EEG changes in 4-week-old lambs in response to castration, tail docking and mulesing.

摘要

98 three- to 4-week-old lambs were subjected to one of 7 treatments: castration, tail docking, mulesing, ear tagging, sham shearing, formalin injection (to induce lameness) or handling. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded for 15 min before treatment, during treatment, and for 15 min after treatment. Consistently lower mean power values across all bandwidths of the EEG were found at the time of mulesing and docking than at handling and shearing. Formalin injection resulted in lower power valuesthan handling and shearing. Castration had lower power values than handling and shearing. Similarly, for 15 min after treatment, mulesing and formalin injection had significantly lower power values than handling, shearing, ear tagging and castration. Theconsistent effects associated with mulesing, docking and castration compared with handling, shearing and ear tagging suggest that mulesing at both the time of treatment and during 15 min after treatment results in a response that is similar to that of induced lameness. Docking and castration result in a response at the time of treatment that is similar to induced lameness and mulesing, but during 15 min after treatment is similar to the non-noxious control treatments.