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OJVRTM
Online Journal of Veterinary Research©
Volume
9(1) : 24-36, 2005.
Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development,
Livestock Welfare Unit, Agriculture and AgriFood
Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, Alberta, Canada and AgResearch Ltd., Ruakura Research
Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand
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), Online 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.