Effectiveness of a nonpenetrating captive bolt for euthanasia of piglets less than 3 d of age

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a nonpenetrating captive bolt (NPCB), the Zephyr-Euthanasia (Zephyr-E), for euthanasia of neonatal piglets < 72 h of age using signs of insensibility and death, as well as postmortem assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Zephyr-E was used by 10 stock people to euthanize 100 low viability neonatal piglets from 3 commercial farrowing units and 1 research farm. Brainstem reflexes, convulsions, and heartbeat were used to assess insensibility, time of brain death, and cardiac arrest after Zephyr-E application. Hemorrhage severity and skull fracture displacement (FD) were quantified from computed tomography scans (n = 10), macroscopic scoring was used to assess brain hemorrhage and skull fracture (SK) severity (n = 100), and microscopic scoring was used to assess subdural (SDH) and parenchymal (PH) hemorrhage within specific brain regions that are responsible for consciousness and vital function (n = 10). All 100 piglets were rendered immediately insensible without return to sensibility. On average, clonic convulsions (CC) ceased in 101 s (+/- 7.4 SE), brain death was achieved in 229 s (+/- 9.18 SE), and cardiac arrest occurred in 420 s (+/- 13.57 SE). Time of cardiac arrest differed significantly among stock people when either body weight (BW: P = 0.0053) or body mass index (BMI: P = 0.0059) was used as a covariate. The BMI was inversely related to the duration of CC (P = 0.0227). Moderate to severe hemorrhage severity was reported in 9 of 10 piglets. There was no relationship between FD and BW (P = 0.8408) or BMI (P = 0.6439). Macroscopic analyses indicated moderate to severe hemorrhage and SK in all piglets. No differences were found among brain sections for SDH (P = 0.2302); PH was greater in the cerebral cortex than in the midbrain and brainstem (P = 0.0328). The Zephyr-E NPCB reliably caused immediate, sustained insensibility followed by death in neonatal piglets. Postmortem assessment confirmed that application of the Zephyr-E caused widespread, irreversible brain damage.