End of Life and Slaughter

Question 1

options - equine euthanasia

Answer 1

barbiturate and combos
humane killer
euthanasia under GA

Question 2

type of cull - farm

Answer 2

biological cull - animals without a productive future - serious physical disorders, permanent infertility, irreparable injuries - decision to cull forced on farmer

economic cull - where replacing animal is a better economic option

casualty slaughter - classed as mortality rather than cull

Question 3

culling incidence rate

Answer 3

number culled over a specific period / population at risk of being culled over that period

at risk - a group with common characteristics

target - 25% would be really impressive

Question 4

top reasons for economic cull

Answer 4

poor repro performance
cell count/mastitis issues
lameness/hoof health
injury/aggression
low milk yield

Question 5

welfare of animals at time of killing regs (2015

Answer 5

transportation
lairage
antemortem inspection
stunning - mechanical, electric, gas

pre-slaughter handling - minimise stress and injury, must be unconscious and insensible to pain
humane methods of slaughter
training and competence of personnel
design, maintenance and operation of slaighter house elements involved in humane treatment
inspection and enforcement
provisions for different species
provisions for killing in case of emergency

Question 6

lairage conditions

Answer 6

special pens
acts as reservoir so line can be maintained full
rest and calm from transport
relax time also makes handling easier
bedding water and appropriate food provided - should not be starved
allow reset and avoid mixing groups - avoids social stress
avoid use of sticks and goads

Question 7

ante-mortem inspection

Answer 7

usually in lairage
OV
detect animals that are not suitable for human consumption
detect animals with signs of disease - esp anything zoonotic
identify animals that have had medications - ensure withdrawal periods met
identify injured animals

Question 8

restraint for slaughter

Answer 8

avoid agitated animals in stun and slaughter pen - harder to restrain
nonslip floor
curved raceways/entrances
no protruding obtructions
sufficient lighting
reduce reflections in surface materials
minimise noise
no excessive pressure applied
stun or slaughter immediately after restraint
soild panels so animals can’t see what’s going on or moving equipment while waiting
mechanism for safe ejection of carcass from pen

Question 9

free standing stunning pens

Answer 9

low to medium capacity slaughterhouses
cartridge power captive bolt
enter pen and door closes behind
pen designed to restrict movement
operator leans in from top to stun
sloped or hinged floors to eject carcass
minimal restraint - movement can be an issue - can result in incorrect angle and placement of bolt
may have rotating lights or soemthing else above to distract animals attention and get them to look up
may use head restraint - increased bolt accuracy but lower line speed so potentially more distress

Question 9

conveyor restraints

Answer 9

high capacity slaughter houses
central track conveyot
suspended and restrained by ventral abdomen
moves without needing to walk
side wall need to be high enough to account for different animal sizes
no objects or protrusions which could make contact with the legs
solid false floor to avoid perception of visisble cliff effect

Question 10

penetrating and non petetrating captive bolt

Answer 10

immediate unconsciousness
reduced stress

non- penetrating -
strikes cranium but doesn’t enter
less effective in large cattle
can be used in some halal - kind of reversible
only allowed on ruminants under 10kg

penetrating -
enters cranium and brain
non-reversible

powered by blank cartridges or compressed air
concussive blow –> focal and diffuse brain damage –> disrupted cerebral function
position and energy important - 220kj for effective stun

Question 11

pneumatically powered captive bolts

Answer 11

high capacity slaughter houses
kinetic energy higher than with cartridge powered
adequate stun more consistently
need adequate health restraint, correct gun maintenance, consistent supply of compressed air, accurate shot placement

Question 12

free bullet

Answer 12

not common in cattle
killing not stunning
close range
need training and license

Question 13

electric stunning

Answer 13

sheep, pigs and poultry
electric current needs to pass through brain - amount needed varies by species
in red meat species - electrodes across head
poultry - head to body stunning, also stops heart

welfare issues -
pain
distress
delay between restraint and onset of stunning
incorrect electrode placement and poor electrical contact
incorrect electrode maintence
incorrect electrical parameters
failure to induce cardiac arrest in head to body type
short duration of unconsciousness

Question 14

gas stunning

Answer 14

pigs and poultry
80-90% carbon dioxide
sinks so can be contained in pit
90secs to death
takes longer than stunning
co2 is acidic and smells bad
poszsible resp distress - may be stressful

Question 15

anoxia stunning

Answer 15

chickens
stun through lack of oxygen
seems to be stress free
argon used, reduce o2 to 2% or less
short unconsciousness so have to kill by prolonged exposure

Question 16

pithing

Answer 16

physical destruction of brain - wire through the hole made by the captive bolt
rapid death
not used in food producers in uk - fear of BSE contamination
cattle and sheep

Question 17

sticking

Answer 17

neck cutting - both carotids
sheep - average 14s to loss of brain response
claves - large clots form quickly (ballooning) so can take longer
longer if only one carotid severed

back bleeding - can occur with poor sticking technique - knife pushed too far, punctures pleural membrane, blood into thorax and stains walls of rib cage, may form clots

Question 18

carcass dressing

Answer 18

skin, orifices and guts - contaminated
insides of body cavities effectively microbiologically sterile
dressing aims to remove skin, hair, feather, and guts, and other non-edible parts
prevent or minimise contact of carcass with dirt
reduces pathogen risk and prolongs shelf life

animal hanging from overhead rail following exsanguination from hind lings

Question 19

carcass washing

Answer 19

only done some places
removes surface blood, bone dust and visible soiling
either after splitting carcass in two or at earlier stages
not much effect when done with cold water

best - hot water (80c) with low concentration of organic acids

risk of just transferring pathogens from one carcass to next

Question 20

post mortem inspection focuses

Answer 20

abnormalities making meat unfit for human consumption
lymph nodes - swollen and abnormal in colour in disease states
characteristic lesions of pneumonia and tb
inflammation of thoracic cavity - infection
abscess and arthritic joint capsules

may only need to condemn part of carcass or trim tissue

Question 21

notifiable disease - bluetongue - transmission

Answer 21

orbivirus
infects and replicates in endothelial cells –> hemorrhage
vector borne - midges (cullicoides)
transplacental and oral infection possible but rare

movement of infected animals
germplasm
active flight of midges
midges carrier long distance by wind
carriage of infected vectors in transport vehicles

Question 22

notifiable disease - bluetongue - signs

Answer 22

viremia infects and replicates in endothelial cells –> hemorrhage
can look like foot and mouth

more severe usually in sheep than cattle
swelling around muzzle
oral erosions
drooling
conjunctivitis
lacrimation
nasal discharge
swollen cyanotic lung
pyrexia
lameness - coronary band swelling
pneumoniapyspnoea
hunched appearance
death
in cows similar but also teat lesions, milk drop and can cause abortions due to pyrexia

Question 23

notifiable disease - bluetongue - treatment

Answer 23

vaccine available but needs to be for right strain - BTV-8 compulsory in scotland (current uk strain BTV- 3 - no vax)

supportive treatment - antibiotics and NSAIDs

Question 24

notifiable disease - newcastle disease - signs

Answer 24

avian paramyxovirus type 1

nervous, resp, and repro signs
also diarrhoea - watery green-yellow
depression
inappetence
coughing
sneezing
gaping beak
tremors
paralysis
twisting neck
egg drop or short shelled eggs
dead birds

can look like - AI, fowl cholera, infectious laryngotracheitis, infectious bronchitis, salmonellosis, egg drop syndrome

Question 25

notifiable disease - avian influenza - signs

Answer 25

increased mortality - sudden deaths in peracute cases
reduced eggs
resp signs
excess lacrimation
sinusitis
oedema head and face with subcut haemorrhage
diarrhoea
nervous signs

Question 26

notifiable disease - classical swine fever - signs

Answer 26

fever
dullness
huddling
anorexia
conjunctivitis
reddening of skin
nervous signs - convulsion, swaying gairt, constipation, diarrhoea

high morbidity and mortality
highly contagious

Question 27

notifiable disease - african swine fever - signs

Answer 27

difficult to differentiate from CSF

Question 28

Notifiable disease - porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) - signs

Answer 28

enteric coronavirus
pigs only

very watery light coloured hosepipe diarrhoea
quick spread
death in piglets
reduced appetite
lethargy
dehydration

adults usually recover

(culling and restriction not required in UK)

Question 29

notifiable disease - camelpox - signs

Answer 29

very contagious skin disease
incubation 9-13 days

pyrexia - may cause abortion
pox lesions - head, neck, near tail
lesions on oral and resp tract mm
enlarged LNs
death

more severe in young and pregnant animals

Question 30

notifiable disease - camelpox - control

Answer 30

transmission - contact with skin abrasions, contaminated water or scabs in environment, inhalation of aerosol virus, virus in milk, saliva or nasal discharge

vax - esp young animals
isolation and treatment of infected
biosecurity - separate water troughs, cleaning, visitor protocols etc

zoonotic

Question 31

notifiable disease - swamp fever (equine infectious anemia)

Answer 31

lentivirus
blood borne
life long infection
routine testing required - most subclinical
slaughter of all that are seropositive

Question 32

notifiable disease - equine viral arteritis

Answer 32

stallions shed in semen for years - usually have no signs but affects mare’s fertility outcomes

targets vascular endothelial cells and macrophages

Question 33

notifiable disease - contagious equine metritis

Answer 33

taylorella equiginitis

contagious veneral disease transmitted during natural mating

Question 34

notifiable disease - rabies

Answer 34

any animal

dumb rabies most common form - depression, hyper-responsiveness, sel-mutilation

3 stage -
1 - behaviour change, light hypersensitivity
2 - aggression, staring expression, hypersalivation and dropping jaw, pruritis, polydipsia
3 - muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, paralysis, convulsions, death

zoonotic
100% fatal

Question 35

notifiable disease - west nile virus

Answer 35

host species - birds
spread by mosquitos
zoonotic

nervous signs
anorexia
flaccid paralysis
muscle fasciculations

Question 36

notifiable disease - anthrax

Answer 36

mammals and some birds
zoonotic

bacilis anthracis
spores can survive decades
inhaled, ingested or contact with skin lesions

usually just sudden death
if not then -
dullness
stop eating
pyrexia
harsh cough
blood in dung or nostrils
drop in milk production
fits
staring eyes
colicky pains

Question 37

legislation - animal waste by-products

Answer 37

animal by-products enforcement (england) regulations 2013
regulation (EIC) No 1069/2009 of the europeamn parliament and of the council

Question 38

animal waste by-products - categories

Answer 38

1 - highest risk
rendering and incineration
must be stained - blue
all specified risk materials (SRM) and bodies containing SRM
suspected TSE infections
carcasses of animals used in experiments
carcasses from zoos and circus animals

2 - high risk
sometimes stained - black
materials potentially infectious to humans or other animals
materials containing residues of authorised vet medicines
manure and digestive tract contents
carcasses of dead livestock not containing SRM
dead on arrivals

3 - lowest risk
not stained
can go for pet food
heads and feathers of poultry
bovine udders
poultry intestines
animal hides and skins
horns and feet

1 and 2 must be pressure sterilised - brokem into small pieces and heated 133c for 20 mins under mimimum3 bars pressure

Question 39

specified risk materials

Answer 39

cattle -
all ages - tonsils, mysentery, caecum, last 4m of small intestine
>12 months - skull (exc mandible) including brain and eyes, spinal cord
>20 months - vertebral column

sheep and goats -
>12 months - skull including brain and eyes and spinal cord

brain and spinal cord - risk for TSEs

Question 40

rendering

Answer 40

cooking and drying to remove pathogens
removes moisture and separates fat and protein
can convert parts to marketable products - pet food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, organic fertilisers, biofuels, oleochemicals
cat 1 - rendered to biodiesel or combused as fuel

Question 41

fallen stock protocol

Answer 41

any livestock dying on farm

must be collected, id’d and transported without undue delay
includes stillbirths and afterbirths
must used approved transporter

taken to -
knacker
rendered
hunt kennel
maggot farm
incinerator

burning or burial is illegal

exemptions -
pets - including all horses in england but only specifically pet horses in scotland and wales
remote areas - isles of scilli, lundy island, coquet island
after a natural disaster

can have licensed incinerator on farm - inspected annually by APHA

Question 42

scrapie

Answer 42

TSE of sheep and goats

signs -
excitability - nervousness or agression
depression - vacant stare
trembling head
drooping ears
high stepping trot
incoordination of limbs
unable to stand
skin irritation - scratching on posts and gates
nibble reflex when rubbed on back
excessive wool loss
skin damage

Question 43

somulose - equine euthanasia

Answer 43

barbiturate - depresses CNS –> GA –> overdose leading to apnea and cardiac arrest
quick loss of consciousness and death, minimum pain and distress

if sedating before - alpha 2 but not xylazine - detomidine
may be useful in young or highly strung horses

large bore catheter - 12 or 14g, somulose is thick - tie in in case thrash about

allow plenty of space
communicate process and potential effects
usually take 2 deep agonal breaths

1st 10ml over 15 seconds then rest as quick as catheter allows

confirmation of death - corneal reflex

Question 44

equine euthanasia - humane killer

Answer 44

single shot with barrel in contact with animal
need gun license
instantaneous death

owner warnings - loud, lots of blood (clinical waste bag on head straight away), sudden drop to floor, must sedate (head low and still), reflexes after death including heartbeat

useful for needle shy horses - can sedate IM