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OJVRTM
Online Journal of
Veterinary Research©
Volume 9 (1): 24-36, 2005. Redacted 2018.
Stress and pain assessment of velvet antler
removal from Elk (Cervus elaphus
canadensis) and Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
1Cook NJ,
1Church JS, 2Schaefer AL, 3Webster JR, 3Matthews
LR, 4Suttie JM
1Alberta
Agriculture Food and Rural Development, Livestock Welfare Unit, Lacombe
Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, T4L 1W1 2Agriculture
and AgriFood Canada, Lacombe Research Centre,
Alberta, Canada.3AgResearch Ltd., Ruakura
Research Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand 4AgResearch Ltd., Invermay Agricultural Centre, Mosgiel,
New Zealand.
ABSTRACT
Cook NJ, Church JS, Schaefer AL, Webster JR,
Matthews LR, Suttie JM, Stress and pain assessment of
velvet antler removal from Elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) and Reindeer
(Rangifer tarandus) Onl J Vet Res., 9(1):24-36, 2005.
This paper reviews the common data from six studies that have assessed methods
of analgesia for removal of velvet antler using comparative measures of stress
responses. Measurement parameters included plasma and salivary cortisol
concentrations, infrared thermography of radiated heat losses and behavioral
responses recorded as aversive reactions to nick tests on the antler and to
cutting antler. In general, sampling occurred before and
after cutting of antler and data are reduced to pre-cut and post-cut
levels for ease of comparison among different studies. The data presented
demonstrate that sensitive measurement of adrenocortical and metabolic activity
can distinguish pain responses from the confounding influence of other
stressors. This being the case, these studies indicate that removal of antler
without analgesia is painful and an effective analgesic technique should be
applied. Electrical analgesia (EA) is ineffective and its application caused
pain in some animals. The combined evidence suggests that high-tension
compression is as effective as local anaesthetic
(Lidocaine®) for pain management during antler removal. These studies further
indicate that the application of local anaesthetic
may be more variable, and stressful to some animals, than application of
compression analgesia.
Key
Words: Deer, velveting, analgesia, infrared thermography, salivary cortisol, behavior,
welfare.