Raymond Anthony

Pain Management in the Neonatal Piglet During Routine Management Procedures. Part 1: A Systematic Review of Randomized and Non-Randomized Intervention Studies

Abstract Routine procedures carried out on piglets (i.e. castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and ear notching) are considered painful. Unfortunately the efficacy of current pain mitigation modalities is poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the existing primary scientific literature regarding the effectiveness of pain management interventions used for routine procedures on piglets. The review question was, ‘In piglets under twenty-eight days old, undergoing castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and/or methods of identification that involve cutting of the ear tissue, what is the effect of pain mitigation compared with no pain mitigation on behavioral and non-behavioral outcomes that indicate procedural pain and post-procedural pain?’ A review protocol was designed a priori. Data sources used were Agricola (EBSCO), CAB Abstracts (Thomson Reuters), PubMed, Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), BIOSIS Previews (Thomson Reuters), and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. No restrictions on year of publication or language were placed on the search. Eligible studies assessed an intervention designed to mitigate the pain of the procedures of interest and included a comparison group that did not receive an intervention. Eligible non-English studies were translated using a translation service. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for relevance using pre-defined questions. Data were extracted from relevant articles onto pre-defined forms. From the 2203 retrieved citations forty publications, containing 52 studies met the eligibility criteria. In 40 studies, piglets underwent castration only. In seven studies, piglets underwent tail docking only. In one study, piglets underwent teeth clipping only, and in one study piglets underwent ear notching only. Three studies used multiple procedures. Thirty-two trial arms assessed general anesthesia protocols, 30 trial arms assessed local anesthetic protocols, and 28 trial arms assessed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protocols. Forty-one trial arms were controls where piglets received either placebo or no treatment. Forty-five outcomes were extracted from the studies, however only the results from studies that assessed cortisol (six studies), β-endorphins (one study), vocalisations (nine studies), and pain-related behaviors (nine studies) are reported. Other outcomes were reported in only one or two studies. Confident decision making will likely be difficult based on this body of work because lack of comprehensive reporting precludes calculation of the magnitude of pain mitigation for most outcomes.

Pain management in the neonatal piglet during routine management procedures. Part 2 :Grading the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations

Abstract Piglets reared in swine production in the USA undergo painful procedures that include castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and identification with ear notching or tagging. These procedures are usually performed without pain mitigation. The objective of this project was to develop recommendations for pain mitigation in 1- to 28-day-old piglets undergoing these procedures. The National Pork Board funded project to develop recommendations for pain mitigation in piglets. Recommendation development followed a defined multi-step process that included an evidence summary and estimates of the efficacies of interventions. The results of a systematic review of the interventions were reported in a companion paper. This manuscript describes the recommendation development process and the final recommendations. Recommendations were developed for three interventions (CO2/O2 general anesthesia, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and lidocaine) for use during castration. The ability to make strong recommendations was limited by low-quality evidence and strong certainty about variation in stakeholder values and preferences. The panel strongly recommended against the use of a CO2/O2 general anesthesia mixture, weakly recommended for the use of NSAIDs and weakly recommended against the use of lidocaine for pain mitigation during castration of 1- to 28-day-old piglets.

Animistic pragmatism and native ways of knowing: adaptive strategies for overcoming the struggle for food in the sub-Arctic.

Background Subsistence norms are part of the “ecosophy” or ecological philosophy of Alaska Native Peoples in the sub-Arctic, such as the Inupiat of Seward Peninsula. This kind of animistic pragmatism is a special source of practical wisdom that spans over thousands of years and which has been instrumental in the Iñupiats struggle to survive and thrive in harsh and evolving environments. Objective I hope to show how narrative in relationship to the “ecosophy” of Alaska Native peoples can help to promote a more ecological orientation to address food insecurity in rural communities in Alaska. Alaska Native ecosophy recommends central values and virtues necessary to help address concerns in Alaskas rural communities. Design Here, I will tease out the nature of this “ecosophy” in terms of animistic pragmatism and then show why this form of pragmatism can be instrumental for problematizing multi-scalar, intergenerational, uncertain and complex environmental challenges like food security. Results Native elders have been the embodiment of trans-generational distributed cognition,1 for example, collective memory, norms, information, knowledge, technical skills and experimental adaptive strategies. They are human “supercomputers,” historical epistemologists and moral philosophers of a sort who use narrative, a form of moral testimony, to help their communities face challenges and seize opportunities in the wake of an ever-changing landscape. Conclusions The “ecosophy” of the Iñupiat of Seward Peninsula offers examples of “focal practices”, which are essential for environmental education. These focal practices instil key virtues, namely humility, gratitude, self-reliance, attentiveness, responsibility and responsiveness, that are necessary for subsistence living.

Teaching Tip: The Development of an Interactive Computer-Based Training Program for Timely and Humane On-Farm Pig Euthanasia

With extensive knowledge and training in the prevention, management, and treatment of disease conditions in animals, veterinarians play a critical role in ensuring good welfare on swine farms by training caretakers on the importance of timely euthanasia. To assist veterinarians and other industry professionals in training new and seasoned caretakers, an interactive computer-based training program was created. It consists of three modules, each containing five case studies, which cover three distinct production stages (breeding stock, piglets, and wean to grower-finisher pigs). Case study development was derived from five specific euthanasia criteria defined in the 2015 Common Swine Industry Audit, a nationally recognized auditing program used in the US. Case studies provide information regarding treatment history, clinical signs, and condition severity of the pig and prompt learners to make management decisions regarding pig treatment and care. Once a decision is made, feedback is provided so learners understand the appropriateness of their decision compared to current industry guidelines. In addition to training farm personnel, this program may also be a valuable resource if incorporated into veterinary, graduate, and continuing education curricula. This innovative tool represents the first interactive euthanasia-specific training program in the US swine industry and offers the potential to improve timely and humane on-farm pig euthanasia.

Veterinarians and Humane Endings: When Is It the Right Time to Euthanize a Companion Animal?

Current advances in technologies and treatments provide pet owners and veterinarians with more options for prolonging the life of beloved pets, but can simultaneously lead to ethical dilemmas relating to what is best for both animal and owner. Key tools for improving end-of-life outcomes include (1) sufficient training to understand the valid ethical approaches to determining when euthanasia is appropriate, (2) regular training in client communication skills, and (3) a standard end-of-life protocol that includes the use of quality of life assessment tools, euthanasia consent forms, and pet owner resources for coping with the loss of a pet. Using these tools will improve outcomes for animals and their owners and reduce the heavy burden of stress and burnout currently being experienced by the veterinary profession.

Review: Assessment of completeness of reporting in intervention studies using livestock: an example from pain mitigation interventions in neonatal piglets.

Accurate and complete reporting of study methods, results and interpretation are essential components for any scientific process, allowing end-users to evaluate the internal and external validity of a study. When animals are used in research, excellence in reporting is expected as a matter of continued ethical acceptability of animal use in the sciences. Our primary objective was to assess completeness of reporting for a series of studies relevant to mitigation of pain in neonatal piglets undergoing routine management procedures. Our second objective was to illustrate how authors can report the items in the Reporting guidElines For randomized controLled trials for livEstoCk and food safety (REFLECT) statement using examples from the animal welfare science literature. A total of 52 studies from 40 articles were evaluated using a modified REFLECT statement. No single study reported all REFLECT checklist items. Seven studies reported specific objectives with testable hypotheses. Six studies identified primary or secondary outcomes. Randomization and blinding were considered to be partially reported in 21 and 18 studies, respectively. No studies reported the rationale for sample sizes. Several studies failed to report key design features such as units for measurement, means, standard deviations, standard errors for continuous outcomes or comparative characteristics for categorical outcomes expressed as either rates or proportions. In the discipline of animal welfare science, authors, reviewers and editors are encouraged to use available reporting guidelines to ensure that scientific methods and results are adequately described and free of misrepresentations and inaccuracies. Complete and accurate reporting increases the ability to apply the results of studies to the decision-making process and prevent wastage of financial and animal resources.

Atmospheric Commons as a Public Trust Resource: The Common Heritage of MankindPrinciple in Dialogue with Duties of Citizenship

Baatz’s (2014) fair share allocations of individual Emissions Rights proposal underappreciates systemic ‘moral corruption’ at the heart of climate change (CC) (Gardiner, 2011). Imperfect duties ascribed to over-users in the tragedy of the commons cannot be ‘as far as can reasonably be demanded’. Justice requires collective action (Hourdequin, 2010) to address the ‘tyranny of the contemporary’ (Gardiner, 2011) and ‘endangerment findings’ that GHG emissions pose public health threats (EPA, Clean Air Act, 2010). State and federal governments have duties to rein in ‘intergenerational buck-passing’ (Gardiner, 2011). Social and equity implications and inequalities should be considered when regulating and utilizing the common pool of renewable resources in climate, health, wellbeing and energy policy interactions, and it is incumbent on governments to do right by those who are facing climate related hardships, who are already mourning cultural and physical losses.

Fish welfare, environment and food security: a pragmatist virtue ethics approach

With continued population growth, potentially negative impacts of climate change, and potential impacts of food access and security among poorer and more vulnerable communities fish as food resource is becoming more and more important. The growing recognition of fish as sentient beings must be considered in tandem with other concerns such as the relative weighting of their welfare, human equity, environmental protection, food security and food safety. Sensible environmental practices are needed and must be tied closely to effective policies around food security as well as regulation that take into account the issues of fish welfare. We suggest a pragmatic virtue ethics approach would be relevant and fundamental for such policies – both regarding process and substance – and show how it can contribute to the discussion on how to relate fish welfare to environmental concern and the issue of equity in a more secure global food system.

Agricultural Animal Welfare

Abstract This chapter discusses the history of farm animal welfare, definitions of farm animal welfare, assessments of welfare for farmed species, and identification and assessment of pain in farmed animals. Subsequent chapter sections are devoted to individual domestic species including ruminants, both large and small, swine, and poultry. Although the horse is not considered a “farmed species” in the United States, a discussion of the welfare of the horse is also included. And finally, since research animal welfare is of clear concern, the chapter ends with a discussion of some common issues associated with research farmed species. The history of farm animal welfare diverges significantly in several ways from the history of animal welfare in general. These differences were a result of the industrial revolution and the economies of food production. Contemporary changes in social ethic, however, have affected what and how we think about the welfare of farmed animals and the horse. The assessment of farmed animal welfare depends upon the definition of welfare, for which no consensus definition exits. Nevertheless, the section on the assessment of farm animal welfare describes current methods used for assessing farmed animal welfare on both an individual and a group or farm basis. Since pain is directly associated with the concept of welfare, there is also a discussion on the identification and the assessment of pain per species. Significant differences exist not only within species but also within breeds and among individuals.

Food Ethics as More Than Food Security: Asia’s Critical Role in Discourses Around Animal Welfare and Environmental Challenges

Asia’s livestock sectors are scaling up, supersizing and intensifying to meet soaring demand for high value animal sourced foods (ASF). This soaring growth in AFS consumerism in Asia is changing ‘foodways’ rapidly and bringing into focus the impacts of Asia’s ‘livestock revolution’ on future generations and local or smallholder farmers, animal welfare and the environment. This discussion considers the evolving storyline in Asia through the lenses of narrative ethics to reveal underlying values and responsibilities, and concerns, costs and opportunities. Consequently, I suggest that policy makers across Asia and morally able citizens take up a conception of the public trust doctrine (PTD), namely, a public trust emphasis (PTE) for animal agriculture as a pivotal platform to mitigate the current impacts of the tragedy of plenty and to guide the future trajectory of animal agriculture. PTE can be an ethical catalyst to (re)invigorate or (re)seed fairness and social justice in the food chain. In helping policy makers and the public across Asia think about animal welfare and environmental sustainability specifically and PTE generally in more concrete terms, I recommend operationalizing social justice and risk issues into familiar ethical categories: Safety, Quality, Security, Humaneness and Sustainability. These categories form the basis of some of our basic or common ethical commitments about our contemporary food system and relationship to food and to each other and in turn generate action-guiding principles (namely, Responsibility-Responsiveness, Innovation-Partnership, Respect, Resilience/Stewardship, Diversity-interdependence), which subsequently can motivate a framework for both shared ethical governance, and ethically inspired business models.