trial arms assessed general anesthesia protocols, 30 trial arms assessed local anesthetic protocols, and 28 trial arms assessed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protocols. Forty-one trial arms were controls where piglets received either placebo or no treatment. Forty-five outcomes were extracted from the studies, however only the results from studies that assessed cortisol (six studies), β-endorphins (one study), vocalisations (nine studies), and pain-related behaviors (nine studies) are reported. Other outcomes were reported in only one or two studies. Confident decision making will likely be difficult based on this body of work because lack of comprehensive reporting precludes calculation of the magnitude of pain mitigation for most outcomes.
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Pain management in the neonatal piglet during routine management procedures. Part 2: grading the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations. Anim Health Res Rev 2015; 15:39-62. [PMID: 25605278 DOI: 10.1017/s1466252314000073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Piglets reared in swine production in the USA undergo painful procedures that include castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and identification with ear notching or tagging. These procedures are usually performed without pain mitigation. The objective of this project was to develop recommendations for pain mitigation in 1- to 28-day-old piglets undergoing these procedures. The National Pork Board funded project to develop recommendations for pain mitigation in piglets. Recommendation development followed a defined multi-step process that included an evidence summary and estimates of the efficacies of interventions. The results of a systematic review of the interventions were reported in a companion paper. This manuscript describes the recommendation development process and the final recommendations. Recommendations were developed for three interventions (CO2/O2 general anesthesia, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and lidocaine) for use during castration. The ability to make strong recommendations was limited by low-quality evidence and strong certainty about variation in stakeholder values and preferences. The panel strongly recommended against the use of a CO2/O2 general anesthesia mixture, weakly recommended for the use of NSAIDs and weakly recommended against the use of lidocaine for pain mitigation during castration of 1- to 28-day-old piglets.
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Abstract
Given that surgical castration is a painful practice performed on millions of pigs every year, a need to identify novel reliable pain assessment tools exists in order to test anaesthetic and analgesic protocols that may reduce related pain. Two treatments were considered: handling (H) and surgical castration (C). Physiological (cortisol, lactate, glycaemia, rectal and eye temperature) and behavioural variables (latency to move after treatment and alterations in posture and walking) were analysed. Cortisol showed the greatest level in C piglets within 20 min after the surgical procedure and a positive correlation with glucose concentration. Eye temperature was higher in C piglets, and the same difference was detected for rectal temperature 3 h after castration. Behavioural parameters revealed that C piglets had longer latency to move and a higher percentage of them showed alterations in posture and walking. Results of this study showed that, in castrated piglets behavioural and physiological alterations occur mainly in the first 3 h from treatment. Latency to move, alterations in posture and walking, and eye temperature appear to give additional and useful information in piglet pain assessment. However, differently from the behavioural parameters considered, eye temperature involves several manipulations of the animals and a long process to acquire the data.
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Cai Z, Zhang L, Jiang X, Sheng Y, Xu N. Differential miRNA expression profiles in the longissimus dorsi muscle between intact and castrated male pigs. Res Vet Sci 2014; 99:99-104. [PMID: 25591995 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2014.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Revised: 12/14/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important modulators of skeletal muscle development in multiple mammalian species, but their role in skeletal muscle growth in castrated male pigs has not been well studied. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of miRNAs in longissimus dorsi muscle under castration. Our results showed that castration caused a significant decrease in serum testosterone levels as well as carcass lean mass, but led to an increase in carcass fat mass. Moreover, miRNA expression profiles in skeletal muscle were significantly altered by castration, and seven differentially expressed miRNAs were discovered. More importantly, functional analysis suggested that these differentially expressed miRNAs and their targets are involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle contractile function and fat metabolism. Taken together, these results demonstrate altered miRNA expression in skeletal muscle of castrated male pigs, and suggest a potential mechanism underlying the effects of castration on porcine skeletal muscle growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaowei Cai
- College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Laboratory Animal Research Center, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Lifan Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xiaoling Jiang
- College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yifei Sheng
- College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ningying Xu
- College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Sutherland MA. Welfare implications of invasive piglet husbandry procedures, methods of alleviation and alternatives: a review. N Z Vet J 2014; 63:52-7. [PMID: 25204203 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2014.961990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Iron administration, teeth clipping, tail docking and castration are common invasive husbandry procedures performed on piglets on commercial farms, generally within the first week of life. These procedures are performed to prevent potential health and welfare problems of piglets and/or the sow, or, with respect to castration, to enhance meat quality. The objectives of this review were firstly, to provide the rationale and scientific evidence for performing these procedures, secondly, to describe the welfare implications of these procedures, and lastly, to describe mitigation strategies or alternatives that can be used to eliminate or reduce the pain caused by these procedures. Administering supplementary iron is necessary to prevent anaemia in piglets and the procedure has a low welfare impact. The stated benefits of teeth clipping to prevent udder lesions do not appear to outweigh the risk from injury and infection in piglets following the procedure. Tail docking reduces the prevalence of tail biting, but does not eliminate this behaviour and the practice of tail docking can cause acute pain. Castration is primarily performed to reduce the occurrence of boar taint, but alternatives are now available that negate the need to perform this procedure. Teeth clipping, tail docking and castration all cause behavioural and physiological changes indicative of acute pain and can have potentially long-term negative consequences such as causing abscesses, lesions and the formation of neuromas. Therefore effective pain mitigation strategies (e.g. analgesia, local or general anaesthesia) that markedly alleviate the pain caused by these procedures are necessary to improve the welfare of piglets. Alternatively, if management practices are available that eliminate the need for performing these procedures altogether, then they should be adopted.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Sutherland
- a AgResearch Ltd, Ruakura Research Centre , Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240 , New Zealand
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Bradford JR, Mellencamp MA. Immunological control of boar taint and aggressive behavior in male swine. Anim Front 2013. [DOI: 10.2527/af.2013-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Guay K, Salgado G, Thompson G, Backus B, Sapkota A, Chaya W, McGlone JJ. Behavior and handling of physically and immunologically castrated market pigs on farm and going to market. J Anim Sci 2013; 91:5410-7. [PMID: 24045467 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2012-5726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Physical castration is a common management practice on commercial swine farms in the United States to reduce the incidence of boar taint and aggressive behavior. One alternative to physical castration (PC) is to immunologically castrate (IC) male pigs by blocking the gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF), thereby reducing levels of LH, FSH, testosterone, and androstenone. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of IC on pig behavior, human-pig interactions, and handling during and after transport. Pigs were given the first immunization at wk 7 of the grower-finisher period, and second immunizations were given at wk 11, 13, or 14 of the grower-finisher period. Behaviors of PC and IC barrows were sampled at 3 time points after entering finishing at 9 wk of age: 7 wk before first injection, 16 wk (after immunization was complete) into finishing, and 1 d before marketing (16 to 19 wk into finishing). Handling during loading and unloading of trailers going to market was also quantified. Before the first injection, intact males showed increased aggression (P=0.014) and mounting (P=0.048), whereas PC barrows spent more (P=0.003) time feeding than intact males. There were treatment×time interactions for lying (P=0.018), aggression (P<0.001), and standing (P=0.009) behaviors. Few differences were observed in pig-human interactions between PC and IC barrows, with IC and PC approaching people in the same amount of time, but IC barrows were more (P<0.001) aggressive in chewing and rubbing on the test person's pant leg and boots. When handling and loading for processing in the home barn, PC barrows were more (P<0.05) vocal than IC barrows. Fewer dead and down pigs were observed among IC (0%) compared with PC barrows (1.17%). Immunological castration may result in similar or improved animal welfare compared to the stress of physical castration without pain relief.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Guay
- Pork Industry Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409-2141
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The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems. Animals (Basel) 2013; 3:401-15. [PMID: 26487410 PMCID: PMC4494389 DOI: 10.3390/ani3020401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Revised: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary More pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. Making production systems and practices more sustainable will benefit the animals, the planet and people. A system is presented by which production practices are evaluated using a sustainability matrix. The matrix shows why some practices are more common in some countries and regions and the impediments to more sustainable systems. This method can be used to assess the sustainability of production practices in the future where objective, science-based information is presented alongside ethical and economic information to make the most informed decisions. Finally, this paper points to current pork production practices that are more and less sustainable. Abstract Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons). This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger). This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future.
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The effect of local or general anesthesia on the physiology and behavior of tail docked pigs. Animal 2012; 5:1237-46. [PMID: 22440176 DOI: 10.1017/s175173111100019x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Tail docking of pigs is a routine procedure on farms to help control tail-biting behavior; however, docking can cause pain. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of local or general anesthesia on the physiology (experiment 1) and behavior (experiment 2) of tail docked pigs. Pigs were allocated to one of six treatment groups: (i) sham docking (CON); (ii) docking using conventional cutting (CUT) with side-cutting pliers; (iii) CUT docking plus local anesthesia injected immediately before docking (LA); (iv) CUT docking plus short-acting local anesthesia applied topically to the tail wound (SHORT); (v) CUT docking plus long-acting anesthesia applied topically to the tail wound (LONG) and (vi) CUT docking while the pig was anesthetized with carbon dioxide gas (CO(2)). In experiment 1, blood samples were collected from pigs (10 pigs per treatment) before and 30, 60 and 120 min after docking to measure leukocyte counts and percentages and cortisol concentrations. In experiment 2, the above treatments were repeated (10 pigs per treatment); the percentage of stress vocalizations were recorded during the administration of the treatments and behavior was recorded for up to 120 min after docking or handling. All pigs were weighed before and 24 h after docking and wound healing was recorded until weaning. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was greater (P < 0.05) in CUT, LA, SHORT and LONG compared with CON pigs. At 30 min, cortisol concentrations were greater (P < 0.05) in CUT, LA, LONG and CO(2) compared with CON pigs. Cortisol concentrations did not differ (P > 0.05) between SHORT and CON pigs 30 min after docking. Cortisol concentrations did not differ (P > 0.05) among pigs given pain relief at the time of docking compared with pigs' docked without pain relief. Body weight change and wound scores did not differ (P > 0.05) among treatments. The percentage of stress vocalizations increased (P < 0.05) in CUT, SHORT and LONG, but not in CON, LA and CO(2) pigs in response to docking or handling. The percentage of time pigs spent lying without contact after docking tended to be greater (P = 0.06) in CUT pigs compared with all other docking treatments and CON pigs. In this study, none of the anesthesia treatments tested were effective at significantly changing the physiological or behavioral response to tail docking in pigs.
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Sutherland MA, Davis BL, Brooks TA, Coetzee JF. The physiological and behavioral response of pigs castrated with and without anesthesia or analgesia. J Anim Sci 2012; 90:2211-21. [PMID: 22266989 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2011-4260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Surgical castration is a common management practice performed on male pigs to prevent the occurrence of boar taint. Surgical castration is known to cause physiological and behavioral changes in pigs indicative of pain-induced distress; however, it is commonly performed without pain relief. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of carbon dioxide gas (CO(2)) anesthesia and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to alleviate the pain caused by castration. At 3 d of age, male pigs were either control handled (CON), castrated without pain relief (CAS), given an NSAID and then immediately castrated (CAS+NSAID), anesthetized with CO(2) and then castrated (CAS+CO2), or anesthetized with CO(2) and given an NSAID at the time of castration (CAS+BOTH). Blood samples were collected before castration, and at 30, 60, 120, and 180 min, 24 h, and 3 d after castration or handling for analysis of cortisol, C-Reactive protein (CRP), and substance-P (SP) concentrations. This study was then repeated using the same treatment groups, and the behavioral response to castration and handling were measured using a 1-min scan sampling procedure. The percentage of stress vocalizations was recorded during the administration of all treatments. Anesthesia and analgesia did not effectively reduce (P > 0.05) the cortisol response to surgical castration. Overall, CRP concentrations were greater (P < 0.05) in CAS+CO2 pigs as compared with CON pigs. Sixty minutes after castration or handling, SP concentrations were greater (P < 0.08) in pigs given CO(2) anesthesia (CO2, CAS+CO2, and CAS+BOTH) than CON, CAS, and CAS+NSAID pigs. Pigs castrated without pain relief spent more (P < 0.001) time lying without contact than all other treatments during the first 30 min after castration, but thereafter CAS+CO2 pigs spent more (P < 0.001) time lying without contact than other treatments. During the first 30 min after the treatments were applied, CAS+CO2 pigs spent more (P < 0.01) time displaying pain-like behaviors than CON, CAS, CAS+NSAID, and CAS+BOTH pigs. The percentage of stress vocalizations was greater (P < 0.05) in CAS and CAS+NSAID pigs than all other treatments. Neither CO(2) anesthesia nor a NSAID, given separately or combined, markedly reduced the pain-induced distress caused by castration in pigs. More research is needed to evaluate practical methods of on-farm pain relief for pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Sutherland
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409.
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