Slaughtering of Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with and without Stunning: A Focus on the Neurobiology of Pain, Hyperalgesia, and Sensitization
View/Open
Author
Grandin, Temple
Strappini, Ana
Gerritzen, Marien
Ghezzi, Marcelo
Martínez-Burnes, Julio
Hernández-Ávalos, Ismael
Domínguez-Oliva, Adriana
Casas-Alvarado, Alejandro
Mota-Rojas, Daniel
Publication date
2023-07-25ISSN
2076-2615
Abstract
The slaughter process in livestock is considered a stressor where the transport and handling of animals, as well as the selected stunning and bleeding methods, can cause acute pain, distress, and suffering. In water buffaloes, although stunning is known to be performed before bleeding to induce unconsciousness, no emphasis is made on the nociceptive events during this process. Particularly, current mechanical stunning methods applied to cattle are unsuitable for water buffaloes due to anatomical differences in the skull from other large ruminants. Furthermore, although very high-pressure pneumatic (200–220 psi) may be effective in the frontal position for lighter-weight water buffalos, for heavier animals, it is less likely to be effective. The present review aims: (1) to analyze the anatomical particularities of water buffaloes to discuss the importance of selecting a stunning method suitable for buffaloes, and (2) to revise the potential pain-related consequences, such as hyperalgesia and sensitization, and the signs to assess the stun quality and death to comprehend the relevance of a proper technique according to the species.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
636 - Animal husbandry and breeding in general. Livestock rearing. Breeding of domestic animals
Pages
16
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Animals
Citation
Grandin, Temple, Antonio Velarde, Ana Strappini, Marien Gerritzen, Marcelo Ghezzi, Julio Martínez-Burnes, Ismael Hernández-Ávalos, Adriana Domínguez-Oliva, Alejandro Casas-Alvarado, and Daniel Mota-Rojas. 2023. “Slaughtering of Water Buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis) with and without Stunning: A Focus on the Neurobiology of Pain, Hyperalgesia, and Sensitization.” MDPI. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. July 25. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/15/2406.
Program
Benestar Animal
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2635]
The following license files are associated with this item:
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/