The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of nonpenetrating captive bolt stunning followed by electrical induction of cardiac arrest on veal calf welfare, veal quality, and blood yield. Ninety calves from the same farm were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups in a balanced unpaired comparison design. The first treatment group (the "head-only" method-application of the pneumatic nonpenetrating stun to the frontal plate of the skull at the intersection of 2 imaginary lines extending from the lateral canthus to the opposite poll [CONTROL]) was stunned with a nonpenetrating captive bolt gun ( = 45). The second group ( = 45) was stunned with a nonpenetrating captive bolt gun followed by secondary electrical induction of cardiac arrest (the "head/heart" method-initial application of the pneumatic nonpenetrating captive bolt stun followed by 1 s application of an electrical stun to the ventral region of the ribcage directly caudal to the junction of the humerus and scapula while the stunned calf was in lateral recumbence [HEAD/HEART]). Stunning efficacy was the indicator of animal welfare used in this study. All calves were instantly rendered insensible by the initial stun and did not display common indicators of return to consciousness. For meat quality evaluation, all samples were collected from the 12th rib region of the longissimus thoracis. Meat samples were evaluated for color, drip loss, ultimate pH, cook loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force. The L* values (measure of meat color lightness) were darker ( < 0.05) in the HEAD/HEART group (45.08 ± 0.72) than the CONTROL group (47.10 ± 0.72). There were no differences ( > 0.05) observed in a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values between treatments. No differences ( > 0.05) were observed in drip loss, ultimate pH, cook loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force. The blood yield from the CONTROL group (7,217.9 ± 143.5 g) was greater ( < 0.05) than that from the HEAD/HEART group (6,656.4 ± 143.5 g). Overall, the data indicated no difference between the CONTROL and HEAD/HEART groups with regard to animal welfare because the initial stun was effective in all calves. However, longissimus thoracis L* and blood yield were negatively impacted by the HEAD/HEART method. The data in this study suggest that secondary induction of cardiac arrest is not necessary with effective nonpenetrating captive bolt stunning in veal calves.
Lameness is detrimental to the well-being and productivity of dairy cattle. One recommended procedure to prevent lameness is hoof trimming (HT). The research surrounding the efficacy of HT however is currently limited. The objective of this project was to compare the functional HT method (LIT) to more modeling of the weight bearing claw (BIG) on lesion presence at mid-lactation.
Subclinical ketosis (SCK) is a metabolic disease of dairy cows that has significant economic effects on dairy farms due to its effect on reproductive performance, milk production, and future risk of disease. Subclinical ketosis has been defined as being present when serum β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) concentrations are >1.2 mmol/L. Currently there are 2 electronic hand- held meters marketed for cow-side determination of βHB levels. One meter, the Nova Vet Blood Ketone and Glucose Monitoring System, is a new veterinary specific entrant to the market, and no performance data on it exists. The other, Precision Xtra, is a human meter validated for use in cows. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic test performance of 2 different cow-side handheld meters and a milk βHB test to a reference laboratory testing method.
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