Relationship of Tissue Dimension and Captive Bolt Placement on Mature Swine – 2021 Badger Swine Symposium

Dec 30, 2021

By Lyssa Seefeldt

A penetrating captive bolt is a method of euthanasia that’s approved for use in swine by the American Veterinary Medical Association, as well as the National Pork Board. This method is approved with a common frontal placement by both organizations. Two alternative placements of interest have been identified to complete euthanasia in swine: temporal placement, and placement behind the ear directed towards the opposite eye. There has been little published research on the captive bolt euthanasia of swine. Most of the published research is on market weight (or smaller) pigs. While used in the industry with success, the captive bolt euthanasia of swine larger than 120 kilograms (265 pounds) has not been validated as an effective method, specifically for swine over 200 kilograms (440 pounds).

Learn more about the first steps of research to scientifically validate the temporal and behind the ear placements of a captive bolt for the euthanasia of large sows and boars. This study determined the tissue depth, cross sectional brain area and brain damage for the frontal, temporal, and behind the ear placements for the euthanasia of swine via the penetrating captive bolt on sow and boar cadaver heads.

Source : wisc.edu

Video: The Next Pork Disease Outbreak? How Biosecurity Can Stop It Before It Starts!

The threat of disease outbreaks remains one of the biggest challenges facing pork producers across North America. At the World Pork Expo, I spoke with Rob Hannam, CEO of Farm Health Guardian, to discuss why biosecurity is more critical than ever and how innovative technology is helping producers reduce risk before disease reaches the farm.
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Learn how digital biosecurity tools can help producers identify risks, improve compliance, and create stronger defenses against costly disease outbreaks. Discover why leading pork operations are adopting technology-driven biosecurity solutions to safeguard animals, employees, and the future of the industry.