Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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Author: search.filters.author.Johnson CSubject: search.filters.subject.neurophysiology

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    The efficacy of electrical stunning of New Zealand rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) and freshwater crayfish (Paranephrops zealandicus) using the Crustastun™
    (Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, 2023-09-22) Kells NJ; Perrott M; Johnson C
    Large numbers of decapod crustacea are farmed and harvested globally for human consumption. Growing evidence for the capacity of these animals to feel pain, and therefore to suffer, has led to increased concern for their welfare, including at slaughter. In New Zealand, decapod crustacea are protected by animal welfare legislation. There is a requirement that all farmed or commercially caught animals of these species killed for commercial purposes are first rendered insensible. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Crustastun™, a commercially available bench-top electrical stunner, in two commercially important New Zealand crustacean species; the rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) and kōura (freshwater crayfish [Paranephrops zealandicus]). Animals were anaesthetised via intramuscular injection of lidocaine and instrumented to record the electrical activity of the nervous system, prior to being stunned according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stunning efficacy was determined by analysing neural activity and observing behaviour post stunning. All ten P. zealandicus and three J. edwardsii appeared to be killed outright by the stun. Of the remaining J. edwardsii, six exhibited some degree of muscle tone and/or slow unco-ordinated movements of the limbs or mouthparts after stunning, although there was no recovery of spontaneous or evoked movements. One J. edwardsii was unable to be stunned successfully, likely due to its very large size (1.76 kg). None of the successfully stunned animals showed any evidence of return of awareness in the five minutes following stunning. It was concluded that the Crustastun™ is an acceptable method for killing P. zealandicus and for stunning all but the largest J. edwardsii.
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    The Determination of the Minimum Anaesthetic Concentration of Halothane in the Rock Dove (Columba livia) Using an Electrical Stimulus
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-03) Lehmann HS; Beausoleil NJ; Kongara K; Singh PM; Chambers JP; Musk GC; Johnson C; Jokimäki J
    This study aims to determine the minimum anaesthetic concentration (MAC) of halothane in the Rock Dove using electrical stimulus. Seven Rock Doves are anaesthetised with halothane, and the MAC is determined using the bracketing method. An electrical stimulus (two single pulses and two five-second stimuli, all separated by five-second pauses; 30 Hz, 30 V, 7.5 ms) is applied to the legs via subcutaneous electrodes. A maximum of eight periods of electrical stimulation, each with a preceding 15 min stable phase, is applied to each bird. If the non-reflexive movement occurred following stimulation, the end-tidal halothane (Fe’Hal) is increased by 10% before the next stimulus delivery. If no movement occurred, Fe’Hal is decreased by 10%. The MAC is the average of the highest concentration that allowed movement and the lowest that prevented movement. Physiological variables and ventilatory settings are recorded every five minutes. The current delivered is calculated offline. The mean ± SD MAC of halothane is 1.62 ± 0.29%, calculated from five birds. During the entire anaesthesia, all birds had cardiac arrhythmias —with three having sporadic recurrent periods of prolonged ventricular standstill followed by marked sinus tachycardia. The mean recorded voltage and calculated current and resistance are 27.6 ± 2.7 V, 20.3 ± 7.3 mAmp and 1.6 ± 0.9 kΩ, respectively. The advantage of halothane for prolonged anaesthesia in Rock Doves may be limited when noxious stimulation is used, due to the development of severe ventricular arrhythmias.