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1.
According to the German welfare act of 1998 (Art.5(3)1.), surgical castration of up to 4 wk old pigs does not require anaesthesia. However, the application of a local anaesthesia is discussed in the context of pain related responses to this procedure. In these experiments, effects of different methods of application on the behaviour of piglets during castration are evaluated as a contribution to the welfare assessment of this procedure. A total of 36 piglets between 10 and 14 days of age were castrated with and without a local anaesthesia. Local anaesthesia with Lidocaine 2% was applied in two ways: a) via intratesticular (i.t.) injection and b) intratesticular injection combined with subcutaneous (s.c.) infiltration of the anaesthetic into the tissue around the spermatic cord. The assessment of pain was performed on the basis of vocalisations and resistance movements of the animals during the procedure. Local anaesthesia resulted in a reduction of the relative proportion of resistance movements from the entire period of fixation (castration with i.t. anaesthesia 12.73%, with i.t. and s.c. anaesthesia 14.50% or without a local anaesthesia 18.96%; P < 0.05). In particular, local anaesthesia resulted in a reduction of resistance movements during the cutting of the spermatic cord. The response of piglets to additional skin stimulation of the scrotum was not different between the three treatments.  相似文献   

2.
Since April 2006 piglets in Germany can only be castrated without anesthesia in the first 7 days of life. However, a castration is a painful experience even for an animal of this young age. Whether the castration under isoflurane-anesthesia is a reasonable alternative to castration without anesthesia was tested in the following investigation at 206 4 to 6 day old piglets.The serum-cortisol-concentration was chosen as the parameter for the pain caused by castration. A part of the animals was castrated without anesthesia (group II, n = 42) or with anesthesia (group IV, n = 41). Additionally Meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was applicated to piglets castrated with anesthesia (group V, n = 41). For control another part of the animals were only handled without (group I, n = 41) or with anesthesia (group III, n = 41), but they were not castrated. Cortisol-concentration prior to castration was compared to the concentration 0.5, 1,4 and 24 hours after castration. In addition cortisol was compared between groups at all points of time. Cortisol did rise significantly in castrated animals with animals with or without anesthesia than in animals of the non-castrated control groups. Cortisol after castration was significantly lower in piglets with an application of Meloxicam prior to castration. The pain caused by castration is an explanation for the differences in cortisol-concentration between castrated and not-castrated animals. Regarding those results, we assume that castration with isoflurane-anesthesia does not fulfil the demand for reducing pain after castration compared to castrating piglets without anesthesia.  相似文献   

3.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effect of intratesticular and intrafunicular lidocaine for the surgical castration of piglets and to investigate the degree of nociception induced by lidocaine injection. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective controlled experimental study. ANIMALS: Forty-seven male Norwegian landrace piglets with normal testicular anatomy, aged 22 (+/-2.6 SD) days and weighing 7.4 +/- 1.4 kg. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anaesthesia was induced and maintained using halothane delivered in oxygen. End-tidal halothane was stabilized at 1.3% for 20 minutes before mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) pulse rate and electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring began. After 5 minutes of data collection, scrotal skin was desensitized with lidocaine before either an intrafunicular (IF) (n = 15) or an intratesticular (IT) (n = 16) lidocaine injection was made. Pigs in the control group (n = 16) did not receive lidocaine. Ten minutes later, a scalpel and an emasculator were used to cut the funiculus spermaticus. The MAP, pulse rate and EEG were monitored continuously for 5 minutes after castration. RESULTS: During castration, MAP increased significantly, while pulse rate and EEG theta power fell significantly more in control, compared with the IT or IF groups. EEG alpha power fell more in the control group than in the IF group. No significant differences were found between the IF and IT groups. EEG, MAP and pulse rate responses to castration in the control group were significantly larger than the response to lidocaine injection. CONCLUSION/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Injecting lidocaine into the funiculus spermaticus or into the testes is effective in reducing signs of nociception caused by castration. Lidocaine injection is less noxious than castration without local anaesthetic.  相似文献   

4.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of preoperative meloxicam administration on postoperative stress and pain induced by surgical castration in piglets.Study designProspective, blinded, randomized clinical trial.AnimalsOne hundred and eighty male piglets of <1 week of age.MethodsCastration was performed on 150 piglets which had received either an intramuscular injection of 0.4 mg kg?1 meloxicam or a placebo 10–30 minutes before the procedure. Blood cortisol and ACTH concentrations were determined at 30 minutes post–castration and haptoglobin was measured at 24 hours post–castration. Presence or absence of foreleg movements, hind leg movements, urine or faeces emission, tremors or other body movements were recorded during the castration procedure. Scores for presence or absence of prostration, tremors, tail movements and isolation were recorded at 30 minutes, and at 1, 2, 4 and 24 hours post–castration and combined in a global behaviour score (GBS). Blood samples were taken from a further 30 piglets which did not undergo castration.ResultsMean blood cortisol and ACTH concentrations at 30 minutes post–castration were both significantly lower in the meloxicam group than in the placebo group (p ≤ 0.01). The mean haptoglobin concentration at 24 hours was not significantly reduced (p = 0.178). The distribution of the GBS during castration was similar in both groups. There were significant differences in the GBS after castration at both 2 and 4 hours post–castration with a greater proportion of piglets in the meloxicam group showing no behavioural alterations (82.7%versus 68.0% at both time points). The score distribution was similar in both groups at 30 minutes, 1 and 24 hours after castration.Conclusion and clinical relevanceThis study suggests that pre–emptive administration of meloxicam is able to produce some postoperative analgesia after surgical castration of young piglets.  相似文献   

5.
Behavioural and cortisol responses of calves were used as indicators of pain to assess short- and long-term effects of three bloodless castration methods with and without local anaesthesia. Eighty calves, aged 21 to 28 days, were control handled (20) or castrated by Burdizzo (25), rubber ring (25), or crushing technique (10). Either a total volume of 10 ml of Lidocaine or NaCl was distributed in both spermatic cords and the scrotal neck. The plasma cortisol response was monitored for 72 hours, and behavioural and clinical traits over a three-month period. Castration success was assessed by degree of atrophy and histological tissue examination. The crushing technique cannot be recommended due to incomplete castration success, and the evaluation was stopped after 10 animals. Local anaesthesia reduced the level of indicators of acute pain after Burdizzo and rubber ring technique. It did, however, not result in a totally painless castration. When castration is performed at the age of 3 to 4 weeks, the rubber ring but not the Burdizzo method showed evidence of chronic pain lasting for several weeks.  相似文献   

6.
Changes in plasma cortisol concentrations during the first 4 hours after castration of 6-week-old lambs by one of four methods were measured. The methods were application of a rubber ring above the testes, application of a ring to shorten the scrotum below the testes, use of a castration clamp plus a ring, and use of a castration clamp alone. The efficacy of local anaesthetic in reducing or abolishing the cortisol responses to castration by all these methods except short scrotum was assessed. Local anaesthetic was injected into the neck of the scrotum, both spermatic cords, the scrotal neck plus spermatic cords, or into both testes. The combined clamp plus ring method was used to test whether or not clamp damage to afferent nerves from the testes would reduce the cortisol response to ring castration. The short scrotum method elicited a significantly lower cortisol response than that caused by ring castration. Injection of local anaesthetic into both spermatic cords marginally reduced the cortisol response to ring castration, but the response was virtually abolished by prior scrotal neck, or scrotal neck plus spermatic cords, or intra-testicular local anaesthetic injections. The clamp plus ring method, where each spermatic cord and the associated scrotal tissue were crushed separately for 1, 5 or 10 seconds with no overlap between the two crush lines, did not elicit lower cortisol responses than the ring-only method. Local anaesthetic injected into the scrotal neck virtually abolished, and spermatic cord injections markedly reduced, the cortisol responses to combined clamp plus ring castration. The IO-second clamp application caused a more protracted cortisol response than did ring-only castration, whereas the cortisol responses to 1-second clamp application and to ring-only castration were similar. Local anaesthetic injected into the scrotal neck or spermatic cords did not affect significantly the cortisol response to the IO-second clamp application. The following conclusions were drawn from this work: the testes as well as the scrotum were sources of noxious sensory input after ring application; the clamp plus ring method used here was ineffective in reducing the pain-induced distress (as indicated by cortisol concentrations) caused by ring-only castration; injection of local anaesthetic into the scrotal neck or into the testes prior to ring application blocked most noxious sensory input from both the scrotum and the testes; and on the basis of the present cortisol responses the 10-second clamp applications method could not be recommended in reference to the ring-only method, but the l-second clamp application method might be equally acceptable for castrating 6-week-old-lambs. Of the methods examined, injections of local anaesthetic into the scrotal neck or both testes were the most effective in reducing the pain-induced distress caused by ring-only castration.  相似文献   

7.
Recent reports have shown that stressful situations may affect the production of unconjugated pterins (neopterin and biopterin). The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of castration on neopterin and biopterin plasma concentrations in piglets, using 2 groups of 12 piglets allocated to castrated and uncastrated (control) groups. Pterin concentrations were determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Blood samples were also analzyed for leukocyte profiles and plasma cortisol concentrations. A time × treatment interaction (P < 0.05) was detected for neopterin concentrations, such that neopterin was greater (P < 0.01) at 1 h after surgery in castrated piglets compared with precastration concentrations, and neopterin was greater (P = 0.05) in castrated than in control piglets at 1 h. Castration had no effect on biopterin concentration (P > 0.1). Time effects (P < 0.05) for neutrophil and lymphocyte concentrations and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios were found. A time × treatment interaction (P < 0.01) was detected for plasma cortisol concentrations, such that cortisol was greater (P < 0.01) at 1 and 24 h after surgery in castrated piglets compared with precastration concentrations and was greater (P < 0.01) in castrated than in control piglets at 1 and 24 h. This study showed that castration activated the immune system of piglets as demonstrated by an increase in plasma neopterin concentrations.  相似文献   

8.
The cortisol response of calves to different methods of castration (ring, band, surgical, clamp) with or without local anaesthetic, or local anaesthetic plus a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug were recorded. All methods of castration caused a significant cortisol response and by inference pain and distress. Band castration caused a greater cortisol response than ring castration but the responses were eliminated by local anaesthetic. The cortisol response to surgical castration, by traction on the spermatic cords or by cutting across them with an emasculator, was not diminished by local anaesthetic but when ketoprofen was given with local anaesthetic the cortisol response was eliminated. Local anaesthetic did reduce the behavioural response to cutting the scrotum and handling the testes. Clamp castration caused the smallest cortisol response which was reduced or eliminated by local anaesthetic or local anesthetic plus ketoprofen respectively, but this method of castration was not always successful.  相似文献   

9.
OBJECTIVE: To test whether injecting lignocaine into the scrotal neck 5 to 10 s before or into both testes immediately after ring castration and docking wound significantly reduce the plasma cortisol response to castration and docking. DESIGN: A physiological study with controls. PROCEDURE: Lambs were given one of six treatments: control handling, injection of lignocaine into scrotal neck, injection of lignocaine into both testes, ring castration and docking, ring castration and docking after lignocaine was injected into the scrotal neck, and ring castration and docking before lignocaine was injected into both testes. Blood samples were taken before and regularly after treatment and analysed for plasma cortisol concentrations. RESULTS: The plasma cortisol concentrations of lambs castrated and docked after lignocaine had been injected into the scrotal neck were significantly lower between 20 and 60 min after treatment than in lambs castrated and docked without local anaesthesia. Injecting lignocaine into the testes after ring application did not significantly reduce the cortisol response to ring castration and docking. CONCLUSIONS: Lignocaine injected into the scrotal neck 5 to 10 s before ring castration will reduce the cortisol response and by inference the pain associated with ring castration.  相似文献   

10.

Background

Surgical castration in male piglets is painful and methods that reduce this pain are requested. This study evaluated the effect of local anaesthesia and analgesia on vocal, physiological and behavioural responses during and after castration. A second purpose was to evaluate if herdsmen can effectively administer anaesthesia.

Methods

Four male piglets in each of 141 litters in five herds were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: castration without local anaesthesia or analgesia (C, controls), analgesia (M, meloxicam), local anaesthesia (L, lidocaine), or both local anaesthesia and analgesia (LM). Lidocaine (L, LM) was injected at least three minutes before castration and meloxicam (M, LM) was injected after castration. During castration, vocalisation was measured and resistance movements judged. Behaviour observations were carried out on the castration day and the following day. The day after castration, castration wounds were ranked, ear and skin temperature was measured, and blood samples were collected for analysis of acute phase protein Serum Amyloid A concentration (SAA). Piglets were weighed on the castration day and at three weeks of age. Sickness treatments and mortality were recorded until three weeks of age.

Results

Piglets castrated with lidocaine produced calls with lower intensity (p < 0.001) and less resistance movements (p < 0.001) during castration. Piglets that were given meloxicam displayed less pain-related behaviour (huddled up, spasms, rump-scratching, stiffness and prostrated) on both the castration day (p = 0.06, n.s.) and the following day (p = 0.02). Controls had less swollen wounds compared to piglets assigned to treatments M, L and LM (p < 0.001). The proportion of piglets with high SAA concentration (over threshold values 200, 400 mg/l) was higher (p = 0.005; p = 0.05) for C + L compared to M + LM. Ear temperature was higher (p < 0.01) for controls compared to L and LM. There were no significant treatment effects for skin temperature, weight gain, sickness treatments or mortality.

Conclusions

The study concludes that lidocaine reduced pain during castration and that meloxicam reduced pain after castration. The study also concludes that the herdsmen were able to administer local anaesthesia effectively.  相似文献   

11.
The relationship between salivary and plasma levels of total and free cortisol was monitored in 97 male piglets, aged two to four weeks, subjected to castration. Samples were taken 10 minutes before (basal value) as well as one, two, three, four and 24 hours post castration and at the same time intervals from a control group of 17 animals which did not undergo surgery. Simultaneously to blood (indwelling catheter) withdrawing saliva was collected by two cotton swabs. Cortisol levels were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). A highly significant increase in total, free and salivary cortisol was found within the first four hours after castration compared to the control group. The percentage increase one hour after castration above basal values was highest in free plasma cortisol (21.08 +/- 2.03 nmol/l vs. 61.26 +/- 4.16 nmol/l; 290.6%), and lowest in total plasma cortisol (177.33 +/- 9.69 nmol/l vs. 374.09 +/- 18.21 nmol/l; 211.0%), whereas salivary cortisol showed an 255.7% increase (10.46 +/- 1.03 nmol/l vs. 26.75 +/- 1.93 nmol/l). Total cortisol included 11.9-16.4% free cortisol. Salivary cortisol concentration was between 5.9% and 7.5% of the total plasma cortisol concentration. The highest correlation between total plasma cortisol and salivary cortisol occurred one hour after castration (r = 0.57; p < 0.01). The correlation between free and salivary cortisol was lowest for basal values (r = 0.27; p < 0.05), whereas correlations for the remaining time points were highly significant (0.41 < or = r < or = 0.61; p < 0.01). For the control group significant correlations were found between salivary and total plasma cortisol (0.58 < or = r < or = 0.89; p < 0.05) and between free and salivary cortisol (0.63 < or = r < or = 0.92; p < 0.05). The present work indicates that the measurement of salivary levels of cortisol reflects the concentration of this hormone in plasma samples of piglets.  相似文献   

12.
Surgical castration of young male piglets is now a generally accepted cause of serious distress and impairment of animal welfare. Awareness of this problem has created the moral commitment to seek for practical and more humane alternatives. As one possible alternative, the application of analgesics has been installed in Germany as an interim solution by the QS system, thus mandatory for the majority of German pig producers.Two analgesics have been authorised for this purpose. Both have been shown a significant positive impact on cortisol levels if administered pre-operatively. However, their effects on pain, stress and discomfort during castration, and on the post-castration period are conflicting. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare the effects of Meloxicam and Flunixin on cortisol levels, behavioural indices, vocalisation, and wound healing of surgical castrated piglets in the field. There was no difference in vocalisation during castration in analgesic treated and untreated piglets. Piglets castrated under analgesia still had significantly elevated serum cortisol levels 30 min post castration, when compared to the sham castrated group. Both analgesics led to a significant impairment of behavioural indices and wound healing. It is concluded that analgesics can improve the welfare of piglets during the first part of the post-castration period. However, the benefits may be considered small and may not meet the requirements of the EU. Hence it is of high importance to prevent the interim practice of surgical castration of male piglets under analgesics from becoming implemented as a permanent condition in pig production.  相似文献   

13.
旨在研究手术去势后包扎对仔公猪创口愈合、行为、生产性能和血液指标的影响。选择体况良好、体重相近的杜长大仔公猪224头,随机分为3组,分别为假去势组（A组）、去势包扎组（B组）和去势不包扎组（C组）。仔公猪在5日龄进行无麻醉手术去势,21日龄断奶时试验结束。分别在仔公猪去势及包扎后对创口愈合、行为表现、死亡率、生产性能、血清皮质醇（COR）和免疫指标进行评估。结果表明：去势后5 d内,C组仔公猪创口愈合程度的评分显著高于B组（P<0.05）;去势极显著降低仔公猪站立、玩耍和探究等行为（P<0.01）,极显著增加仔公猪独处、惨叫、抱团、异常排尿、站立不稳和恐人等行为（P<0.01）,而创口包扎对仔公猪玩耍和恐人行为有明显改善;在整个试验期内,B和C组仔公猪的断奶重和平均日增重（ADG）与对照组均无显著差异（P>0.05）,去势造成哺乳期仔公猪的死亡率升高,但通过对创口包扎,B组仔公猪在去势后5 d内死亡率（1.35%）明显低于C组（6.41%）;在去势后3 d内,B和C组仔公猪COR浓度均极显著高于对照组（P<0.01）,而在第5天时B组COR浓度显著低于C组（P<0.05）;在去势后3 d内,B和C组仔公猪血清免疫球蛋白A （IgA）和免疫球蛋白G （IgG）浓度均极显著低于对照组（P<0.01）,而去势后第5天时,B组IgA浓度显著高于C组（P<0.05）,白介素-12（IL-12）和干扰素-γ（IFN-γ）浓度在去势前后均无显著差异（P>0.05）。上述结果表明,手术去势造成仔公猪强烈的疼痛应激,而术后包扎可显著降低去势引发的创口红肿出血和感染死亡,加快创口愈合,缓解疼痛造成的行为变化,促进血液指标恢复,从而保障仔公猪的福利水平。  相似文献   

14.
试验选用体重(12.6±0.7)kg的健康莱芜猪、鲁莱和大约克夏仔猪各12头,每个品种随机分对照组和试验组,每组6头。试验组腹膜注射200μg/kg体重的脂多糖(LPS),对照组注射等量生理盐水。于注射前、后采血,测定血浆中白介素-1β(IL-1β)、皮质醇和生长激素(GH)含量。结果表明:用LPS刺激后2、4h和7h每个品种的试验组与对照组相比,血浆中IL-1β和皮质醇含量均显著提高(P0.05),GH含量均降低,且LPS刺激后2h的GH水平显著降低(P0.05)。3个品种猪相比,莱芜猪在LPS刺激后2h时IL-1β、皮质醇的升高幅度和GH降低幅度均最小,与大约克夏猪相比差异均显著(P0.05)。结果显示,用LPS进行免疫应激,不同品种猪抗应激能力不同,莱芜猪相对于引进品种、地方品种有较强的抗免疫应激能力。  相似文献   

15.
According to the applicable animal welfare legislation, the surgical castration of pigs is allowed up until the age of 4 weeks, without anaesthesia. According to the european guideline (2001/93/EG) it is only permitted in the first week after birth. The investigation should show, whether the castration of young piglets takes a milder course and to what extent stress reactions occur in different age groups. The healing process of castration wounds in piglets that were castrated at the age of four days progressed more rapidly and with less complications than those piglets that were castrated at 28 days of age. The catecholamine levels in younger piglets rose significantly after the operation, while these levels virtually stayed the same in piglets castrated at 28 days. As alternatives to castration without anaesthesia, several methods are in discussion: (1) Castration under general anaesthesia can only be practiced by a veterinary surgeon. The sole use of Azaperon and Ketamine has insufficient pain sedating effect. Isofluran anaesthesia is apparatively extravagant. (2) CO2-Anaesthesia in piglets leads to high strain. (3) Castration under local anaesthesia must be practiced by a veterinary surgeon. The application and the pain after the castration are not taken into consideration. (4) Jung boar fattening up until the slaughtering weight of 80 kg is not transformable, because of boar taste. (5) The breeding of slaughter pigs with little boar taint is not yet transformable. (6) Sperm sexing is not and will not, in the near future, be mature for practice. (7) Immunocastration is an active immunisation against GnRH. The immunological elimination of GnRH suppresses the development of sex hormones, such as testosterone, as well as the substance responsible for boar taint, Androstenone. To consider is the acceptance of the consumer. The preparation has the same effect in humans as it has in swine. "Self injections" have the same effect in humans as it has in swine. "Self injections" are therefore risky.  相似文献   

16.
Objective To measure the plasma cortisol response in lambs castrated and docked by three different methods (ring castration and tail docking, ring and clamp castration and tail docking; ring and clamp castration and ring tail docking) for 4 h after treatment.
Design A physiological study with controls.
Procedure A rubber ring was applied to the scrotum. Then the castration clamp was placed, distal to the ring, on each spermatic cord such that there was no overlap of the crush lines.
Results There were no differences in the cortisol secretion of the lambs castrated and tail docked by the ring only and by the ring plus castration clamp methods. Using the castration clamp in addition to the ring on the tail had no effect on cortisol secretion.
Conclusions Using the castration clamp did not appear to reduce the cortisol response to ring castration and docking, as demonstrated elsewhere, because the areas of uncrushed tissue between the two castration clamp crush lines allowed nociception from ischemic scrotal tissue to be transmitted cranially via undamaged nerve fibers.  相似文献   

17.
To assess short- and long-term effects of bloodless castration methods with and without local anaesthesia, behavioural and cortisol responses of lambs were used as indicators of pain and distress. Seventy lambs, aged 2-7 days, were control-handled or castrated by Burdizzo or rubber ring methods with and without local anaesthesia. Either 5 mL of diluted lidocaine (4 mg/kg) or physiological sodium chloride solution was distributed in both spermatic cords and the scrotal neck. The serum cortisol response was monitored for 48 h, and behavioural and clinical traits were followed for three months. Local anaesthesia tended to reduce behavioural and cortisol responses after Burdizzo castration and provided a significant reduction after rubber ring castration. Prolonged pain after rubber ring castration with anaesthesia was not evident. If combined with local anaesthesia, both the rubber ring and the Burdizzo methods are acceptable methods for castration of lambs up to one week of age.  相似文献   

18.
During the course of a lameness examination, intra-articular or perineural administration of a local anaesthetic is often necessary to isolate the source of pain causing lameness. Local anaesthetics are useful for intraoperative and post-operative pain relief and may allow for elimination of, or a decrease in, general anaesthesia. Within recent years, new information has become available concerning the use of local anaesthetics for localisation of pain and for palliation of pain. New information indicates that
  • Lidocaine is less efficacious than mepivacaine or ropivacaine in ameliorating lameness caused by pain.
  • After administering a nerve block, loss of skin sensation may not correlate with loss of pain causing lameness.
  • Local anaesthetic solution must be deposited within the sheath of the neurovascular bundle to be effective.
  • The dose of a local anaesthetic, which is a factor of volume and concentration, affects potency and duration of a nerve block.
  • Local anaesthetics are toxic to chondrocytes and synoviocytes. Lidocaine and bupivacaine appear to be more toxic than mepivacaine or ropivacaine. The clinical significance of the toxic effect of a single intra-articular injection of local anaesthetic is yet to be determined.
  • Sodium bicarbonate can be added to a local anaesthetic solution to increase its potency and speed of onset.
  • Epinephrine added to local anaesthetic solution prolongs and intensifies its analgesic effect.
  • Mixing quick-acting, short-duration and slow-acting, long-duration local anaesthetics will not result in a quick-acting, long-duration drug combination.
  相似文献   

19.
PURPOSES AND APPROACH: Acute castration and/or tailing distress in lambs has been examined extensively during the last decade. At least 59 different approaches to assessing and alleviating this distress have been reported so that the literature is quite complex. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature on castration and/or tailing distress, where the distress was assessed using acute changes in plasma cortisol concentrations. A method of analysis involving the integrated cortisol response (i.e. the areas under the cortisol curves while the plasma concentration is above pretreatment values) to each treatment and using treatments which were common to different studies as reference points, allowed meaningful comparison within and between studies. A 6-point ranking scale emerged, where rank 1 represented the least distress and rank 6 the most distress. COMPARISON OF ACUTE DISTRESS RESPONSES: This analysis revealed the following major points. Surgical methods of castration and/or tailing cause the greatest cortisol responses (rank 5 or 6). Most ring and ring plus clamp methods of castration plus tailing or castration, used without a local anaesthetic or systemic analgesic, cause rank 4 responses. One form of ring plus clamp castration (i.e. applying the clamp for 10 s across the full width of the scrotum distal to the ring in lambs aged no more than 1 week) reduces the cortisol response to rank 1. When these lambs are also tailed by applying a ring and clamp in a similar manner to the tail, they also exhibit a rank 1 response. Local anaesthetic given 10-20 or 12 min or 10-15 s before or immediately after ring only castration and/or tailing can virtually abolish the cortisol response (rank 1), depending on the site(s) of injection. For ring or ring plus clamp castration, the most effective sites (as judged by cortisol responses) are the neck of the scrotum or the testes. Delivery of local anaesthetic to achieve successful nerve blockade can be by needle, high-pressure needleless administration or, for the tail only, by an aerosol spray. Local anaesthetic injected into the scrotal neck, spermatic cords and/or testes has little effect on the overall cortisol response to clamp castration. Reductions in cortisol responses to clamp castration or to ring tailing can occur after administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Most tailing methods elicit cortisol responses that are several ranks lower than those caused by castration plus tailing or castration alone. Although tailing by most methods elicits rank 1 cortisol responses, the use of local anaesthetic or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce the response within the rank 1 range. RECOMMENDATION: Farmers should be encouraged to choose the lowest ranked method that is economically and practically feasible for them. Specific methods such as surgical castration should be discouraged.  相似文献   

20.
Behavioural and cortisol responses to the husbandry practice of castration with tight rubber rings were investigated in lambs and kids one day after birth and in hand reared calves aged one to seven days. There were three treatments: control handling and blood sampling, castration and, in lambs and kids only, intravenous adrenocorticotrophin injection (ACTH). The integrated cortisol responses (area under the cortisol curve) in lambs and kids were least in control, intermediate in castrated and greatest in ACTH animals. No cortisol responses were detected in control or castrated calves. The incidences of behaviour used to assess the intensity of distress apparently experienced in the different species corresponded generally with the magnitudes of the cortisol responses. Behavioural and cortisol responses together suggested that the distress caused by castration was greatest in lambs, intermediate in kids and least but not necessarily absent in hand reared calves.  相似文献   

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