Jacob R Hascalovici, Hyman M Schipper, Joe M Regenstein, Stuart D Rosen, Ari Zivotofsky, Guy St-Jean, Simon Freilich, Thomas J Morrison, Simon W Rabkin, Sheryl Haut
{"title":"Rapid loss of consciousness in cattle following nonstun slaughter: evidence from a systematic review.","authors":"Jacob R Hascalovici, Hyman M Schipper, Joe M Regenstein, Stuart D Rosen, Ari Zivotofsky, Guy St-Jean, Simon Freilich, Thomas J Morrison, Simon W Rabkin, Sheryl Haut","doi":"10.2460/ajvr.25.02.0049","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Accepting that it is ethical for meat to be consumed as food, then, in any context, religious or secular, it is indefensible for animals to be subjected to undue pain. Animal slaughter must therefore be predicated on the minimization of pain. Nonstun slaughter (NSS) of bovines involves ventral neck incisions, resulting in an abrupt loss of cortical blood flow and causing nearly instantaneous loss of consciousness (LOC). However, some reports have suggested that LOC after NSS is not instantaneous. This paper presents an overview of the neurobiology underlying NSS and a systematic review of the literature on time to LOC in bovines following NSS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A literature review was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library, Medline, and the Web of Science, with 3 coauthors independently screening articles to reduce bias. Only original research and review articles specifically addressing time to LOC in bovines after NSS were included; studies not focused on this outcome were excluded. The quality of evidence was ranked based on hierarchy of evidence utilizing predefined criteria.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>15 studies were identified: 4 high quality, 3 medium quality, and 8 low quality. High-quality evidence consistently indicates that LOC occurs within 10 seconds of NSS of bovines when done correctly with low-stress, ideal slaughterhouse conditions.</p><p><strong>Clinical relevance: </strong>Our findings provide important insights to optimize NSS practices, promoting animal welfare while maintaining religious requirements.</p>","PeriodicalId":7754,"journal":{"name":"American journal of veterinary research","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American journal of veterinary research","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.02.0049","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Accepting that it is ethical for meat to be consumed as food, then, in any context, religious or secular, it is indefensible for animals to be subjected to undue pain. Animal slaughter must therefore be predicated on the minimization of pain. Nonstun slaughter (NSS) of bovines involves ventral neck incisions, resulting in an abrupt loss of cortical blood flow and causing nearly instantaneous loss of consciousness (LOC). However, some reports have suggested that LOC after NSS is not instantaneous. This paper presents an overview of the neurobiology underlying NSS and a systematic review of the literature on time to LOC in bovines following NSS.
Methods: A literature review was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library, Medline, and the Web of Science, with 3 coauthors independently screening articles to reduce bias. Only original research and review articles specifically addressing time to LOC in bovines after NSS were included; studies not focused on this outcome were excluded. The quality of evidence was ranked based on hierarchy of evidence utilizing predefined criteria.
Results: 15 studies were identified: 4 high quality, 3 medium quality, and 8 low quality. High-quality evidence consistently indicates that LOC occurs within 10 seconds of NSS of bovines when done correctly with low-stress, ideal slaughterhouse conditions.
Clinical relevance: Our findings provide important insights to optimize NSS practices, promoting animal welfare while maintaining religious requirements.
背景：承认肉类作为食物食用是合乎道德的，那么，在任何宗教或世俗的背景下，让动物遭受过度的痛苦都是站不住脚的。因此，动物屠宰必须以使痛苦最小化为前提。牛的非昏迷屠宰（NSS）涉及腹颈部切口，导致皮质血液流动突然减少，几乎瞬间失去意识（LOC）。然而，一些报道表明，NSS后的LOC不是瞬间的。本文概述了NSS的神经生物学基础，并对NSS后牛LOC时间的文献进行了系统回顾。方法：通过PubMed、谷歌Scholar、Cochrane Library、Medline和Web of Science进行文献综述，由3位共同作者独立筛选文章以减少偏倚。仅纳入了专门讨论NSS后牛LOC时间的原始研究和评论文章；不关注这一结果的研究被排除在外。证据的质量是根据使用预定义标准的证据层次来排序的。结果：共纳入15项研究，其中高质量研究4项，中质量研究3项，低质量研究8项。高质量证据一致表明，如果在低压力、理想的屠宰场条件下正确处理，LOC会在牛NSS后10秒内发生。临床意义：我们的研究结果为优化NSS实践提供了重要的见解，在保持宗教要求的同时促进动物福利。
期刊介绍：
The American Journal of Veterinary Research supports the collaborative exchange of information between researchers and clinicians by publishing novel research findings that bridge the gulf between basic research and clinical practice or that help to translate laboratory research and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials and clinical practice. The journal welcomes submission of high-quality original studies and review articles in a wide range of scientific fields, including anatomy, anesthesiology, animal welfare, behavior, epidemiology, genetics, heredity, infectious disease, molecular biology, oncology, pharmacology, pathogenic mechanisms, physiology, surgery, theriogenology, toxicology, and vaccinology. Species of interest include production animals, companion animals, equids, exotic animals, birds, reptiles, and wild and marine animals. Reports of laboratory animal studies and studies involving the use of animals as experimental models of human diseases are considered only when the study results are of demonstrable benefit to the species used in the research or to another species of veterinary interest. Other fields of interest or animals species are not necessarily excluded from consideration, but such reports must focus on novel research findings. Submitted papers must make an original and substantial contribution to the veterinary medicine knowledge base; preliminary studies are not appropriate.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
